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Garmin Forerunner 955 GPS Running Smartwatch

Curated from 90 real Reddit conversations

Refreshed on: January 29, 2025

Garmin Forerunner 955 GPS Running Smartwatch

Brand: Garmin

Price: $374

Snoop Score:

3.9

Sentiment

7.3

Popularity

4.5

Technical

2.3

Buy on Amazon for $374 See All GPS Units Reviews

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Snoop's Take

The Garmin 010-02638-10 Forerunner® 955 is a GPS running smartwatch designed for triathletes and fitness enthusiasts, featuring an always-on display and long-lasting battery life. Users praise its solid battery performance, user-friendly data availability, and high-quality display, with comments like "I love the long battery time and the health tracking." However, some have reported GPS issues causing boot loops and difficulties in performing hard resets, indicating mixed experiences with reliability. Overall, the Garmin Forerunner 955 stands out in its category for its comprehensive tracking features and robust design. Given the positive feedback regarding its battery life and display quality, alongside some concerns about GPS reliability, it is still recommended for serious athletes and outdoor adventurers looking for a capable smartwatch.

Not for you? Check out our other rated GPS Units

the battery life is what drawers me to the 265 also
Positive Feedback

This is caused whenever a user attempt to start a GPS activity.
Negative Feedback

3.9

Garmin Forerunner 955 GPS Running Smartwatch

Buy on Amazon for $374

Marathon & Road Running

3 / 10

Trail & Ultra Running

2 / 10

Triathlon & Multisport

4 / 10

Everyday Fitness & Wellness

4 / 10

See how this compares to all GPS Units

What it does well!

Key strengths users can’t stop talking about.

Solid battery life

“the battery life is what drawers me to the 265 also”➕

“Yeah, the better battery life on the 265 is the main thing that makes me not regret not waiting for the 165.”➕

User-friendly data availability

“Garmin's UI takes some getting used to, but I love the amount of data available and the 265 does everything I want it to.”➕

High-quality display

“Will never go back to a watch without AMOLED screen and all the metrics it has, even though I don't run THAT often (I'm more of a walked and hiker, weight lifter) I really find it great and useful for everyday life for me and my workouts.”➕

Garmin is a leading brand for mapping and emergency services

“Garmin currently is the leading company that does devices that do mapping, texting, and emergency services all in one.”➕

Prefer handheld GPS for reliability in adverse weather

“I still vastly prefer a handheld GPS, I've seen phones conk out or have app/connectivity issues to many times in the slightest bit of adverse weather to trust them.”➕

Durable and reliable GPS for rugged areas

“No regrets.”➕

Great battery life

“I’ve been able to do everything I have wanted from a sports watch… lift, run, health tracking, etc.”➕

“I love the long battery time and the health tracking.”➕

Accurate GPS

“great battery, accurate GPS, and does *most stuff*.”➕

All-encompassing GPS features

“If you want an all encompassing GPS then yeah the 67i will do everything you want and is probably the best “complete” unit.”➕

“It’s makes recon life 10x easier”➕

Solid GPS signal in isolated areas

“So far the one that looks the most appropriate is the Garmin edge explore.”➕

“It uses 2 AA batteries and lasts 3 days always on.”➕

Ease of route creation with phone connectivity

“the phone connectivity actually is a big plus because you can create a route on your phone and directly send it to your gps via bluetooth, no signal required.”➕

Dedicated GPS units offer better reliability

“a dedicated GPS unit has a number of benefits over a GPS app on a phone”➕

Dedicated GPS units are waterproof and sturdy

“The handheld GPSs are quite sturdy and waterproof.”➕

GPS units can preload maps for offline use

“Plenty of map apps can download offline maps to use when you're in areas with bad/no reception”➕

Garmin has improved reliability in newer models.

“They used to be horribly unreliable, but I think it's unjustified nowadays.”➕

“This ranged ftom poor battery life, frustrating touch screens and poor ant+ reception.”➕

Where it needs some work!

Areas to watch—feedback on possible improvements.

