The short answer: the Forerunner 970 lasts longer than the Forerunner 570 (up to 15 days vs 10 to 11 days in smartwatch mode), but neither one is a battery champion. The biggest drain on both is the bright AMOLED screen, especially when it is set to always-on. Garmin's own battery tips and Battery Saver also point at GPS mode, music, wrist heart rate and the pulse oximeter. Free settings changes can help a lot. If you still need more, the 970 is the watch to get.
Garmin announced both watches on May 15, 2025, at $549.99 (570) and $749.99 (970) list.
Key dates
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| May 15, 2025 | Garmin announces both watches ($549.99 and $749.99 list) |
| Nov 8, 2025 | Update 15.16 (stable) fixes faster-than-expected battery drain, per Notebookcheck |
| Feb 12, 2026 | Update 16.28 adds a Battery Manager glance |
| July 18, 2026 | Update 17.37 (stable) fixes a shorter-than-expected battery life bug on both watches |
| Nov 27, 2026 | Black Friday. No 2026 Forerunner 570 or 970 deal has been confirmed yet |
Battery and spec differences
| Forerunner 570 | Forerunner 970 | |
|---|---|---|
| Smartwatch mode | Up to 10 days (42mm), 11 days (47mm) | Up to 15 days |
| GPS only | Up to 18 hours | Up to 26 hours |
| SatIQ (auto-select) | 14 hours (42mm), 16 hours (47mm) | Up to 23 hours |
| All-systems multi-band | 13 hours (42mm), 14 hours (47mm) | Up to 21 hours |
| Multi-band with music | Up to 8 hours | Up to 12 hours |
| Size and screen | 42mm (1.2") or 47mm (1.4") AMOLED | 47mm, 1.4" AMOLED |
| Lens and bezel | Gorilla Glass 3, aluminum | Sapphire, titanium |
| Built-in maps | No | Yes |
| ECG | No | Yes |
| Flashlight | No | Yes |
| Storage | 8 GB | 32 GB |
| List price at launch | $549.99 | $749.99 |
Battery figures are from Garmin's manuals. Other specs are from Garmin's press release and Android Central. Neither watch has built-in cellular. Garmin does not say if its numbers assume the always-on screen. DC Rainmaker says they hold with default settings.
What testers found. Tom's Guide (June 11, 2025) used multi-band GPS with the always-on screen on both watches during a 10K. It measured a drain of 4.8% per hour on the 970 (about 21 hours) and 6% per hour on the 570 (about 16.7 hours). That matched Garmin's claim for the 970 and beat the 570's 14-hour rating. DC Rainmaker got about 2.5 days from the 970 with always-on at default brightness and 1 to 3 hours of GPS a day. He says similar Garmin watches usually give 4 to 6 days. Android Central disagrees, saying the brighter screen does not seem to cost battery life. These are single tests on 2025 software.
Free fixes to try before you spend anything
- Update the watch. Garmin has shipped drain fixes in 15.16 and 17.37. We found no figures for how many hours they add. Go to Main Menu > System > Software Update > Check For Updates.
- Lower the brightness. DC Rainmaker says the default is two-thirds. He found one-third still bright enough and good for battery. Garmin's manual also lists lower brightness as a tip. Look in Display & Brightness.
- Use raise-to-wake, not always-on. Raise-to-wake is the default. DC Rainmaker saw the big drop when he switched to always-on. If you love always-on, pair it with lower brightness.
- Turn on Battery Saver. Go to Watch Settings > Power Manager > Battery Saver, or use the tile in the Controls menu. It can switch to a watch face that updates once a minute and turn off music, phone link, Wi-Fi, wrist heart rate, pulse ox and always-on, and it can lower brightness. The watch shows the hours each change adds.
- Pick a lighter GPS mode and leave music off. On the 47mm 570, Garmin rates SatIQ at 16 hours and GPS-only at 18, against 14 for all-systems multi-band. On the 970 it is 23 and 26 against 21. Music cuts runtime a lot: 8 hours on the 570 and 12 on the 970 in multi-band.
