Garmin Forerunner 70 review: Substantial upgrades that come at a cost

Date:
Thu, 02 Jul 2026 09:16:26 +0000

Description:
Wondering which new Garmin Forerunner watch to buy? After putting the 70 through its paces, I think it's a better buy than the 170.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Garmin Forerunner 70: One minute review The Garmin Forerunner 70 is a Garmin watch that weve waited a long time for. This is the natural successor to the Forerunner 55, the watch that was pitched at beginner runners or runners who like to stick to the basics (and can even run a marathon in under two hours, as it was worn by record-breaker Sebastian Sawe).

With such a large time gap between the two watches, its hardly surprising to see Garmin make some big changes, not only with the hardware but the software too. Its clearly been a task of bringing the 70 in line with other new Forerunner watches, which includes adding an AMOLED display and touchscreen while keeping the full array of physical buttons to give it that traditional running watch feel. While keeping the AMOLED on at all times does dent the battery much quicker, it elevates the software and what its like to use the
70 as a smartwatch. Latest Videos From Watch full video here:

Theres some upgrades to the sensors, and while you dont get Garmins latest multi-band GPS or Gen 5 Elevate optical sensor, the improved GNSS sensor and move from Gen 3 to Gen 4 sensors does deliver strong GPS and heart rate tracking performance still.

The additions made in the training and smartwatch departments also make this feel like a more advanced watch than the Forerunner 55. You now have a watch that has full access to Garmins Connect IQ store and brings in some of
Garmins nicest smartwatch features like morning and evening reports. No you dont get payments, Bluetooth calls or a music player, but if youre looking
for the basics that go beyond what the 55 offered, the 70s got you well covered.

Its also great to see some of Garmins best training features. Training Readiness now features on a cheaper Garmin to help you decide when to train and rest. You can now use the 70 to navigate your way. You dont get full
maps, but the breadcrumb navigation still makes it useful to have on your wrist when exploring new surroundings or struggling to get back home after a run.

Those added features do, unsurprisingly, come at an added cost. A cost that does push the Forerunner 70 out of that entry level category into more of a mid-range one. That does mean you can find cheaper alternatives like the Suunto Run or can pay a bit more for the Coros Pace 4 and get newer sensors including dual-band GPS. If youre sold on Garmins software, still want that strong tracking performance and like the idea of having an AMOLED screen and the best smartwatch experience youll find on a running watch at this price, those are going to be the biggest reasons to grab the Forerunner 70. Get
daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Garmin Forerunner 70 GPS Watch at Amazon for 215.03 Garmin Forerunner 70: Specifications Swipe to scroll horizontally

Component

Garmin Forerunner 70

Price

$249.99 USD / 219.99 UK / $399 AUS

Dimensions

42.6mm wide, 11.9mm thick

Weight

40g

Case/bezel

polymer case, polymer bezel

Display

1.2-inch AMOLED Screen, 390 x 390 px resolution

GPS

GNSS, 6 satellite systems

Battery life

Up to 5 days of heavy use, or 13 days typical

Connection

Bluetooth, ANT+

Water resistance

5 ATM Garmin Forerunner 70: Price and availability (Image credit: Future / Mike Sawh) $249.99 / 219.99 / AU$399 More expensive than the Forerunner 55 Cheaper than the Forerunner 170 The Garmin Forerunner 70 has a launch price
of $249.99 USD / 219.99 UK / $399 AUS, which puts it firmly in the mid-range running smartwatch category. Thats in contrast to its predecessor the Forerunner 55, which launched with a sub-$200 price tag when it landed back
in 2021.

Given theres been some pretty sizable upgrades with the hardware and
software, including adding an AMOLED display and richer smartwatch features, its not surprising that the price has leapt up a bit. It does feel like its lost a bit of the beginner-friendly appeal of the Forerunner 55 in the process.

The Forerunner 70 was launched alongside the Forerunner 170, which at $299 / 259.99 / AU$479 gives you additional features like contactless payments and a music player, longer battery life and additional sensors like an altimeter. Value score: 4/5 Garmin Forerunner 70: Design One case size option Added AMOLED screen Combination of touchscreen and physical buttons Like the Garmin Forerunner 55, the Forerunner 70 remains a watch that sits pretty small on your wrist. That might be an issue for fans of bigger watches like a Fenix. For runners, typically smaller and lighter is better and that is what you get here.