GPS issues causing boot loops

“This is caused whenever a user attempt to start a GPS activity.”➕

“Just unboxed my new 255. Tried to connect to GPS, it went straight to bootlop.”➕

“Imagine buying a Garmin to get fit and eventually arriving at a big milestone, like a Marathon or a long hike/expedition. Then on the spot, you press the activity button and the watch goes like 🗿”➕

“Happening on my 265. Has anyone tried changing the GPS settings to see if changing from auto to something else fixes it?”➕

Difficulties in performing hard reset

“No matter what I try, my laptop never recognizes the watch or an external drive.”➕

“You should see an animated cog signaling hard reset.”➕

Previous generation GPS chipset causing problems

“Forerunner 55 has a previous generation GPS chipset that isn't so good.”➕

Smartphones may outperform GPS for recreational backpacking

“Smart phones do this adequately and arguably better because they can have different apps that look at the data differently.”➕

Watch screen is small and less user-friendly than standalone GPS units

“A watch is a much smaller screen and more finnicky to use than a stand alone unit or an app on your phone.”➕

“I have a Garmin instinct watch. It's pretty much useless without your phone.”➕

Previous Garmin models were unreliable and had significant issues.

“Your experience with it is not typical.”➕

“Garmin issued a software update that broke pairing of their OWN HRM straps, for over a solid month.”➕

Compare On All Talked About Dimensions

Product Name	Price	Score	See Details	Buy Now
Garmin Forerunner 265 Running Smartwatch	$449	8.4	Details	Buy
Garmin Fenix 7X Solar Multisport GPS Watch	$559	7.1	Details	Buy
COROS APEX 2 Outdoor GPS Watch	$349	6.9	Details	Buy
Garmin Forerunner 935 Running GPS Unit	$229	6.8	Details	Buy
Garmin Forerunner 55 GPS Running Watch	$178	6.7	Details	Buy
Garmin 010-02626-10 Instinct 2 Outdoor Watch	$198	6.6	Details	Buy
COROS PACE 3 GPS Sport Watch	$229	6.4	Details	Buy
Garmin Forerunner 165 Running Smartwatch	$249	6.3	Details	Buy
Garmin fenix 6 Pro GPS Watch	$479	6.0	Details	Buy
Garmin Enduro™ 2 Ultraperformance Watch	$667	6.0	Details	Buy
Garmin tactix 7 Pro Ballistics Edition GPS Watch	$1419	5.9	Details	Buy
Garmin Forerunner 955 GPS Running Smartwatch	$374	3.9	Details	Buy
Garmin 010-12520-00 Running Dynamics Pod	$59	3.2	Details	Buy

Core Power Plays

The specs and strengths that make it shine.

Comparison of GPS accuracy between devices

“GPS accuracy Phone vs Garmin Forerunner 55 I just received a Frontrunner 55. I really like it except for the GPS accuracy.”➕

“I would guess your phone has multi-band GPS while the Forerunner 55 doesn’t.”➕

Preference for handheld units for accuracy

“Autonomous GPS is very difficult to get lower than 10 feet accuracy.”➕

“The [US Forest Service tests GPS units under forest conditions].”➕

Discussion on the usefulness of GPS watches versus standalone units

“GPS watch vs stand alone unit? Garmin instinct/fenix or inreach/montana”➕

Experience with Fenix 6 and its mapping capability

“I tried fenix 6 with prepared map. It was great, I saved a lot of battery on my phone and it is better in rain.”➕

Preference for handheld GPS for reliability in adverse weather

“Many thanks.”➕

“My apps include Ride w GPS and Gaia GPS.”➕

Older GPS devices are still usable and may have lifetime map updates.

“Are they still useful nowadays? Or are they obsolete?”➕

“The functionality now of the old GPS drivers are pretty archaic in comparison and phone maps probably provide more functionally (traffic, gas prices, lanes, etc)”➕

Standalone GPS units have pre-installed maps and specialized hardware.

“Standalone GPS units have the maps already installed and those cost a lot of money for companies to create and keep updated.”➕

“A lot of the standalone units' price is for replicated features. Touchscreens, batteries, GPS chips, etc all cost SOME amount of money.”➕

“The thermal envelope of a dash mounted navigation system is a lot wider than a phone.”➕

Hidden Hero Hacks

Unexpected tricks and side‑door uses you’ll love.

User experiences and solutions shared

“I finally got it to work with the updated guidance from Garmin.”➕

“I got mine on a discount for $249 brand new, and it comes with 2 years official warranty at my local Garmin shop.”➕

Fenix can act as a backup for emergency SOS features

“The mapping on the Fenix is really just an emergency backup. It works but is hard to navigate well.”➕

Discussion on using phone apps versus dedicated hardware

“Apps on your phone will get that job done.”➕

Buyer’s Cheat Sheet

What to check before you click ‘Add to Cart.’

