Customer Reviews for Garmin Forerunner 970 Smartwatch, GPS, 47mm, Carbon Gray & Black Silicone Band (010-02969-00)
Garmin Forerunner 970 Smartwatch, GPS, 47mm, Carbon Gray & Black Silicone Band (010-02969-00) is New at Staples
Item # : 24678684
Model # : GRM0296900
- Bright 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; fits wrists with 5.31-in. to 8.07-in. (135mm to 205mm) circumference
- Understand your overall energy efficiency with running economy, and see how much you're 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
Price is $765.99
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Over 30
202 reviews
Most helpful positive review
Posted Jan 28, 2026
Love it!
I have had my Garmin 970 for a couple weeks now and love it! I had the apple watch for many years and have been saving for this watch and it was well worth it! I'm still learning all the features but I have to say I'm using the flashlight on it daily. That is so handy to have in the middle of the night. I mainly wanted it for the fitness and sleep tracking. I can a...
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VS
Most helpful critical review
Posted Dec 12, 2025
Disappointing
Bought the 970 as an upgrade to my current 945. It connected to my phone on the first try but I didn't have enough time initially to complete the full setup. When I subsequently tried to complete the setup it kept showing that it wasn't connected to my phone. I went through all the troubleshooting, even resetting the factory settings but I can't get the watch to connect...
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rhonda9370
Reviewed at:
Garmin
Posted Jan 28, 2026
Love it!
I have had my Garmin 970 for a couple weeks now and love it! I had the apple watch for many years and have been saving for this watch and it was well worth it! I'm still learning all the features but I have to say I'm using the flashlight on it daily. That is so handy to have in the middle of the night. I mainly wanted it for the fitness and sleep tracking. I can a...
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spursfan2112
Reviewed at:
Garmin
Posted Jan 27, 2026
More than satisfied
I bought this about 3 weeks ago. I am very happy with it. It was an upgrade from my 265. I was weary at first with the price jump but I decided to bite the bullet. It has more features and is worth the jump if you are serious about distance running for the long term.
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Joshua S
Reviewed at:
ExpertVoice.com
Posted Jan 26, 2026
Great Watch!
I love this watch for it's ease of use. The downside (if you can call it that) is that it gives you the feeling of being in an emotionally abusive relationship. You'll have the best run of your life and the watch will say that you need more sleep, you're under-performing and you likely have a crooked smile.
Overall, 10/10. I love the watch. Easy to use and integrates w...
Overall, 10/10. I love the watch. Easy to use and integrates w...
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Isabella S
Reviewed at:
ExpertVoice.com
Posted Jan 24, 2026
The best watch ever
just simple enough to learn how to use it. love that its display is nice and bright. much more sleek and less bulky on my wrist compared to my fenix 7. overall love it and would totally recommend to anyone triathalon training or just wanting a sleek everyday sports watch. i had my fenix for just over 4 years and i will continue to use it for bigger adventures but i love...
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AshB12345
Reviewed at:
Garmin
Posted Jan 24, 2026
A fantastic upgrade!
I wore a Fenix 6S Pro for years and just updated to the Forerunner 970. Love the features, the new heart sensor is great and the additional training data is helpful. Very happy with my purchase!!
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Chris S
Reviewed at:
ExpertVoice.com
Posted Jan 22, 2026
Great addition
So far has been great to train workouts and the GPS function seems to work just as well as I hoped.
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Altezza
Reviewed at:
Garmin
Posted Jan 22, 2026
Generational Leap Forward
I brought my Forerunner 970 in Taiwan while on a work trip, upgrading from my 945. It feels like I just gone through a leap in time, the new OLED display is crisp and bright, had to turn down the brightness for my daily usage. Discovering the included speaker was another fun surprise.
PROs:
Battery life, Flashlight, and OLED display, everything else are just icing on...
PROs:
Battery life, Flashlight, and OLED display, everything else are just icing on...
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Bakerboy
Reviewed at:
Garmin
Posted Jan 19, 2026
One stop shop
As someone who is an everything apple guy. I’m telling you it’s ok ti ditch your Apple Watch lol. The 970 looks good but most importantly it’s accurate and almost never needs a charge. Anybody who’s serious about their stats needs this watch. You’ll never have to pull out your phone.
