Garmin Forerunner 170 vs RingConn Gen 3
Our pick: Garmin Forerunner 170 takes it — 85 vs 82.
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 3 — You want Oura-level sleep and recovery data for yourself or clients without a monthly fee, and battery life matters more to you than workout tracking.
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 3
RingConn's subscription-free formula, refined: up to 14 days per charge, a universal charging case, new haptic alerts and vascular trend insights. It is slightly thicker than the Gen 2, exercise heart rate still lags and the price climbs to 369 EUR, but it remains the strongest no-subscription alternative to Oura.
Compare side-by-side
| Garmin Forerunner 17085Scorefrom€250.56Review → | RingConn Gen 382Scorefrom€369Review → | |
|---|---|---|
| Form factor | — | — |
| Battery life | — | — |
| Screen | — | — |
| Sleep tracking | — | — |
| Recovery / HRV | — | — |
| Subscription | — | — |
| Water resistance | — | — |
Prices are our researched reference points.
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