Garmin Forerunner 970 review
Running economy and step speed loss, a titanium bezel, a sapphire lens and an LED flashlight.
A running smartwatch with Garmin's brightest AMOLED touchscreen and button controls, a lightweight titanium bezel, sapphire lens, built in LED flashlight, up to 15 days of smartwatch battery and 26 hours of GPS.
Check Backcountry → Check price on AmazonSpecifications
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Display | Brightest AMOLED touchscreen with button controls |
| Build | Lightweight titanium bezel and sapphire lens |
| Light | Built in LED flashlight |
| Battery | Up to 15 days smartwatch mode, up to 26 hours GPS mode |
| Metrics | Running economy and step speed loss |
| Coaching | Garmin Coach personalised running and triathlon plans |
Specifications above come from Garmin's published specifications. Treat pricing as approximate, since Amazon pricing moves.
What it does well
- Running economy is a genuinely new metric on a wrist, and it addresses the question runners actually care about: am I getting faster for the same effort.
- Step speed loss quantifies how much you decelerate at each footstrike, which is the mechanical cost most runners cannot feel and can change with cadence work.
- The LED flashlight sounds trivial and is the feature owners of Garmin watches mention most often, because dark early mornings are when a lot of running happens.
- A titanium bezel and sapphire lens in a lighter body than the fenix, which is the right combination for a running specific watch.
Where it falls short
- Running economy and step speed loss need the running dynamics data that a compatible accessory or the watch's own sensors produce, and their real world usefulness is still being established.
- Twenty six hours of GPS is plenty for a marathon and short for an ultra, which is exactly where the fenix earns its price.
- Seven hundred and forty four dollars is a lot for metrics you may glance at and never act on.
- As with every wrist based watch, heart rate accuracy during intervals is the weak link, and a chest strap improves every derived number.
What owners report
Published owner reports praise the display brightness, the build and the battery, and describe the new running metrics as interesting with the caveat that acting on them takes coaching knowledge. The flashlight comes up repeatedly as a small feature with outsized daily value.
The criticism is price relative to the 965, which shares the maps, the multi band GPS and the training readiness score. Reports comparing the two mostly conclude that unless the new metrics matter to you, the 965 is the better value, which is a fair summary.
Who it suits
- Serious runners who will use running economy and step speed loss.
- Marathon and triathlon athletes wanting Garmin Coach plans.
- Anyone who runs in the dark and would use the flashlight.
Who should skip it
- Ultrarunners needing more than 26 hours of GPS, who want the fenix 8.
- Runners who want maps and readiness without the newest metrics, where the 965 saves money.
- Casual runners, for whom a far cheaper watch does everything needed.
Alternatives worth considering
Two hundred and forty dollars less with the same AMOLED display, built in maps, multi band GPS and training readiness score, and up to 23 days of battery. The better buy for most runners.
Check Backcountry → Check price on AmazonA hundred dollars more for 47 hours of GPS instead of 26, and a more durable case. The right watch if your events run past a day.
Check Backcountry → Check price on AmazonA hundred and twenty five dollars less for an AMOLED watch with dual frequency GPS, downloadable maps and up to 140 hours of training time. Polar's training load and recovery model is a genuinely different philosophy from Garmin's.
Check Backcountry → Check price on AmazonGift idea: the Forerunner 970 is one of the picks in our Gifts for Triathletes guide. See also Gifts for Runners, gifts under $50 and the gift finder.
Common questions
What is running economy on a watch?
An estimate of how much energy you use to run at a given speed, which is the metric that separates runners with similar VO2 max. Improving it is what makes you faster without getting fitter. Treat the watch's figure as a trend to follow rather than a laboratory value, and our VO2 max calculator covers the other half of the equation.
Forerunner 970 or 965?
The 965 has the same maps, multi band GPS, AMOLED display and training readiness for two hundred and forty dollars less, with longer smartwatch battery. The 970 adds the newest running metrics, a brighter screen and a flashlight. Unless you will act on the new metrics, the 965 is the better value.
Do I need a chest strap?
For interval and threshold work, yes. Wrist optical sensors lag during rapid heart rate changes and struggle in cold weather, and every training metric the watch produces is built on that signal. Our chest strap versus wrist heart rate comparison covers when it matters and when it does not.
Is 26 hours of GPS enough?
For a marathon, comfortably. For a hundred mile race, no, and that is what the fenix line exists for. Match the battery to your longest event rather than to the number that sounds most impressive.
Is a running watch worth this much?
Only if you use the data. A watch that records pace and distance costs a fraction of this. What you are paying for is training load, readiness, recovery and now efficiency metrics, and those are worth money if they change your training and worth nothing if they do not. Our training load calculator does the same analysis on your existing data.
Keep reading
- Best running watches
- Garmin vs Coros
- VO2 max calculator
- Garmin Forerunner 965 review
- Garmin fenix 8 review
- Training load calculator
This review draws on published specifications, manufacturer figures and the consensus of verified owner reviews. We have not tested this product ourselves, and we say so rather than implying otherwise. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.