GPS Running Watches / Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) vs Suunto Vertical 2 (stainless steel)
Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) vs Suunto Vertical 2 (stainless steel)
Suunto Vertical 2 (stainless steel)
The AMOLED that finally posts MIP-class multiband battery — 65 hours, free world maps.
Wins overall by 1.4 points
Quick Verdict
A 1.4-point gap makes the Suunto Vertical 2 (stainless steel) the straightforward choice here. The AMOLED that finally posts MIP-class multiband battery — 65 hours, free world maps.
The Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) and Suunto Vertical 2 (stainless steel) are both closely matched GPS Running Watch models, and the Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) is $299 cheaper than the Suunto Vertical 2 (stainless steel) ($299.99 vs $599). On Navigation & Maps, the Suunto Vertical 2 (stainless steel) leads (8.6 vs 2.5/10) — real routable offline topographic maps versus a breadcrumb line, plus how painful it is to get maps onto the watch.. On GPS Accuracy, the Suunto Vertical 2 (stainless steel) leads (8.8 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 Battery Honesty, the Suunto Vertical 2 (stainless steel) leads (8.2 vs 7.0/10) — 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 Suunto Vertical 2 (stainless steel) scores 8.2/10 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) | Suunto Vertical 2 (stainless steel) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $299.99 | $599.00 |
| Release Year | 2026 | 2025 |
| Display | 1.2-in 390x390 AMOLED touchscreen, optional always-on | 1.5-in 466x466 LTPO AMOLED, ~2,000 nits, sapphire lens, optional always-on |
| Smartwatch Battery ( days) | 10 | 20✓ |
| Always-On Display Cost | 4 days with always-on display — the headline 10-day figure assumes the screen is off between glances | Suunto does not publish a separate always-on smartwatch number; DC Rainmaker measured about 50 h of real use with dual-frequency, always-on display and navigation all running against a 65 h claim |
| Battery, Single-Band GPS ( h) | 20 | 75✓ |
| Battery, Multiband GPS ( h) | No multiband mode exists on this watch; all-systems (L1 only) runs 14 h | 65 |
| 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. | Dual-band L1+L5 Sony chipset. Four published tiers: 65 h Performance (dual-band), 75 h Endurance (single-band all systems), 110 h Ultra (single-band, wrist HR off) and 250 h Tour (GPS only, 2-minute logging). |
| Onboard Maps | None. Breadcrumb course-following only — no TopoActive maps, no turn-by-turn, no ClimbPro. | Free worldwide offline maps in 32 GB, downloadable over Wi-Fi without pre-loading, with turn-by-turn (which must be enabled manually for third-party routes) and automatic climb guidance. Practically limited to roughly 10-12 stored routes despite the 32 GB. |
| 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. | None. No on-device storage and no streaming; Bluetooth headphones are supported for turn prompts only. |
| 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. | Suunto app is free with no subscription tier; analytics are Suunto's own |
| External Sensor Support | Pairs with both ANT+ and Bluetooth chest straps, footpods and Stryd — the cheap fix for wrist-HR interval errors | Bluetooth with multiple simultaneous saved sensor pairings — no ANT+ |
| Data Export | Full .FIT file access over USB/MTP plus free automatic sync to Strava, TrainingPeaks, Runalyze, intervals.icu and others through Garmin Connect. | Free .FIT export and automatic sync to Strava, TrainingPeaks, Komoot and 300+ partner apps |
| Warranty | 12 months | 24 months |
| Colors | Black / Amp Yellow | All Black |
Category Scores
GPS Accuracy
The Suunto Vertical 2 (stainless steel) leads clearly here, 8.8 against 6.2 — a 2.6-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 Suunto Vertical 2 (stainless steel) leads clearly here, 8.2 against 7.0 — a 1.2-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 170 (43mm) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Training & Recovery
The Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) and Suunto Vertical 2 (stainless steel) are level here, at 7.4/10 each. 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. is not what separates these two — look to the categories where the scores diverge.
