Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar First Look: Big Screen, Multiband GPS and Smarter Training Tools

Introduction

The Forerunner 955 Solar is Garmin’s latest upper mid-range running watch, and the headline changes are easy to sum up: a bigger touch-enabled display, multiband GPS, solar charging, and a new suite of training readiness features. In short use, it comes across as a watch that brings much of the best of Garmin’s flagship models down to a noticeably lower price point.

This first look is based on limited hands-on time, including a couple of short test runs, so treat these as early impressions rather than a full verdict. The fundamentals, though, are already clear.

Who This Watch Is For

The 955 Solar suits runners and multisport athletes who want serious training and navigation tools without paying flagship prices. Compared with the previous Forerunner 945, you get a larger 1.3 inch, 260 x 260 pixel transfective color display (up from 1.2 inches and 240 x 240 pixels), a touchscreen that works alongside the familiar five-button controls, and multiband multi-satellite GPS tracking. It weighs 53 grams, three grams more than the 945, and keeps the same 50 meter water rating.

If you train toward fixed race dates, the new race widget alone is a strong reason to look at this generation. It gathers race prep information in one place, including a race day performance prediction, race day weather, a countdown to the start, and daily suggested workouts that adapt to your race plan.

Main Strengths

The design evolution is sensible rather than dramatic. The screen is brighter and clearer in the same way you would expect from Garmin’s newer watches, and the extra display real estate makes it easier to fit more stats on screen at once, particularly on reports like the new morning report. The touchscreen proved surprisingly responsive in testing, scrolling and tapping smoothly with none of the lag that often frustrates on other watches.

Solar charging, borrowed from the Enduro and Fenix lines, extends battery life meaningfully on paper: up to 42 hours of GPS tracking without music, rising to 49 hours with solar, and 20 hours with all systems on multiband plus music, rising to 22 hours with solar. UltraTrack mode stretches tracking to 80 hours, up to 110 hours if solar contributes fully. In smartwatch mode you can expect 15 days, or 20 days with solar.

The training feature set is where the 955 really pushes forward. A training readiness score combines sleep, recovery time, and heart rate variability status to suggest how hard to go each day. Overnight HRV tracking now feeds a morning report alongside sleep data, weather, and workout suggestions, all customizable. There are also real-time stamina insights during runs and rides, and native running power, though the latter requires an external accessory such as a running dynamics pod or HRM Pro chest strap.

Music storage has doubled from the 945’s 1,000 songs to 2,000, with playlist downloads from Spotify, Amazon, and Deezer. Navigation remains comprehensive, with ClimbPro, breadcrumb and turn-by-turn routing, elevation profiles, and route planning. Women’s health tracking is included and can even appear in the morning report, and safety features like live tracking, group tracking, incident detection, and assistance carry over from the 945.

Things to Consider Before Buying

Early testing surfaced a few caveats worth knowing about. In one comparison run, the optical heart rate took noticeably longer to settle than an Enduro’s sensor, staying elevated for close to the first mile, and on a separate run it misread for long stretches and missed the ups and downs of stride intervals. Later in that first run it matched beat for beat, but if training readiness and training load matter to you, a chest strap may still be the safer data source.

GPS accuracy showed the expected multiband improvements over the 945, tracking tight about-turns neatly instead of zigzagging and cutting fewer corners, which adds up over a run. Still, one early outing produced some wonky GPS and odd battery behavior before a reset, so longer testing is needed to confirm consistency.

Sleep tracking over-indexed on time asleep compared with a dedicated sleep tracker, and solar charging had little visible effect under mixed UK skies, so buyers in cloudier climates should treat solar as a bonus rather than a headline feature.

Battery and First-Run Impressions

The early battery numbers were encouraging. With everything switched on, multiband and all GNSS systems, a one hour run drained roughly 4 percent, with a further 2 percent lost overnight. Across a full 24 hours including the run and regular screen use, the watch sat around 91 percent, suggesting a roughly 10 day charging cycle with a daily hour of running.

Overall wear impressions were positive. It feels lightweight and comfortable, the buttons are responsive, and the screen offers reasonable real estate for glancing at stats mid-run. It is not as sharp or bright as Garmin’s flagship displays, but visibility while running was solidly in line with expectations.

Buying Advice

Pricing in the UK is £549.99 for the 955 Solar and £479.99 for the standard Forerunner 955, and the standard version actually comes in below the 945’s launch price. That makes the non-solar 955 arguably the sweet spot: you get multiband GPS, which previously required expensive sapphire editions of the Fenix 7 or Epix, along with the full new training suite, in a lighter, less premium plastic frame.

Choose the Solar if you log big training miles and want the extra endurance headroom, especially in sunnier climates. Choose the standard 955 if you want the same feature set at the lowest entry price. If you own a 945, the upgrade case is strongest for the display, touchscreen, multiband GPS, and the new training readiness tools.

Conclusion

The Forerunner 955 Solar is an evolution rather than a revolution, but a well-judged one. A bigger, clearer touchscreen display, multiband GPS, solar assist, and genuinely useful new training features make it one of the most complete running watches Garmin offers at this price. Early battery life and touchscreen performance look strong, while heart rate and sleep accuracy need deeper testing. For runners who want most of Garmin’s best without flagship money, the 955 family belongs on your shortlist.