Garmin Forerunner 170 vs Polar Vantage V3
Our pick: Garmin Forerunner 170 takes it — 85 vs 78.
Both are strong — the call comes down to what you prioritise:
- 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.
- Polar Vantage V3 — Serious triathletes and multisport/endurance athletes who want deep training and recovery data plus long battery life.
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.
Polar Vantage V3
A hardware powerhouse for serious endurance and multisport athletes: class-leading battery, dual-frequency GPS and a deep sensor suite (ECG, SpO2, skin temperature). The training and recovery analytics are outstanding, but the smartwatch side stays barebones and the price only makes sense on discount.
Compare side-by-side
| Garmin Forerunner 17085Scorefrom€250.56Review → | Polar Vantage V378Scorefrom€390.59Review → | |
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| Form factor | — | — |
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| Screen | — | — |
| Sleep tracking | — | — |
| Recovery / HRV | — | — |
| Subscription | — | — |
| Water resistance | — | — |
Prices are our researched reference points.
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