This week, Garmin launched two new running watches — the Forerunner 70 and the Forerunner 170, both aimed at beginner runners looking to enhance their training. But what are the main differences between the two watches, and which should you pick?
I’ve just started testing the two new watches, and the reviews will be coming soon on Tom’s Guide, but for now, let’s dive into the similarities and differences below.
Garmin Forerunner 70 vs Garmin Forerunner 170: Price
The Garmin Forerunner 70 and Garmin Forerunner 170 will both be available to buy on May 15. There’s a slight difference in price between the two watches: the Garmin Forerunner 70 is the more affordable watch, costing $249/£219. The Forerunner 170 comes in two varieties, one with onboard storage for music, priced at $349/£299, and one without, for $299/£259.
Garmin Forerunner 70 vs Garmin Forerunner 170: Design and battery life
The Forerunner 70 and Forerunner 170 look very similar. They share the same 43mm diameter case design, with five physical buttons on the side, paired with the same 1.2-inch bright and a bright AMOLED touchscreen with a display resolution of 390 x 390 pixels.
Both are lightweight and comfortable on the wrist, weighing in at about 40g. I’ve been wearing the Forerunner 170 for the past 24 hours, and it sits neatly on the wrist.
There’s a difference in colorway choices — the cheaper Forerunner 70 has a block color design and comes in black, white, citron, and lavender. The Forerunner 170 has a two-tone design, coming in black and yellow, and white and cloud blue. The more expensive Forerunner 170 Music also comes in pink and mango, and teal green and citron.
In terms of battery life, you’ll get slightly more with the Forerunner 70, as it doesn’t have quite as many features. Here’s a breakdown:
| Header Cell – Column 0 | Garmin Forerunner 70 | Garmin Forerunner 170 | Garmin Forerunner 170 Music |
|---|---|---|---|
Smartwatch mode | Up to 13 days (5 days display always-on) | Up to 10 days (4 days display always-on) | Up to 10 days (4 days display always-on) |
Battery saver | Up to 28 days | Up to 19 days | Up to 19 days |
GPS-only | Up to 23 hours | Up to 20 hours | Up to 20 hours |
All-systems | Up to 16 hours | Up to 14 hours | Up to 14 hours |
GPS-only with music | N/a | N/a | Up to 7.5 days |
All-systems with music | N/a | N/a | Up to 6.5 hours |
Garmin Forerunner 70 vs Garmin Forerunner 170: Specs
Let’s answer the all-important question — why would you spend $50 more on the Forerunner 170 without music, if you were looking at the Forerunner 70?
The main difference between the two watches is that the Forerunner 170 has slightly more advanced health tracking features: the more expensive watch has a thermometer to take your skin temperature, the Forerunner 70 doesn’t.
As well as signaling when you might be getting sick, Garmin uses skin temperature sensors to make its female health tracking more accurate. You’ll still be able to download the Women’s Health app from Garmin Connect on the Forerunner 70, but the watch won’t take overnight skin temperature readings, so you won’t be able to connect to apps like Natural Cycles for non-hormonal birth control or fertility planning, like you can on the Garmin Forerunner 570 and Forerunner 970.
The Forerunner 170 also has a compass tool on board and an altimeter, which allows you to record things like how many floors you’ve climbed. The more expensive watch also has openwater swimming and meditation modes, plus the ability to connect the watch to a cycling power meter or cycling smart trainer.
Finally, the Forerunner 170 also has features like Garmin Pay, which allows you to pay for items contactless by tapping your wrist. Plus, if you opt for the music edition, you can play music from your watch, allowing you to leave your phone at home.
Garmin Forerunner 70 vs Garmin Forerunner 170: Which should you buy?
As mentioned above, we’re yet to do in-depth testing with either watch. Both are packed with an impressive amount of features that, until now, have been reserved for some of Garmin’s higher-end models.
Personally, I wish the Forerunner 70 were a little cheaper — it would be great to see an entry-level running watch under $200. But either way, if you’re looking for an affordable option, I’d probably opt for the Forerunner 70 over the Forerunner 170 without music, as there’s not an awful lot of difference between the two.
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