Garmin Launches Forerunner 70 and 170 as Successors to the 55 and 165

Garmin released the Forerunner 70 and Forerunner 170 watches on Tuesday, introducing upgraded sensors and training features to its entry-level running lineup. The Forerunner 70 is the follow-up to the Forerunner 55 released in 2021.

Both models incorporate premium running and training features pulled from more advanced Forerunners. The Garmin Forerunner 70 has a heart rate sensor with four light sensor panels.

The Forerunner 70 uses the same style of heart rate sensor as the Forerunner 170, which should improve heart rate accuracy that feeds into most of the stats the watches produce. The Forerunner 70 offers Training Status and Training Readiness metrics. Those metrics were missing from the Forerunner 55 and the Forerunner 165.

The addition compresses the gap between the two strata of entry-level Garmin watches. The Forerunner 70 and Forerunner 170 both offer running dynamics. ” The Forerunner 170 has a barometric altimeter, which unlocks stair climbing counts per day.

It also has a compass and a more advanced gyroscope motion sensor. The Forerunner 170 has NFC for Garmin Pay wireless payments support, which the Forerunner 70 does not have. Neither the Forerunner 70 nor the Forerunner 170 has multi-band GPS.

Both use plastic polymer casings and bezels. 2-inch AMOLED screen with 390 x 390 pixel resolution. The Forerunner 70 has a rated battery life of 13 days or 5 days in always-on mode.

The Forerunner 70 therefore holds a clear advantage in battery endurance. Only the Forerunner 170 is available in a Music edition with 4GB storage for tracks and other audio that can be streamed to Bluetooth headphones and speakers. 99 and will be available to order from May 15.