Garmin Forerunner 205 vs Garmin Forerunner 301

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Forerunner 205 compared with Forerunner 301

	GarminForerunner 205	GarminForerunner 301
Overview
Released
Released	2006	2005
Display
Case sizes
Case sizes	53.3 mm	82.8 mm
Always-on display
Always-on display	Yes	Yes
Display detail
Display detail	Backlit 33 × 20.3 mm monochrome display, 160 × 100 pixels; configurable training screens and physical buttons. Panel technology is not specified by Garmin.	Backlit monochrome screen, 36.49 × 23.35 mm and 100 × 64 pixels; physical button controls. Panel technology is not specified in Garmin's manual.
Health and fitness
ECG
ECG	No	No
Blood oxygen
Blood oxygen	No	No
Skin temperature
Skin temperature	No	No
Sleep apnoea alerts
Sleep apnoea alerts	No	No
High blood pressure alerts
High blood pressure alerts	No	No
Body composition
Body composition	No	No
Fall detection
Fall detection	No	No
Crash detection
Crash detection	No	No
GPS
GPS	Single-band	Single-band
Sensors
Sensors	High-sensitivity SiRFstarIII GPS receiver with antenna wrapped towards the sky; the 205 does not support the heart-rate or speed/cadence accessories of the 305.	Twelve-channel GPS receiver and included digitally coded heart-rate chest strap; no optical wrist sensor.
Fitness features
Fitness features	Running, cycling and other-sport profiles; quick, interval and advanced workouts, course racing, Virtual Partner, Auto Pause, Auto Lap and pace, time and distance alerts.	Running, biking and other-sport profiles; advanced and interval workouts, Virtual Partner, Auto Pause, Auto Lap, Auto Scroll and heart-rate, pace, time and distance alerts. AutoLearn adjusts heart-rate zones as fitness changes.
Safety features
Safety features	Stores 100 locations and 50 routes; basic route display, direction to a stored location and navigation back to the start. No base maps.	Basic map display, up to 100 stored locations and navigation back to the start or a saved location; no base maps.
Battery and connections
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 10 hours	Up to 14 hours
Mobile data option
Mobile data option	No	No
Works with
Works with	No phone pairing	No phone pairing
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Internal rechargeable lithium-ion battery; ten hours of typical use.	Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery; fourteen hours of typical use.
Charging
Charging	Docking cradle with AC charger and USB cable.	AC charger and USB connection.
Connectivity
Connectivity	USB computer transfer through the cradle; Garmin Training Center software and MotionBased analysis were supplied at launch. No direct phone pairing.	USB computer interface; supplied Garmin Training Center software for analysing activities and creating workouts. No direct phone pairing.
Storage
Storage	Up to 1,000 laps; smart recording or one-second recording.	Up to 5,000 laps, with approximately two years of training history according to Garmin's series datasheet.
Design
Weight (lightest version)
Weight (lightest version)	77 g (better)	78 g
Software
Software	Garmin	Garmin
Case materials
Case materials	IPX7 immersion protection, one metre for thirty minutes; the owner's manual says it is not intended for swimming.	Sealed high-impact plastic-alloy housing; IPX7 immersion protection, one metre for thirty minutes.
Size
Size	53.3 × 68.6 × 17.8 mm and 77 g. Width is used as the case size.	82.8 × 43.4 × 17.5 mm; approximately 78 g. Width is used as the case size.
Bands
Bands	Vinyl wrist strap with an expander strap; fabric strap available separately.	–
In the box
In the box	Watch, wrist and expander straps, docking cradle, AC charger, USB cable, Garmin Training Center software and documentation.	Watch, wrist strap, expander strap, AC charger, USB cable, digitally coded heart-rate monitor, Training Center software and documentation.