I’ve been waiting for this day. A few weeks ago, I actually spotted the Forerunner 170 and Forerunner 70 on a Russian store website before anyone else saw them. Well, yesterday Garmin finally made it official, and it’s even better than I thought.
Since I don’t have the watch in my hands yet, I watched the full review by DesFit on YouTube. He’s one of the best in the business, and he shared some things that really surprised me.
Not Just One Watch
First, DesFit revealed that Garmin didn’t just launch one watch—they launched three!
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There is the Forerunner 70, which is the cheapest.
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The Forerunner 170, which has a few more tools.
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The Forerunner 170 Music, which lets you listen to Spotify without your phone.
What’s New?
The biggest change is the screen. Garmin moved away from the old, dim screens and put a bright, colorful AMOLED touchscreen on all of them. It looks like a modern smartphone on your wrist.
DesFit was also shocked by the “pro” features Garmin added. Even the cheapest model now tells you your “Training Readiness.“ This is a score that tells you if your body is ready for a hard run or if you should just stay on the couch and rest. Usually, you have to pay a lot of money for that feature.
Is the GPS Good?
I know many of you were asking about the GPS. DesFit explained that while these don’t have the “Multi-Band” GPS found on the $600 watches, they are still very accurate. He tested them on his runs and said they work just fine for almost everyone.
Comparisons
DesFit compared these to other watches like the Coros Pace 4 and the Apple Watch SE. He thinks Garmin is being very “aggressive” here. They want to give people a powerful sports watch without the huge price tag.
One small downside he mentioned: the heart rate sensor is the older “Gen 4” version. It’s great for running, but if you do a lot of heavy weightlifting, it might not be as perfect as the more expensive models.
My Final Thoughts
Watching DesFit’s video made me realize that the Forerunner 70 might actually be the best deal in years. It’s a massive upgrade from the old Forerunner 55.
I’m still waiting for my unit to arrive in the mail. Once it gets here, I’ll do a full “hands-on” test to see if it’s as good as DesFit says!
