The new smartwatch retains the five-button design and screen size of its predecessor, the Garmin Forerunner 45, but with some noticeable differences. The bezel surrounding its display is thicker and features lugs on its top and bottom, giving it a more traditional sports watch-like appearance. That being said, the Forerunner 55 is indeed designed with activities such as swimming in mind so it also features water resistance at a rating of 5ATM. Specs-wise, the watch is equipped with a large 1.04-inch display with a resolution of 208 x 208 pixels and also features transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP) technology, which enhances its visibility under sunlight. Garmin noted that the Forerunner 55 is able to last up to two weeks of battery life in smartwatch mode. Using it with GPS activated, on the other hand, will reduce usage up to 20 hours.
In terms of health and fitness tracking, the Forerunner 55 comes with a variety of sensors that can detect speed, distance, heart rate and even track menstrual cycles. You can also expect it to include Garmin’s signature tools such as Body Battery, Garmin Coach, PacePro and several others, as well as a wide variety of built-in workout routines. Besides that, the new watch features watch-to-phone connectivity which allows it to receive notifications and preview text messages, social media updates or emails. There’s also built-in assistance and incident detection, which lets users manually or automatically send an alert and real-time location to emergency contacts. The new Garmin Forerunner 55 is available starting today at a retail price of RM960 via the brand’s official online stores on Lazada, Shopee and AECO e-store, as well as authorised retailers nationwide. As for colour choices, the new smartwatch is offered in either black, grey, white, and aqua options. Interestingly enough, the Garmin Forerunner 45 is priced at RM999 on the brand’s official Malaysian website, therefore making it slightly pricier than its recently launched successor. However, it’s also worth noting that the Forerunner 45 is currently being offered at an 11% discount across all of the brand’s aforementioned online stores, which brings its price down to RM859. (Source: Garmin press release / official website)