Garmin Forerunner 970 vs Suunto Race
Our pick: Suunto Race takes it — 87 vs 84.
Both are strong — the call comes down to what you prioritise:
- 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.
- Suunto Race — Buy it if you want a big, bright AMOLED multisport watch with strong dual-band GPS, maps and multi-day battery for far less than a Garmin Forerunner 965.
Garmin Forerunner 970
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.
Suunto Race
The Suunto Race is the best watch Suunto has made in years: a bright 1.43-inch AMOLED, accurate dual-band GPS and genuinely huge battery life, all launched well below Garmin. Now selling around 320 EUR (down from a 449 EUR RRP), it is one of the best-value AMOLED multisport watches you can buy. The catch is software: the Suunto app and on-watch OS feel slower and thinner than Garmin Connect, the wrist heart-rate sensor is only so-so, and recovery/sleep metrics are noisy. For runners and outdoor athletes who want a big screen, maps and long battery without paying Garmin money, it is an easy recommendation.
Compare side-by-side
| Garmin Forerunner 97084Scorefrom€624Review → | Suunto Race87Scorefrom€319.16Review → | |
|---|---|---|
| Form factor | — | — |
| Battery life | — | — |
| Screen | — | — |
| Sleep tracking | — | — |
| Recovery / HRV | — | — |
| Subscription | — | — |
| Water resistance | — | — |
Prices are our researched reference points.
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