Having a smart watch comes with many standard prerequisites: great battery life, key features, built in GPS, and of course streaming music playing capabilities. An Apple watch from the Apple watch series is always a popular go-to, but Garmin truly has some of the best running watches when compared to other GPS watches, and there are many models that feature music.
In this guide, we will look at the best Garmin watch for music based on several available models that feature different fitness watch capabilities. These include:
| IMAGE | PRODUCT | |
|---|---|---|
 | Garmin Forerunner 245 Music
| VIEW ON AMAZON |
 | Garmin Forerunner 645 Music
| VIEW ON AMAZON |
 | Garmin Forerunner 745
| VIEW ON AMAZON |
 | Garmin Forerunner 945
| VIEW ON AMAZON |
 | Garmin Venu Sq Music Edition
| VIEW ON AMAZON |
 | Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Solar
| VIEW ON AMAZON |
We will also answer some frequently asked questions to better guide your decision when narrowing down a purchase.
Garmin watches with music
When it comes to music storage, Garmin has several different running watches with music to choose from. For brevity’s sake, we have collected the best models and reviewed each in terms of the music capabilities of each model and how this compares to other features offered.
Reviews of Garmin running watches with music:
Garmin Forerunner 245 Music
The Garmin Forerunner 245 is a smartwatch that features enhanced music cloud storage along with training load monitoring and running dynamics, which is an innovative way to suggest improvements to form during running sessions.
The music feature of this model has the added convenience of having up to 500 audio files to play at random. Gone are the days of having to use a separate device to hear all of your favorite fitness songs.
The Garmin Forerunner 245 Music is brimming with many additional features, and the improvements upon the fitness tracker, battery life, and GPS tracking are also stellar.
With new additions to measure training effect, recovery time, and race predicting for triathlons with added suggestions for enhanced training, the Forerunner 245 Music makes for a stellar addition to the Forerunner series, and perhaps the best model so far in terms of music playback and storage in an affordable price bracket.
Pros:
- GPS running sports watch with music advanced training features
- Lens Material: Corning Gorilla Glass 3
- Bezel Material: fiber-reinforced polymer
- Strap material: silicone
- Sync with music streaming services, such as Spotify or Amazon music to easily store and play your favorite songs right from your watch
- Evaluates your current training status to indicate if you’re under-training or overdoing it
- Offers additional performance monitoring features
- Get free adaptive training plans from Garmin coach, or create your own custom workouts on our Garmin connect online fitness community
- Provides advanced running dynamics, including ground contact time balance, stride length, vertical ratio and more
Cons:
- Some smartwatches have the ability to customize the watch with other apps that track running or jogging in ways that you enjoy. With the Forerunner 245 Music, you have to use its features exclusively
Read more about the Garmin Forerunner 245 here.
Garmin Forerunner 645 Music
The Forerunner 645 Music has the tools to help you put on an outstanding show every time you lace up your shoes. It features on-device music storage — so you can run with your favorite tunes — and contactless payments that let you buy what you need without missing a beat on the track.
With all those features, plus advanced running dynamics and performance monitoring tools, this GPS running watch is the instrument you need to refine the performance.
This watch also provides advanced running dynamics, including ground contact time balance, stride length, vertical ratio and more, helping you to access the best fitness features according to your fitness tracking needs.
This running watch uses estimated wrist-based heart rate data to offer performance monitoring features, including evaluating your current running features.
This watch is able to store over 500 songs.
Pros:
- Easily download up to 500 songs to your watch, and connect with Bluetooth headphones for phone free listening
- Syncs music from select streaming services for offline listening
- Garmin Pay contactless payment solution lets you make convenient payments with your watch so you can leave your cash and cards at home
- Provides advanced running dynamics including ground contact time balance, stride length, vertical ratio and more
- Uses estimated wrist based heart rate data to offer performance monitoring features, including evaluating your current training
- Battery life: Up to 7 days in smartwatch mode; 5 hours in GPS with music
Cons:
- Unable to track for open-water swimming
- Limited battery life when listening to music, using heart rate monitor or GPS
- Garmin pay ready contactless can only be used in conjunction with participating banks
Read more about the Garmin Forerunner 645 here.
Garmin Forerunner 745
The inclusion of music storage, as well as the ability to control music and stream music is beneficial since this model is designed with users in mind who want the knowledge that their smartwatch will be able to keep up with a wide range of performance statistics across a triathlon.
