Garmin revealed its next generation Forerunner watches in New York last week with sneak peeks of the 570 and 970 models. Both watches are packed with a seemingly endless list of new (and upgraded) features, but also come in at prices that are far from entry level.
Forerunner 570
Garmin confirmed that the new Forerunner 570 is now the next iteration of the Forerunner 265, while the Forerunner 165 remains the entry into the Garmin running ecosystem along with the aging Forerunner 55.
However, the Forerunner 570 — at $549.99 (up from the $449.99 of the 265 — is feature rich, with an AMOLED display, speaker and microphone for calls (with a phone), the latest Garmin Elevate Gen5 optical HR sensor, skin temperature tracking, AutoLap by timing gates, load ratio, Garmin Triathlon Coach training plans and 23 new sport modes/profiles — among other additions. Two sizes are offered, in 42mm and 47mm in a range of colors.
Forerunner 970
The Forerunner 970, at $749.99, sits at the top of Garmin’s dedicated running watch hill and gains plenty over the outgoing 965.
The Elevate Gen5 optical HR sensor in on onboard along with speaker and microphone for voice calls, past ovulation estimates, autolap by timing gates, suggested finish line estimates, evening report, Garmin Triathlon Coach training plans, multisport custom workouts, focus modes, 23 new sport modes and a retooled UI styling.
No more Forerunner 265 and 745
As mentioned above, Garmin revealed that there would be no more Forerunner 2xx series beyond the 265, so users holding onto Forerunner 255 units and earlier should not expect a Forerunner 270. The Forerunner 570 is the replacement for the 2xx series and since the release of the Forerunner 255 in 2022, many premium features (like the pulse oximeter) trickled down to Garmin’s mid tier wearables.
The new Forerunner 570 continues this trend, as many of the components and functions of the Forerunner 970 will likely show up to lesser models in some form.
Meanwhile, the Forerunner 745 is listed as discontinued on Garmin’s website and rides off into the sunset in favor of the new Forerunner 970, as part of a move to begin to simply the running watch offerings. However, the Forerunner 255, 265 and 965 are all still available but moved to a page for previous models.
The Forerunner 570 is available now for $549.99
Garmin Forerunner 570
The Forerunner 970 is available now for $749.99
Garmin Forerunner 970
