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Head to Head

Coros Pace 3 vs Garmin Forerunner 70

The Pace 3 is $50 cheaper and still delivers Coros' training-tier analytics, forcing a real question about whether Garmin's software ecosystem is worth the premium at the very bottom of the market.

Coros Pace 3Coros

Coros Pace 3

4.5
Garmin Forerunner 70Garmin

Garmin Forerunner 70

4.3
New for 2026
$199
Lower price
MSRP
$249
Semi-Smart
Watch Type
Bare-Bones GPS
Solid Training Data
Training Data
Solid Training Data
iOS & Android
Phone
iOS & Android
4.5
Higher rated
Rating
4.3
38 hrs
Longer battery
GPS Battery Life
23 hrs
Dual-Band
More precise
GPS
Single-Band
39g
Lighter
Weight
40g
42mm
Case Size
43mm
No
Wrist Calls
No
No
Offline Maps
No
Local files only
More music options
Offline Music
No
5 ATM
Water Resistance
5 ATM
—
Notable For
New for 2026
Best For
  • •You want the lowest price for genuine training-tier analytics, brand loyalty aside
  • •You're comfortable with Coros' smaller but capable app ecosystem
  • •You're building toward other Garmin devices and want ecosystem consistency now
  • •You specifically want this year's hardware refresh over an older-generation model
The Full Story

Coros pulled the Pace 3 from new production, but it remains a genuinely excellent, no-frills running watch wherever you can still find one. If the price is right, don't let 'discontinued' scare you off.

The Forerunner 70 swaps the old MIP screen and button-only design of the 55 for AMOLED and touch, while finally bringing Training Readiness, Training Status, and wrist-based Running Power down to Garmin's cheapest running watch. It skips the altimeter, compass, and Garmin Pay found on the 170, but for straightforward road running, it's the new baseline to beat at this price.

*Estimated — this model's exact GPS battery life isn't published by the manufacturer. All figures are standard GPS mode, midsize case, no solar boost.

†Estimated — this model launched too recently to have an established customer rating yet.

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