Garmin Forerunner 970
$1,099.99
Premium GPS running and triathlon smartwatch with AMOLED display, built-in LED flashlight and enhanced navigation.
In stock
- Description
- Additional information
- Video
- Specifications
- Package Includes
- Product Guides & Documentation
- Accessories
For performance-driven runners, there’s Forerunner® 970 — the premium GPS running and triathlon smartwatch with Garmin’s brightest AMOLED display, durable sapphire lens and lightweight titanium bezel. Use the built-in LED flashlight for greater awareness when you head out before the sun’s up or stay out past dark. Understand your overall energy efficiency with running economy, and see how much you are slowing down when your foot hits the ground with step speed loss (HRM 600 monitor required; sold separately). Running tolerance helps you understand the real impact running has on your body so you can adjust your training to avoid overload and improve. Use multi-band GPS and full-color, built-in maps plus navigation enhancements to stay on track while you train. Forerunner 970 is ready to go as long as you are, with up to 15 days of battery life in smartwatch mode. If you ever go too far, use the built-in speaker and microphone to make a call from your wrist (when paired with your smartphone).
New Features as of November, 2025
NEW! HEALTH STATUS
See whether your health metrics — such as resting heart rate, HRV and Pulse Ox while sleeping — are trending away from your usual range, which could indicate added stress to your body. These changes could be related to physical activity levels, environment, stress, alcohol intake, potential illness, and more.
NEW! ENHANCED NOTIFICATION CONTROL
NEW! RALLY 110/210 COMPATIBILITY
New Features as of August, 2025
NEW! SMART WAKE ALARM
Wake up more refreshed. Smart wake alarm can gently vibrate to wake you at the right time.
- NEW! TRACK RUN DAILY SUGGESTED WORKOUTS
- NEW! CALCULATOR APP
NEW Features in the Foreunner 970 vs. Forerunner 965
NEW! RUNNING ECONOMY
Measure your overall energy efficiency while running — including step speed loss, which tells you how much you slow down when your foot hits the ground — when you pair your watch with the HRM 600 monitor (sold separately)
NEW! RUNNING TOLERANCE
Better understand the impact each run has on your body, and get a recommended weekly maximum mileage so you can keep training effectively without taking on too much.
NEW! BUILT-IN SPEAKER AND MICROPHONE
Make and take phone calls from your watch when it’s paired to your smartphone. Plus, control watch functions with voice command — or use your smartphone’s voice assistant to respond to text messages and more.
NEW! PREMIUM DESIGN
Garmin’s brightest AMOLED touchscreen display with button controls, a lightweight titanium bezel and sapphire lens, plus a built-in LED flashlight for greater awareness in the dark during early morning or late-night runs.
NEW! EVENING REPORT
Prepare for tomorrow before bed with a reminder of sleep need, tomorrow’s workout, weather and more.
NEW! DYNAMIC ROUND-TRIP ROUTING
Enter how far you want to go, and get suggested routes that will bring you back. If you break off course, your watch will map a new one that hits the same mileage.
NEW! MULTISPORT WORKOUTS
Create custom step-by-step multisport workouts in Garmin Connect, and send them to your watch to be executed seamlessly from sport to sport.
NEW! ECG APP
ECG app can record your heart rhythm and check for signs of atrial fibrillation2.
NEW! BREATHING VARIATIONS
For a closer glimpse of your health, the breathing variations feature uses Pulse Ox to help you better understand shifts in your breathing patterns as you sleep.
NEW! RUCKING ACTIVITY
Weighted hiking feature allows users to manually input their pack weight for load-carrying exercises to enable more accurate tracking and analysis of metrics like pace, distance, heart rate, VO2 max, calorie burn, elevation and more.
NEW! PASSCODE
Help protect sensitive data with a passcode to access smartwatch data. For even greater security, an automatic wrist detection option allows users to set up a pin to regain access once the watch has been removed from their wrist.
IMPROVED! FULL-COLOR MAPPING
Whether you’re running on city streets or riding densely covered trails, the Forerunner 970 smartwatch provides full-color, built-in mapping — now even more dynamic, intuitive and simpler to follow.
IMPROVED! GARMIN COACH ADAPTIVE TRAINING
Train for an event, achieve a milestone, or improve your fitness with Garmin Coach training plans for running, triathlon, cycling or strength. Select plans even adapt daily for personalized workouts based on your performance, recovery and health metrics.
