This Garmin GPS running smartwatch gets world's first solar charging, battery life shames Apple Watch

Garmin has just announced a smartwatch that brings the ability to charge it via solar charging – a world’s first. The Garmin Forerunner 955 can charge itself under the Sun, thanks to the new power glass solar charging lens. And adding to this, Garmin says that the Forerunner 955 can offer a battery life of up to 12 days in the smartwatch mode on a single charge. In the GPS mode? Garmin says it can stay alive for 49 hours! Eat that, Apple Watch Series 7.

Sadly, the price of the watch is also on par, and even more than the Apple Watch Series 7. The Forerunner 955 will set you back by Rs. 63,990, although you can get the non-solar version of the same at a price of Rs. 53,490. Garmin also announced the Forerunner 255 in various variants – Forerunner 255 Basic, Forerunner 255S Basic, Forerunner 255 Music, Forerunner 255S Music – starting at a price of Rs. 37,490.

Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar breaks record

The Forerunner 955 Solar features a special Power Glass solar charging lens that allows the battery life to be enhanced. Garmin says that the solar charging allows for up to 20 days of battery in solar and up to 49 hours in GPS mode with solar. The Forerunner 955 Solar features an always-on and full-colour display with a responsive touchscreen along with a 5-button control layout, The watch also gets heart rate variability (HRV) status, a training readiness score and race widget for athletes.

The Forerunner 955 Solar also gets a built-in music player that allows to download up to 2,000 songs from playlists on Spotify and Amazon Music. It can also show smart notifications for calls, text messages, social media updates and alerts from both iOS or Android smartphones. It also offers Safety and tracking features by sending an athlete’s live location to chosen emergency contacts – or automatically sending a message if an incident is detected. The Forerunner 955 Solar can be personalized with custom watch faces, data fields, and apps and widgets from the Connect IQ Store.

The Forerunner 255 series is a more trimmed down variant, meant solely for runners. These smartwatches can last up to 14 days in smartwatch mode and up to 30 hours in GPS mode on a single charge. The Forerunner 255 Music and Forerunner 255S Music can store up to 500 songs right on the watch, including playlists from Spotify and Amazon Music from an iOS or Android smartphone. It can also connect to users’ wireless headphones for phone-free listening.