Garmin Forerunner 170 vs RingConn Gen 2
Our pick: Garmin Forerunner 170 takes it — 85 vs 84.
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.
- RingConn Gen 2 — Buy it if you want Oura-level sleep and recovery tracking without a monthly fee and value the best battery life on the market.
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.
RingConn Gen 2
The RingConn Gen 2 is the strongest no-subscription answer to Oura: class-leading battery (up to 12 days plus a ~150-day charging case), a genuinely thin, light titanium build, solid sleep and heart-rate accuracy, and no monthly fee. The app is dense and less polished than Oura's, but for anyone who resents subscriptions, it's the smart ring to beat.
Compare side-by-side
| Garmin Forerunner 17085Scorefrom€250.56Review → | RingConn Gen 284Scorefrom€279Review → | |
|---|---|---|
| Form factor | — | — |
| Battery life | — | — |
| Screen | — | — |
| Sleep tracking | — | — |
| Recovery / HRV | — | — |
| Subscription | — | — |
| Water resistance | — | — |
Prices are our researched reference points.
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