PLUS, More Great Features
TRAINING READINESS
From the moment you wake up, get a readiness score based on your sleep quality, recovery, training load and more, so you can determine whether it’s a good day to go hard — or take it easy.
BATTERY FOR DAYS
Up to 15 days of battery life in smartwatch mode and up to 26 hours in GPS mode for a more complete picture of your training and recovery.
MORNING REPORT
Wake up to your morning report with an overview of sleep, recovery and training outlook alongside HRV status, training readiness and weather1.
WRIST-BASED RUNNING DYNAMICS/POWER
This smartwatch measures crucial running metrics such as cadence, stride length, ground contact time, and more. It also measures running power so you can precisely manage your effort.
TRIATHLON AND MULTISPORT PROFILES
Automatically record splits with built-in profiles for triathlons, duathlons, brick workouts and swimruns, or you can create your own.
TRAINING STATUS
Using indicators such as HRV status, recent exercise history and VO2 max, get insight into training effectiveness with training status — and know whether you’re training productively, peaking or strained.
1See Garmin.com/ataccuracy
2The ECG app is only available on select Garmin smartwatches with the latest version of the Garmin Connect™ smartphone app and watch software. The ECG app is not available in all regions; see Garmin.com/ECG for availability. The ECG app is only intended for adults aged 22 years and over. The ECG app is capable of recording an ECG similar to a Lead I ECG and detecting the presence of atrial fibrillation or normal sinus rhythm
3When paired with your smartphone; see Garmin.com/ble. For safety and tracking feature requirements and limitations, see Garmin.com/safety.
| Weight | N/A |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | N/A |
| Brand | Garmin |
| Colour | Forerunner 970 – Carbon Gray with Black Case and Band, Forerunner 970 – Titanium with Whitestone Case and White/Yellow Band, Forerunner 970 – Soft Gold with French Gray Case and French Gray/Indigo Band |
Video
Specifications
Garmin Forerunner 970 Specs
What You’ll Love |
|
| Sleep score and insights | âś” |
|---|---|
| Battery life (smartwatch mode) | Up to 15 days |
| Built-in mapping | âś” |
| Pulse Ox blood oxygen | yes (spot-check, and optional all-day acclimation and in sleep) |
| Garmin ECG App | âś” |
| LED flashlight | âś” |
| Garmin Pay™ | ✔ |
| Multi-band GPS | âś” |
| Music storage | âś” |
| Make calls and send texts via voice | yes (with paired compatible smartphone) |
| Training readiness | âś” |
| Training status | yes (improved) |
| Watch display type | AMOLED (optional always-on mode) |
| Touchscreen | âś” |
| Watch water rating | 5 ATM |
General |
|
| Strap material | silicone |
| Lens Material | Sapphire Crystal |
| Bezel Material | titanium |
| QuickFit® watch band compatible | yes (22 mm) |
| Physical size | 47Â x 47Â x 12.9 (mm)
Fits wrists with a circumference of 135-205Â mm |
| Weight | 56 g |
| Built-in speaker/microphone | âś” |
| Display Size | 1.4″ (35.3 mm) diameter |
| Display Resolution | 454 x 454 pixels |
| Color display | âś” |
| Large font option | âś” |
| Battery type | Lithium ion |
| Battery life | Smartwatch mode: Up to 15Â days
GPS-Only GNSS mode: Up to 26 hours GPS-Only GNSS mode with music: Up to 14 hours |
| Charging method | Garmin proprietary plug charger |
| Memory/History | 32 GB |
Clock Features |
|
| Time/date | âś” |
| GPS Time Sync | âś” |
| Automatic daylight saving time | âś” |
| Alarm clock | âś” |
| Timer | âś” |
| Stopwatch | âś” |
| Sunrise/sunset times | âś” |
Health & Wellness Monitoring |
|
| Wrist-based heart rate (constant, every second) | âś” |
| Resting heart rate | âś” |
| Abnormal heart rate alerts | yes (high and low) |
