The Garmin Forerunner 745 is basically a Forerunner 945 Lite. For all intents and purposes, that’s a good thing. It means that you get pretty much all Garmin’s best endurance sport technology, in a frame that is considerably slimmer than the Fenix series.
On the other hand, the Fenix 6 Pro includes all the features found in the FR745 (except recommended workouts), and a lot more, including:
- Topographical Maps
- Much better battery life
- Military grade durability
- Golf tracking
- Much larger music storage capacity
Now that you know about more about these two sports watches, let’s dive into the details.
Key Similarities - Garmin Forerunner 745 vs Fenix 6 Pro
Forerunner 745
Forerunner 945
Key Differences - Garmin Forerunner 745 vs Fenix 6 Pro
Forerunner 745
Fenix 6 Pro
Sports Modes Comparison
Forerunner 745 Sports Modes
- Strength Training
- Cardio Training
- Elliptical Training
- Stair Stepping
- Floor Climbing
- Indoor Rowing
- Yoga
- Running
- Treadmill Running
- Indoor Track Running
- Trail Running
- Skiing
- Snowboarding
- XC Skiing
- Stand Up Paddleboarding
- Rowing
- Cycling
- Indoor Cycling
- Pool Swimming
- Walking
- Pilates
- Outdoor Track Running
- Virtual Running
- Kayaking
- Mountain Biking
- Open Water Swimming
- Swimrun
- Triathlon Tracking
Fenix 6 Pro Sports Modes
- Strength Training
- Cardio Training
- Elliptical Training
- Stair Stepping
- Floor Climbing
- Indoor Rowing
- Yoga
- Pilates
- Running
- Treadmill Running
- Indoor Track Running
- Trail Running
- Virtual Running
- Hiking
- Indoor Climbing
- Bouldering
- Climbing Outdoor
- Mountain Biking
- Skiing
- Snowboarding
- XC Skiing
- Stand Up Paddleboarding
- Rowing
- Kayaking
- Surfing
- Jumpmaster
- Tactical
- Cycling
- Indoor Cycling
- Swimrun
- Triathlon
- Pool Swimming
- Open Water Swimming
- Golf Tracking
Reasons To Choose the Forerunner 745
1. It's about $200 cheaper
When you look at the similarities between the Forerunner 745 and the Fenix 6 Pro, it should be clear that the FR745 brings a lot of Garmin’s best features to the table. You could call the FR745 Garmin’s best ‘value for money’ triathlon watch currently available.
2. The FR745 is Slimmer & Lighter
The Forerunner 745 is much slimmer than the Fenix 6 Pro, and it weighs significantly less. The details are clarified below.
Forerunner 745 Weight & Size
- Forerunner 745 Weight: 47 grams
- Forerunner 745 Size: 43.8 x 43.8 x 13.3 mm
Fenix 6 Pro Weight & Size
- Fenix 6 Pro Weight: 72 grams
- Fenix 6 Pro Size: 47 x 47 x 14.7 mm
3. Daily Workout Suggestions
The Forerunner 745 offers training guidance that takes you and your fitness level into account. It will provide daily run and ride recommendations based on your current training load and training status.
Reasons To Choose the Fenix 6 Pro
1. Much Better Battery Life
The biggest chink in the Forerunner 745’s armor is the battery life. It’s almost like Garmin felt that it would be too close to the Forerunner 945 if they gave it an impressive battery life, so they decided to give an average battery life instead. Conversely, the Fenix 6 Pro has very respectable battery life settings, and a bunch of different settings that can allow you to juice every ounce of battery performance.
Forerunner 745 Battery Life
- Smartwatch mode: Up to 7 days
- GPS mode with music: Up to 6 hours
- GPS mode without music:
- Up to 16 hours
- UltraTrac™ mode: Up to 21 hours
Fenix 6 Pro Battery Life
- Smartwatch: Up to 14 days
- Battery Saver Watch Mode: Up to 48 days
- GPS: Up to 36 hours
- GPS + Music: Up to 10 hours
- Max Battery GPS Mode: Up to 72 hours
- Expedition GPS Activity: Up to 28 days
2. Topographical Maps & Ski Maps
The topo map technology built into the Fenix 6 Pro is impressive. You effectively get full color 3D representations of the area that you are navigating, showing all the elevation features of the landscape from an aerial perspective. This is particularly useful for hiking, trail running and mountain biking.
In addition, the Fenix 6 Pro also comes pre-loaded with over 2,000 ski resort maps. These can make it much easier to explore new territories in a ski resort, safe in the knowledge that you will be able to find your way back to your starting point when your day of skiing comes to an end.
3. Military Grade Durability (MIL-STD-810G)
MIL-STD-810G is a rating given to certain Garmin products that have been tested to against thermal, shock and water performance. The Fenix 6 Pro is built in accordance with this standard, which effectively means that it can withstand hard knocks and bumps far better than most GPS sports watches.
If you’re into adventure sports, the durability of the Fenix 6 Pro could be a dealbreaker. Simply put, it is more physically resilient than the Forerunner 745.
4. Much Larger Music Storage Capacity
If you’re leaning toward the FR745, it should comfort you to know that both watches offer in-built music storage. However, it’s definitely worth pointing out that the music storage capacity of the Fenix 6 Pro is 4 times larger than the music storage capacity of the Forerunner 745. To be more precise:
- Forerunner 745 Music Storage – 500 Songs
- Fenix 6 Pro Music Storage – 2,000 Songs
5. Advanced Golf Tracking
The Fenix 6 Pro quite literally gives you all the same features that you can expect in a dedicated golf watch. This includes:
- Yardage to front, middle and back of green
- Yardage to layups and doglegs
- Hazards and course targets
- Measures shot distance automatically
- Digital scorecard
- Custom targets
- Stat Tracking
- Garmin Autoshot
- Full Vector Maps
- 41,000 Pre-loaded Golf Course
- Pinpointer
- Playslike distance
- Green view with manual pin position
- Garmin truswing compatible
Final Thoughts
If you’re still undecided at this point, these final buying tips may help:
Go for the Forerunner 745 if:
- You want a good looking, highly capable GPS triathlon watch
- You want to save around $200
- You prefer watches with a slimmer and lighter profile
Go for the Fenix 6 Pro if:
- You prefer watches with very long battery life
- You are likely to use the Topo maps when hiking, trail running or mountain biking
- You need a highly durable sports watch that can withstand big bumps and knocks
- You want to store endless hours of music directly on the watch
- You play golf regularly
- You want the better sports watch overall