Through updated and improved features to measure cadence, ground contact time, stride lengths, and all of the capabilities that sync with accurate heart rate readings and performance statistics.
This model is designed to appeal to a wide range of fitness activities.
Innovative and detailed activity profiles for swimming, running, bicycling, and triathlons, are all part of the profile selections that you can pick from with this model.
This model also includes a range of recommendations if you wish to have some ideas to change up your fitness routine.
Additionally, this model is equipped with both Glonass and Galileo accurate GPS which allow it to track in a wider range of environments and terrain than what can be achieved with traditional GPS technology.
Pros:
- Switch up your workout routine whenever you like with preloaded activity profiles for running, triathlon, multisport, cycling, pool swimming, track running and more
- Receive on-device run and cycling daily workout suggestions based on your current training load and vo2 max
- Get training guidance by syncing structured indoor or outdoor workouts to your device from Garmin connect or other apps including training peaks and trainer road
- Analyze more data to help you reach your race potential, including advanced running, cycling and swimming dynamics
- Bring music for every mile by syncing with music streaming services such as Amazon, Deezer, Spotify and more to easily store and play up to 500 songs from your wrist
Cons:
- Expensive
Read more about the Garmin Forerunner 745 here.
Garmin Forerunner 945
The Forerunner 945 allows you to sync music to your onboard music storage system right inside of the software of the phone. You can sync your Spotify playlist or choose to use a preprogrammed playlist specification if you are on the run and don’t have time to sync your favorite songs to the music storage portal.
You can now customize maps and routes with Glonass and Galileo GPS protocols which allow it to track in a wider range of environments and terrain than what can be achieved with traditional GPS technology.
The mapping technology is now colored and interactive, which allows you to receive even more detailed and visually attractive routes based on your location.
The Garmin watch also analyzes heart rate, heart performance conditioning, and heart rate with oximetry data to provide variability based on a wide range of different performance types to give real-time assessments of how you are faring during your workout and how long you can continue before you reach various thresholds.
Pros:
- Premium GPS running/triathlon smartwatch with music
- Download songs to your watch, including playlists from Spotify, or Deezer
- Performance monitoring features include Vo2 Max and training with adjustments for heat, altitude Acclimation status, training focus, recovery time, and aerobic and anaerobic training effects
- Contactless payment solution lets you make convenient payments with your watch so you can leave your cash and cards at home
- Full color, onboard maps guide you on your run so you never get lost during your workout
- Safety and tracking features include incident detection (during select activities) which sends your real-time location to emergency contacts through your paired compatible smartphone
- Battery life: Up to 2 weeks in smartwatch mode, 10 hours in GPS mode with music or up to 60 hours in ultratrac mode
Cons:
- Some users report difficulty in properly calibrating the new and improved altitude acclimation protocols of the watch, yet this feature can be easily remedied by being sure your watch is connected to Garmin Connect Mobile during your fitness session.
Read more about the Garmin Forerunner 945 here.
Garmin Venu Sq Music Edition
The Garmin Venu Sq is a perfect GPS watch with expert sports tracking features, and this particular edition comes with music storage.
With the Garmin Venu Sq Music, you can now have all of these great GPS features like pace, distance ran, and customizable intervals that light up with frequency during your run with added benefit of music . Gone are the inconveniences of having to keep a mental note of your distance running.
One of the standout features of a Garmin watch is the great detail that is put into creating batteries that can last for long periods in-between charges. The Garmin watch can hold a successful battery life for up to 7 days between charges, which allows you to worry less when it comes to waiting for battery charges when you are ready to get out and run.
Additionally, this model includes adaptive training plans through a Garmin coach of your choice. This will help to help guide you through your run.
The Venu Sq Music is also one of the watches that includes this convenient coaching, which works well to help you reach your goals on those days when running or any fitness regime seems like a chore.
Pros:
- Fits wrists with a circumference of 125-190 mm
- See everything clearly on a bright color display that includes an always-on mode, perfect for quick glances
- Health is important to you, so monitors everything from your Body Battery energy levels, respiration, hydration and stress to sleep, your menstrual cycle, estimated heart rate and more
- Easily download songs to your watch, including playlists from Spotify, or Deezer accounts and connect with wireless headphones for phoneless listening and available music support
- Find new ways to keep moving with more than 20 preloaded sports apps, including walking, running, cycling, mindful breathing, swimming, golf and many more
- Battery life: 10 hours
Cons:
- This Garmin watch is really only going to hold up well for running and jogging. A swimming mode would have been a great feature to add to this model
Read more about the Garmin Venu Sq here.
Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Solar
The Garmin Fenix Pro Solar Edition features a Power Glass lens that combines the best of solar technology with powerful battery-saving performance.
In addition to this standout feature, the music features and syncing with third party apps to download music are all first rate with the Garmin Fenix 6 pro Solar when you desire to play music.
Additional features of this Garmin watch include preloaded activity profiles for trail running, swimming, running, biking, hiking, rowing, skiing, golfing, surfing, indoor climbing, sleep tracking and more.
You can use advanced fitness tracking protocols to track the details of every ride with mountain biking metrics plus specialized grit and flow measurements that rate trail difficulty and how smoothly you descend, giving you a score to beat next time.
Pros:
- Multisport, expedition GPS mode watch with solar charging capabilities uses a Power Glass solar charging lens and custom power manager modes to achieve long-lasting battery life
- Train with a rugged yet sophisticated watch, featuring an always-on 1.3 inch display and a titanium, stainless steel or DLC coated bezel
- Track surfing sessions with a new dedicated activity profile, and even use Surf line Sessions, which creates a video of every wave you ride in front of a Surf line camera
- Upgraded activity profiles now let you track more, such as specialized Grit and Flow measurements while mountain biking
- Up to 14 days of battery life in smartwatch mode or 16 days when solar charging
Cons:
- Unless you plan on being in direct sunlight for hours, you won’t get the full benefits of solar charging
- There are far too many instances where multiple buttons need to be pressed to navigate properly
Read more about the Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Solar here.
Which Garmin watch is best for music?
Within all of these superb models, the best Garmin watch for music is undoubtedly the Garmin Forerunner 945. This Garmin watch features superb GPS battery life in addition to the ability to analyze heart rate, heart performance conditioning, sleep tracking, advanced sleep monitoring, and heart rate with oximetry data.
These health tracking features provide variability based on a wide range of different performance types to give real-time assessments of how you are faring during your workout and how long you can continue before you reach various thresholds.
Through the Garmin Connect IQ store, which you can pull up on the Garmin Connect app, you can sync your Spotify playlist or choose to use a preprogrammed playlist specification if you are on the run and don’t have time to sync your favorite songs to the music portal.
FAQs
Which Garmin watches can play Spotify?
All of the models mentioned above – Garmin Forerunner 245 Music, Garmin Forerunner 645 Music, Garmin Forerunner 745, Garmin Forerunner 945, Garmin Venu Sq Music and Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Solar – have the ability to play Spotify.
Which Smartwatches can store music?
Storing music and playing music from streaming apps are two entirely separate things. In terms of music storing capabilities, the best Garmin watch for this capability is either the Forerunner 645 or 945 models.
Additionally, the Fenix series can also store music, with the Fenix 6 Pro Solar being one of the most innovative models in this line for storage.
Apple music is also popular with Apple watches, and the ease to access Apple music is one of the hallmarks of the brand.
How is the battery life for a music sports watch?
Battery life can sometimes be an issue with smartwatches that feature music. Garmin seems to have the best capabilities in this field, with many of its watches that feature music having the ability to run for days and even weeks on one charge.
But ultimately, this all depends on how much use the watch undergoes on a daily basis.
Which music smartwatch has the best GPS mode?
GPS is also a major factor when using a smartwatch for fitness activities outdoors.
The Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Solar, in addition to being the best Garmin watch for solar charging, excels in this category due to the tactical and advanced GPS protocols that are featured within the watch.
Additionally, the Garmin Tactix Delta Solar is another model in the Garmin Fenix line that is superb in terms of its GPS signal as well as its ability to play music.
I would say go with a Garmin watch if you want the absolute best for GPS navigation.
Summary of the best Garmin watches with music
Whether you enjoy running and jogging or, swimming, bicycling, or triathlons, music is certainly one of the highlights of any good smartwatch.
All of these Garmin models feature great to decent battery life, built in GPS, too many features to keep track of, advanced music controls, smart features, music apps, and on top of that, they are great for everyday wear.
