The Garmin Forerunner 935 and 945 models are some of the best offerings from this world-renowned brand and the latest sports watches to take the industry by storm.
The Garmin 935 has a display screen measuring 1.2 inches and offers a 240×240 resolution. It is comfortable due to its plastic body that is covered by a well-adjusted 22mm silicone band. The Garmin 945 has a pulse oximeter, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a thermometer, a heart rate sensor, etc.
In this article, I will compare the Garmin Forerunner 935 vs 945 to help you figure out which one is best for you.
Comparison of the Garmin Forerunner 935 vs 945
| Product | Overall Score | Bottom Line | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
 Garmin Forerunner 935 | 88 |  Decent battery life and GPS capabilities | Check Out On Amazon |
 Garmin Forerunner 945 | 82 | Good for 24/7 health monitoring ability | Check Out On Amazon |
Garmin 935 vs 945 Compared
You came here for a Garmin Forerunner comparison and that’s exactly what we’re going to give you. Read on as we compare the two most popular smartwatches right now and potentially choose a winner.
1. Garmin Forerunner 935
Overall Score: 88
The Garmin 935 smartwatch has been around the block for a short while now but it’s still pretty relevant. Its body is made from flexible plastic material which makes it ideal for swimming and surfing applications.
In fact, this waterproof watch is practically waterproof and you can submerge it in water for up to 5ATM.
The plastic body is covered by a comfy 22mm silicone band which you can adjust according to your needs.
The display screen measures 1.2 inches and offers a 240×240 resolution.
Note that this isn’t a touchscreen which makes life easier when you have to control it and manage settings after a swim, and the interface is characterized by physical buttons that flank the left and right side of the screen.
The watch features a wrist-based heart rate monitor, as well as an altimeter, barometer, compass, thermometer, and a gyroscope in its arsenal of sensors.
Advantages
- Great sports watch with tons of features.
- It can monitor sleep cycle and measure stress levels.
- Decent battery life and GPS capabilities.
- Provides accurate measurement 24/7.
- It fits comfortably.
Disadvantages
- It doesn’t feature Garmin Pay.
- There’s no onboard listening.
2. Garmin Forerunner 945
Overall Score: 82
Doing a Garmin 935 vs 945 requires that we do as much service to the latter as we did the former.
What surprised us about this watch is just the wide range of features that it comes with, all of which are encased within its slim and sleek frame.
Its aesthetics are characterized by a 22mm flexible silicone band which you can detach and replace with something else of your liking.
The 1.2-inch screen offers a 240×240 resolution quality, and it’s resistant to scratches and sun glare alike.
Just like the 935, the 945 comes with physical buttons that allow you to control all types of different features, with two buttons on the right and three on the left.
These buttons sit flush on the watch’s interface and they don’t stand out uncomfortably.
Again, there are a lot of sensors on this smartwatch which is why it’s at the top of the good chain as one of the best models available.
This includes a pulse oximeter that enables acclimatization, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a thermometer, a barometer altimeter, and a heart rate sensor of course.
As far as Garmin Forerunner 935 vs 945 goes, that was a pretty thorough one and it should be clear which model will come out on top.
Advantages
- Offline listening is available.
- Offers 24/7 health monitoring ability.
- Acclimatization is possible thanks to a pulse oximeter.
- Decent battery life and GPS capabilities.
- Comes with a lot of great features that are actually useful.
Disadvantages
- Difficult strap.
Garmin Forerunner 935 vs 945 Watches
Next, in our Garmin Forerunner 935 vs 945, these two models go head-to-head based on a set of predetermined features and considerations. Read on for more!
Music
Both of these watches enable you to control all audio tracks. However, you can only listen to your favorite tracks offline on the 945 as the offline listening ability isn’t available on the 935.
With that said, Garmin is still working on perfecting the offline listening feature on the 945 still so don’t expect your smartwatch to download tracks as easily as your smartphone.
The technology is just not there yet.
Maps
Any Garmin Forerunner watch comparison will reveal that these two models come with similar maps, with the only difference being that there are a few aesthetic differences in favor of the newer model.
Garmin Pay
Garmin Pay is a convenient feature to have because it allows you to pay for goods on the go without having to carry your wallet or smartphone. However, this feature is only available on the 945.
Sensors
As you may have noticed, these two watches come with many of the same features.
However, the 945 has the upper hand on a few things such as the addition of a pulse oximeter that’s designed to make it easier for you to adapt to your environment.
The 945 also comes with a handy water tolerance that’s higher than the older model and the heart rate sensor is better. Not only that, but the 945 has better battery life than the 935.
Price
Of course, you’re going to consider your budget when comparing any purchase and the same goes here.
You’ll be glad to know that both of these smartwatches are affordable but you do have to fork out an extra $100 extra for the 945.
Garmin 935 Has a Long Battery Life of up to 24 Hours in GPS Mode and 2 Weeks in Smartwatch Mode…
And just like that, our Garmin Forerunner 935 vs 945 comparison comes to an end.
The Garmin Forerunner 935 takes the cake in our opinion as the best out of the two in terms of performance, battery life, reliability, durability, and relevance of features.
Looking for more competitive models from Garmin? Be sure to check out my article Garmin Instinct vs Instinct 2, where I compare two models from the Instinct series.