When Garmin first introduced the Vivoactive 3 almost two years ago, I wondered how exactly they'd create a successor to the Forerunner 235. Sure, the FR235 had more buttons than the Vivoactive 3, but ultimately the Vivoactive 3 was a more rounded watch in terms of features.

Garmin GPS sports watches are now available across the spectrum of athletes, from casual walkers to professional athletes. Earlier today five new wearables were announced and for the past couple of weeks I have been running with the Garmin Forerunner 245 Music.

Lightweight; comfortable design; Vast amount of customization; Long battery life; Affordable price; Spotify and Deezer support

No barometer

Runners have a lot to be excited about when it comes to Garmin's revamped family of Forerunner smartwatches . Now starting at $199, the Forerunner family contains six devices that should serve all levels of runner-from novice to expert.

Lightweight design with interchangeable bands; Accurate heart-rate monitor and GPS; Great battery life; Free Garmin Coach training plans will help novice runners; Solid in-app menstrual-health tracking; Can connect to Apple Health

Limited advanced running stats in comparison to Forerunner 645 and higher-end devices; No NFC for Garmin Pay; Wi-Fi connectivity only available on the 245 Music; No barometric altimeter

Garmin's new mid-range GPS running watch packs all the essentials, but does it compromise too much...

Durable; lightweight design Accurate GPS and heart rate sensors Plenty of music storage Seven-day battery life Garmin Coach training plans are very useful

No Garmin Pay No barometric altimeter You have to pay $50 extra just for music storage + Wi-Fi

One of Garmin’s most popular running watches just got an upgrade. The Garmin Forerunner 245 is a step up from the Forerunner 235, bringing improved running metrics, full-color breadcrumb maps, music, and a stylish new design. I’ve been running with the Forerunner 245 to see if these upgrades are as remarkable in real life as they sound on paper, and the short answer is yes — this is yet another well-rounded, though a bit expensive, fitness watch from Garmin. Keep in mind, this is very much a watch for runners and not necessarily the best option for casual athletes — the Fitbit Charge 3 is a much more affordable option for people who don’t need all the bells and whistles, but just want a reliable tracker. Put the Forerunner 235 next to the new Forerunner 245, and you’ll be surprised to know they come from the same family. Garmin did away with with the plastic-y feel and replaced it with a sporty and tough fiber-reinforced polymer casing. It also shrunk down the 245, making it smaller at...

Easy to read screen, maps; Music support, can steam Spotify and Deezer; Helpful notification support; Accurate tracking; Sleek, modern design;

Missing barometric altimeter; No gyroscope; Expensive;

One of Garmin’s most popular running watches just got an upgrade. The Garmin Forerunner 245 is a step up from the Forerunner 235, bringing improved running metrics, full-color breadcrumb maps, music, and a stylish new design. I’ve been running with the Forerunner 245 to see if these upgrades are as remarkable in real life as they sound on paper, and the short answer is yes — this is yet another well-rounded, though a bit expensive, fitness watch from Garmin. Keep in mind, this is very much a watch for runners and not necessarily the best option for casual athletes — the Fitbit Charge 3 is a much more affordable option for people who don’t need all the bells and whistles, but just want a reliable tracker. Put the Forerunner 235 next to the new Forerunner 245, and you’ll be surprised to know they come from the same family. Garmin did away with with the plastic-y feel and replaced it with a sporty and tough fiber-reinforced polymer casing. It also shrunk down the 245, making it smaller at...

Easy to read screen, maps; Music support, can steam Spotify and Deezer; Helpful notification support; Accurate tracking; Sleek, modern design;

Missing barometric altimeter; No gyroscope; Expensive;

One of Garmin’s most popular running watches just got an upgrade. The Garmin Forerunner 245 is a step up from the Forerunner 235, bringing improved running metrics, full-color breadcrumb maps, music, and a stylish new design. I’ve been running with the Forerunner 245 to see if these upgrades are as remarkable in real life as they sound on paper, and the short answer is yes — this is yet another well-rounded, though a bit expensive, fitness watch from Garmin. Keep in mind, this is very much a watch for runners and not necessarily the best option for casual athletes — the Fitbit Charge 3 is a much more affordable option for people who don’t need all the bells and whistles, but just want a reliable tracker. Put the Forerunner 235 next to the new Forerunner 245, and you’ll be surprised to know they come from the same family. Garmin did away with with the plastic-y feel and replaced it with a sporty and tough fiber-reinforced polymer casing. It also shrunk down the 245, making it smaller at...

Easy to read screen, maps; Music support, can steam Spotify and Deezer; Helpful notification support; Accurate tracking; Sleek, modern design;

Missing barometric altimeter; No gyroscope; Expensive;

One of Garmin’s most popular running watches just got an upgrade. The Garmin Forerunner 245 is a step up from the Forerunner 235, bringing improved running metrics, full-color breadcrumb maps, music, and a stylish new design. I’ve been running with the Forerunner 245 to see if these upgrades are as remarkable in real life as they sound on paper, and the short answer is yes — this is yet another well-rounded, though a bit expensive, fitness watch from Garmin. Keep in mind, this is very much a watch for runners and not necessarily the best option for casual athletes — the Fitbit Charge 3 is a much more affordable option for people who don’t need all the bells and whistles, but just want a reliable tracker. Put the Forerunner 235 next to the new Forerunner 245, and you’ll be surprised to know they come from the same family. Garmin did away with with the plastic-y feel and replaced it with a sporty and tough fiber-reinforced polymer casing. It also shrunk down the 245, making it smaller at...

Easy to read screen, maps; Music support, can steam Spotify and Deezer; Helpful notification support; Accurate tracking; Sleek, modern design;

Missing barometric altimeter; No gyroscope; Expensive;

The spotify app to synch to this watch didn't work until completely removing and reinstalling and despite all the testimonies as to that fact and the livid reviews (see them all in the IQ Connect store) apparently neither Garmin or Spotify is doing much about it to make the installation easy and...

The Forerunner 245 Music is another formidable running watch from the Garmin stable. It's taken nearly everything we liked about the 235 and made it better. We say nearly everything because the battery life has dropped slightly and the heart rate monitor still falters in the high intensity test.

Small and comfortable design; New improved interface; Music player features; New training features