If you shudder at the thought of shelling out hundreds of pounds for a top-end running watch and all you want is a simple run tracker to handle the basics, the Garmin Forerunner 55 offers the bare essentials in a compact, no-frills package that’s much more wallet friendly.

Let’s be clear: it’s definitely not the most capable Garmin watch. It doesn’t have a fancy AMOLED touchscreen, accuracy-boosting dual frequency GPS or some of the more advanced training tools, performance insights and navigation tools. But if you’re new to running, there’s no point paying out for an entire suite of training features you’re not going to use. And that’s where the Forerunner 55 might fit the bill.

The Garmin Forerunner 55 launched back in 2021. But there are now great deals around, making this one of the best cheap running watches you can buy right now.

So, if you’re in the market for a capable but cut-price running watch, here’s our Garmin Forerunner 55 review to help you determine if this tiny tracker ticks all your boxes.

The expert: Kieran Alger has been testing the latest running gear and tech for more than a decade. He’s run over 55 marathons and is never seen wearing less than two smartwatches at once.

Design

The Forerunner 55 comes in just one 42mm size with a 26mm, low-resolution colour screen. There’s no touchscreen. This baby relies solely on buttons. That might feel like a throwback for some but it keeps things simple.

Speaking of simple, those buttons are happily labelled, too. Good if you’re unfamiliar with the Garmin controls.

At 37g, the Forerunner 55 is lighter than most running watches, though not as light as the Coros Pace 3 (30g). Still, the compact design makes it one of the more comfortable watches to wear 24/7. Good for unlocking those sleep scores.

Features

We’ll be honest, the Garmin Forerunner is getting on a bit and we’ve seen compelling alternatives like the Coros Pace 3 (£219) and the Forerunner 165 (£249.99) hit the shelves in the years since. But this is still a great entry-level watch that offers plenty of run-tracking bang for buck.

The Forerunner 55 comes with built-in (and accurate) GPS, optical heart rate monitoring, 20 hours’ GPS run time on a single charge and a general usage battery life that’ll see most runners through at least a week’s training.

There are plenty of tools to cater for a wide range of running needs, with features geared towards less experienced runners or anyone who favours simplicity. This includes five running modes with track running, treadmill and a virtual running mode for use with platforms like Zwift.

There are also Garmin Coach adaptive training plans, daily suggested workouts based on your recovery, handy PacePro pace guidance for a selected course, along with predicted race times, finish time estimates, cadence alerts to help with improvements in form and a recovery advisor for advice on managing your rest between training efforts. You can also create interval sessions on the fly.

Beyond the run, the general health smarts are solid. You get fitness benchmarking with V02 Max estimates, stress and body battery energy level tracking, plus women’s health tracking. Oh, and it’ll spit out your estimated fitness age.

The smartwatch tools are basic. You get smart notifications and music controls for a linked smartphone but no streaming or offline music. There’s also no Garmin Pay or Messenger.

Tried and tested

I tested the Garmin Forerunner 55 extensively over a period of around six months. I trained with it, raced with it and slept with it.

This is a well built watch that feels robust for the price, though you’re not getting premium materials here. The case is plastic and the display uses chemically strengthened glass rather than the tougher Gorilla branded glass you find on pricer watches. But the Forerunner 55 avoids feeling too cheap.

As someone who tends to use larger watches, I noticed the smaller screen. While I prefer the real estate you get on the Coros Pace 3, that compact build may appeal to those who want a less intrusive watch. The screen is also now very noticeably lower quality than the closest-price rivals.

In any running watch, you want the basics done well: good level of comfort, easy to use, reliable GPS and heart rate, plus a marathon-lasting single stint battery that’ll also cater for a week of training on a single charge and good durability. The Garmin Forerunner 55 offers all of this.

The GPS accuracy was reliable enough — not as good at sticking me to the tracks as more expensive dual frequency watches, but well within the margin for error for total distances.

The optical heart rate accuracy was also solid but not perfect. On some runs it was slower to adjust in real time versus a chest strap and I had some surges during interval sessions. You can pay more for a watch and still suffer that fate, though.

When it comes to battery life, the Garmin Forerunner 55 isn’t quite a match for the 30–hour plus staying power of the Coros Pace 3 but in tests it lived up to Garmin’s official billing.

A 3-hour run burned 9% which would outperform the 20-hour GPS listing. It’s also happily frugal when you’re not running, draining around 3% overnight.

One area where this basic offering comes up short is the more advanced training insights like training load, training effect and readiness. You’ll need to go higher up the Garmin food chain if those are important to you.

RW verdict

Even though it’s getting on a bit and the old-school screen is no match for the shiny smartwatch-style scenes of the Garmin Forerunner 165, the Forerunner 55 remains a neat little watch that does the basics well.

It’s a good entry-level watch with enough run-tracking and general health and fitness smarts to cover the needs of most beginner runners — or anyone who just wants the simple stats. It’s also an excellent option for anyone looking to take a step up from a basic fitness tracker to a more dedicated running watch.

However, if your budget can stretch, the Garmin Forerunner 165 is a better watch and you’ll be investing in a more capable future-proof tracker.

If you’re happy to step outside of Garmin world, the Coros Pace 3 beats the Forerunner 55 on features and insights with better screen quality and real estate, longer battery life and that accuracy-boosting dual frequency GPS and offline music.

If you don’t mind sacrificing some of those bells and whistles and you can find a good Garmin Forerunner 55 deal that drops it below the £180 RRP, it’ll be even more compelling.