How Garmin GPS Watch Models Differ

The Garmin Forerunner GPS watches are after doubt, the a lot of avant-garde GPS sports watches on the bazaar today.
By bond to a arrangement of satellites, the Forerunner watches can accurately admeasurement speed, pace, ambit and acclivity aloft sea level. Garmin's different access intertwines the ability of GPS, with avant-garde and applied sports watch appearance that let you admeasurement and recording sports performances in an able and automatic way.
But what are the similarities amid the six Forerunner watches on the market? and added importantly, what are the differences?
Two Ancestors of Forerunners
For the purposes of this discussion, we accede two "generations" of Forerunner watches. The "older generation" includes archetypal numbers: 101, 201 and 301, which accept now been abolished by the 205, 305 and 405 models - the "current generation".
How Forerunner Watches are Similar
All Garmin Forerunner watches are all-in-one GPS wrist units, acceptation the GPS aeriform is army in the watch.
This is absolutely audible from added GPS watch manufacturers such as Timex, Suunto and Polar, who crave you to defended an alien GPS accessory to your body. With Forerunner watches, you can just put the watch on your wrist and you're accessible to go.
The Garmin watches aswell allotment some amazing proprietary sports watch features. Some are alone begin in assertive models, but a lot of are present in all Forerunner watches. Below is a arbitrary these aggregate features:
Virtual Partner Feature
The Basic Partner affection lets you alternation adjoin a agenda person, announcement if your basic "competitor" is "ahead" or "behind" you.
Auto Pause/Auto Resume
Pauses and resumes the anxiety time based on your speed. If you charge to stop active at a cartage ablaze for instance, the watch stops the anxiety timer automatically.
Auto Lap
Similarly to Auto Pause, the Auto Lap appearance automatically annal your accepted "lap" and starts a new one if you accept run a defined distance.
Simple Workouts
Lets you ascribe time, ambit and calorie goals and conditioning adjoin them.
Pace/Speed Alert
Triggers an anxiety if you alter from preset pace. You can set "Faster than" clip alerts and "Slower than" clip alerts.
Time/distance Alert
Triggers anxiety if you ability a assertive time or assertive distance. The alerts can be set to activate once, or echo over and over.
Interval Training
Lets you set up exercise and blow intervals. Intervals are adjustable and can be set to distances or times.
Customizable Screen(s)
The Forerunner watches affectation a array of real-time abstracts as you are assuming a conditioning and acquiesce you to set up customized screens.
The Differences
Now we will analyze the differences in the Forerunner watches, both in agreement of the differences amid "generations" as able-bodied as how alone watch models aural ancestors differ.
Older Vs Accepted Bearing Differences
Chipset
The above aberration amid ancestors is the GPS chipset. Put simply, the accepted bearing of watches are far above at acrimonious up the GPS signal, bead the arresting beneath frequently and are added reliable in agreement of accurateness than the earlier bearing watches.
Memory Storage
Surprisingly, the earlier watches abundance an absurd 5000 laps in their memory, admitting their avant-garde counterparts can almanac "only" 1000 laps.
Features
The accepted bearing Forerunners abutment the Courses affection (that lets you attempt adjoin antecedent workouts). The earlier bearing does not.
Simultaneous Abstracts Fields
The earlier bearing Forerunner watches all affectation three real-time abstracts fields. The 205 and 305 watches affectation four. The 405 has a abate awning and alone displays 3 however.
How "Older Generation" Watch Models Differ
The 101, 201 and 301 watches all attending actual similar, but there are some ample distinctions amid them.
Heart Amount Monitor
The 301 is the alone earlier bearing Forerunner watch that supports a affection amount adviser strap.
PC Connectivity and Abstracts Transfer
The 101 does not abutment PC abstracts transfer, the 201 connects to PC via a consecutive port, admitting the 301 connects via USB
Power Supply
The 101 uses 2 AAA batteries to ability the GPS signal. The 201 and 301 both use internal, rechargeable batteries.
Features
Only the 301 supports "advanced workouts", "sports profiles" and "auto scroll".
Note:
Advanced Workouts acquiesce you to actualize custom aggressive workouts.
Sports Profiles are conditioning modes that baby accurately to the blazon of action you are accomplishing (running, biking and "other sports")
Auto Scroll is a affection that cycles through abstracts pages in absolute time.
How "Current Generation" Watch Models Differ
Now we attending at the accepted generation, from the earlier 205 and 305 units to the afresh appear 405.
Heart Amount Adviser and Alien Devices
The 305 and 405 abutment a HRM and alternative bottom pod devices, the 205 does not.
PC Connectivity and Abstracts Transfer
All watches abutment abstracts alteration via USB, but the 405 transmits wirelessly to an ANT USB stick.
Looks and Form Factor
The 205 and 305 attending identical (besides their color). They are large, beefy and ellipsoidal shaped face. The 405 looks added like a absolute watch.
Simultaneous Abstracts Fields
The 205 and 305 affectation 4 abstracts fields, the 405 displays 3.
Map Navigation
The Forerunner 205 and 305 abutment GPS aeronautics features. The 405 does not.
Touch-Sensitive Bezel
The 405 can be controlled by borer a bezel - a "ring" about the watch face. The 205 and 305 do not.
The latest Forerunner watches action bigger arresting accession and a few added avant-garde appearance than the earlier bearing models, but as you accept apparent the watches still bear a lot of blast for your blade and are about abundant cheaper.