Heart Rate
The Suunto Vertical 2 (stainless steel) leads clearly here, 7.6 against 6.8 — a 0.8-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 Suunto Vertical 2 (stainless steel) leads clearly here, 9.4 against 8.4 — a 1.0-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 170 (43mm) leads clearly here, 8.2 against 7.0 — a 1.2-point margin on case materials, lens (sapphire vs glass), weight on the wrist and durability ratings.. If that is what you are buying for, the Suunto Vertical 2 (stainless steel) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Value
The Suunto Vertical 2 (stainless steel) leads clearly here, 8.6 against 7.8 — a 0.8-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 170 (43mm) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Best For
Choose the Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) if…
- • Build & Comfort matters most to you — the Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) scores 8.2/10 here (case materials, lens (sapphire vs glass), weight on the wrist and durability ratings.).
- • You want to spend less — it's $299 cheaper.
- • Your main use case is road-running or triathlon.
Choose the Suunto Vertical 2 (stainless steel) if…
- • Navigation & Maps matters most to you — the Suunto Vertical 2 (stainless steel) scores 8.6/10 here (real routable offline topographic maps versus a breadcrumb line, plus how painful it is to get maps onto the watch.).
- • GPS Accuracy matters most to you — the Suunto Vertical 2 (stainless steel) scores 8.8/10 here (trace quality in cities and under tree cover — multiband L1+L5 hardware plus what independent testers measured in the real world.).
- • Battery Honesty matters most to you — the Suunto Vertical 2 (stainless steel) scores 8.2/10 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.).
- • Display matters most to you — the Suunto Vertical 2 (stainless steel) scores 9.4/10 here (brightness, resolution and daylight readability, weighing AMOLED sharpness against MIP's always-on-for-free behaviour.).
- • Your main use case is trail-ultra or hiking-navigation.
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
Suunto Vertical 2 (stainless steel)
Pros
- +65 h of dual-band GPS on an AMOLED watch — no other AMOLED here comes close in the accurate mode
- +Free worldwide offline maps in 32 GB, downloaded straight over Wi-Fi with no cable and no charge
- +A bright LTPO AMOLED behind sapphire, plus a bezel-integrated flashlight, for $599
- +DC Rainmaker rates GPS accuracy excellent across difficult terrain
Cons
- −87 g in the steel version reviewed here — the titanium at $699 saves 13 g
- −No music storage of any kind on a $599 watch
- −Only about 10-12 routes can be stored in practice despite 32 GB, and turn-by-turn needs manual enabling for imported routes
- −Real-world dual-frequency runtime with always-on and navigation running measured about 50 h, not 65 h
- −Bluetooth only — no ANT+ sensor support
Shop by Need
FAQs
Is the Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) or Suunto Vertical 2 (stainless steel) better overall?+
Based on our 8-category scoring, the Suunto Vertical 2 (stainless steel) 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 Navigation & Maps, the Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) or the Suunto Vertical 2 (stainless steel)?+
The Suunto Vertical 2 (stainless steel) scores higher on Navigation & Maps (8.6/10 vs 2.5/10) — real routable offline topographic maps versus a breadcrumb line, plus how painful it is to get maps onto the watch..
Which is better for GPS Accuracy, the Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) or the Suunto Vertical 2 (stainless steel)?+
The Suunto Vertical 2 (stainless steel) scores higher on GPS Accuracy (8.8/10 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 Battery Honesty, the Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) or the Suunto Vertical 2 (stainless steel)?+
The Suunto Vertical 2 (stainless steel) scores higher on Battery Honesty (8.2/10 vs 7.0/10) — 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 Build & Comfort, the Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) or the Suunto Vertical 2 (stainless steel)?+
The Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) scores higher on Build & Comfort (8.2/10 vs 7.0/10) — case materials, lens (sapphire vs glass), weight on the wrist and durability ratings..
Is the Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) worth the price difference over the Suunto Vertical 2 (stainless steel)?+
The Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) is the cheaper option at $299.99 versus $599. Whether the pricier model is "worth it" depends on how much you value its lead in Navigation & Maps.
Which is better suited to my use case?+
The Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) is the better fit if you mainly care about road-running or triathlon. The Suunto Vertical 2 (stainless steel) is the better fit for trail-ultra or hiking-navigation.
What's the warranty on the Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) vs the Suunto Vertical 2 (stainless steel)?+
The Garmin Forerunner 170 (43mm) ships with a 12-month warranty; the Suunto Vertical 2 (stainless steel) ships with a 24-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
COROS VERTIX 2S (50mm) — $699.00
Specifications and prices for both products last verified . Scores are calculated from published specifications — see how we compare products.