Garmin’s new Forerunner 955 Solar is its first dedicated running smartwatch with solar charging, thanks to its Power Glass solar charging lens.
The Forerunner 955 Solar gives athletes up to 20 days of battery life in smartwatch mode and up to 49 hours in GPS mode based on solar conditions. It features an always-on, full-color display that is easy to read – even in direct sunlight – while a responsive touchscreen complements the traditional 5-button design. This allows fast access to everyday health features, easier control of maps and more.
Designed with the runner in mind, the Forerunner 955 Solar adds innovative new features like heart rate variability (HRV) status, a training readiness score and race widget.
“Athletes who strive to be the best seek the best training tools, and we are pleased to introduce the Forerunner 955 Solar to our lineup of premier GPS running smartwatches,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin vice president of global consumer sales. “With high-end training features and performance metrics, the Forerunner 955 Solar gives you the tools to chase your goals.”
What’s New
Here’s what’s new with the Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar:
- Solar charging: Power Glass solar charging gives athletes up to 49 hours of battery life in GPS mode.
- Touchscreen interface: Quickly swipe through maps, stats and more. The traditional 5-button design can be used separately or in conjunction with the touchscreen.
- Multi-band GPS: Stay on track in the most challenging environments with multi-band, multi-satellite-system tracking.
- Training readiness: Learn each day how ready the body is to benefit from training by taking into account sleep, recovery time, HRV status and additional metrics.
- HRV status: Track heart rate variability while sleeping to get a better handle on recovery and an overall wellness picture.
- Morning report: When paired with a smartphone, receive the day’s weather and daily workout suggestion, as well as information about last night’s sleep and HRV status. The report can be customized so athletes can view only the details they want to see.
- Race widget: View race prep information – including a race day-specific performance prediction, race day weather and a countdown clock – all in one widget. Once a race is scheduled, daily suggested workouts will adapt based on an athlete’s race plans.
- Real-time stamina insights: Monitor and track exertion levels in real-time during a run or ride.
- Native running power: When using a Running Dynamics Pod or HRM-Pro™ (sold separately), receive real-time metrics of how much power is being exerted on a run, built into the watch – no app required.
Forerunner 955 Solar Performance
The Forerunner 955 Solar includes key performance and training tools from Firstbeat Analytics™ like VO2 max, training load, performance condition, training effect and more. What’s more, new indicators such as HRV status, recent exercise history and performance will provide athletes with greater insight into their overall training status – and whether they’re training productively, peaking or strained.
Daily workout suggestions provide a week of day-to-day training guidance based on their fitness levels and overall wellness. It even will adapt this, based on race plans set up using the new race widget. When using a Running Dynamics Pod or HRM-Pro monitor (each sold separately), athletes can track running dynamics such as cadence, stride length, ground contact time and more. Athletes can track their cycling dynamics, such as seated/standing position, power phase and platform center offset when using a compatible Garmin power meter (sold separately). In the water, the Forerunner 955 Solar will track a swimmer’s distance, stroke, pace, personal records and more.
Indoor and outdoor workouts can be synced automatically from Garmin Connect™, the Tacx training app and other third-party platforms. The Forerunner 955 Solar is compatible with Garmin Coach – free 5K, 10K and half-marathon training plans that adapt based on a runner’s goals and performance.
All-Day Comfort
All-day wear
The Forerunner 955 Solar includes advanced health and wellness features. Wrist-based Pulse Ox4 monitors blood oxygen saturation levels providing a clearer picture of sleep and altitude acclimation while Body Battery™ energy monitoring shows current energy levels which can help athletes find the best times for activity and rest. Women’s health features, including menstrual cycle tracking and pregnancy tracking, let women log symptoms and receive exercise and nutrition education.
The Forerunner 955 Solar keeps the essentials on the wrist with built-in music (download up to 2,000 songs from playlists on Spotify, Amazon Music and Deezer (premium subscription may be required)) and Garmin Pay™ contactless payments. Users also can get smart notifications for calls, text messages, social media updates and alerts from an athlete’s Apple or Android™ smartphone.
Safety and tracking features provide peace of mind while training outside by sending an athlete’s live location to chosen emergency contacts – or automatically sending a message if an incident is detected. While riding inside, athletes can also control a Tacx Smart trainer via ANT+ technology right from the watch for course simulation, automatic resistance changes and workout prompts when using courses or workouts. The Forerunner 955 Solar can be personalized with custom watch faces, data fields, and apps and widgets from the Connect IQ Store.
Available now, the Forerunner 955 Solar has a suggested retail price of $599. A non-solar charging version, the Forerunner 955, has a suggested retail price of $499.