Garmin has moved up slightly from a 42mm sized-polymer case to a 42.6mm one. Its just the one case size thats light to hold and comes in four different colors. Whether you want something plain or like a splash of color, youre catered for here. The strap attached to the case is pretty typical of the
ones you find partnered up to most Garmin Forerunners. Its a 20mm silicone
one that uses a pin mechanism, so you can remove it when the strap included gets sweaty or dirty or you just fancy switching to another color.

Garmin sticks to including five physical buttons for that classic running watch navigation experience. Thats now matched up with a 1.2-inch, 390 x 390 resolution AMOLED touchscreen. That sees Garmin move away from the memory pixel display on another watch line, sacrificing the longer battery life and more impressive viewing angles in brighter outdoor light for that added colour, vibrancy and to be more in keeping with other smartwatches. Its still going to be a screen you can view comfortably outside when its really sunny. You just might need to crank up the brightness to do that, which will have an impact on battery life.

Like the Forerunner 50 and most other more affordable Garmin watches, the Forerunner 70 carries a 5ATM waterproof rating. That makes it safe for swimming and showering with it. Theres only a pool swimming tracking mode as Garmin leaves out open water and triathlon modes. Thatll be disappointing for anyone hoping they could pick this up as an affordable triathlon watch.
Design score: 4/5 Garmin Forerunner 70: Features (Image credit: Future / Mike Sawh) Upgraded Gen 4 Elevate sensor from Forerunner 55 Includes latest training insights like Training Readiness Offers breadcrumb-style navigation Garmin is pitching the Forerunner 70 as an entry-level running smartwatch, so its giving you some running features, but not all that it has to offer.

Like the GPS support, where the Forerunner 70 uses multi-GNSS, as opposed to the latest multi-band GPS included on the Forerunner 570 and above watches. This means you miss out on having improved tracking accuracy when running or moving near tall buildings or locations with a lot of tall trees.

Other hardware improvements include upgrading from the Gen 3 Elevate optical heart rate sensor to the Gen 4 version. Thats actually not the latest version of Garmins in-house sensor technology. Thats Gen 5, which gives you added features like ECG heart rate measurements. This will cover continuous monitoring and tracking heart rate during exercise. You can also pair
external heart rate monitors to it as well.

In terms of software features, theres a lot thats been added to the
Forerunner 70 over the Forerunner 55. Along with bringing the UI up to date with other AMOLED-toting Garmins, youre now getting more smartwatch features. You can set up smart alarms, view morning and evening reports for a summary
of your day and recommendations for the following day.

Theres improved notification support for Android users, so now you can view more information being shared in notifications. A big one is the added
Connect IQ support: previously, this was restricted to only downloading watch faces. Now you have full access to the storefront to download apps, watch faces and data fields.

Theres plenty thats been upgraded on the tracking and training front too. You can now follow routes using breadcrumb-style navigation as opposed to the
full maps youll find on pricier Garmin watches. Garmin has brought in a raft of its latest training metrics and features including Training Readiness, wrist-based running power, more strength-focused training support and this is a watch thats compatible with Garmins Coach. Thats free access to Garmins training platform that now comprises running, cycling and strength training plans that can be synced over to the watch. Features score: 4/5 Garmin Forerunner 70: Performance Good GPS despite lack of dual-band Smartwatch features work well across Android and iOS Heart rate tracking solid with support for external sensors In terms of tracking your runs, the Forerunner
70 does a sterling job like most other Garmins and not just for running. When Ive used it for pool swims, indoor rows, treadmill runs and bike sessions,
the tracking has been as solid as other Garmins Ive tested.

Some will be disappointed that Garmin doesnt include its latest multi-band
GPS technology. As Ive found when using Garmins watches with multi-GNSS setups, they still perform better than a lot of dual-band watches. Id say its the same story for the Forerunner 70. It might get a bit more shaky in places with a lot of tall buildings for the GPS technology to deal with, but Ive
been using it alongside the Forerunner 170 and Garmins markedly more
expensive Garmin Forerunner 970 , and the 70 has more than held its own.

