GPS Running Watches / Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) vs Garmin Forerunner 570 (47mm)
Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) vs Garmin Forerunner 570 (47mm)
Garmin Forerunner 570 (47mm)
Multiband and triathlon modes arrive here — but $549.99 still buys you no maps.
Wins overall by 0.5 points
Quick Verdict
A 0.5-point gap makes the Garmin Forerunner 570 (47mm) the straightforward choice here. Multiband and triathlon modes arrive here — but $549.99 still buys you no maps.
The Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) and Garmin Forerunner 570 (47mm) are both closely matched GPS Running Watch models, and the Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) is $250 cheaper than the Garmin Forerunner 570 (47mm) ($299.99 vs $549.99). On GPS Accuracy, the Garmin Forerunner 570 (47mm) leads (8.4 vs 6.2/10) — trace quality in cities and under tree cover — multiband L1+L5 hardware plus what independent testers measured in the real world.. On Value, the Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) leads (7.8 vs 6.2/10) — what the watch delivers per dollar against everything else in the comparison at the moment of purchase.. On Battery Honesty, the Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) leads (7.0 vs 5.6/10) — how much of the headline battery claim survives the mode you would actually train in: all-systems plus multiband, always-on display, music playing. The number on the box is almost always the slowest, least accurate mode.. Overall, the Garmin Forerunner 570 (47mm) scores 7.3/10 across our 8 scoring categories versus 6.8/10 for the Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm). Below, we break down the full spec sheet, category-by-category scores, and exactly who should buy which one.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Spec | Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) | Garmin Forerunner 570 (47mm) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $299.99 | $549.99 |
| Release Year | 2026 | 2025 |
| Display | 1.2-in 390x390 AMOLED touchscreen, optional always-on | 1.4-in 454x454 AMOLED touchscreen (47 mm; the 42 mm is 1.2-in 390x390), optional always-on |
| Smartwatch Battery ( days) | 10 | 11✓ |
| Always-On Display Cost | 4 days with always-on display — the headline 10-day figure assumes the screen is off between glances | Garmin does not publish a separate always-on smartwatch figure for the 570 in any source reviewed here — treat the 11-day number as screen-off only |
| Battery, Single-Band GPS ( h) | 20✓ | 18 |
| Battery, Multiband GPS ( h) | No multiband mode exists on this watch; all-systems (L1 only) runs 14 h | 14 |
| GNSS Bands | Single-band L1 multi-GNSS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, QZSS). No L5/dual-frequency — DC Rainmaker's hands-on and the garminrumors spec wiki both confirm this; the5krunner's spec page loosely calls it 'multi-frequency', which is wrong. Multiband starts at the Forerunner 570. | Multi-band L1+L5 (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, QZSS) with SatIQ, which auto-selects the mode and is rated 16 h — between the 18 h single-band and 14 h multiband figures. |
| Onboard Maps | None. Breadcrumb course-following only — no TopoActive maps, no turn-by-turn, no ClimbPro. | None. This is the trap in the 570: at $549.99 it still has no onboard maps, only breadcrumb courses with turn prompts. Maps begin at the Forerunner 970. |
| Music Storage | Only on the $349.99 Forerunner 170 Music: 4 GB with offline Spotify, Amazon Music and Deezer. The $299.99 base model reviewed here has no music storage and no Wi-Fi. | 8 GB, roughly 500 songs, with offline Spotify Premium, Amazon Music, Deezer and YouTube Music over Wi-Fi |
| Training Platform & Subscription | Garmin Connect is free and every core training metric — Training Readiness, Training Load, Training Status, HRV Status, Body Battery, recovery time — is Firstbeat-derived and free on the watch (Garmin bought Firstbeat in 2020). Connect+ is $6.99/mo or $69.99/yr and adds only AI wellness prompts, 3D maps, Trails+ routing, extra badges and nutrition logging — nothing a training plan depends on. | Garmin Connect is free and every core training metric — Training Readiness, Training Load, Training Status, HRV Status, Body Battery, recovery time — is Firstbeat-derived and free on the watch (Garmin bought Firstbeat in 2020). Connect+ is $6.99/mo or $69.99/yr and adds only AI wellness prompts, 3D maps, Trails+ routing, extra badges and nutrition logging — nothing a training plan depends on. |
