Hands-on: Garmin's Forerunner 645 Music can hold up to 500 songs

Garmin’s Forerunner 630 running watch from 2015 was extremely popular, but it had one big downside— no music storage. In fact, none of Garmin’s running watches feature music storage, which is quite odd considering how annoying it can be to carry your phone with you on a run.

But times are a-changin’ for Garmin here at CES 2018. The new Forerunner 645 Music is the company’s first watch to support music storage.

The Forerunner 645 Music is the successor to Garmin’s super popular Forerunner 630, though it looks much more like the vívoactive 3 that launched in 2017. Garmin designed the 645 Music to look a little classier this time around. It comes with a metal bezel, an always-on Chroma Display, interchangeable bands, and weighs in at just 42 grams.

During our brief hands-on time with the Forerunner 645 Music at CES, we were impressed by the device’s lightweight design and thin profile. The buttons felt clicky and satisfying, and the silicon strap felt soft and comfortable.

Of course, the big news here is the ability to story music directly on the watch, which means you don’t need to take your phone with you on a run if you want to listen to music. Garmin says the watch can hold approximately 500 songs at one time, and you can also download offline playlists from select music services like iHeart Radio. Once your watch is loaded up with music, just pair it with some Bluetooth earbuds and you’ll be on your way.

When you’re out on a run, the Forerunner 645 Music will track your steps taken, distance traveled, calories burned, floors climbed, pace, and heart rate. It comes with a built-in GPS and GLONASS to help you know how far you’ve run, too. In the pool, the 645 Music can track distance, pace, stroke, personal records, and more.

This is also a great option if you need a training watch. The Forerunner 645 Music comes with training features powered by Firstbeat, which will help you better prepare for a race by letting you know if you’re training productively, peaking, or overreaching.

Like all Garmin watches, the 645 Music comes with a few handy smartwatch features. You can pay for things from your wrist with Garmin Pay, receive smartphone notifications, and download apps like Uber ETA, SmartThings, AccuWeather MinuteCast, and more. Garmin says the Forerunner 645 Music will last up to seven days on a single charge in smartwatch mode, or five hours in GPS mode with music.

The Garmin Forerunner 645 Music will go on sale for $449.99, and a standard Forerunner 645 (a version without music capabilities), will run you $399.99. Be on the lookout for our full Garmin Forerunner 645 Music review in the coming weeks!