OLATHE, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Garmin® International, Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NYSE: GRMN), today announced the Forerunner® 955 Solar, its first dedicated running smartwatch with solar charging. Featuring a Power Glass™ solar charging lens, the Forerunner 955 Solar gives athletes up to 20 days of battery life in smartwatch mode1 and up to 49 hours in GPS mode2. Built for the long run, the Forerunner 955 Solar 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, allowing for 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 to help athletes better prepare for their next big race. Garmin unveiled the Forerunner 955 Solar in conjunction with Global Running Day, an annual celebration of the sport of running that encourages athletes of all levels to make a life-changing commitment to running.
“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. No matter where, when or why you run, the Forerunner 955 Solar will help you go the extra mile.”
Here's what’s new
- Solar charging: Power Glass solar charging gives athletes up to 49 hours of battery life in GPS mode.2
- 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.3 The report can even 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.
Made for medals
To help athletes chase their next PR, 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 will provide athletes with an entire week of day-to-day training guidance based on their fitness levels and overall wellness and will even adapt based on race plans that are 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. What’s 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.
Runners and triathletes can take their training to the next level by syncing indoor and outdoor workouts automatically from Garmin Connect™, the Tacx training app and other third-party platforms. Furthermore, 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.
Go the distance
Whether running on city streets or cycling through densely covered trails, the Forerunner 955 Solar provides athletes with full-color, built-in maps to stay on track and go the distance.
- Follow a route or course with turn-by-turn directions and know ahead of time when the next turn is coming.
- Plan and download routes using the course creator in Garmin Connect, which uses Trendline™ popularity routing to provide the best local paths or create courses on platforms like Strava and Komoot that will seamlessly sync to the watch.
- Prepare for what’s ahead with selected points of interest along a course. Additionally, view performance metrics, split times, distance and elevation data and a summary of upcoming key course points.
- Stay on pace using PacePro™, a tool that provides grade-adjusted guidance as athletes run a course.
- Use ClimbPro on downloaded courses to see real-time information on current and upcoming climbs including gradient, distance and elevation gain.
- Enter a distance to run or ride right on the watch and instantly receive suggested courses that circle back to the starting point.
All-day wear
Designed to be worn all day, 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. What’s more, 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)), Garmin Pay™ contactless payments5, and 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.6 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. What’s more, 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 $599.99. A non-solar charging version, the Forerunner 955, is also available with a suggested retail price of $499.99.
Engineered on the inside for life on the outside, Garmin products have revolutionized life for runners, cyclists, swimmers and athletes of all levels and abilities. Committed to developing technology that helps people stay active and elevate performance, Garmin believes every day is an opportunity to innovate and a chance to beat yesterday. Other Garmin fitness brands include Tacx and Firstbeat Analytics. For more information, visit Garmin's virtual Newsroom, email our press team, connect with @garminrunning on social media, or follow our adventures at garmin.com/blog.
1 Assumes all-day wear with 3 hours per day outside in 50,000 lux conditions
2 Solar charging, assuming continuous use in 50,000 lux conditions
3 The data and information provided by these devices is intended to be a close estimation of your activity and metrics tracked, but may not be precisely accurate
4 This is not a medical device and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or monitoring of any medical condition; see Garmin.com/ataccuracy. Pulse Ox is not available in all countries.
5 View current supported country, payment network and issuing bank information
6 When paired with a compatible smartphone; see Garmin.com/ble. For safety and tracking features requirements and limitations, see Garmin.com/safety
About Garmin International, Inc.
Garmin International, Inc. is a subsidiary of Garmin Ltd. (NYSE: GRMN). Garmin Ltd. is incorporated in Switzerland, and its principal subsidiaries are located in the United States, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. Garmin, Forerunner and Tacx are registered trademarks and Power Glass, Garmin Connect, Trendline, Garmin Pay, PacePro, Body Battery, Connect IQ, Firstbeat Analytics, UltraTrac and HRM-Pro are trademarks of Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries. All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved. Amazon Music and all related logos are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. SPOTIFY and the Spotify logo are among the registered trademarks of Spotify AB. Android is a trademark of Google LLC. Apple is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
Notice on Forward-Looking Statements:
This release includes forward-looking statements regarding Garmin Ltd. and its business. Such statements are based on management’s current expectations. The forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release may not occur and actual results could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting Garmin, including, but not limited to, the risk factors listed in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 25, 2021, filed by Garmin with the Securities and Exchange Commission (Commission file number 0001-411180). A copy of such Form 10-K is available at http://www.garmin.com/aboutGarmin/invRelations/finReports.html. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and Garmin undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