| External Sensor Support | Pairs with both ANT+ and Bluetooth chest straps, footpods and Stryd — the cheap fix for wrist-HR interval errors | ANT+ and Bluetooth chest straps, running pods, power meters and the Garmin HRM series |
| Data Export | Full .FIT file access over USB/MTP plus free automatic sync to Strava, TrainingPeaks, Runalyze, intervals.icu and others through Garmin Connect. | Full .FIT file access over USB/MTP plus free automatic sync to Strava, TrainingPeaks, Runalyze, intervals.icu and others through Garmin Connect. |
| Warranty | 12 months | 12 months |
| Colors | Black / Amp Yellow | Slate Gray / Amp Yellow, Raspberry / Translucent |
Category Scores
GPS Accuracy
The Garmin Forerunner 570 (47mm) leads clearly here, 8.4 against 6.2 — a 2.2-point margin on trace quality in cities and under tree cover — multiband L1+L5 hardware plus what independent testers measured in the real world.. If that is what you are buying for, the Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Battery Honesty
The Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) leads clearly here, 7.0 against 5.6 — a 1.4-point margin on how much of the headline battery claim survives the mode you would actually train in: all-systems plus multiband, always-on display, music playing. The number on the box is almost always the slowest, least accurate mode.. If that is what you are buying for, the Garmin Forerunner 570 (47mm) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Training & Recovery
The Garmin Forerunner 570 (47mm) leads clearly here, 8.6 against 7.4 — a 1.2-point margin on depth of load, readiness and recovery analysis, and how much of it is free rather than gated behind a subscription or an extra chest strap.. If that is what you are buying for, the Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Heart Rate
The Garmin Forerunner 570 (47mm) leads clearly here, 8.0 against 6.8 — a 1.2-point margin on optical wrist accuracy during intervals and burst efforts, and whether the watch pairs with ANT+ and/or Bluetooth chest straps as a fix.. If that is what you are buying for, the Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Display
The Garmin Forerunner 570 (47mm) leads clearly here, 9.0 against 8.4 — a 0.6-point margin on brightness, resolution and daylight readability, weighing AMOLED sharpness against MIP's always-on-for-free behaviour.. If that is what you are buying for, the Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Build & Comfort
The Garmin Forerunner 570 (47mm) is marginally ahead, 8.4 to 8.2. A gap this small rarely decides a purchase on its own, though it counts if case materials, lens (sapphire vs glass), weight on the wrist and durability ratings. is your priority.
Value
The Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) leads clearly here, 7.8 against 6.2 — a 1.6-point margin on what the watch delivers per dollar against everything else in the comparison at the moment of purchase.. If that is what you are buying for, the Garmin Forerunner 570 (47mm) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Best For
Choose the Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) if…
- • Value matters most to you — the Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) scores 7.8/10 here (what the watch delivers per dollar against everything else in the comparison at the moment of purchase.).
- • Battery Honesty matters most to you — the Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) scores 7.0/10 here (how much of the headline battery claim survives the mode you would actually train in: all-systems plus multiband, always-on display, music playing. The number on the box is almost always the slowest, least accurate mode.).
- • You want to spend less — it's $250 cheaper.
Choose the Garmin Forerunner 570 (47mm) if…
- • GPS Accuracy matters most to you — the Garmin Forerunner 570 (47mm) scores 8.4/10 here (trace quality in cities and under tree cover — multiband L1+L5 hardware plus what independent testers measured in the real world.).
- • Navigation & Maps matters most to you — the Garmin Forerunner 570 (47mm) scores 3.8/10 here (real routable offline topographic maps versus a breadcrumb line, plus how painful it is to get maps onto the watch.).
- • Heart Rate matters most to you — the Garmin Forerunner 570 (47mm) scores 8.0/10 here (optical wrist accuracy during intervals and burst efforts, and whether the watch pairs with ANT+ and/or Bluetooth chest straps as a fix.).
