Garmin Forerunner 970: One minute review

I trained with the Forerunner for more than nine months – long enough to really put it through its paces. It came with me on weekly 5Ks, tempo sessions, interval workouts, long half-marathon training runs and even a sweaty 10K trail race last summer. It’s a powerful, performance-driven piece of tech, and perfect for training and analyzing your stats — even if it is one of the priciest running watches on the market right now.

The design, while chunkier than Garmin’s lifestyle-oriented Venu or Vivoactive lines, has a sporty look, but at 56g it’s surprisingly lightweight and comfortable for all-day wear. The bright AMOLED touchscreen, titanium bezel and scratch-resistant sapphire lens give it a premium feel.

I started wearing the watch two months before a half-marathon, and the new Running Tolerance feature helped curb my tendency to overtrain by setting a weekly maximum mileage based on my impact load and training history. Instead of ramping up too quickly and risking injury (a mistake I’ve made before), I built volume gradually and more sustainably. The projected race-time predictor and PacePro also added structure, helping me fine-tune my pacing strategies ahead of race day.

Mapping has had an upgrade, too, which was helpful during a trail run in rural Wales. While data accuracy felt strong across the board, it was particularly good during interval sessions where heart rate spikes and recovery data were spot on. Unlike some other Garmin models, I didn’t love wearing it overnight, as it felt a little chunky for sleep.

Garmin Forerunner 970: Specifications

Garmin Forerunner 970: Price and availability

• Price: From £629.99 / $749.99 / AU$1,399
• Colors: Multiple colourways and can be customized

The Garmin Forerunner 970 launched in May 2025 and is available directly from Garmin as well as most major retailers. It’s an upgrade from the Forerunner 965, which came out in March 2023, and the 970 is priced at around $100 / £100 AU$200 more than its predecessor. There’s no denying these watches are getting expensive.

However, with the running feature upgrades, design tweaks and slightly improved battery life, the 970 is definitely value for money.

• Value score: 5 / 5

Garmin Forerunner 970: Design

• Chunky sporty design
• Lightweight
• Scratch-resistant glass

I’ve definitely gravitated towards Garmin’s more lifestyle-leaning watches in the past, such as the Venu and Vivoactive ranges. They’re slimmer, more streamlined, and I can wear them in the gym, but also out in the evening.

So when I first strapped on the 970, I immediately noticed the difference. The watch face is thicker, and it does give more ‘serious runner’ vibes, rather than ‘I’m just counting my steps’. It felt slightly chunky at first, but it’s actually surprisingly light – at 56g, it never felt too heavy.

Looks-wise, it’s actually really smart. I tried the soft gold titanium with a French grey/translucent indigo band, which strikes a nice balance between sporty and stylish, but there are other colourways – and you can customize it if you want something more sporty or bolder.

Bright and crisp, with an AMOLED touchscreen set into a 1.4-inch sapphire lens and a titanium bezel – an upgrade from the Garmin Forerunner 965, which used Corning Gorilla Glass 3 DX. My only bugbear was lagging time; sometimes it took a while to catch up with my scrolling.

I’ve scratched previous smartwatches before (usually mid-gym session, clanking dumbbells around), so I was relieved that this watch was scratch-resistant. Nine months in, after plenty of sweaty runs and weight sessions, it still looks box-fresh.

• Design score: 4/5

Garmin Forerunner 970: Features

• Evening report added
• Slightly longer battery life
• Triathlon coaching

The watch comes loaded with all the features you’d expect from a Garmin Forerunner. There’s a huge library of workouts to track, including up to eight different running modes, alongside cycling, swimming and strength sessions. As ever with Garmin, the GPS is impressively accurate, even in built-up areas, and the health metrics are comprehensive: sleep tracking, step count, Body Battery, VO2 max and detailed heart rate data are all easy to access and analyze in the app.

There are a few upgrades, too. There’s now a built-in LED flashlight, which I found useful on winter runs, plus a speaker and microphone so you can take calls directly from your wrist. I wasn’t completely impressed by this, though, as the volume was very low when I did use it for calls.

One new feature I particularly liked was the new Evening Report. When reviewing the Garmin Vivoactive 6 last year, I’d found the Morning Reports really useful, so I hoped for the same effect. After long runs, it gave me a really insightful, helpful summary of my day’s exertion and prompted me to start winding down at the right time, with tailored recommendations for the following day’s training. For anyone balancing structured training with a busy schedule, I found it to be a really good addition.

New running features include tracking your running economy, which is the efficiency of your run and your step speed loss; however, these both require you to also be wearing Garmin’s HRM 600. I’m not a triathlete, but those who are will appreciate the new Triathlon Coach feature. It allows you to build a full training plan across swim, bike and run – helping to keep you accountable and on track in the lead-up to race day.

Battery life is also slightly improved compared to its predecessor. During comparison testing, the Garmin Forerunner 965 lasted around two hours less than the 970 when in GPS mode. That said, during particularly heavy training weeks, I found myself charging it more frequently than Garmin suggests.

• Features score: 4.5 / 5

Performance

Garmin Forerunner 970: Performance

• More detailed, colorful maps on the watch
• Running Tolerance feature helped me to avoid injury
• App was detailed, but glitchy when pairing the watch

I trained with the Forerunner for more than nine months – long enough to really put it through its paces.

During half-marathon training, the new Running Tolerance feature changed how I approached my mileage. I’m someone who tends to get a bit overexcited, ramp things up too quickly and end up injured. This time, the 970 analysed my impact load and training history and gave me a weekly maximum mileage to stick to. Having that ceiling forced me to build gradually. It took the guesswork (and ego) out of the equation, and I could actually see how respecting those limits kept my training more consistent week to week.

The mapping upgrades also came into their own on a trail run in the depths of the Welsh countryside. The clearer, more detailed route maps meant I could see exactly what elevation was coming up and stay confident I was on track. Even though I was racing alongside others, there’s something reassuring about knowing that if your phone dies, you’re not stranded in the middle of nowhere, hoping you’ve taken the right turn.

I didn’t rely on the Garmin Connect app as much as I have with other smartwatches, mainly because so much data is accessible directly on the watch itself. When I did use the app, the data was comprehensive and clearly presented, although I’ll admit it took me a few attempts to pair my Forerunner with the app. The Garmin Connect app also comes in handy to implement Gear Tracking and build training plans, which you can then export to the watch.

If you like to train with targets, it’s easy to set pace or time goals before you head out, and PacePro is straightforward to configure. I also found the new projected race time predictor quite motivating – it gave me realistic target times and pacing guidance based on my training, which helped shape my weekly park runs – and achieve some PBs.

Unlike other Garmin watches I’ve worn, I didn’t sleep in this one. I found it a bit too chunky overnight, so I stuck with my Whoop for sleep tracking – as it has that barely-there feel I prefer at night.

• Performance score: 4.5 / 5

Garmin Forerunner 970: Scorecard

Garmin Forerunner 970: Should I buy?

Buy it if…