Forerunner 55, GPS Running Watch with Daily Suggested Workouts, Up to 2 Weeks of Battery Life, Aqua

The Garmin Forerunner 55 is an excellent entry-level GPS running watch that punches well above its price point. Designed for beginner to intermediate runners, it offers accurate GPS tracking, heart rate monitoring, and essential training features without overwhelming users with complexity. Key Features: Built-in GPS: Fast and accurate tracking of pace, distance, and route. Daily Suggested Workouts: Personalized training guidance based on your fitness level. Heart Rate Monitoring: Tracks 24/7, even during sleep. Battery Life: Up to 2 weeks in smartwatch mode and 20 hours in GPS mode—fantastic for long training weeks. Lightweight Design: Comfortable enough for all-day wear. Pros: User-friendly interface, great for beginners. Impressive battery life. Great value for the features included. Offers safety tracking (like LiveTrack) for peace of mind. Cons: No music storage or contactless payments. Limited advanced metrics for elite athletes. Verdict: If you're new to running or want a reliable, no-fuss GPS watch, the Forerunner 55 is a standout choice. It delivers just what you need—accuracy, motivation, and ease of use—at a budget-friendly price.

I had two of the old gray and orange Forerunners, but since things don't last forever, they both finally failed. I was dreading shopping for a replacement because I don't want all the fancy stuff that most watches have these days. I just want the basics (time, distance, average pace), and I want ease of operation. I have been very pleased with this watch. It's not much more complicated than the old one, and it's much lighter. The charge lasts much longer, too. I do half marathons, and I can easity get three runs before it needs to be recharged.

The battery life on this thing is amazing. Easy to navigate and accurate!

This watch excels in all the things we need it to do. Its GPS tracking means we can track hikes and walks in the neighborhood and see stats such as altitude gain, heart rate and pace. The app on the phone lets you see your track superimposed on a good map. Its battery lasts several days even when using GPS for a walk in the neighborhood. Screen is easy to read. It can show incoming calls and texts and the weather while in bluetooth connection with the phone. It's not too big and clunky.

I've had this watch for 10 months, and I'm ready for a better watch. This watch isn't all bad though. If you're looking for a cheaper option for running watches this is a pretty good choice, as long as your milage is reasonable. Obviously of you're running more mileage you're charging your watch more often. If I don't use the watch for anything but "being a watch" and heart rate monitoring I could get a couple weeks between charges. The gps seems pretty accurate, I have routes that I usually run and the watch is pretty close in marking miles in about the same spot, I'd say within .05 of a mile, worse case. I'd say this watch is more geared towards cardio workouts, I use the "other" while I'm weight lifting and it's not quite the right option, but theres no other options for this watch. It also does not have the ability to do elevation. Any elevation in your run is gps based i think. The watch itself is very durable, I only have the tiniest chip in the top of the screen, I wear this watch all the time, except while showering. The screen has minimal scratching. I've bought the screen covers for this watch before, but no brand I've ever bought was the exact correct size and there was always a small edge pulled up that would get dirt under it and it would eventually fall off. I really like that the screen is NOT touch screen and only the buttons control it. I don't have to worry about accidentally bumping something during a work out. I'm not sure how accurate the HR is, I caveat that I wear my watch on the inside of my wrist and I have dark tattooing there that could cause some problems. But I've also worn it on the opposite side of my wrist and had similar readings. You also can't wear this watch tight against the skin, then it won't read a HR at all. I've seen this happen in work outs where there a missing HR chunks of time. The sleep monitoring is NOT reliable. Like at all. Basically all it knows it that your heart rate is lowering and it's night time. I can be sitting still reading before bed and it counts all that time as sleep. So where I might have actually slept midnight to 630, my watch started counting sleep at 10. So I says I've gotten more sleep. Therefore effecting your "body battery" rate. The charger is weird. It takes a special charger, which I've bought another one for my travel bag. And if the watch charging interface gets dirty it makes charging finicky. The phone finder is really useful and I do like the period tracker.

I purchased this for my daughter, who is a three season distance runner. She loves this watch. It has all the features she needs to track her runs and workouts. The fact that she can check her routes on the app because the GPS feature works well is a bonus.

The battery life on this thing is amazing. Easy to navigate and accurate!

I've had this watch for almost a month and its been fantastic. GPS and heart rate are accurate, display is sharp (albeit not AMOLED level crisp), and the stats are just what I need/want. The question for you is will this watch meet your needs, wants, and lifestyle? With the release of the Forerunner 165, it *seems* the 55 isn't a great choice. The 165 has an AMOLED display, an altimeter, and a few more bells and whistles for about 40 bucks more. The upgraded screen and altimeter make it seem like an easy choice to set down the extra 40 (or 100 for portable music). However, the 55 still offers a nice value and solid features: I've found the display on this watch to be fine (even with so-so near vision). Its already helped me knock time off my pace and train for an upcoming marathon. The data provided by the 55 is detailed: the body battery, sleep data, VO2 max, fitness age, stress, running cadence, and more are probably a bit more than I want and encompass all that I need. I always run with my phone (as a Zombie's Run fan and need to be in-touch with the outside world) so having a music option or do-it-all watch isn't necessary. While I haven't pulled a formal training plan (I'm following the Zombie's, Run! marathon trainer which I've used before to good effect), I *could* pull a plan to my 55. Further, the 55 "knows" when I've gone hard on a run or had a bad night's sleep and recommends a rest day or lower effort run. All good stuff! TL:DR - the 55 is a great option for a beginner runner or experienced runner who wants some data but knows (or is honest with themselves) that they probably won't dive into too deep (e.g. pace, cadence, body battery, and sleep are all they want with a few more goodies). Its also a great choice for the person who wants a dedicated GPS watch but wears other watches during their day and is having trouble justifying a special purpose purchase. I'm still in the return window for my 55 and I'm going to keep it. The 40 dollar (+ tax) isn't a huge hurdle but I can't say that the 165 gives me enough more to turn in the 55. I'm very happy with this watch because *it meets all my needs an wants* if the same is true for you, go ahead and order this but if you want the sharper display, a bit more data, and an altimeter (really, the only thing I miss on my 55) then save up some more and go that way.