Comparison of features between different Garmin models

“The difference is only the amoled touchscreen, and training readiness metric.”➕

Comparison of features with other Garmin models

“Why not consider the 255 over the 165? It has more features and almost the same price”➕

Comparison of devices and preferences for navigation

“I carry a physical GPS unit still.”➕

Comparison of Garmin to Apple Watch

“I love my AW and my FR255 for very different reasons.”➕

Perceived value of Garmin watches for running

“I used to Apple Watch 2 and after I thought to buy Fenix 7 Pro. But I had some doubts about new watches (new system, new weight and size) and yesterday I ordered Forerunner 255 (it has most of functions I need and price - the best!)”➕

Discussion on lifetime updates for Garmin devices

“Even if it gets downed there will be huge interest in reviving it by anyone capable of launching more.”➕

“I had two Garmin Nuvis before smartphones were popular, both came with *1 year* of updates.”➕

“I have 3 and all of them have free lifetime upgrades. Maybe they changed that at some point?”➕

“They started changing to lifetime updates for most products a while after the mobile version of Google Maps introduced turn-by-turn directions and ate their lunch.”➕

Comparison of features between Garmin models and smartphone capabilities

“Nothing a stand-alone unit can really do better than your phone, unless you want to be able to message with it, and soon phones should be able to use satellite messaging as well.”➕

Debate on the best Garmin GPS device

“Okay so I heard the Foretrex is actually not the best Garmin GPS device.”➕

Preference for standalone devices versus smartphones

“It works offline or online, you can install a multitude of different maps from different sources covering the whole world”➕

Discussion on the limitations of smartphone GPS compared to dedicated units

“Garmin doesn't need cell coverage”➕

Discussion on the need for regular updates to GPS map data.

“the nuvi 255W still works well enough for what I normally need so I purchased the largest memory card it will take, and then the map update succeeded.”➕

Comparison of standalone GPS units with smartphone navigation.

“I am thankful to have a navigation system other than my phone because it saved me from getting lost a couple of times in areas where I didn't get any data signal like the desert and mountains for Google Maps.”➕

Discussion on the cost of standalone units versus smartphone apps.

“Would you really say it is 200$ worth.”➕

Cautionary Callouts

Know the pitfalls before they catch you off guard.

Widespread nature of the GPS issue across multiple models

“Wow, such a strange issue as it's not just been pushed via a fw update and is widespread.”➕

“Found it in the closet, powered up ok. It’s more than ten years old.”➕

Discussion on the relevance of handheld GPS devices today

“Back when I was a kid I remember my dad always carried a handheld gps on our long backpacking trips.”➕

Discussion on the reliability of GPS devices in outdoor settings

“Current best GPS opions I still use my gazeteer mostly.”➕

“The GPS functionality on phones is fairly good and will work in most locations so long as you’ve preloaded the maps for locations that have no cell phone coverage.”➕

“They were the standard to use on every job I had in the woods before phone use became more popular.”➕

“What are you looking to get out of your GPS? Tracking your hikes? Seeing your location on a map? Do you want something that is also satellite messaging enabled?”➕

Mention of Garmin eTrex models for mapping and tracking

“Uses AA batteries so easy to carry along a couple extra or pick up at a gas station if needed”➕

“A pair of AA Lithium batteries usually last me a good 32 hours of recording”➕

“I think the 20x pans the map a tiny bit faster, but it's the same exact form factor, same UI, same everything.”➕

User experiences with different GPS devices

“I've got a motorcycle specific TOMTOM that I switch between bikes.”➕

Older GPS devices can be more accurate than modern multi-purpose devices.

“Often older GPS devices are more accurate as they were single goal devices and didn’t have to share space and battery power with all other uses.”➕

Experience with Garmin and Wahoo suggests mixed satisfaction.

“While looking at all the reviews I couldn't help but notice all the "hate" around Garmin units, but looking at the arguments, I couldn't help myself but to think that most people spreading "hate" around Garmin were complaining about their products being too complicated.”➕

“I've been using Garmin for few years and I'm ok with it.”➕

Discussion on brand loyalty influenced by past experiences.

“experience with a product is really significant in next purchases.”➕