Garmin smartwatch is over $100 off at the REI Labor Day Sale

If you’re a big fan of smartwatches but aren’t necessarily familiar with Garmin, that’s not surprising, given that Garmin’s products tend to focus more on fitness. That being said, in the past few years, the company has started expanding in that direction, and we’ve seen some great Garmin Watch deals on their more versatile products. One example is the Garmin Forerunner 245 Music, which has a great deal at REI right now, bringing it down to $245 from $350, a pretty impressive $105 discount.

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Why you should buy the Garmin Forerunner 245 Music

What set the Garmin Forerunner 245 Music apart from other Garmin fitness watches is the thing that’s in its name: the music — namely, you can store an impressive 500 or so songs on it while also being able to sync to Spotify or Deezer. That being said, transferring songs over can be a bit of a pain for a watch whose main gimmick is the music, but once you have the music on, it’s quite nice as the pairing is seamless. You can control your music directly from your watch, saving you the hassle of having to pull your phone out constantly.

Of course, the big ticket item is fitness tracking, and that’s where this watch shines, especially compared to the previous version. Heart rate and pulse oximeter are both very accurate, which is not often the case with Samsung or Apple smartwatches, and its GPS tracking is also really great, although it does suffer a bit when elevations are involved. Even so, there’s a nice breadcrumb or trail feature you can follow using the internal compass, and while there’s no topographical map on the screen, you can scroll around the map to see your whole track if you want to. The Forerunner 245 also has overall health tracking, including things like stress levels, overall energy reserves, and sleep quality, which gives you a nice big-picture view of your fitness, although the more detailed stats are available if you want to get into the nitty-gritty.

Overall, while adding music to the Forerunner 245 is nice, the main takeaway is the upgraded fitness-tracking hardware and software, and while it may be pricey, the deal from REI brings it down to $245 from $350 means you aren’t breaking the bank. That being said, if you want something that leans toward broader smartwatch features more, you can check out these great smartwatch deals for something that fits your needs better.

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