Apple Watch Series 11 vs Garmin Forerunner 170
Our pick: Apple Watch Series 11 takes it — 86 vs 85.
Both are strong — the call comes down to what you prioritise:
- Apple Watch Series 11 — You're upgrading from a Series 6 or older and want the best all-round Apple Watch — real battery life, brighter screen, and the new health alerts, with no subscription.
- Garmin Forerunner 170 — You coach runners or endurance clients and want Garmin's readiness and load metrics on a first 'real' training watch, without the €500 tier.
Apple Watch Series 11
The battery finally goes the distance — up to 24 hours — and hypertension notifications plus 5G land real health wins. But it's an iterative jump: Series 9 and 10 owners gain little, and the cheaper SE undercuts it.
Garmin Forerunner 170
A software-led upgrade on the 165: Training Readiness, Training Status, running power and dynamics and Garmin Pay arrive at the entry price, on the same AMOLED and sensor. Street prices have settled near where the 165 was, but battery is a touch shorter and GPS is still single-band.
Compare side-by-side
| Apple Watch Series 1186Scorefrom€380.99Review → | Garmin Forerunner 17085Scorefrom€250.56Review → | |
|---|---|---|
| Form factor | — | — |
| Battery life | — | — |
| Screen | — | — |
| Sleep tracking | — | — |
| Recovery / HRV | — | — |
| Subscription | — | — |
| Water resistance | — | — |
Prices are our researched reference points.
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