| Respiration rate | âś” |
| Fitness age | âś” |
| Body Battery™ energy monitor | ✔ |
| All-day stress | âś” |
| Relaxation reminders | âś” |
| Relaxation breathing timer | âś” |
| Meditation | âś” |
| Breathwork | âś” |
| Sleep | yes (advanced) |
| Sleep coach | âś” |
| Nap detection | âś” |
| Hydration | yes (in Garmin Connect™ and optional Connect IQ™ widget) |
| Women’s health | yes (in Garmin Connect™ and optional Connect IQ™ widget) |
| Health snapshot | âś” |
| Skin temperature | âś” |
| Jet lag adviser | âś” |
Sensors |
|
| GPS | âś” |
| GLONASS | âś” |
| Galileo | âś” |
| QZSS | âś” |
| BeiDou | âś” |
| SatIQ™ Technology | ✔ |
| Garmin Elevate™ wrist heart rate monitor | ✔ |
| Pulse Ox Blood Oxygen Saturation Monitor | âś” |
| Barometric altimeter | âś” |
| Compass | âś” |
| Gyroscope | âś” |
| Accelerometer | âś” |
| Thermometer | âś” |
| Ambient light sensor | âś” |
Daily Smart Features |
|
| Connectivity | Bluetooth®, ANT+®, Wi-Fi® |
| Connect IQ™ (downloadable watch faces, data fields, widgets and apps) | ✔ |
| On-device Connect IQ™ Store | ✔ |
| Smart Notifications | âś” |
| Text response/reject phone call with text (Android™ only) | ✔ |
| View images from notifications on watch (Android™ only) | ✔ |
| Morning report | âś” |
| Evening report | âś” |
| Calendar | âś” |
| Weather forecasts | âś” |
| Realtime settings sync with Garmin Connect™ mobile | ✔ |
| Battery saver (customizable low power watch) | âś” |
| Controls smartphone music | âś” |
| Plays and controls watch music | âś” |
| Find My Phone | âś” |
| Find My Watch | âś” |
| Find My Phone during GPS activity | âś” |
| Compatible with Garmin Messenger app | âś” |
| Smart trainer control | âś” |
| Pairs with Garmin Connect™ Mobile | ✔ |
| Smartphone compatibility | iPhone®, Android™ |
| Stocks | yes (optional Connect IQ app) |
| BLUETOOTH phone calling and voice assistant support | âś” |
| Voice command | âś” |
| Red shift mode | âś” |
| Garmin Share | âś” |
| Passcode | âś” |
Workout and Training Plans |
|
| Daily Suggested Workout – Running | âś” |
| Daily Suggested Workout – Cycling | âś” |
| Garmin Running Coach | âś” |
| Garmin Running Coach Experts | âś” |
| Garmin Cycling Coach | âś” |
| Garmin Coach – Prebuilt Cycling Plans | âś” |
| Garmin Coach – Strength | âś” |
| Garmin Triathlon Coach | âś” |
| Multisport workouts | âś” |
| Cardio workouts | âś” |
| Strength workouts | âś” |
| HIIT workouts | âś” |
| Yoga workouts | âś” |
| Pilates workouts | âś” |
| On-screen workout animations | âś” |
| On-screen workout muscle maps | âś” |
Activity Profiles |
|
| Gym | Strength, HIIT, Cardio, Elliptical Training, Stair Stepping, Floor Climbing, Indoor Rowing, Jump Roping |
| Multisport | Triathlon, Duathlon, Brick, Pool Triathlon, Swimming/Running |
| Wellness | Walking, Pilates, Yoga, Indoor Walking, Mobility |
| Indoor running | Treadmill Running, Indoor Track Running, Virtual Running |
| Outdoor running | Running, Outdoor Track Running, Trail Running, Ultra Running, Obstacle Racing |
| Outdoor recreation | Hiking, Mountaineering, Indoor Climbing, Bouldering, Hunting, Horseback Riding, Golfing, Disc Golf, Archery |
| Cycling | Biking, Road Biking, Mountain Biking, Gravel Biking, Bike Commuting, Bike Touring, eBiking, eMountain Biking, Indoor Biking, Cyclocross, BMX |
| Swim | Pool Swimming, Open Water Swimming |
| On the Water | Stand Up Paddleboarding, Rowing, Kayaking, Fishing, Boating, Sailing, Sail Racing, Snorkeling, Sailing Expedition |
| Motor sports | Motorcycling, Overlanding, Motocrossing, ATVing, Snowmobiling |
| Racket sports | Tennis, Pickleball, Badminton, Squash, Table Tennis, Padel, Platform Tennis, Racquetball |
| Snow & winter | Skiing, Snowboarding, Backcountry Snowboarding, XC Classic Skiing, XC Skate Skiing, Backcountry Skiing, Ice Skating, Snowshoeing |