Its a similar story with heart rate tracking. While youre getting the older Gen 4 version of Garmins Elevate optical heart rate sensor technology, that doesnt equal a bad performance. For steady paced runs and runs in some significantly hotter running conditions, the 70 held up well against Garmin and MyZone heart rate monitor chest straps. It can take a bit longer to match up when youre easing off during interval work. Overall though, the 70s older sensor gets the job done, with the option to pair a Bluetooth heart rate sensor to improve performance.

Where Garmin has really bolstered things on the 70 compared to the 55 is the influx of training insights and bringing it more up to speed in terms of smartwatch features. Its great to see Training Readiness make the cut where previously Garmin had left this useful insight into your preparedness to tackle a tough session off from its more affordable watches. Its also about the presentation of these features, which is something Garmin does better
than the competition. Like the well integrated daily suggested workouts or helping you keep an eye on your recovery time.

While youre not getting the best that Garmin has to offer in smartwatch features, the added AMOLED touchscreen and general changes made to the user interface does mean it operates better as a smartwatch than most other running-focused smartwatches. The stream of Glances (widgets) offer a nice snapshot of your data, morning and evening report summaries are great additions, while the music playback controls work well with third party music services like Spotify. Unlike the Forerunner 55, you do now have full access to the Garmin Connect IQ store and that means increasing your ability to personalise the watch software with the features, apps and data fields you care most about.

Sleep tracking has been a bit of a weakness for Garmin. Particularly when overreporting sleep duration and the time its taken to recognise when youd fallen asleep. Things thankfully have gotten better and I count the
Forerunner 70 in the 'good' camp of sleep trackers. Ive been wearing it to
bed with an Oura Ring 5 and core sleep stats have largely told a similar
story about my nights sleep. The now added sleep coach and recommendation features brings sleep more into the training equation as well as helping you think more about your recovery time between runs and other workouts.

In terms of battery life, youre unsurprisingly not getting the best Garmin
has to offer on that front. What you are getting is a watch that should hold for a weeks worth of training. If youre using it with the always-on display mode while tracking outdoor runs, youre going to get less than a week.

GPS battery numbers give you a good amount to play with as well. I found that an hour's worth of running in the best available GPS mode hit the battery by just shy of 10%. That doesnt add up to the 16 hours promised. Performance score: 4/5 Garmin Forerunner 70: Scorecard (Image credit: Future / Mike Sawh) Swipe to scroll horizontally

Category

Comment

Score

Value

Its lost the budget status still attached to the ageing 55, but it offers features in keeping with the closest competition

4/5

Design

A no surprises, sporty-looking Forerunner watch that offers a good AMOLED screen and a full array of physical buttons.

4/5

Features

A running watch capable of tracking more and offering richer training
insights than the Forerunner 55

4/5

Performance

Delivers that great Garmin sports tracking with watch software thats cleaner and more polished than the competition

4/5 Garmin Forerunner 70: Should I buy? Buy it if...

You like a small watch

If you like your smartwatches compact and lightweight, the 70 absolutely fits the bill.

You want a Garmin at a good price

It might not have all the bells and whistles of a Forerunner 570 or 970, but if you want a good-performing running watch and sports watch, thats what you get with the 70. Don't buy it if...

You want the best Garmin for smartwatch features

You will have to pay more if you want Garmin smartwatch features like contactless payments, LTE and a built-in music player.

You want an affordable triathlon watch

The Forerunner 70 doesnt include an open water swimming or dedicated
triathlon mode for those interested in using it to train across all three multisport disciplines. Also consider

Suunto Run

Suuntos entry-level running watch is cheaper than the Forerunner 70 and while software and smartwatch support isnt as slick, the core run and sports tracking is very good.

Read our full Suunto Run review

Coros Pace 4

The Pace 4 isnt that much more expensive than the Forerunner 70 and gives you richer training insights, a triathlon mode and features like dual-band GPS in a similarly compact and lightweight design.

Read our full Coros Pace 4 review How I tested Ive been wearing the Garmin Forerunner 70 for three weeks, tracking my outdoor and treadmill runs. Ive also used it for pool swimming and indoor cycling, wearing it alongside other running watches to compare GPS performance. Ive also been using it alongside
a heart rate monitor chest strap to compare heart rate tracking during exercise. First reviewed: June 2026 Garmin Forerunner 70 GPS Watch: Price Comparison 215.03 View 219 View 219 View 219.99 View deal 219.99 View Show more We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices powered by



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