Garmin Forerunner 165 vs Garmin Forerunner 170
The 170 is the 165's direct replacement, keeping the same AMOLED display and adding a barometric altimeter, compass, gyroscope, and Garmin Pay on top.
GarminGarmin Forerunner 165
GarminGarmin Forerunner 170
- •You don't need altitude data, compass heading, or tap-to-pay from your wrist
- •You can find the outgoing 165 discounted below the 170's price
- •You want current-generation Garmin hardware with the fuller sensor stack
- •Garmin Pay and altimeter-based elevation data are worth the extra $50
The 165 brings Garmin's core running metrics, an AMOLED display, and music storage down to a price that doesn't feel like a compromise. It's the watch we'd point most casual-to-intermediate runners toward before recommending anything more expensive.
The Forerunner 170 keeps the Forerunner 70's AMOLED touchscreen and training metrics, then adds a barometric altimeter, compass, gyroscope, thermometer, and Garmin Pay on top. It's single-frequency GPS rather than the 265's dual-band, but for most runners, it closes almost the entire gap for $150 less.
*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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