- Check the Battery Manager glance. Since 16.28, The5krunner says it shows what used power over the last 14 days (GPS, screen, heart rate sensor) and suggests changes such as SatIQ.
Where each watch wins
Forerunner 970. Fixes: running out of battery on marathon and ultra days.
- 21 hours in the most accurate GPS mode, against 13 to 14 on the 570.
- Drains about 20% less per hour than the 570 in Tom's Guide's multi-band test.
- Adds maps, ECG, a flashlight, a sapphire lens and a titanium bezel.
- Costs $200 more at list price. Some of its new running stats also need the $169 HRM 600 chest strap, says Tom's Guide.
Forerunner 570. Fixes: paying $200 extra for features you won't use.
- Same style of bright AMOLED screen, music storage and calls from the wrist.
- Comes in 42mm and 47mm. The 42mm has the shortest battery (10 days, 13 hours multi-band).
- No maps, ECG or flashlight.
Which should you buy?
- Most runners: the Forerunner 570, with the free fixes above. At 14 hours of multi-band GPS (47mm), it covers a long run or a marathon. Android Central also says it covers what most runners need.
- Get the Forerunner 970 if you do 15-hour days in multi-band mode, want always-on without charging as often, or need maps, ECG or a flashlight.
- Wait if you are not in a hurry. Notebookcheck reported the 970 at $649.99 ($100 off) on Nov 27, 2025, at Garmin, Amazon and Best Buy, with the deal expected to run to December 1. No 2026 price is confirmed.
Check Forerunner 970 price on Amazon
Check Forerunner 570 price on Amazon
Tom's Guide says older watches such as the Forerunner 965 can be better value. DC Rainmaker lists the 965 at up to 23 days and 31 hours GPS-only. Make sure any 965 you buy is new, not renewed.
Comparing brands? See Garmin vs Apple Watch or our Black Friday Garmin deals page.
What to skip
- Turning off pulse ox just for battery. DC Rainmaker lost 3% overnight on the 970 with it on and 3% with it off.
- Buying the 970 only for battery before you try brightness, wake and update settings.
- Public beta firmware. Stable updates 15.16 and 17.37 already carry drain fixes.
- Bundles, renewed and used listings. Buy new from Garmin or Amazon.
Other running watch news this fall
- Garmin Approach S72 launched on October 6 at $799. Notebookcheck lists up to 16 days in smartwatch mode and 20 hours of GPS in golf mode, with an AMOLED screen, ECG and a flashlight.
- Suunto Race 3S is $599 and claims up to 38 hours of multi-band GPS, according to The5krunner (October 15). That is a company claim.
- Fenix 9 software features are coming to the Forerunner 970, and to the 570 where the watch supports them, DC Rainmaker reported on August 25. Garmin said they will miss this fall's release, so he expects early next year.
Sources
- Garmin: Forerunner 570 and 970 press release
- Garmin: Forerunner 570 manual, battery life
- Garmin: Forerunner 970 manual, battery life
- Garmin: Forerunner 970 manual, Battery Saver
- Garmin: Forerunner 970 manual, tips for maximizing battery life
- Garmin Forums: Forerunner 570 software version 17.37
- DC Rainmaker: Forerunner 970 in-depth review
- DC Rainmaker: Fenix 9 features for existing watches
- Tom's Guide: I raced a 10K with the Forerunner 970 vs 570
- Android Central: Forerunner 970 vs 570
- The5krunner: Forerunner 970 and 570 update 16.28
- The5krunner: Suunto Race 3S vs Garmin Forerunner
- Notebookcheck: update 15.16
- Notebookcheck: update 17.37
- Notebookcheck: Forerunner 970 at $649.99
- Notebookcheck: Garmin Approach S72
Image: Garmin press materials (Forerunner 570 and 970), via Garmin Newsroom.
