Garmin Forerunner 70 and Forerunner 170 are coming to Czechia. How much do they cost and who are they for?

Garmin doesn’t only produce watches for the most demanding athletes who are willing to pay over 20 thousand crowns. The affordable new products Forerunner 70 and Forerunner 170, which can be purchased on the Czech market starting today, feature an AMOLED display and a host of functions that until recently belonged to a higher class. They are suitable not only for beginners but also for runners who already have some training under their belt and just want to enjoy smarter activity tracking.

Forerunner 70: an entry-level model that incorporates higher-class features

The basic new product in the series builds on the very popular Forerunner 55, and Garmin has packed quite a few interesting features into it. The watch received a 1.2″ touch AMOLED display with a resolution of 390 × 390 pixels, which impresses with bright colors and will be more attractive to most target users compared to the transreflective MIP panel of the original model. The case, measuring 42.6 × 42.6 × 11.9 mm, weighs only 40 grams, making it suitable for slimmer wrists.

The main draw is a trio of features that have not yet made it into entry-level Garmin devices: Training Readiness (evaluates whether you are physically ready for training), Training Status (informs whether your training load is moving your fitness in the right direction), and Health Snapshot, which monitors deviations in health metrics. Until now, these were the exclusive domain of models from the Forerunner 265 class and higher. A beginner runner now has a clear recommendation on their wrist in the morning, whether to undertake an intense workout today or rather a relaxed jog.

Garmin also promises up to 13 days of battery life for the Forerunner 70 in smartwatch mode and 23 hours in GPS-only mode, a value offered by more expensive watches like the Forerunner 265. However, with the always-on display, battery life drops to 5 days, and in all-satellite systems mode, to 16 hours. The watch supports over 80 sports profiles, including cycling, pool swimming, strength training, yoga, and skiing. Heart rate variability, Body Battery, pulse oximeter, sleep tracking, and Health Snapshot are also included.

Where did Garmin save costs on the Forerunner 70?

To get the price below seven thousand, the manufacturer had to sacrifice something. The Forerunner 70 comes without a barometric altimeter, so it won’t accurately measure climbed floors or elevation gain in terrain (it relies only on GPS). Also missing are a compass, gyroscope, and Garmin Pay contactless payments, which is a significant limitation for some. The watch only offers pool swimming – don’t look for open water swimming here. The internal memory is only 512 MB, which is enough for activity history but limits add-ons from the Connect IQ platform. The price of 6,290 Kč places the Forerunner 70 alongside the still-sold Forerunner 165, which costs 5,990 Kč. Of this pair, the newer model is clearly a better buy if you don’t need Garmin Pay or a barometric altimeter.

Forerunner 170: upper mid-range for reasonable money

The more expensive sibling inherits the same 1.2″ AMOLED display and similar design (42.6 × 42.6 mm, weight 41 g) from the Forerunner 70, but inside the case, you’ll find significantly richer equipment. Garmin added a barometric altimeter, compass, gyroscope, and most importantly, Garmin Pay contactless payments to the Forerunner 170. The internal memory significantly increased from 512 MB to 4 GB, allowing you to store more routes, applications, and data fields from Connect IQ on the watch. The Forerunner 170 Music version adds support for offline playlist downloads from Spotify and Deezer, allowing you to run without your phone, just with headphones.

What the Forerunner 170 adds compared to the Forerunner 165

If you are considering upgrading from its predecessor or comparing both generations in a store, there are more key differences than might initially appear. The Forerunner 170 brings Training Readiness and Training Status, which were completely missing from the Forerunner 165. Also new is Health Snapshot, which monitors deviations in health data, and a unified training status for a better overview of load across various sports.

The Forerunner 170 further handles over 80 sports profiles, whereas the Forerunner 165 offered only around 25. Cycling profiles (road, mountain, gravel, commuting, e-bike), winter sports, combat sports, and racket sports beyond tennis and padel have been added. Also important is the advanced Garmin cycling coach with pre-prepared plans, which is missing in the cheaper model.

For more serious training, compatibility with the HRM 600 chest strap is useful, as it unlocks full running dynamics for the Forerunner 170, including ground contact time balance and vertical oscillation. The Forerunner 165 does not have this feature at all. Cyclists will appreciate support for Vector and Rally power meters or the Varia radar. Also included are grade-adjusted pace for trail runners and VO2 Max for trail running, which are again features that the Forerunner 165 cannot achieve.

Compromises Garmin doesn’t talk much about

The Forerunner 170 also has a few areas where it didn’t manage to improve compared to the Forerunner 165. Battery life in smartwatch mode decreased from 11 to 10 days, and in all-satellite systems mode, even from 17 to 14 hours – this is a noticeable drop, which you’ll especially notice on long trips. The price of 7,690 Kč is 1,700 Kč higher than the outgoing Forerunner 165, so Garmin is charging adequately for the new features. The music version at 8,990 Kč essentially only adds offline music; otherwise, the features are identical.

Which variant makes sense for whom

The Forerunner 70 (6,290 Kč) is a reasonable choice for absolute beginners and recreational runners who don’t need contactless payments or precise elevation measurement. For less than seven thousand, you get an AMOLED display, long battery life, and training features that watches costing thirteen thousand had until recently. However, if you want to pay from your wrist or measure climbed floors, don’t hesitate and go straight for the more expensive model.

The Forerunner 170 (7,690 Kč) makes sense for ambitious hobby runners, occasional cyclists, and anyone who wants to objectify their training using the HRM 600 or a power meter. Compared to the Forerunner 165, it’s a clearer choice, mainly due to its class of training metrics. The Music version (8,990 Kč) only makes sense if you run without your phone and listen to music from your watch via Spotify or Deezer – otherwise, the 1,300 Kč difference is hard to justify.

Who, on the other hand, would not find either model suitable? Serious trail runners and ultra runners, for whom it would be worth paying extra for the Forerunner 265 or Forerunner 965 with better GPS battery life and topographical maps. And also those who primarily want a watch as a smartwatch replacement – Garmin continues to lag behind Apple Watch or Samsung Galaxy Watch in this area.

Which of the new Forerunners would you choose for your wrist?

Sources: PR/Garmin, Garmin (1, 2)