Customer reviews from Garmin
Garmin - Forerunner 955 Solar GPS Smartwatch 47 mm Fiber-reinforced polymer - Black - (2022)
Average customer rating
4.6
(293 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 293 reviews
5 Stars
221
4 Stars
38
3 Stars
16
2 Stars
12
1 Star
6
Customer Reviews for Garmin - Forerunner 955 Solar GPS Smartwatch 47 mm Fiber-reinforced polymer - Black - (2022)
Customer Rating
3
Sleep tracking is extremely inacuratr
on June 23, 2022
Posted by: Lithium366
What can I say, I had several sleepless night and watch did not recognise them as being awake. Their sleep tracking is a fundamental feature allowing them to suggest you workouts but alas it’a not working as it should
Response from GarminBy Cecil with Garmin , Fitness, July 21, 2022
We are sorry that you are having issues with the sleep tracking feature, we would encourage you to reach out to our team so that we can get the details and work with you on a solution. Thank you for posting a review.
Please email our team at: product.support@garmin.com
Sleep Tracking:
https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?productID=777730&tab=topics&topicTag=region_sleeptracking
Please email our team at: product.support@garmin.com
Sleep Tracking:
https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?productID=777730&tab=topics&topicTag=region_sleeptracking
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
4
Solid Update from 945 but some bugs
on June 30, 2022
Posted by: zarner9
The touchscreen and general upgrade of the sensors (particularly the optical hr monitor) are the largest improvements from a hardware perspective. From a software perspective, the sleep tracking and workout recommendations are much improved. Things like health snapshots and training readiness are also useful. My only qualm is that many connect iq apps/data fields are yet to be ported over, and without testing various configurations, the stated battery life is quite poor out of the box (largely owing to multi band / all satellites enabled by default. A clearer picture of what is and is not using substantial battery (and how much is actually being gained from solar) would be welcome additions. Otherwise, great overall watch.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
5
Mostly Exceeded Expectations
on June 30, 2022
Posted by: Garmin Noob
The 955 Solar was a wonderful Father’s Day surprise. I reluctantly made the switch from Apple Watch after beginning to train for an Ironman. Despite the laughably poor battery life of an Apple Watch, I really liked that device as it helped me shed 60 pounds and keep it off. However, that tracker simply didn’t work well while swimming, and it would never make it through an Ironman.
A friend gave me his ancient and enormous, square Forerunner from years ago, and that was far better in the water, but it did not offer heart rate data while swimming. After complaining enough, the Father’s Day elves produced a 955 Solar that was transformational.
For triathlons and open water swims, it is clearly superior in every way. The battery life is fantastic of course. That said, I could not give up the Apple Watch easily because it was such an integral part of my life. Wore both watches for a while to compare how they tracked data, calories, etc. Turned out the Garmin was much more stingy with calories - the Apple Watch might indicate I burned 1400 active calories, while the Garmin indicated 900. That was very relieving because I got accustomed to knowing target calories to burn daily, etc. Was happy to find Garmin does not allow easy results.
Found a watch face in Garmin IQ (its online store/app platform somewhat like the Apple Store) that mimics the Apple Health Rings/Activities, so that is cool to migrate from Apple to Garmin if you are familiar with and enslaved like I am by the Pavlovian rings. :))
The Garmin integrates very nicely with Training Peaks that I am using to prepare for the Ironman - but… the swim plans are a big pain. For whatever reason, everything integrates (bike, run, etc.), except swim. You must swim and then sync the swim back and forth with Training Peaks. This doesn’t sound like a big deal, and it’s really not, but it’s those little things that begin to add up and frustrate. Surely, this software glitch - and who is to blame for it - will be fixed. Nobody cares whose fault it is. Just fix it.:)) The device and the apps already play well together except for swim plans, so fix the swim. Please. :))
Otherwise, I find the watch screen to be not quite as stunning as it is portrayed in the ads that appear to use OLED screens like the ones on my daughters’ Venu watches. No clue why Garmin would set an expectation for the brilliance of an OLED screen with a watch that is already so good that it doesn’t need such a battery-draining bell and whistle. I would recommend Garmin stop using the sexy watch screen images in the ads and use what is more realistic. It looks like that is already happening in the more recent ads that are showing up, which is good. Keep expectations real, especially when the device is already so good.
