Garmin launched a lot of watches in 2025 but didn’t update the more affordable end of its Forerunner line, so it’s not a surprise that the first major Garmin release of 2026 is an entry-level running watch.
Three entry-level running watches in fact. The Garmin Forerunner 70 is the most affordable new option in the Garmin lineup, replacing the Forerunner 55, while the Garmin Forerunner 170 and Forerunner 170 Music replace the Garmin Forerunner 165.
The Forerunner 165 has been one of the best running watches on the market since it launched, so I was keen to see if the Forerunner 170 was a worthy upgrade.
I tested both watches out with a 10K run to check their GPS and HR accuracy, as well as looking at the hardware and software updates Garmin has made to the new watch.
Garmin Forerunner 165 vs Garmin Forerunner 170: price
The Forerunner 165 and Forerunner 170 both come in two models, one that offers music storage and one that doesn’t. The standard Forerunner 165 is $249 and the Forerunner 165 Music is $299, while the Forerunner 170 is $299 for the standard watch and $349 for the music model.
That’s at full price, but the Forerunner 165 is almost always on sale so the likelihood is you’ll pay $100 more for the Forerunner 170 rather than $50.
There is also the new Forerunner 70 to consider, which is $249 and doesn’t offer music or NFC payments, as well as not having an altimeter or barometer, but otherwise mostly has the same features as the Forerunner 170.
Garmin Forerunner 165 vs Garmin Forerunner 170: specs compared
Garmin Forerunner 165 |
Garmin Forerunner 165 |
|
Price |
$249.99/£249.99; $299.99/£289.99 (Music) |
$299.99/£259.99; $349.99/£299.99 (Music) |
Size |
43 x 11.6mm |
42.6 x 11.9mm |
Display |
1.2in 390 x 390 AMOLED |
1.2in 390 x 390 AMOLED |
Bezel |
Plastic |
Plastic |
Screen |
Glass |
Glass |
Weight |
39g |
41g |
Water resistance |
5ATM |
5ATM |
Battery life (watch mode) |
Up to 11 days |
Up to 10 days |
Battery life (GPS) |
19 hours (all-systems GPS, always-on) |
20 hours (all-systems GPS, always-on) |
Storage |
4GB |
4GB |
Garmin Forerunner 165 vs Garmin Forerunner 170: design and user interface
The two watches have very similar designs, with small plastic cases, 1.2in AMOLED touchscreen displays and five buttons.
Both are lightweight and comfortable to wear, and they have the same GPS chipset and optical heart rate sensor. One sensor that is new for the Forerunner 170 is a gyroscope, which is used to improve movement tracking during activities.
When wearing both side by side they feel the same on the wrist, and look the same too, bar the different color options and the fact the Forerunner 170 has a colorful bezel rather than a black one.
The user interface has been significantly updated on the Forerunner 170, however, which uses the same OS as the Forerunner 570 and Forerunner 970, and so has a lot of new widgets and other small features not on the Forerunner 165,
These include the battery and sports scores widgets, a calculator app, Garmin’s Lifestyle Logging, Health Status, Evening Report and Sleep Coach features.
Once you start using the watch, the amount of changes becomes apparent, and the Forerunner 170 will continue to receive updates going forward, while the Forerunner 165 won’t get new features.
Garmin Forerunner 165 vs Garmin Forerunner 170: sports tracking and training analysis
The update that caught my eye immediately when I started testing the Forerunner 170 is the enhanced training analysis it offers compared with the Forerunner 165.
You get most of Garmin’s key training analysis stats, including training readiness, training status and acute load, features that had previously been reserved for pricier models like the Forerunner 570.
This means the new watch is a more capable running watch in particular. Even as a keen marathoner, it has everything I need in terms of analysis to support my training, whereas the Forerunner 165 felt a bit lightweight in this area compared with entry-level options from other brands like the Coros Pace 4.
The Forerunner 170 also brings a lot of new sports modes to the table, including a lot of winter, team and racket sports that didn’t have their own mode on the Forerunner 165.
There are some new running stats too, including Grade Adjusted Pace to help judge your effort on hilly runs, and training plans for cycling and strength workouts alongside running.
Finally, Garmin has introduced a new Quick Workout feature with the Forerunner 170, which you can use to create running workouts based simply on how hard you want them to be (easy, moderate, hard or very hard), and how long (15-60 minutes).
Garmin Forerunner 165 vs Garmin Forerunner 170: GPS & HR
Neither the Forerunner 165 nor the Forerunner 170 offers multi-band GPS tracking, the most accurate mode available from Garmin watches, but I will say that in my long-term use of the Forerunner 165 it still proved to be a very accurate GPS watch.
I’ll be testing the Forerunner 170 extensively to check its accuracy too, but on the 10K run I did with both watches they were both very accurate when compared to the Garmin Forerunner 970 in multi-band mode.
The two watches both have the same Elevate Gen 4 optical heart rate sensor on board, rather than the latest Elevate Gen 5 used on more expensive Garmin models.
I have found the Gen 5 sensor to be an upgrade for accuracy when testing other Garmin models in the past few years, but in the two test runs I’ve done with the Forerunner 170 so far it’s been good.
On the 10K run I compared the readings of the Forerunner 165 and the Forerunner 170 to those of a chest strap, which is the most accurate way to track your heart rate on the run, and the watches read in line with the chest strap throughout.
Garmin Forerunner 165 vs Garmin Forerunner 170: verdict
The Garmin Forerunner 170 is an upgrade on the Forerunner 165, introducing a whole load of new software features that make it a better watch for day-to-day use as well as supporting your training.
However, the improved user interface and new training analysis features might not be crucial additions for you, and the core tracking is still excellent and equally accurate on the older Forerunner 165.
Since you can usually get the Forerunner 165 for $100 less, it’s a case of weighing up whether those new features, along with the possibility of future software updates, are worth $100 to you.
I’d get the newer watch myself, primarily for the training analysis tools, while I think the Quick Workout feature will be very handy for new runners, but if you’d rather have $100 in your pocket along with a great running watch, the Forerunner 165 is tempting.