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4Bergers
Reviewed at:
Garmin
Posted Jan 16, 2026
Best Version of the Forerunner yet!
This is the best version of the Forerunner yet. The band is a significant upgrade in that it's a bit stiffer than in the past and stays in place better. Also love the sapphire screen and titanium bezzle, it keeps the watch from getting dinged and scrated up when you are as active as most endurane athletes are. The buttons are also an upgrade as they feel more crip an...
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Riss96
Reviewed at:
Garmin
Posted Jan 16, 2026
Great stats!
Love my Forerunner 970! Got it for Christmas and was able to train the last few weeks with it before my first marathon, loved having to run the marathon and all the stats pre and post marathon to track my recovery! Excited to keep training and get more stats!
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Jojo1024
Reviewed at:
Garmin
Posted Jan 16, 2026
Best Training Features
I bought this watch three weeks ago after using the COROS Pace Pro, and the Forerunner 970 is on another level. Compared to the Pace Pro, it offers far more advanced training features. This watch is clearly built with triathletes in mind.
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Ryan M
Reviewed at:
ExpertVoice.com
Posted Jan 10, 2026
This watch is the best. Use it for running, trails, and hiking. The flashlight feature is great. The battery life is about a week and half of solid use. Only thing I've notice is the band. 5 is a bit tight and 6 is just too loose.
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Nathan L
Reviewed at:
ExpertVoice.com
Posted Jan 10, 2026
I love this watch. I use it for everything. From walks and hikes to rock climbing, kayaking, snowboarding and more. It does more than I could ever need it to and everything I DO need! Battery life is great, charge once every other week or so. Love the addition of the flashlight and sapphire screen on this model!
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Bowtie76
Reviewed at:
Garmin
Posted Jan 9, 2026
Great watch
This does everything I wanted it to. I have been using a 840 to track cycling and adding the watch has helped me get a more complete view of my physical activities.
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Humberto A
Reviewed at:
ExpertVoice.com
Posted Jan 9, 2026
this watch is SICK!!!
I use it on my mountain bike adventures, the GPS feature is great. the battery life is really good also and charges surprisingly fast. So glad I decided to go with the GARMIN
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DAV321
Reviewed at:
Garmin
Posted Jan 8, 2026
A significant advancement for the Forerunner serie
A significant advancement for the Forerunner series was worth the high price.
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ColoradoRunner93
Reviewed at:
Garmin
Posted Jan 8, 2026
Not my favorite
I got this watch as an upgrade after having two other Forerunners, the last being the 955 Solar. I prefer the 955. The 970 Watch face is hyper sensitive and selects various settings from water droplets hitting it when in the shower or washing hands. It disconnects a lot from my phone and I am constantly resetting it. Terribly inconvenient when later on I’m trying to do ...
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Andrej C
Reviewed at:
ExpertVoice.com
Posted Jan 7, 2026
Does everything for a serious athlete
Great battery life, pretty much all the features, good look and feel, light, etc. UX is a little bit clunky and some of the things are confusing, It takes some time to learn. The touchscreen can be problematic sometimes.
However, even with all those issues, after using it for a while, you get used to it and it becomes an excellent daily driver.
However, even with all those issues, after using it for a while, you get used to it and it becomes an excellent daily driver.
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LuckyLindy
Reviewed at:
Garmin
Posted Jan 7, 2026
Should have bought it sooner!
Coming from the Fenix 6 I was worried about its durability and battery life. Both of which I am not worried about anymore. The touchscreen is super easy to operate, and responds well even on water.
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DaniR
Reviewed at:
Garmin
Posted Jan 7, 2026
Stopped reviewing text notifications
I love everything about this watch, except….
I was worried about the size on my small wrists, but it’s so light that it’s much more comfortable than my previous smaller fenix. Much easier to see. I like the touch screen and buttons.
2 weeks in it stopped getting text notifications, but Still got call notifications. I checked everything. Did ALL of the things. I fin...
I was worried about the size on my small wrists, but it’s so light that it’s much more comfortable than my previous smaller fenix. Much easier to see. I like the touch screen and buttons.
2 weeks in it stopped getting text notifications, but Still got call notifications. I checked everything. Did ALL of the things. I fin...
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