| Team sports | Basketball, Volleyball, Field Hockey, Ice Hockey, Football/Soccer, American Football, Lacrosse, Rugby, Ultimate Disc, Cricket, Softball, Baseball |
| In the ring | Boxing, Mixed Martial Arts |
| Other activity profiles | Inline skating |
Safety and Tracking Features |
|
| Incident Detection during select activities | âś” |
| Incident detection alert on phone for wearables | âś” |
| Assistance | âś” |
| LiveTrack | âś” |
| Spectator messaging | yes (with compatible smartphone) |
| Group LiveTrack | âś” |
| Live Event Sharing | Android™ Only |
Activity Tracking Features |
|
| Step counter | âś” |
| Move alerts (displays on device after a period of inactivity) | âś” |
| Auto goal (learns your activity level and assigns a daily step goal) | âś” |
| Calories burned | âś” |
| Floors climbed | âś” |
| Distance traveled | âś” |
| Intensity minutes | âś” |
| TrueUp™ | ✔ |
| Move IQ™ | ✔ |
| Garmin Connect™ Challenges app | yes (optional Connect IQ app) |
| Automatic rep counting | âś” |
Training, Planning and Analysis Features |
|
| Customizable data pages | âś” |
| Downloadable training plans | âś” |
| Course guidance | âś” |
| HR zones | âś” |
| HR alerts | âś” |
| HR calories | âś” |
| % HR max | âś” |
| % HRR | âś” |
| Recovery time | âś” |
| Auto max HR | âś” |
| Race glance/widget | âś” |
| HRV status | âś” |
| HR broadcast (broadcasts HR data over ANT+® to paired devices) | ✔ |
| Respiration rate (during exercise) | yes (with compatible accessory) |
| GPS speed and distance | âś” |
| Customizable activity profiles | âś” |
| Auto Pause® automatic timer halt | ✔ |
| Interval training | âś” |
| Improved interval (includes open repeats, intervals data page, rest screen and auto detection) | âś” |
| Advanced workouts | âś” |
| Power Modes – customizable in-activity battery settings | âś” |
| HRM running pace and distance | âś” |
| Auto Lap® interval tracking feature | ✔ |
| Manual lap | âś” |
| Rest timer | âś” |
| Configurable lap alerts | âś” |
| Heat and altitude acclimation | âś” |
| VO2 Max (Run) | âś” |
| VO2 Max (Trail Run) | âś” |
| Realtime stamina | âś” |
| Endurance score | âś” |
| Load ratio | âś” |
| Training load | âś” |
| Training load focus | âś” |
| Training effect | âś” |
| Training effect (anaerobic) | âś” |
| Primary benefit (Training Effect labels) | âś” |
| Improved recovery time | âś” |
| Custom alerts | âś” |
| Voice alerts | âś” |
| Multisport auto transition | âś” |
| Finish time | âś” |
| Virtual Partner | âś” |
| Race an Activity | âś” |
| Auto multisport activities | âś” |
| Manual multisport activities | âś” |
| Garmin Live Segments | âś” |
| Strava Live Segments | âś” |
| Round-trip course creator (running/cycling) | âś” |
| Trendline™ Popularity Routing | ✔ |
| Touch and/or button lock | âś” |
| Shortcuts | âś” |
| Auto scroll | âś” |
| Activity history on watch | âś” |
| Physio TrueUp | âś” |
| Unified training status | âś” |
Running Features |
|
| GPS-based distance, time and pace | âś” |
| Running dynamics | âś” |
| Step speed loss | yes (with compatible accessory) |
| Vertical oscillation and ratio | âś” |
| Ground contact time and balance | yes (GCT balance with accessory) |
| Stride length (real time) | âś” |
| Cadence (provides real-time number of steps per minute) | âś” |
| Running Tolerance | âś” |
| Running Economy | yes (with compatible accessory) |
| Running power | âś” |
| Grade-adjusted pace | âś” |
| Performance condition | âś” |
| Lactate threshold | âś” |
| PacePro™ Pacing Strategies | ✔ |
| Run workouts | âś” |
| Hill score | âś” |
| Trail run auto climb | âś” |
| Race predictor | âś” |
| Course- and weather-specific race predictor | âś” |
| Projected race time and pace | âś” |
