Garmin Forerunner 970

Works with: iPhone and Android
Display: AMOLED, 1.4 in
Case sizes: 47 mm
Battery: 15 days
GPS battery: 26 hours
Water resistance: 5 ATM
Weight: 56 g

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Garmin Forerunner 970 at a glance

Battery

Around two weeks

Up to 15 days in smartwatch mode. 26 hours with GPS.
GPS

Multi-band GPS

Maps on the wrist. Runs and rides without your phone.
Display

AMOLED, 1.4 in

1.4 in, always-on option and touchscreen.
Health

ECG on the wrist

Measures ECG, blood oxygen, skin temperature and HRV.
Phone & smart

iPhone and Android

Payments, music and calls.
Build

5 ATM water rating

56 g. Sapphire lens.

Garmin Forerunner 970 full specifications

Overview

Brand	Garmin
Model	Forerunner 970
Series	Forerunner

Platform & apps

Works with iPhone and Android phones, running Garmin.

It has an app store for extra apps and watch faces.

Operating system	Garmin
Works with	iPhone and Android
Storage	32 GB
App store	Yes

Display

A bright, colourful screen that looks like a phone display.

1.4 in, always-on option and touchscreen.

Display type	AMOLED
Screen size	1.4 in
Resolution	454 x 454
Pixel density	324 ppi
Colour display	Yes
Always-on display	Yes
Touchscreen	Yes
Controls	touchscreen, buttons

Design & durability

A 47 mm case weighing 56 g.

Rated 5 ATM: fine for swimming laps and showers. A sapphire lens resists scratches.

Case sizes	47 mm
Case shape	Round
Dimensions	47 x 47 x 12.9 mm
Thickness	12.9 mm
Weight (case)	56 g
Bezel material	titanium
Lens	Sapphire crystal
Band material	silicone
Band width	22 mm
Band fitting	QuickFit 22 mm
Fits wrists	135-205 mm
Water resistance	5 ATM

Battery

Around two weeks: up to 15 days in smartwatch mode.

With GPS on, up to 26 hours, or 21 hours in multi-band mode. Makers test with their own settings, so treat these as best-case figures.

Battery (smartwatch mode)	15 days
Battery (GPS)	26 hours
Battery (multi-band GPS)	21 hours
All battery modes	Smartwatch: 15 days; GPS: 26 hours; All satellite systems: 23 hours; Multi-band GPS: 21 hours; GPS: 14 hours; All satellite systems: 13 hours; Multi-band GPS + music: 12 hours
Battery type	Lithium ion
Charging	proprietary-plug

GPS & navigation

Built-in multi-band GPS for accurate tracks, even near tall buildings and trees.

Maps come preloaded on the watch.

GPS	Built-in
Multi-band GPS	Yes
Satellite systems	GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou
Automatic GNSS mode	Yes
Maps	Preloaded maps
Navigation features	back-to-start, round-trip routing, climb planner, waypoints, course guidance, point-to-point navigation, breadcrumb trail, TracBack
Golf courses	43,000
Ski maps	Yes

Health & sensors

A health-focused watch: it measures ECG, blood oxygen, skin temperature and HRV.

For sleep, it offers sleep coaching. ECG availability can depend on your country.

Sensors	optical HR, SpO2, skin temperature, accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer, compass, ambient light, thermometer
Heart-rate sensor	Garmin Elevate
Heart-rate tracking	24/7
ECG	Yes
High/low heart-rate alerts	Yes
Heart-rate variability	Yes
Blood oxygen (SpO2)	Yes
Skin temperature	Yes
Respiration rate	Yes
Sleep tracking	Sleep coaching
Stress tracking	Yes
Energy score	Body Battery
Readiness score	Training Readiness
Cycle tracking	Yes

Safety

Incident detection	Yes
Live tracking	Yes

Training

Built for training, with the metrics serious athletes use.

It adds a triathlon mode, running power and daily suggested workouts.

Auto activity detection	Yes
Triathlon / multisport	Yes
Swim tracking	Pool and open water
Underwater heart rate	Yes
Training metrics	VO2 max, training load, training effect, recovery time, race predictor, endurance score, lactate threshold, HRV status
Adaptive coaching	Yes
Running dynamics	Yes
Wrist running power	Yes
Strength rep counting	Yes
Heart-rate broadcast	Yes
External sensors	ANT+, Bluetooth HR strap, power meter, foot pod, speed/cadence, bike radar/lights, golf club tags
Smart trainer control	Yes

Smart features

Smart extras include contactless payments, music storage and calls on the wrist.

Voice assistant: maker voice.

Notifications	Yes
Message replies	Android
Calls on the watch	Yes
Speaker	Yes
Microphone	Yes
Voice assistant	maker voice
Contactless payments	Yes
Payment service	Garmin Pay
Music storage	Yes
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi
Find my phone	Yes
Find my watch	Yes
Flashlight	Yes

Diving, golf & more

Specialist modes	golf, ski, hunting

Specs compiled from Garmin's product pages and datasheets. Manufacturers revise hardware between versions, so check the version on the box. Spotted an error? Tell us.