Pros & Cons
Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm)
Pros
- +Adds a barometer, gyroscope, wrist running power, Training Readiness and open-water swimming over the Forerunner 165 it replaces
- +Every training and recovery metric is free — Connect+ at $6.99/mo adds nothing a runner's plan depends on
- +Pairs with ANT+ and Bluetooth chest straps, so $60 of strap fixes the wrist sensor for intervals
- +20 h of GPS-only battery covers a road marathon several times over
Cons
- −Single-band L1 GNSS only — in city streets or under canopy the trace drifts, and multiband costs $250 more (Forerunner 570)
- −No multisport/triathlon mode at all, so it cannot record a triathlon; DC Rainmaker flags this as the headline omission
- −No maps of any kind, and no turn-by-turn — breadcrumbs only
- −Music is a $50 upcharge: the base model has zero song storage and no Wi-Fi
- −The 10-day smartwatch claim drops to 4 days the moment you enable the always-on display
Garmin Forerunner 570 (47mm)
Pros
- +Proper multi-band L1+L5 GNSS with SatIQ — a step change over the Forerunner 170's single-band trace
- +Full triathlon and multisport profiles, which the 170 lacks entirely
- +Elevate Gen 5 sensor plus ANT+ and Bluetooth strap support covers both casual and serious HR needs
- +Offline Spotify, Amazon Music, Deezer and YouTube Music included at no extra cost
Cons
- −No onboard maps at $549.99 — a $249 Coros Apex 4 sibling and a $399 Amazfit both have them
- −Multiband battery is only 14 h; a 15-hour ultra will not finish on the accurate mode
- −No ECG — the Forerunner 970 is the first Forerunner to get it, despite the 570 sharing the Gen 5 sensor
- −The 11-day smartwatch claim has no published always-on counterpart, so real-world figures for AMOLED buyers are unknown
- −Costs $300 more than a Coros Pace 4 that matches it on dual-frequency GNSS and beats it on battery
Shop by Need
FAQs
Is the Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) or Garmin Forerunner 570 (47mm) better overall?+
Based on our 8-category scoring, the Garmin Forerunner 570 (47mm) comes out ahead overall. See the full breakdown in the scores section above — the right pick still depends on which categories matter most for your use case.
Which is better for GPS Accuracy, the Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) or the Garmin Forerunner 570 (47mm)?+
The Garmin Forerunner 570 (47mm) scores higher on GPS Accuracy (8.4/10 vs 6.2/10) — trace quality in cities and under tree cover — multiband L1+L5 hardware plus what independent testers measured in the real world..
Which is better for Value, the Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) or the Garmin Forerunner 570 (47mm)?+
The Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) scores higher on Value (7.8/10 vs 6.2/10) — what the watch delivers per dollar against everything else in the comparison at the moment of purchase..
Which is better for Battery Honesty, the Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) or the Garmin Forerunner 570 (47mm)?+
The Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) scores higher on Battery Honesty (7.0/10 vs 5.6/10) — how much of the headline battery claim survives the mode you would actually train in: all-systems plus multiband, always-on display, music playing. The number on the box is almost always the slowest, least accurate mode..
Which is better for Navigation & Maps, the Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) or the Garmin Forerunner 570 (47mm)?+
The Garmin Forerunner 570 (47mm) scores higher on Navigation & Maps (3.8/10 vs 2.5/10) — real routable offline topographic maps versus a breadcrumb line, plus how painful it is to get maps onto the watch..
Is the Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) worth the price difference over the Garmin Forerunner 570 (47mm)?+
The Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) is the cheaper option at $299.99 versus $549.99. Whether the pricier model is "worth it" depends on how much you value its lead in GPS Accuracy.
What's the warranty on the Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) vs the Garmin Forerunner 570 (47mm)?+
The Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) ships with a 12-month warranty; the Garmin Forerunner 570 (47mm) ships with a 12-month warranty. Always confirm current terms on the manufacturer's site before buying.
Should I wait for the next model instead of buying either of these?+
If either model is more than two years old, a successor may be close — check the "Latest Model" link on each product page. Otherwise, both are current, well-supported options and there's no strong reason to wait.
Cheaper Option
COROS PACE 4 (silicone band) — $249.00
Premium Option
Garmin Forerunner 970 (47mm, titanium bezel) — $749.99
Specifications and prices for both products last verified . Scores are calculated from published specifications — see how we compare products.