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In the past few years, I’ve gone from being a defiant minimalist runner, to becoming a humble fan of Garmin’s most entry-level running watch, to now falling in love with the company’s top-of-the-line Forerunner.
A quick cheat code to understanding the model numbers in Garmin’s Forerunner line: The first number tells you how fancy (and expensive) the watch is. This means that my upgrade from the Garmin Forerunner 165 to the Forerunner 970 is not a small step up the ladder. Honestly, it’s more like skipping the ladder entirely and taking the elevator to the penthouse. The price gap alone—from $250 to $750—is enough to give anyone serious pause. Having made the switch, here’s my honest take on who actually needs this big of an upgrade in their running watch.
The Forerunner 165 is a solid entry-level watch, especially for its price
In fact, for a truly casual to intermediate runner, I think the 165 punches above its weight. It comes with daily suggested workouts, HRV Status, a morning report, running power, and over 25 sport profiles. What it lacks are features I’d always told myself I didn’t really need: Training Readiness, Training Status, multi-band GPS, built-in maps, and more. As I write in my full review, this watch is the perfect for athletes who want running-specific metrics without the complexity of a big ol’ multi-sport behemoth. But if your training is becoming more structured (as mine is these days), you might outgrow the 165.
The Forerunner 970 is one of the best running watches on the market
The hardware upgrades on the 970 start with a titanium bezel and sapphire crystal lens, which gives the watch a noticeably more premium feel than the 165. It’s still pretty light at under two ounces, and the AMOLED display is the brightest Garmin has ever put on a Forerunner—which makes a real difference when you’re running in direct sun. There’s also a built-in LED flashlight (both white and red), which has become a must-have for some Garmin fans. There’s also a speaker and microphone, so you can now make and take phone calls from your wrist, use your phone’s voice assistant, and respond to texts (features that may have become standard on Apple Watches, but were absent from running-focused Garmin watches until now).
On the sensor side, the 970 has a new Elevate Gen 5 heart rate sensor, which brings with it ECG capability—another first for any Forerunner. There’s also skin temperature tracking, which feeds into more accurate recovery and sleep metrics. A new GNSS chip improves satellite acquisition and positioning accuracy, particularly in tricky GPS environments, like the city high-rises I’m usually darting around.
I could go on, but if you’re not a triathlete, a lot of the features may not matter to you. But for anyone who is dabbling in multi-sport needs, the 970 is now the most capable tool Garmin makes outside of the Fenix line.
I share in my full review why it doesn’t quite earn five full stars, with the main reason being its steep price jump over the 965. What to know for our purposes here is I find myself consistently impressed by how all the data from the 970 has helped me level up my training.
What I experienced when I upgraded from the Garmin Forerunner 165 to the 970
The metrics are where the 970 (somewhat) justifies its price tag for serious runners. For me, the most buzz-worthy metrics and scores are its running economy (How efficiently are you spending your energy?), running tolerance (Go hard today, or dial it back?), step speed loss (How long is your foot staying on the ground when you run?), and an improved projected race time.
Unfortunately, there’s some immediate disappointment: Running economy and step speed loss require Garmin’s HRM-600 chest strap. Since I don’t have one, I can’t report on how helpful these features are. What I can say is it’s a bummer to have to factor this additional cost into the watch’s total value before you buy.
Built-in full-color maps with turn-by-turn directions are also a significant upgrade from the 165’s GPS-only approach. On trail runs especially, having the map on your wrist rather than fumbling for your phone is a genuine quality-of-life improvement. The round-trip routing feature—where you enter a target distance and the watch generates a route—is one of those things that might become a must-have for more adventurous runners.
For me, going from the 165 to the 970, the daily running metrics are where I can best compare the value of this upgrade. For instance, the running tolerance feature was the one that changed my training most immediately. It sets a weekly mileage ceiling based on your individual impact history, essentially acting as a guardrail against the kind of overtraining that leads to injury. For someone like me who tends to pile on mileage too aggressively when training for a race, this is a valuable insight—even if I somewhat override Garmin’s recommendations.
Who should upgrade from the Garmin Forerunner 165 to the 970?
So, is the upgrade worth it? For me, honestly, yes—but only with a clear-eyed understanding of who this watch is actually for. Before buying a new watch, ask yourself: Have you really hit the ceiling of what your current watch can teach you? Because here’s how I see it: If you’re a recreational runner who logs three or four runs a week without a specific race on the calendar, I cannot encourage you to buy a $750 watch. Something entry-level like the 165 is probably still the right watch for you. Why not spend that $500 difference on running shoes and race entries for years to come, right?
If you’re a dedicated runner training seriously for events, a triathlete, someone who runs trails and needs navigation, or anyone who has maxed out what the 165’s metrics can offer, the 970 offers a lot. You’ll experience a major jump in sensor quality, training intelligence, navigation capability, and overall feel of the watch. When used right, all these features can actively change how you train, not just how much data you collect.
