Garmin Forerunner 170

Name: Garmin Forerunner 170
Brand: Garmin
Price: 300 USD
Availability: InStock

Android; iPhone with limitsPaid tier: Garmin Connect+

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. A separate Forerunner 170 Music version stores songs and podcasts for phone-free runs; the base model does not. Garmin rates both at 10 days in smartwatch mode, three fewer than the Forerunner 70.

Approx. price

~$300

maker's list price, not a live price

Battery, smartwatch mode

10 days

the maker's headline

Battery, always-on display

4 days

40% of the headline

Battery, GPS workout

20 h

maker's figure

Works with

Android; iPhone with limits

see the limits below

Weight

41 g

Garmin spec: 'Weight: 41 g' (Garmin does not say whether the band is included)

Best for: A newer runner who wants to pay for a drink mid-run and track elevation, on a mid-range budget

Battery: the claim and the other two figures

Claimed (smartwatch mode): 10 days
With always-on display: 4 days
GPS workout: 20 h

Headline: Garmin: 'Smartwatch mode: Up to 10 days'.
Always-on: Garmin: '(4 days display always-on)'.
GPS: Garmin: 'GPS-Only GNSS mode: Up to 20 hours'; 'All-Systems GNSS mode: Up to 14 hours'.
Garmin: 'Battery Saver Smartwatch mode: Up to 19 days'; Forerunner 170 Music: GPS-only with music up to 7.5 hours

The ring’s outer track is the headline claim; the inner two are the always-on and GPS figures as a share of it. An empty track means Garmin does not publish that figure. Why the figures differ

Phones, paid tier and updates

iPhone:: Yes, with limits.
Android:: Yes.; 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.; 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; Watch plus two years of Garmin Connect+: ~$440.
Software updates:: Garmin does not publish a guaranteed number of update years for this model.

Cleared health features

Garmin cites no regulator clearance for a health feature on this model. Its heart-rate, sleep and blood-oxygen readings are wellness features.

A clearance says what a feature is allowed to claim, not that it replaces a doctor. Cleared versus wellness features

What the extra money buys: Against the Garmin Forerunner 70, the extra ~$50 buys contactless pay. See the Garmin Forerunner 70.

Specifications

Approx. price: ~$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
Platform: Garmin
Case sizes: 42.6 mm
Weight: 42.6 mm: 41 g (Garmin spec: 'Weight: 41 g' (Garmin does not say whether the band is included))
Battery, smartwatch mode: 10 days (Garmin: 'Smartwatch mode: Up to 10 days')
Battery, always-on display: 4 days (Garmin: '(4 days display always-on)')
Always-on keeps: 40% of the headline figure
Battery, GPS workout: 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 19 days'; Forerunner 170 Music: GPS-only with music up to 7.5 hours
Works with: Android; iPhone with limits
iPhone: Yes, with limits
Android: 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
Paid tier: 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
Update years: Not published by the maker
Cleared health features: None the maker cites
Display: AMOLED
Always-on display: Yes
Dual-band GPS: No
Maps: Route line only (Garmin lists Courses, Back to start and TracBack; no built-in maps)
Music on the watch: No
LTE: No LTE version
Contactless pay: Yes
Flashlight: No
Water rating: 5 ATM
Case: fiber-reinforced polymer
Released: 2026

Features, per Garmin

Garmin Pay contactless payments
1.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen with 5 buttons
Barometric altimeter and compass
Training readiness, running power and running dynamics
Forerunner 170 Music adds on-watch music storage
4 GB storage

Where the specs put it ahead

Pay from the wrist on a run, which the Forerunner 70 cannot do
Barometric altimeter gives elevation gain that the Forerunner 70 leaves to GPS
Four days of always-on use is long for an AMOLED watch at this price
The Music version adds phone-free playback without moving up to the Forerunner 265

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

The two lists above are drawn from the maker’s own pages and prices, not from owner reports. Where owner discussion has been read it appears in its own section below, so the two are never mistaken for each other.