Garmin's new Forerunner smartwatches get phone-free Spotify integration

Put on your workout playlist.

Garmin has today unveiled a new line of Forerunner smartwatches including options for beginner runners all the way up to experienced triathletes, with select models gaining support for phone-free Spotify and Deezer playback.

The newly-announced Forerunner 245 and 245 Music are upgrades to the popular Forerunner 235 and feature built-in GPS, activity and exercise tracking, as well as support for stress and sleep monitoring. They also feature Garmin Coach training plans and the company's Pulse Ox sensor to help gauge how oxygen is being absorbed. Both feature a 42mm face, are 5ATM waterproof rated, and have a battery life up to 7 days in smartwatch mode and up to 24 hours with the GPS activated. The differentiator between the two models, other than price, is the eponymous Music feature. The Forerunner 245 Music can hold up to 500 songs and allows the user to sync playlists from streaming services like Spotify and Deezer. You'll need a premium account with your streaming service of choice to sync songs over, or you can manually transfer music from your computer. Either way, you'll be able to use it to listen to music while training using Bluetooth headphones without bringing your phone along. The Forerunner 245 is $299.99, while the Music version is $50 more. Both are available to order today.

Garmin also took the wraps off the Forerunner 945, which is also available today and replaces the Forerunner 935 in the lineup. The $600 running watch is aimed at seasoned athletes with support for all-day fitness metrics, advanced multi-sport tracking, as well as monitoring training load to help you categorize your recent training history based on activity structure and intensity. There's also support for on-board full-color maps and Garmin Pay, and its battery lasts for up to 2 weeks. Runners looking to bump some tunes while working out will be pleased to learn that the Forerunner 945 can store up to 1,000 songs for phone-free listening.

Beginner runners may want to check out the entry-level Garmin Forerunner 45 series. The affordable models lack the phone-free Spotify integration but do feature built-in GPS and heart rate monitoring for tracking your daily movement and exercise. They retail at $199.99 and will be launch in May.

by Adam Oram