Garmin has released solar-powered versions of two Forerunner smartwatches, extending the battery life of the popular smartwatches and increasing their appeal to long-distance riders, runners, and others.

The new flagship in the series, the Garmin Forerunner 955, boasts up to 49 hours of battery life in GPS mode, up from 36 hours for the previous 945 model.

In battery save mode, Garmin says the Forerunner 955 can be used for up to 20 days, a welcome move for many cyclists for whom battery life is one of the main concerns when choosing a cycle computer or smartwatch It will be a welcome upgrade. The addition of Garmin's solar charging lens, Powerglass, will put the Forerunner on par with the Enduro, which boasts over 80 hours of battery life, and the more premium Fenix solar version.

The latest version of the Forerunner maintains its rugged and stylish look and also comes with a new multi-band GPS feature that filters out inaccurate signals to improve accuracy.

Several new features help with preparation and recovery, including heart rate variability (HRV) status, a race widget that includes race-day weather and a countdown clock, and in-ride features such as real-time metrics.

Like other smartwatches ideal for cycling, the Forerunner 955 can be linked to a power meter, and Garmin offers compatible versions of its Rally power meter pedals for SPD-SL, SPD, and Look Keo pedals. It can also be used with Garmin's Tacx Turbo Trainer and, of course, can be synced with Strava.

While the added features in the Forerunner 995 will make it more attractive to cyclists, it is still essentially a running watch, and Garmin's announcement was made on Global Running Day.

Its versatility is a strength, however, and one advantage over the Enduro, for example, is its space for storing up to 2,000 music tracks. It also inherits its predecessor's Garmin Pay contactless payment feature.

Along with the 955, Garmin has announced the release of the Forerunner 255, which claims battery life of up to 30 hours in GPS mode and 14 days in smartwatch mode.

Indeed, the Forerunner 255 comes in four options, with a music version that can store up to 500 songs and two sizes for each.

The same HRV status and race widget features are available, and both the 255 and 955 have Garmin's Pulse Ox to monitor blood oxygen saturation and women's health features such as menstrual cycle and pregnancy tracking.

The Forerunner 955 is available for £479.99 ($499.99) and the Forerunner 955 Solar is available now for £549.99 ($599.99).

The Forerunner 255 is the same price for both sizes. The standard version costs £299.99 ($349.99), while the music version is slightly more expensive at £349.99 ($399.99).