Garmin Forerunner 945 vs Fenix 6 Pro - What are the differences?

The Garmin Fenix 6 Pro offers a little bit more than the Garmin Forerunner 945. Let's take a closer look at the differences. In comparison, we'll also decide which Garmin is best for you.

Comparison table

It is important to note that this is the Fenix 6 Pro. The basic version of Fenix has some features less.
 

	Garmin Forerunner 945	Garmin  Fenix 6S Pro	Garmin Fenix 6 Pro	Garmin Fenix 6X Pro
Glass	Corning Gorilla Glass DX	Corning Gorilla Glass 3 or Saphire Glas	Corning Gorilla Glass 3 or Saphire Glas	Corning Gorilla Glass 3 or Saphire Glas
Size	47 x 47 x 13,7 mm	42 x 42 x 13,8 mm	47 x 47 x 14,7 mm	51 x 51 x 14,9 mm
Diameter	1,2" / 30,4 mm	1,2" / 30,4 mm	1,3" / 33,02 mm	1,4" / 35,56 mm
Gewicht	50 g	41 g	57 g	66 g
Battery life smartwatch	14 days	9 days	14 days	21 days
Akkulaufzeit with GPS	25 hours	25 hours	36 hours	60 hours
Akkulaufzeit Saver mode	-	34 days	48 days	80 days
Waterproof	5 ATM 50 meter	10 ATM 100 meter	10 ATM 100 meter	10 ATM 100 meter
Swim HR	Yes (updated)	Yes	Yes	Yes
Swim Bahnen	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Golf	Yes (weniger Funktionen)	Yes	Yes	Yes
Maps	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Maps Ski	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Pace Pro	Yes (updated)	Yes	Yes	Yes
Music storage	Yes up to 1000 songs	Yes up to 2000 songs	Yes up to 2000 songs	Yes up to 2000 songs
Music Streaming	Yes via smartphone	Yes via WLAN	Yes via WLAN	Yes via WLAN
WLAN	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

Differences Garmin Fenix 6 and Forerunner 945

The Garmin Fenix 6 is available in several versions. This is particularly relevant for the comparison in terms of size. There are the Fenix 6S, 6 and 6X. The FR 945 is a mixture of the Fenix 6S and Fenix 6 in terms of size.

Additionally the Garmin Fenix 6 is available as Pro and Basic version. This is also relevant for the comparison. The Fenix 6 Pro has some advandayss compared to the normal version. You can see more about this in the comparison of the Garmin Fenix 6 series.

Size, weight and display

The Garmin Fenix 6 and Forerunner 945 are almost identical in size. Both have dimensions of 47 x 47 millimeters. However, the Forerunner 945 with 13.7 millimeters is slightly thinner than the Fenix 6, which is 14.7 millimeters thick.

The weight of the Fenix 6 depends on the material and design. Altogether, the Fenix 6 is always a little heavier than the Forerunner 945. The FR945 weighs 50 grams. The average weight of the Fenix 6 is 57 grams.

The Fenix 6 is available with a Corning Gorilla Glass 3 or also with a Spahire glass. The Forerunner 945 has always used a Corning Gorilla Glass DX.

The display is more like the Fenix 6S. The Forreunner has a resolution of 240 x 240 pixels. This is identical with the Fenix 6S. Also in the diameter of the display, the Fenix 6S is identical with 30.4 millimeters (1.2 inches).

Battery life

In terms of battery life, the Forerunner 945 again offers the same result as the Fenix 6.
 

• Battery life Smartwatch: 14 days
• Battery life with GPS: 36 hours
• Battery life with GPS and music: 10 hours

However, the Fenix 6 still offers various energy-saving options here. This allows a battery life of up to 48 days.

Waterproof

Both Garmin watches are water resistant. However, the Garmin Fenix 6 can be used up to 100 meters under water. The Garmin Forerunner 945 can only be used up to 50 meters. The classification of the Garmin Fenix 6 corresponds to 10 ATM and the FR 945 to 5 ATM.

After an update you can also use the pulse sensor under water with the FR 945. This makes both the Fenix 6 and the FR 945 suitable for swimming.

Golf

Although both watches support Garmin Golf, the Garmin Fenix 6 offers a little more here. Of course, this is only relevant for professional golfers.

This includes:
 

• User-defined goals
• Complete vector map
• PinPointer
• PlaysLike Distance
• handicap scoring
• Compatible with automatic storage of clubs

Running functions - Pace Pro

PacePro was introduced with Fenix 6 and was initially only available there. After an update Pace Pro is also available for the Garmin Forerunner 945 and Forerunner 245.

This is a special function for runners to optimize the running units.

Music

There's music on both watches. However, the Fenix 6 has a few advandayss here. You can store a little more music on the watch and also use streaming services directly from the watch. With the FR 945, this is done via the connection to the smartphone. Please note that only the Fenix 6 Pro supports music.

Maps

Maps are available on the Forerunner as well as on the Fenix 6, but even here cards are only available on the Pro version of the Fenix 6. An advandays of the Fenix 6 are maps for ski resorts. With the FR 945 there are no such cards.

Which Garmin is better for you?

In general, the Garmin Fenix 6 Pro* is the better watch for both. But it doesn't mean that you need the Fenix. As is so often the case, it all depends on your use of the watch. In general, the merits of the Fenix 6 are already very detailed and are quite special. For most, the Forerunner 945* or even the Fenix 5 Plus* is enough. You can also compare the Garmin Fenix 5 Plus and FR 945.