Apple Watch Series 9 vs Garmin Forerunner 970
Sqwod verdict
Our pick: Apple Watch Series 9 takes it — 85 vs 84.
Both are strong — the call comes down to what you prioritise:
- Apple Watch Series 9 — You want one device for training, daily life, and health basics.
- Garmin Forerunner 970 — You coach or train for endurance and triathlon and want maps, the full readiness and load suite, and data you can use to manage clients' weekly volume.
Our pick 
Apple Watch Series 9
85Score · High
from €419
The best all-rounder — workouts, notifications, sleep, ECG — no subscription. Battery and depth-of-recovery data are the compromises.
Garmin Forerunner 970
84Score · Medium
from €624
The most complete Forerunner yet: a brighter AMOLED under sapphire, a flashlight, speaker and mic, ECG, a Gen 5 heart-rate sensor and new load tools such as Running Tolerance. It also costs about 135 EUR more than the 965 we reviewed, and smartwatch battery drops from 23 to 15 days.
Compare side-by-side
| Apple Watch Series 985Scorefrom€419Review → | Garmin Forerunner 97084Scorefrom€624Review → | |
|---|---|---|
| Form factor | Watch | — |
| Battery life | ~18 h (36 h low-power) | — |
| Screen | Always-on OLED | — |
| Sleep tracking | Basic | — |
| Recovery / HRV | HRV metrics | — |
| Subscription | None (Fitness+ optional) | — |
| Water resistance | 50 m | — |
Prices are our researched reference points.
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