Featured in this comparison are the new duo from Garmin; Forerunner 45 and 45S joined by the older Forerunner 35. The new 45 and 45S announced last month succeeds the 35 and would be replacing it. The 45 and 45S come in slight different designs which are more stylish and also include few new additional features which aren’t present on the 35. We compare the Forerunner 35 vs 45 vs 45S specs and features so you know what’s new and perhaps an upgrade maybe necessary.

Garmin Forerunner 35 vs 45 vs 45S Specifications Compared

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Garmin Forerunner 35 vs 45 vs 45S – The Difference?

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Meanwhile, the difference between the Garmin 45 and 45S is that the former is bigger and heavier than the 45S which is more stylish with its thinner bezel.

• Design

With the arrival of the 45/45S, Garmin has moved from the box shape of the Forerunner 35 to a more stylish circular shaped 45 and 45S that looks more like a real watch.

Although the 35 is smaller and certainly finds itself as a favorite among people with a smaller wrist, but the new duo; 45 and 45S which are sleeker and lighter spot more decent appearances that’s obviously more stylish than the 35 even while being moderately sized too.

Also, you’re getting five buttons instead of 4 buttons to help navigate the non-touchscreen wider 1.04 inches screen sizes of the 45 and 45S.

Body materials remain same reinforced thermoplastic material on all three devices, while the sunlight-visible transflective memory-in-pixel display powers the display on all three devices. However, the display on the 45 and 45S are now colored which is quite more interactive than the monochromic display of the 35.

Overall, from the design, the 45 and 45S look more stylish than the 35 and are clearly nicer choices.

• Battery Life

Battery life hasn’t changed that much, it’s almost same battery life that sees the Forerunner 35 bearing a slight advantage with its longer battery life. Perhaps that’s the price to pay for that slight wider display.

While the 35 would last about 9 days on smartwatch mode, the 45 and 45S have got about 7 days. However, with GPS active, its the same battery life. Not such as big difference, moreover all three devices have long battery life that’s a little more than what you get from close competitors such as the Fitbit Versa and the Fossil Gen 4 Sport.

• Activity Tracking

Just like all Garmin smartwatches, all three devices are fitness-focused and are all spectacular choices for keeping a tab on your active life. However, the 45 and 45S comes with a few additional fitness tracking features that certainly makes these two better choices for fitness tracking compared to the 35.

For a start, there’s now the all-day stress monitoring made possible by the body battery energy monitor. Also new is the Garmin coach which offers personalized coaching right on the watch with adaptive plans that helps you achieve more fitness goals.

Elsewhere, is the introduction of an incident detection feature that’s able to detect when an incident has occurred and will send a message with your location to a preset emergency contacts. This feature is also available on the Garmin Vivoactive 3 Music.
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Which is the Best?

All three devices are entry-level smartwatches, but obviously the new 45 and 45S are better choices than the 35.

However, that’s with respect to the appearance and a few additional features in which the 35 also spot a quite decent design, also a nice choice for fitness tracking with its longer battery life and it’s far cheaper.

For anyone on a low budget, the 35 is a nice alternative and certainly is one of the best fitness smartwatches that do a great job in helping track your active life.

I don’t think an upgrade is that necessary. However, if you want better design, and of course new fitness tracking features, then the 45 and 45S are great choices with the 45S being a nicer fit for women while the bigger 45 is a great choice for men and people with bigger wrists.

Here is a summary;