Club Benefits
I just got back from my first jog with the Garmin Forerunner 70, the brand's new entry-level smartwatch for runners. As a newbie runner myself who just recently ran his first 5K, I've been eager to get my hands on the Forerunner 70 ever since its debut.
A serious upgrade over its predecessor, the five-year-old Garmin Forerunner 55, the new Garmin Forerunner 70 might just be the best smartwatch for beginner runners in 2026. Of course, I'll need to spend more than a day with the device to make that call; stay tuned for my full review coming late next week.
1. $50 pricier than its predecessor
The Garmin Forerunner 70 replaces the Forerunner 55 in the brand's lineup as the new entry-level option for runners. However, while the Forerunner 55 debuted with a $199 price tag, Garmin upped the cost of entry with the Forerunner 70 to $249 via Garmin directly.
To be fair, the Forerunner 55 debuted in June 2021, nearly five years ago, and accounting for inflation, that $199 launch price is more like ~$240 in 2026 dollars. Still, the Forerunner 55 has consistently sold for closer to $169 for over a year, making the price hike on the Forerunner 70 feel more extreme.
Ultimately, the newer model offers more than enough upgrades to justify the increase, IMHO, including a bright AMOLED screen instead of a less-vibrant MIP display. It also sports one of Garmin's newer health sensor arrays (though not the latest) and offers additional training tools for runners, normally reserved for higher-end models, including training load and status, personalized workout plans, race time predictions, and more.
2. Same design as Forerunner 170
The Garmin Forerunner 70 launched alongside the Forerunner 170 and 170 Music. The 170 and 170 Music are a step-up from the 70 in terms of price and features; however, the design is essentially the same across all three devices.
The Forerunner 70 and 170 each sport the same bright and well-saturated 1.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen with ample maximum brightness for daytime viewing. The physical footprint is also the same: both have a manageable case diameter of 42.6mm with a weight of roughly 40 g. That's a little heavier than the Apple Watch Series 11, one of the best smartwatches in 2026, but not by much.
Given these are entry-level and mid-tier wearables, it's not surprising the cases are made entirely of reinforced polymer (plastic), while the protective glass is a 'chemically strengthened' affair rather than the more durable sapphire crystal found on higher-end Garmins.
All of Garmin's Forerunner models are now touch-sensitive, and the Forerunner 70 and 170, like higher-end Forerunners, pair touch controls with ample physical ones. As someone who loathes operating a touchscreen with sweaty hands post-workout, the five buttons along the edge of the case are a godsend.
3. Lots of heady training tools for runners
Garmin went ahead and jam-packed the Forerunner 70 with all sorts of high-end training tools and metrics for runners that were previously only found on pricier Forerunner models.
The include access to Garmin Run Coach personalized training plans for events like a 5K, 10K, half, or full marathon. The Forerunner 70 can also generate custom daily workouts, even if you're not a runner, and can ping you with morning and nightly health reports (if you like).
In terms of running metrics, the Forerunner 70 supports Garmin's useful training status and training load insights, provides race time predictions, monitors all sorts of running dynamics, like ground contact time, vertical oscillation, vertical Ratio, and stride length, while additionally tracking your VO2 max, heart rate variability, running power, and recovery time.
You can also predownload and sync running courses to the watch for race day navigation. Not a runner? No problem. The Forerunner 70 supports over 80 workout types.
4. No altimeter, thermometer, NFC, or music storage
To differentiate between the pricier Forerunner 170 and 170 Music, the Forerunner 70 omits several features and pieces of onboard tech, including most notably a barometric altimeter for precise elevation tracking. Now, this doesn't mean that the Forerunner 70 won't provide you with climb data — it can still use its GPS for that task — the results may just not be as accurate as the Forerunner 170.
There's also no body temperature sensor, which Garmin watches use to monitor women's health trends, sleep quality, and potential signs of illness.
On the smart feature side of things, you won't find any onboard storage for saving playlists and podcasts for offline listening (sans smartphone). The Forerunner 70 also doesn't have NFC, so you can't use Garmin Pay.
5. Up to 13 days of battery life
Despite upgrading to a more battery-intensive display type, the Garmin Forerunner 70 offers nearly the same battery life rating as its predecessor, the Forerunner 50. The newer model gets up to 13 days per charge compared to 14 days for the older one.
If you switch on the always-on display, that rating drops to five days per charge, which is still respectable. When using GPS to track an outdoor workout, you can expect between 16 and 23 hours of usage.
Ultimately, price increase aside, my initial impressions of the new Garmin Forerunner 70 are nothing short of positive. Now, it's time to test the watch against some of the best sports watches for workout tracking in 2026, and see how it holds up.
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