| Foot pod capable | âś” |
| Run/Walk/Stand detection | âś” |
Golfing Features |
|
| Preloaded with 43,000 courses worldwide | âś” |
| Yardage to F/M/B (distance to front, middle and back of green) | âś” |
| Yardage to layups/doglegs | âś” |
| Measures shot distance (calculates exact yardage for shots from anywhere on course) | automatic |
| Digital scorecard | âś” |
| Stat tracking (strokes, putts per round, greens and fairways hit) | âś” |
| Garmin AutoShot™ | ✔ |
| Auto CourseView updates | âś” |
| Green View with manual pin position | âś” |
| Hazards and course targets | âś” |
| PinPointer | âś” |
| Handicap scoring | âś” |
| Round timer/odometer | âś” |
| CT10 Automatic club tracking compatible(requires accessory) | âś” |
| Pairs with Garmin Golf app | âś” |
| Tournament legal | âś” |
Outdoor Recreation |
|
| Point-to-point navigation | âś” |
| Bread crumb trail in real time | âś” |
| Back to start | âś” |
| TracBack® | ✔ |
| UltraTrac mode | âś” |
| Explore Nearby | âś” |
| Up Ahead | âś” |
| NextFork™ navigation | ✔ |
| Elevation profile | âś” |
| Distance to destination | âś” |
| Barometric trend indicator with Storm Alert | âś” |
| ClimbPro™ Ascent Planner | ✔ |
| Vertical speed | âś” |
| Total ascent/descent | âś” |
| Rest Timer (Ultra Run only) | âś” |
| Auto rest | âś” |
| Future elevation plot | âś” |
| Preloaded road and trail maps | âś” |
| Preloaded ski resort maps | âś” |
| Downloadable cartography support | âś” |
| GPS coordinates | âś” |
| Sight ‘N Go | âś” |
| Area calculation | yes (via Connect IQ™) |
| Fish forecast | yes (via Connect IQ™) |
| Projected waypoint | âś” |
| Sun and moon information | âś” |
| Expedition GPS Activity | âś” |
Cycling Features |
|
| Courses | âś” |
| Bike lap and lap maximum power (with power sensor) | âś” |
| Race an activity | âś” |
| Alerts (triggers alarm when you reach goals including time, distance, heart rate or calories) | âś” |
| FTP (Functional Threshold Power) | yes (with compatible accessory) |
| Power curve and % FTP workouts | âś” |
| Cycle Map (routable cycling-specific street map) | âś” |
| MTB Grit & Flow | âś” |
| Advanced cycling dynamics | âś” |
| Compatible with Vector™ and Rally™ (power meters) | ✔ |
| Compatible with Varia Vision™ (head-mounted display) | ✔ |
| Compatible with Varia™ radar (rear-facing radar) | ✔ |
| Compatible with Varia™ lights | ✔ |
| Compatible with Varia headlight camera | âś” |
| Speed and cadence sensor support (w/sensor) | âś” |
| Power meter compatible | âś” |
| Power guide | âś” |
Swimming Features |
|
| Open-water swim metrics (distance, pace, stroke count/rate, stroke distance, swim efficiency (SWOLF), calories) | âś” |
| Pool swim metrics (lengths, distance, pace, stroke count, swim efficiency (SWOLF), calories) | âś” |
| Stroke type detection (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly) (pool swim only) | âś” |
| Drill logging (pool swim only) | âś” |
| Basic rest timer (up from 0) (pool swim only) | âś” |
| “Repeat on” rest timer (pool swim only) | âś” |
| Auto rest (pool swim only) | âś” |
| Time and distance alerts | âś” |
| Pacing alerts (pool swim only) | âś” |
| Countdown start (pool swim only) | âś” |
| Pool swim workouts | âś” |
| Critical swim speed | âś” |
| Underwater wrist-based heart rate | âś” |
| Heart rate from external HRM (real-time during rests, interval and session stats during rests, and automatic heart rate download post-swim) | yes (with HRM-Swim, HRM-Pro or HRM-Pro Plus) |
Kid Activity Tracking Features |
|
| Toe-to-Toe™ Challenges app | yes (optional Connect IQ Toe-to-Toe™ Challenges app) |
Package Includes
In the Box:
- Forerunner 970 GPS running watch
- Charging cable
- Documentation
Product Guides & Documentation
Accessories
Optional Accessories …
Optional Accessories …