Garmin Forerunner 70 vs Polar Street X
On the headline smartwatch-mode figure, 13 days for the Garmin Forerunner 70 against 10 days for the Polar Street X. Polar publishes no always-on figure for the Polar Street X. For a GPS workout the figures are 43 h and 23 h. Phones differ: the Garmin Forerunner 70 is android; iphone with limits, the Polar Street X iphone and android. 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
Polar
Polar Street X
~$250
Polar debuted Street X in March 2026 as an urban sports watch for people who train, commute and work in the city.
Best for: City runners and commuters who want a tough, inexpensive GPS watch with a flashlight
| Specification | Garmin Forerunner 70 | Polar Street X |
|---|---|---|
| Approx. price | ~$250 (Forerunner 70 (Citron), $249.99 list on garmin.com/en-US/p/1941179) | ~$250 (Street X, $249.99 on polar.com) |
| Type | Running | Running |
| Platform | Garmin | Polar |
| Case sizes | 42.6 mm | 45 mm |
| Weight | 42.6 mm: 40 g (Garmin spec: 'Weight: 40 g' (Garmin does not say whether the band is included)) | 45 mm: 28 g (without wristband (48 g with it), Polar UK spec) |
| Battery, smartwatch mode | 13 days (Garmin: 'Smartwatch mode: Up to 13 days') | 10 days (Polar: Smartwatch mode 10 d (US product page); support page: up to 10 days, 24/7 wrist HR and notifications on, always-on display off) |
| Battery, always-on display | 5 days (Garmin: '(5 days display always-on)') | Not published by the maker |
| Always-on keeps | 38% of the headline figure | not published |
| Battery, GPS workout | 23 h (Garmin: 'GPS-Only GNSS mode: Up to 23 hours'; 'All-Systems GNSS mode: Up to 16 hours') | 43 h (Polar US product page: Performance training mode 43 h (support page: up to 42 hours)) |
| Battery note | Garmin: 'Battery Saver Smartwatch mode: Up to 28 days'; no multi-band mode on this model | Polar's spec table lists GPS, Galileo, BeiDou and QZSS but no dual-frequency row, though its support page template mentions dual-frequency for the Performance mode. Eco training mode: up to 170 hours. No AOD figure. |
| Works with | Android; iPhone with limits | iPhone and Android |
| iPhone | Yes, with limits | Yes |
| 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 | Polar Flow app on iOS and Android; Polar lists push notifications and Find My Phone on the watch, with no platform restriction stated. |
| Paid tier | Garmin Connect+, $69.99/year | Polar Fitness Program, $107.88/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. Polar: 'A subscription to Fitness Program is not required to fully enjoy Polar products or the Flow service'; it adds adaptive 4-week cardio, strength and mobility plans in Polar Flow. Street X is not listed among the compatible watches on Polar's US Fitness Program page |
| 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 (Polar: route guidance, planned routes and breadcrumbs, Track Back and Back to Start; no maps listed) |
| Music on the watch | No | No |
| LTE | No LTE version | No LTE version |
| Contactless pay | No | No |
| Flashlight | No | Yes |
| Water rating | 5 ATM | WR50 |
| Case | fiber-reinforced polymer | bio-based plastic |
| 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
Polar Street X: what it gives up
- No dual-frequency GPS listed, while the Ignite 3 and both Vantage models have it
- No maps, only route guidance and breadcrumbs
- No wrist ECG or SpO2
Full pages: Garmin Forerunner 70 · Polar Street X