Garmin Forerunner 70 vs Garmin Forerunner 170
The Garmin Forerunner 170 lists for about $50 more than the Garmin Forerunner 70. With the screen always on, their makers quote 5 days for the Garmin Forerunner 70 and 4 days for the Garmin Forerunner 170. For a GPS workout the figures are 23 h and 20 h. Every other published figure for both is in the table, with the rows where they differ tinted.
Garmin
Garmin Forerunner 70
~$250
Garmin's 2026 entry Forerunner puts a 1.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen and five buttons on a 40 g watch, and Garmin says it carries over training readiness, training status, wrist running power and running dynamics from its pricier Forerunners.
Best for: A first-time runner who wants adaptive coaching and recovery metrics without paying for payments or music
Garmin
Garmin Forerunner 170
~$300
Built on the Forerunner 70, this model adds Garmin Pay, a barometric altimeter, a compass and 4 GB of storage in the same 42.6 mm case.
Best for: A newer runner who wants to pay for a drink mid-run and track elevation, on a mid-range budget
| Specification | Garmin Forerunner 70 | Garmin Forerunner 170 |
|---|---|---|
| Approx. price | ~$250 (Forerunner 70 (Citron), $249.99 list on garmin.com/en-US/p/1941179) | ~$300 (Forerunner 170 (Black with Black/Amp Yellow band), $299.99 list on garmin.com/en-US/p/1915560; Forerunner 170 Music $349.99) |
| Type | Running | Running |
| Platform | Garmin | Garmin |
| Case sizes | 42.6 mm | 42.6 mm |
| Weight | 42.6 mm: 40 g (Garmin spec: 'Weight: 40 g' (Garmin does not say whether the band is included)) | 42.6 mm: 41 g (Garmin spec: 'Weight: 41 g' (Garmin does not say whether the band is included)) |
| Battery, smartwatch mode | 13 days (Garmin: 'Smartwatch mode: Up to 13 days') | 10 days (Garmin: 'Smartwatch mode: Up to 10 days') |
| Battery, always-on display | 5 days (Garmin: '(5 days display always-on)') | 4 days (Garmin: '(4 days display always-on)') |
| Always-on keeps | 38% of the headline figure | 40% of the headline figure |
| Battery, GPS workout | 23 h (Garmin: 'GPS-Only GNSS mode: Up to 23 hours'; 'All-Systems GNSS mode: Up to 16 hours') | 20 h (Garmin: 'GPS-Only GNSS mode: Up to 20 hours'; 'All-Systems GNSS mode: Up to 14 hours') |
| Battery note | Garmin: 'Battery Saver Smartwatch mode: Up to 28 days'; no multi-band mode on this model | Garmin: 'Battery Saver Smartwatch mode: Up to 19 days'; Forerunner 170 Music: GPS-only with music up to 7.5 hours |
| Works with | Android; iPhone with limits | Android; iPhone with limits |
| iPhone | Yes, with limits | Yes, with limits |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| Phone limits | Garmin's spec table marks text replies and reject-call-with-text as Android only; iPhone owners get notifications but cannot reply from the watch | Garmin's spec table marks text replies and reject-call-with-text as Android only; iPhone owners get notifications but cannot reply from the watch |
| Paid tier | Garmin Connect+, $69.99/year | Garmin Connect+, $69.99/year |
| What the paid tier gates | No watch feature requires it: Garmin's chart keeps activity details, health stats, performance metrics, Garmin Coach plans, courses and LiveTrack in the free app. Connect+ adds Active Intelligence AI insights, nutrition logging, a desktop performance dashboard, live activity on the phone, 3D maps and offline Garmin Trails downloads | No watch feature requires it: Garmin's chart keeps activity details, health stats, performance metrics, Garmin Coach plans, courses and LiveTrack in the free app. Connect+ adds Active Intelligence AI insights, nutrition logging, a desktop performance dashboard, live activity on the phone, 3D maps and offline Garmin Trails downloads |
| Update years | Not published by the maker | Not published by the maker |
| Cleared health features | None the maker cites | None the maker cites |
| Display | AMOLED | AMOLED |
| Always-on display | Yes | Yes |
| Dual-band GPS | No | No |
| Maps | Route line only (Garmin lists Courses, Back to start and TracBack; no built-in maps) | Route line only (Garmin lists Courses, Back to start and TracBack; no built-in maps) |
| Music on the watch | No | No |
| LTE | No LTE version | No LTE version |
| Contactless pay | No | Yes |
| Flashlight | No | No |
| Water rating | 5 ATM | 5 ATM |
| Case | fiber-reinforced polymer | fiber-reinforced polymer |
| Released | 2026 | 2026 |
Garmin Forerunner 70: what it gives up
- No Garmin Pay, music storage, barometric altimeter or compass; the Forerunner 170 adds those
- No multi-band GPS, so tall buildings and tree cover can throw off pace and distance
- Text replies from the watch work only with Android phones
- No maps, only breadcrumb courses
Garmin Forerunner 170: what it gives up
- Music storage needs the costlier Forerunner 170 Music
- No multi-band GPS; the Forerunner 265 has it
- Three days less battery than the Forerunner 70
- iPhone users cannot reply to texts from the watch
Full pages: Garmin Forerunner 70 · Garmin Forerunner 170