So, with all of that said, I still give this watch 5 stars. It has exceeded my expectations in the swim and open water swim areas. The battery life is legendary. The accuracy is way better than the Apple Watch. It works better with other third-party apps (it will be perfect when Training Peaks and Garmin play well together with the swim plan), and overall it has emerged to be a better tracker in just about everything- I’ve even noticed I have more in common with my daughters now that we can talk about body battery and stress scores, which they also have on their Venu watches - but which I never had before. That underscores why this watch was not only a great triathlon trainer but also an outstanding Father’s Day present. :))
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
4
Great watch, bit overpriced for what it is.
on June 30, 2022
Posted by: andretexier
I upgraded from the 935 and it was a great upgrade. but I do have to say that for the price it seems that the differences are not that big. GPS is more accurate, daily report is nice to have, touchscreen is flawless. but tooo many bells and whistles that I dont use or are useless.
If I where to buy it again I would likely go to
I thought the solar would make a big difference on battery life, but it does not seem to do so. I guess it has to do with the use of the VO2 sensor, so I turned it off.
Suggested training is kind of a waste of a feature if you are on a structured plan. Training readiness goes from rest 72H to you are ready 24h later. Not sure if the watch needs more time to calibrate
Garmin Pay does not have agreements with most of my Credit Cards.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
5
Love it.
on July 1, 2022
Posted by: Gabrielerf77
It's light and full of great features. The design is great too.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
4
Very nice watch compared to my 920XT
on July 1, 2022
Posted by: MARCC
Very Happy so far, a bit difficult to get used to what buttons are for but it was just a matter of days. Still don’t understand the gain with solar. I’d love the screen was brighter!
Response from GarminBy Cecil with Garmin, Fitness, July 20, 2022
Happy to hear that you are enjoying the device, we would encourage you to start out on our support site for setting up the device, if you need further assistance you can also contact our team from there as well. Thank you for posting a review.
Getting Started:
https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?productID=777730&tab=topics&topicTag=region_gettingstarted
Forerunner 955 Solar Support:
https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?productID=777730&tab=topics
Getting Started:
https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?productID=777730&tab=topics&topicTag=region_gettingstarted
Forerunner 955 Solar Support:
https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?productID=777730&tab=topics
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
5
Incredible Watch
on July 1, 2022
Posted by: Dice50k
I’ve been a loyal Garmin customer for over 10yrs. The 955 Solar doesn’t disappoint at all. The watch face is the same size as the 945, but a recent Yosemite trip proved the solar functionality and battery power. It’s very easy to use and the looks awesome. Highly recommend.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
4
Great watch but wish it had better battery life
on July 2, 2022
Posted by: Ryan157
I came from the 945, which I loved, and I would say the 955 is way better. Like everything about except that the battery life is about as good as my 3-year-old 945. I have to charge it every 5 days or so and I was hoping to get closer to two weeks.
Response from GarminBy Cecil with Garmin, Fitness, July 20, 2022
Happy to hear that you are enjoying the watch, we would encourage you to start out on our support site for assistance with the battery life. Also you can reach out to our team from there as well for further assistance. Thank you for posting a review.
Battery Tips:
https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?productID=777730&tab=topics&topicTag=region_batterytips
Forerunner 955 Solar Support:
https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?productID=777730&tab=topics
Battery Tips:
https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?productID=777730&tab=topics&topicTag=region_batterytips
Forerunner 955 Solar Support:
https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?productID=777730&tab=topics
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin