Hey Folks! Thanks for watching! Don't forget to hit up the full FR646 hands-on post here - dcra.in/FR645 - Plus, I'll shortly finish uploading the super-detailed look at how all the music pieces look! Stay tuned for that in just a few hours!
Best garmin running reviews web and video, bar none. Thanks for many years of detailed, accurate information. Been running with the 645 for a few months now, yet another great garmin watch.
inda mitchell I too bought the watch based off the review. Big fan. I did not run with music before. I sync it with a new pair of Trekz and as long as my arms are bent like I'm running they do not cut out. Getting to the music requires a button press more than I'd like, but overall I'm a fan. Debating whether to keep using my old chest or just use the wrist HRM.
Your reviews are amazing, I’m still rather shocked you haven’t blown past a million subscribers yet. Even the other youtubers with more subscribers send their viewers to you!
Great review. I never consider a GPS running watch purchase without checking your review first. One thing I'd like to suggest, which a few others have brought up. It would be great if you could slow down the pace of your conversation a bit. Sometimes I find myself having to rewind the video to understand a point you're trying to make. Just a suggestion. Thanks again for all the detailed and informative reviews.
I'd like to know if any wireless headphones will work with this watch. On their website the list of headphones that will work with this watch is very limited. Regardless, I will buy this one. It looks awesome
hi any recommendations for a watch that has an older clip cable and says it is not supported? Any amazon ones that work? Not crazy about spending 24 bucks for a new one from garmin
What are you thoughts on the non music 645 vs 935? I’m looking for a watch with optical hr for running /cycling/strength training as well as general activity tracking throughout the day etc.
Excellent review. Do you know when it's going to be available in the UK?
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Honestly I thought I would be more interested in this device but I don't know why Garmin skip features on their devices. No open swimming? No touch screen? (I love buttons but it should have both options) I believe the first tomtom spark cardio + music has 90% of this watch features at 149 USD
Does anyone here knows if this watch music also works in the pool while you are swimming with maybe ipx7 bluetooth earbuds?. I usually swim and listen to a music. But before buying this watch i want to make sure that it won't interrupt any connection when it is in the water. And or do you have recommendation for a bluetooth earbuds that you can use in swimming.
So it seems like a good idea, but would you recommend this over the fenix 5? I have the fenix 3 currently and it’s wayyyy to bulky. But I do love my fenix.
What’s going on with the fenix lineup? Trying to decide if I should order the 5x now, or wait and see if Garmin makes a CES announcement about something new I’m interested in, lol.
If you want a very good bluetooth connection to your garmin devices I will suggest the outlier sports by creative. Its cheap but has a very good bluetooth connection 10-15feet away from your watch no problem, very good sound quality, easy 8 plus hours of battery,splash and sweat proof.
The watch is sold with multisport capabilities (running, cycling, pool swimming) but lacks basic stuff like pairing with hrm-tri and power meters? Btw, people that bought the expensive Fenix 5 are not getting a music storage upgrade? People with the cheaper 645 will benefit from music storage but consumers who bought the more expensive fenix 5 were left without this functionality?
The Fenix 5 came out a year prior to the FR645 Music, it was never advertised to have music capability. Then, 6 months after the FR645 Music came out, Garmin announced a second version of the Fenix 5 Series, the Fenix 5 Plus - which does have music - that'd be 18 months after the Fenix 5 originally came out, which contains new hardware. The original Fenix 5 doesn't have the storage hardware or music headphone support.
Thanks for the reply. Fortunately, I didn't spent $500-600 in the Fenix 5. Those who did might not be that happy with Garmin selling strategy of turning their high end watch into a very deprecated model only after 1 year. I think it's an obvious strategy to make consumers spend a lot of money every year to get a new and desirable functionality.
I think everyone would prefer that all models could get everything, but from a hardware standpoint there simply isn't storage for music capacity in the original Fenix series. One can debate how far companies should think ahead, but given that the hardware for a watch like the Fenix series is usually locked down about 6-8 months out, that means we're talking almost 2 years before the Fenix 5 Plus came out. And while the Forerunner was out a year later, that watch lineup (6xx series) has always been running focused and not so much multisport. The fact that it got swimming was actually the first time any running-specific Garmin watch ever got swimming, and is only because the even less expensive Vivoactive 3 got it 6 months prior. So while looked in one lens as bad, if you view the whole picture you can see that year over year it's actually surprising how many more features are there now than previous.
@@Dcrainmaker For pool swimming, there's no way to get hr with the 645 right? But, can you download hr data from hr-swim to Garmin Connect app and review it in your workout logged by the FR645? Btw, thanks for your detailed reviews on sport functionalities (GPS and hrm accuracy) missing in many other reviews (and almost no one but you reviews cycling and swimming functionalities). Keep up the great work!
So about two weeks ago someone stated in a comment that the FR645/645M now supports the HRM-TRI/SWIM for HR download, but I haven't had a chance to double-check that, and atop that, it doesn't list that anywhere in the firmware updates. Maybe I'll remember tomorrow to dig up a strap and give it a whirl.
Please tell me if there is a way to turn of the all day Wrist heart rate tracker. The damn thing gives me a rash and I personal don't see the usefulness. I still want to record steps and sleep tho.
Is anybody else just not excited about the whole music thing? I’d rather a watch spend its resources on something else. Most people I know just use streaming services, and don’t own music purchases anymore.
jojojaykay nah I actually think this is a cool feature. The watch isn't sacrificing anything to get the music btw, and if you don't care about the music there is still a version without music.
I think it would be great, but only if they can manage to do something like what the Zunes do with wireless sync. Using your phone or PC to select the songs or podcast I want to sync on any particular day would be awesome. I continue to use my Zune for podcasts as it just wirelessly syncs while it is still inside the car in my garage when I get home. Having to take my phone out and stream on lower quality just isn't worth it from some songs.
I personally don't care since I carry my phone with me so use the music on my phone, but I do know a LOT of people who don't want to carry their phones and would LOVE this feature.
For laps and such, yes. It'll notify you of average pace/etc... If you're referring to incoming text notifications via voice...hmm...I didn't bring my phone on any runs, so I'm not 100% certain there.
I'll try to be more specific. Usually I prepare, in my fenix3 some sessions with different interval (pace based) and when it's time to change there are a countdown (6 Bip) and e vibration. There is something similar? Thanks for your videos!
but data transfer, at least for the fenix 5 and vivoactive hr is already a thing (coming from personal experience), you could access on device data like GPS logs via the cord from a computer. Maybe they needed a new one for High Speed capabilities in order to decrease music transfer times to the device, otherwise I don't see how/why a new cord design would be necessary
oh yes, you are right! I have the FR 935 and did all data transfer wireless via my iPhone, but had a look in the manual now - and data transfer is also possible via the USB cable. So there is not much sense in a new standard every few models...
The old cable didn't have the same bandwidth available to charge and transfer data. The data transferred using the old device tended to be much smaller than what a song or podcast could potentially be. I'm guessing they are future proofing their standard with this new cable and he did mention that the old cable still works as a charger, just not for data transfer.
@@Dcrainmaker It might look like there's a few, but on that list Santander are the only ones that people actually use. The vast majority of the UK bank with Barclays, Lloyds, Nationwide, Halifax, Natwest, HSCB, Co-operative, TSB. Those are the most popular banks in the UK and none offer Garmin Pay. Its not really worth them advertising it as a feature here. I believe all (or at least most) of the above banks do offer Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay.
@@Dcrainmaker Thanks for the great review by the way. I've just got this watch and its perfect for me, just a minor shame that UK banks and Garmin can't get something sorted.
really informative! thank you! I wish you would talk a little slower so i could follow along better. I had to rewind over and over to catch what you were saying. Other than that i loved it. great channel.. just slow down ;0)
Seriously, you’re saying the Apple Watch battery life is similar to this watch. The Apple Watch is awful. Do your research before you give such bad advice 😡
All of his stats with respect to the 645 were accurate. With GPS on and playing music, the Garmin 645’s battery only lasts “up to 5 hours” per Garmin. That’s similar battery life to the Apple Watch. He could have been clearer on exactly which spec he was comparing though.
I own one, music features suck. 90% of your music will not transfer to the watch. When it does, you'll find the bluetooth is such crap that it won't work with 90% of headphones or earbuds. It's a constant source of frustration and I'm going back to running with my old ipod nano. Also, there's no support for any streaming services. All of the music features are just lies. All lies!!
Hey Folks! Thanks for watching! Don't forget to hit up the full FR646 hands-on post here - dcra.in/FR645 - Plus, I'll shortly finish uploading the super-detailed look at how all the music pieces look! Stay tuned for that in just a few hours!
Does the Garmin FR645 have some sort of Hi-Res screen than the Vivoactive 3...or are they identical?
I guess this means the next Fenix is going to have built-in music. Also, can you use the NFC for easier Bluetooth pairing as well?
DC Rainmaker i
I can't find the video about how the music works on the 645?
Finally bought the 645 instead of the 245. Even coming 2 years late to the party, i really enjoy this watch.
Do you still like the 645 more than the 245?
always excited to see Garmin's latest charging cable.
Lol, true that
“I don’t want a pink band…. but I have Adele in my music collection."
Best garmin running reviews web and video, bar none. Thanks for many years of detailed, accurate information. Been running with the 645 for a few months now, yet another great garmin watch.
inda mitchell I too bought the watch based off the review. Big fan. I did not run with music before. I sync it with a new pair of Trekz and as long as my arms are bent like I'm running they do not cut out. Getting to the music requires a button press more than I'd like, but overall I'm a fan. Debating whether to keep using my old chest or just use the wrist HRM.
Your reviews are amazing, I’m still rather shocked you haven’t blown past a million subscribers yet. Even the other youtubers with more subscribers send their viewers to you!
I'd guess he's too technical for Average Joe, maybe. He's doing God's work, though.
Works with B&O Play E8 perfectly as long as the watch is on the right arm. Tested it today - solid connection, no stuttering.
The Vivoactive 3 Music has golf too, and costs a lot less.
actual hr and gps data testing - big +
Does it have a virtual running buddy?
How does the 645 no music compare to the 735xt?
You always wear cool cycling tshirts can you link to where we can buy these please.
Has trail running?
Was just going to pull the trigger on a Fenix 5 but now I'm wondering if I should wait for a Fenix 6 with music.
I cannot find any info about bt codec the watch supported. Hope for AAC at least, but AptX HD would be great.
Hi Ray, Do you have any news about the FR245? It will be interesting to know the differences between this two devices, and also the release dates.
Hi, are there any Spotify predictions on the Garmin 945?
Great review. I never consider a GPS running watch purchase without checking your review first. One thing I'd like to suggest, which a few others have brought up. It would be great if you could slow down the pace of your conversation a bit. Sometimes I find myself having to rewind the video to understand a point you're trying to make. Just a suggestion. Thanks again for all the detailed and informative reviews.
i just tried speed x 0.75 it is almost normal speach speed ;-)
I agree with you, his “pace” is too fast, no pun intended.
Ramunas Margevicius Thanks, speech is too quick, but your hack worked!
Will wait for the Garmin 6+ with music capabilities
Can we broadcast the "Metronome" alert to the bluetooth earphone?
Great review. What I am interested now in is: How do I transfer music from a Mac?
Thanks
Awesome review thank you. Do you know if you can pair with MacBook to use optical hrm in Zwift? Cheers.
Will it play your own personal music albums in the correct order or just in shuffle mode?
Useful summary for someone considering this watch, thank you. Sure wish they would get a deal going with Spotify though.
Does the watch metal face and glass get easily scratched like the Vivoactive 3? Are the wristbands durable? The wristbands look little a light weight.
Is there a control to fast forward / rewind a song?
I'd like to know if any wireless headphones will work with this watch. On their website the list of headphones that will work with this watch is very limited. Regardless, I will buy this one. It looks awesome
Does anyone know if you can connect to your Bluetooth earphones to the watch as well as a concept rowing machine?
hi any recommendations for a watch that has an older clip cable and says it is not supported? Any amazon ones that work? Not crazy about spending 24 bucks for a new one from garmin
when we could get it？
What are you thoughts on the non music 645 vs 935? I’m looking for a watch with optical hr for running /cycling/strength training as well as general activity tracking throughout the day etc.
Mark Stather 935 will give you several advantages. One of which is battery life. Also, 935 offers open water swimming.
Nez Ram Cheers. I have gone with the 935. Have had it for just over a week now. Amazing watch.
I love mine!
Got one this week, but man the bluetooth connectivity to my fav headphones is garbage, hope it's a software thing they can fix.
Excellent review. Do you know when it's going to be available in the UK?
Honestly I thought I would be more interested in this device but I don't know why Garmin skip features on their devices.
No open swimming?
No touch screen? (I love buttons but it should have both options)
I believe the first tomtom spark cardio + music has 90% of this watch features at 149 USD
tom tom is pathetic
Does anyone here knows if this watch music also works in the pool while you are swimming with maybe ipx7 bluetooth earbuds?. I usually swim and listen to a music. But before buying this watch i want to make sure that it won't interrupt any connection when it is in the water. And or do you have recommendation for a bluetooth earbuds that you can use in swimming.
Liking this. BTW - Plantronics BackBeat Fit are excellent BT headphones. Use them almost everyday in all weather.
So it seems like a good idea, but would you recommend this over the fenix 5? I have the fenix 3 currently and it’s wayyyy to bulky. But I do love my fenix.
Great stuff as always.
How much does he sound like Kermit
What’s going on with the fenix lineup? Trying to decide if I should order the 5x now, or wait and see if Garmin makes a CES announcement about something new I’m interested in, lol.
Garmin's announces for CES are all complete.
If you want a very good bluetooth connection to your garmin devices I will suggest the outlier sports by creative. Its cheap but has a very good bluetooth connection 10-15feet away from your watch no problem, very good sound quality, easy 8 plus hours of battery,splash and sweat proof.
The watch is sold with multisport capabilities (running, cycling, pool swimming) but lacks basic stuff like pairing with hrm-tri and power meters? Btw, people that bought the expensive Fenix 5 are not getting a music storage upgrade? People with the cheaper 645 will benefit from music storage but consumers who bought the more expensive fenix 5 were left without this functionality?
The Fenix 5 came out a year prior to the FR645 Music, it was never advertised to have music capability. Then, 6 months after the FR645 Music came out, Garmin announced a second version of the Fenix 5 Series, the Fenix 5 Plus - which does have music - that'd be 18 months after the Fenix 5 originally came out, which contains new hardware. The original Fenix 5 doesn't have the storage hardware or music headphone support.
Thanks for the reply. Fortunately, I didn't spent $500-600 in the Fenix 5. Those who did might not be that happy with Garmin selling strategy of turning their high end watch into a very deprecated model only after 1 year. I think it's an obvious strategy to make consumers spend a lot of money every year to get a new and desirable functionality.
I think everyone would prefer that all models could get everything, but from a hardware standpoint there simply isn't storage for music capacity in the original Fenix series. One can debate how far companies should think ahead, but given that the hardware for a watch like the Fenix series is usually locked down about 6-8 months out, that means we're talking almost 2 years before the Fenix 5 Plus came out. And while the Forerunner was out a year later, that watch lineup (6xx series) has always been running focused and not so much multisport. The fact that it got swimming was actually the first time any running-specific Garmin watch ever got swimming, and is only because the even less expensive Vivoactive 3 got it 6 months prior. So while looked in one lens as bad, if you view the whole picture you can see that year over year it's actually surprising how many more features are there now than previous.
@@Dcrainmaker For pool swimming, there's no way to get hr with the 645 right? But, can you download hr data from hr-swim to Garmin Connect app and review it in your workout logged by the FR645? Btw, thanks for your detailed reviews on sport functionalities (GPS and hrm accuracy) missing in many other reviews (and almost no one but you reviews cycling and swimming functionalities). Keep up the great work!
So about two weeks ago someone stated in a comment that the FR645/645M now supports the HRM-TRI/SWIM for HR download, but I haven't had a chance to double-check that, and atop that, it doesn't list that anywhere in the firmware updates. Maybe I'll remember tomorrow to dig up a strap and give it a whirl.
Please tell me if there is a way to turn of the all day Wrist heart rate tracker. The damn thing gives me a rash and I personal don't see the usefulness. I still want to record steps and sleep tho.
If it supports headphones I suppose (hope?) it will support a Bluetooth speaker as well?
he even mentioned it does - so yes :) the virtually is no difference as both headphones and speakers use the same "protocol"
Was there a FR245 as well? Or is the non music version taking the place of that?
There is now a 245 music watch
Will this measure Intensity Minutes, and can it be used for daily steps?
Yup to both!
Is anybody else just not excited about the whole music thing? I’d rather a watch spend its resources on something else. Most people I know just use streaming services, and don’t own music purchases anymore.
jojojaykay nah I actually think this is a cool feature. The watch isn't sacrificing anything to get the music btw, and if you don't care about the music there is still a version without music.
I think it would be great, but only if they can manage to do something like what the Zunes do with wireless sync. Using your phone or PC to select the songs or podcast I want to sync on any particular day would be awesome. I continue to use my Zune for podcasts as it just wirelessly syncs while it is still inside the car in my garage when I get home. Having to take my phone out and stream on lower quality just isn't worth it from some songs.
I personally don't care since I carry my phone with me so use the music on my phone, but I do know a LOT of people who don't want to carry their phones and would LOVE this feature.
Nice review, bro!!!
Does it work with Apple Airpods ?
Not well at this point. Garmin says they're working on it, but my hopes are low.
Hi Rai, there are any notification via BT during the activities? a bip, a voice? it's not very clear how it works. Thanks a lot
For laps and such, yes. It'll notify you of average pace/etc... If you're referring to incoming text notifications via voice...hmm...I didn't bring my phone on any runs, so I'm not 100% certain there.
I'll try to be more specific.
Usually I prepare, in my fenix3 some sessions with different interval (pace based) and when it's time to change there are a countdown (6 Bip) and e vibration.
There is something similar?
Thanks for your videos!
@@Dcrainmaker i am interested to buy one..is it ok tracking open water swimming?
Thought garmin were going to standadise charging cables. Guess not!
well, as here data transfer is needed, they had to create a new one
but data transfer, at least for the fenix 5 and vivoactive hr is already a thing (coming from personal experience), you could access on device data like GPS logs via the cord from a computer.
Maybe they needed a new one for High Speed capabilities in order to decrease music transfer times to the device, otherwise I don't see how/why a new cord design would be necessary
oh yes, you are right! I have the FR 935 and did all data transfer wireless via my iPhone, but had a look in the manual now - and data transfer is also possible via the USB cable. So there is not much sense in a new standard every few models...
The old cable didn't have the same bandwidth available to charge and transfer data. The data transferred using the old device tended to be much smaller than what a song or podcast could potentially be. I'm guessing they are future proofing their standard with this new cable and he did mention that the old cable still works as a charger, just not for data transfer.
Hi Ray. For those of us who have the VA3, do you think they will be able to add music as a software update, or is it a physical hardware issue?
Definitely physical hardware gap.
DC Rainmaker OK. Thanks. They should have had this in the VA3, but oh well.
What is name if that watch face? I need it!
It's just the default watch face on the FR645.
Thanks, so far I cant see it in the app store maybe later but seems right one for me.. cheers
does the 735xt have training load effect?
Is it Spotify compatible?
Nevermind, just heard the bad news.
I really want spotify compatibility
I hope they do it
Was going to ask this. I’m assuming it isn’t. Will it be a possibility in the future?
Is it Bluetooth 5.0 or 4.0?
Hi! Do you think that this is like a VA3 Plus?
can I use airpods to match it ?
nope, airpods don't work
without you 🎶
2 Years later and Garmin Pay is still not compatible with any UK banks.
A list here seems to include a number of UK banks: www.garmin.com/en-US/garminpay/banks/
@@Dcrainmaker It might look like there's a few, but on that list Santander are the only ones that people actually use. The vast majority of the UK bank with Barclays, Lloyds, Nationwide, Halifax, Natwest, HSCB, Co-operative, TSB. Those are the most popular banks in the UK and none offer Garmin Pay. Its not really worth them advertising it as a feature here. I believe all (or at least most) of the above banks do offer Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay.
@@Dcrainmaker Thanks for the great review by the way. I've just got this watch and its perfect for me, just a minor shame that UK banks and Garmin can't get something sorted.
WHAT'S WRONG WITH PINK
I just can’t believe Garmin is not offering gunmetal bezel for this. Wtf were they thinking?
Nez Ram there is one. There are several bezel colors.
Damn copyright violations :P ha good review.
I'll wait for until spotify compatible. I ha e already waited long enough
Spotify is now available.
No Spotify = no money Garmin. You simply missed the ball.
Robert Trebor exactly
I agree
Spotify now is there
really informative! thank you! I wish you would talk a little slower so i could follow along better. I had to rewind over and over to catch what you were saying. Other than that i loved it. great channel.. just slow down ;0)
I'll stick with the Vivoactive 3 and 16GB iPod nano. Job Done.
Seriously, you’re saying the Apple Watch battery life is similar to this watch. The Apple Watch is awful. Do your research before you give such bad advice 😡
All of his stats with respect to the 645 were accurate. With GPS on and playing music, the Garmin 645’s battery only lasts “up to 5 hours” per Garmin. That’s similar battery life to the Apple Watch. He could have been clearer on exactly which spec he was comparing though.
Jerald Cook Thanks. Just seemed to be incorrect. Manufacturers really need to work on the battery life.
I own one, music features suck. 90% of your music will not transfer to the watch. When it does, you'll find the bluetooth is such crap that it won't work with 90% of headphones or earbuds. It's a constant source of frustration and I'm going back to running with my old ipod nano. Also, there's no support for any streaming services. All of the music features are just lies. All lies!!
Restricted music is the same as any watch, no different here. As for streaming services...both iHeartRadio and soon Deezer are supported.
First