By Marnie Kunz, CPT

This Garmin Forerunner 55 review will go over my experience with the Garmin Forerunner 55. As an active runner and running coach, I have used this watch a lot in the past three years. Overall, I’m pleased with this Garmin model and have found it functional, budget-friendly, and easy to use. The device does not have all the advanced features of some of the more expensive Garmin watch models, but it has everything I need to train myself and other runners. For the average runner, it offers plenty of capabilities, from suggested recovery time after workouts to step counting, programming speed workouts, and more.

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Overall, I recommend this running watch for beginners and runners who want something more advanced than a fitness tracker without too many complicated features.

Disclosure: I bought this Garmin 55 and was not given this product. If you buy it through my links, Runstreet may earn a small commission at no extra expense to you. See our Disclosure for more details.

Garmin Forerunner 55 Review Rundown

Features: 4.5
Price: 5.0
Battery Life: 4.0
Ease of Use: 5.0
GPS Accuracy: 5.0
Design: 4.5

Pros: Budget-friendly, easy to use, excellent GPS tracking, ability to sync and program workouts with Garmin Connect. Daily Step Count, Vo2 max, weekly mileage total, resting heart rate, and Body Battery are easy to access.

Cons: No map display available on the wrist watch, shorter battery life than more expensive Garmin models.

Overall Rating: 4.6 out of 5.0

My Experience with the Garmin Forerunner 55

Here is my Garmin Forerunner 55 review in a nutshell:

The Garmin Forerunner 55 is an excellent running watch for most runners ranging from entry-level new runners to experienced half-marathon and marathon runners. I highly recommend this watch if you want an easy-to-use watch with plenty of functionality without a high price tag. For elite runners and those who want the most advanced features, as well as people who heavily focus on heart rate training, there are better options than this watch (like the Garmin Forerunner 265).

My favorite features of this watch are that it’s easy to use and it gives a variety of health metrics - including Vo2 Max, Body Battery, and Daily Step Count. As a running coach, I also love the Garmin Connect option to create workouts and sync them with your watch so you can easily pull up speed workouts when you’re training. See my post below to learn more about how to program workouts for your Garmin 55.

Garmin Forerunner 55 Features

Now, for a more in-depth Garmin Forerunner 55 review, I am including sections on each area that I rated the watch, with details below:

If you have owned this watch’s predecessor, the Garmin Forerunner 45, you’ll find the Garmin 55 is similar. The Garmin 55 offers impressive features, given the price tag. The first prominent feature is GPS tracking. You can quickly press the Stop/Start button on the watch's right side to track your runs or walks. In my experience, the GPS works accurately and usually finds a GPS signal quickly when you press Start.

The Forerunner 55 uses a built-in wrist-based heart rate monitor, which gives a good general heart rate indicator. However, you also can get a compatible ANT+ chest heart rate monitor, and the chest strap can sync with the watch and give you more detailed heart rate statistics. I have not used a chest strap with this watch so cannot offer more details, but you can find specs and more on the Garmin website.

The watch has a default menu display that you can reach by pressing the lower left button on the side. This display includes your Vo2 Max, total weekly running mileage, heart rate, Body Battery, daily step count, and the number of days you’ve run in the past week. These stats are helpful features to gauge your training and see your progress.

I’ve found the Vo2 max reading, Body Battery, total weekly mileage, and Step Count to be especially helpful features. The Vo2 max number gives you an idea of your body’s oxygen efficiency, with higher numbers - in the upper 40s - showing better fitness levels.

The Body Battery feature is helpful for understanding your energy levels throughout the day. This gives you an estimate of your body’s energy levels throughout the day, using heart rate variability, stress, sleep, and activity data. Your Body Battery level can help you decide if you have enough energy for intense workouts like speed training or if it’s better to do a slower base run or take a rest day if your battery is very low.

Daily Step Count is helpful for anyone who is trying to lose weight or improve their daily activity levels. I like that your Daily Step Count is counted automatically and includes all walking, measuring more than just your runs.

Training Features

The Garmin also has training features with you can find when you're logged into Garmin Connect with your Garmin profile. You can pick different training plans, set a goal, and see daily suggested workouts by navigating to Garmin Coach Plans. There is also a PacePro feature in Garmin Connect that allows you to enter information about your goal race and then will suggest pacing based on your training history and fitness level.

Battery Life

The Garmin 55 battery life is sufficient for most runners. The battery life is 20 hours when the watch is in standard GPS mode and up to 2 weeks in smartwatch mode. I usually can go for at least a week without charging my watch and am not bothered by having to charge it. If you are an ultra runner or often camping without power, you may want a higher-powered battery, like the Garmin Forerunner 265.

Ease of Use

The Garmin Forerunner 55 is easy to use. I am not a very patient person with learning new technology, but I started using this right away with no problem. Create a free Garmin Connect account and sync your watch regularly to access more detailed health and training information, create workouts, and see graphs of your training stats.

Sometimes, waiting for the Garmin Connect app on my phone to sync with my watch takes a few minutes, which seems a bit clunky, but other than that, I’ve found the watch and Connect app to be easy to use.

GPS Accuracy

The Garmin Forerunner 55 has an excellent GPS system. When you turn it on to run, it is usually fast to find a GPS signal, and the pace changes quickly in sync with your running speeds. The GPS makes it easy to see your training progress and run pace and do things like participate in a virtual run.

Design

The Garmin 55 has a sleek, lightweight design. I love that it’s easy to use and does not have too many functions. You can sync it with your smartphone if you’d like. Personally, I prefer to have a break from phone notifications on the run, so I have not used the phone syncing capabilities.

The Garmin 55 does not have a touch screen, in contrast with some of the more advanced Garmin models. This does not bother me, but if you want the latest technology and a higher resolution screen, check out the Garmin Forerunner 265.

Programming Workouts with the Garmin Forerunner 55

A Garmin Forerunner 55 review would not be complete if I didn’t talk about one of my favorite advanced features of the watch. You can program speed workouts in your Garmin Connect account, schedule them on your calendar, and sync with your Garmin devices.

I love this feature for programming interval workouts and tempo runs for coaching people. You can set target paces, distances, and times, and your watch will beep and give you prompts to tell you when to go faster, when to go slower for recovery, and more.

Check out my post on Garmin Running Workout Guide: Everything You Need to Know to learn more about programming speed workouts with your Garmin.

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Happy running to you!😊

Marnie Kunz is a NASM-certified trainer and USATF- and RRCA-certified running coach, dog lover, Akita mom, and writer based in Brooklyn, NY. She is the founder of Runstreet.

Garmin Forerunner 55 Review: Budget-Friendly Running Watch