Garmin’s new fitness tracking watch comes in two sizes, because not all wrists are the same

By Andy Boxall August 5, 2015

Garmin understands that not all wrists are the same size, and therefore not all smartwatches should be produced in a one-size-fits-all manner. Its latest fitness wearable is the Forerunner 25, and not only does it combine fitness tracking with smartwatch capabilities, but it comes in both small and large sizes.

There’s no exact dimensions for the watches yet, but the reduction is size has been made at least partially possible by shrinking the battery. The large Forerunner 25 provides 10 hours constant use with GPS, or 10 weeks in watch/fitness tracker mode, while the small model’s battery life goes down to 8 hours/8 weeks.

It’s the power hungry GPS that makes the Garmin Forerunner 25 attractive to runners, because there’s no need to carry a phone to keep an accurate track on performance. The watch will monitor distance, pace, and calories, plus if you’re wearing a heart rate accessory, it’ll keep tabs on that too.

When it’s not in GPS running mode, the watch will count your steps and calories as usual, plus give you a gentle nudge if you’ve been sitting about for too long. It functions as a basic smartwatch, and will display call, message, and calendar reminders. Fitness data can be uploaded to Garmin Connect and MyFitnessPal, and the former provides goals, challenges, and a space to examine your long-term fitness trends.

Despite there being two different Forerunner models, the screen size remains the same on them both, and it’s 32-percent larger than the display on the older Forerunner 15. It’s still a non-touch, monochrome screen, but that helps out with the battery life; plus the whole device is waterproof to 50 meters.

Garmin’s going to put the Forerunner 25 on sale before the end of the year, and it’s priced at $170 or $200 with a heart rate monitor accessory. The large version will come in either black and red, or black and blue, while the small model will be in black and purple or white and pink.

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Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…

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