DescriptionFORERUNNER 170 BLANC/CIEL
The FORERUNNER 170 is a GPS running watch designed by Garmin, alongside the Forerunner 70. Built on the same screen and format as its little sister, it stands out thanks to three key new features: a barometric altimeter, Garmin Pay contactless payment, and compatibility with bike power meters. It is aimed at regular runners who want to go beyond simply tracking their sessions, and who already practise — or are considering practising — several sports other than just running.
40 g running watch with barometric altimeter and AMOLED display: training data with no blind spots
The Forerunner 170 features the same 42.6 mm case, the 1.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen (390 × 390 px) and the 5 physical buttons found across the range — the same readability in direct sunlight, the same hybrid grip. What’s new is what it has on board: a barometric altimeter, a compass and a thermometer – features not found on the FR70. The barometric altimeter measures positive and negative elevation changes in real time with far greater accuracy than GPS estimates, calculates ascent rate and automatically counts the floors climbed.
When it comes to training analysis, the FR170 takes things a step further with Training Status, Training Load, Training Load Focus, Load Ratio and Unified Training Status — tools that provide context for each session: is the load building up in the right way? Are we in a productive phase, a maintenance phase or a phase of overwork? It is precisely this kind of feature that Garmin has, until now, reserved for its mid-range and high-end models. The battery life is slightly shorter than that of the FR70 — 10 days in smartwatch mode compared with 13 — a difference that is to be expected given the additional sensors.
Expert’s advice: Enable Load Ratio tracking in Garmin Connect right from the start: it compares your training load for the current week with your average over the last four weeks. A ratio of more than 1.5 over several consecutive weeks is a clear sign of overload — long before you start to feel it physically.
Garmin Pay, open-water swimming and cycling power sensors: the running watch that’s branching out into multisport
Garmin Pay lets you pay for refreshments, an entry fee or a bottle of water straight from your watch — without having to dig out your phone or wallet. Whether you’re out on a road race or a long ride, it’s a feature you appreciate far more than you realise before you’ve actually tried it. Compatibility with bike power meters paves the way for structured cycling training: power in watts, TSS, IF, NP — all useful metrics for athletes who alternate between running and cycling and want to manage their overall training load using a single tool. Garmin Coach has also been extended to cycling on the FR170, with adaptive cycling training plans to complement the running plans.
The Forerunner 170 also features the open-water swimming profile, which is not available on the FR70 — useful for triathletes in training or open-water swimmers who want to track their distance and pace without a fixed GPS beacon.
A watch designed for those who run a lot, cycle now and then, and swim from time to time!
DetailsFORERUNNER 170 BLANC/CIEL
Composition & general information
- Case: 42.6 × 42.6 × 11.9 mm — Weight: 41 g
- Screen: 1.2'' (30.5 mm) AMOLED — 390 × 390 px — touchscreen — 5 physical buttons
- Connectivity: Bluetooth / ANT+
- GPS: Multi-GNSS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo) — no dual-frequency
- Range: 10 days in smartwatch mode — 20 hours on GPS only — 16 hours on Multi-GNSS
- Waterproofing: 5 ATM
- Sports profiles: over 80 activities (running, trail running, treadmill, pool swimming, open-water swimming, cycling, cardio, strength training, yoga, Pilates, skiing, snowboarding, etc.)
- Compatibility: Garmin Connect (iOS / Android / Web), Strava, TrainingPeaks, Connect IQ
Key features & functions
- Multi-GNSS GPS – real-time positioning with distance, pace, time and post-session route mapping; breadcrumb trail and return to starting point included
- Barometric altimeter – real-time measurement of positive/negative elevation gain, rate of ascent, current altitude and automatic counting of floors climbed
- Compass + Thermometer – for navigation and temperature readings, useful on trail running and hiking trips
- Optical heart rate monitoring on the wrist
- Wrist-based power output – real-time estimation of effort in watts (pace, gradient, dynamics), without an external sensor
- Training Readiness – morning score (0–100) based on sleep, recent workload, HRV and stress
- HRV Status – monitoring nocturnal heart rate variability to detect signs of overexertion or insufficient recovery
- Training Load + Training Load Focus + Load Ratio – tracking total weekly training load
- Recovery Time – an estimate of the recovery time required after each session
- Quick Workouts – create structured sessions in seconds
- Garmin Coach Running + Cycling – adaptive training plans (5 km / 10 km / half marathon / marathon / cycling) adjusted daily to your current fitness level, with run/walk plans for beginners
- Garmin Pay – contactless payments straight from your watch
- Sleep tracking – analysis of sleep stages, quality score and night-time HRV data
- 24-hour health monitoring – step counter, calorie count, stress level, Body Battery, SpO2 oxygen saturation
- External ANT+/Bluetooth-compatible sensors
- Smartphone notifications – displaying calls, text messages and app notifications
Garmin Forerunner 70 – who is it for and what is it used for?
- User profile: regular runners (3 sessions a week or more) and multi-sport enthusiasts (running, cycling, swimming) who want to manage everything on a single watch without having to upgrade to a high-end model
- Level: intermediate to advanced — the Training Load, Load Ratio and Training Status tools are only useful once you have a few weeks’ worth of historical data and are training regularly
- Ideal uses: road running and light trail running with elevation changes, swimming in pools and open water, cycling with a power meter, training for a half-marathon or marathon, and multisport training (running and cycling)
- Other uses: hiking with altitude tracking, indoor fitness and cardio training, leisure cycling or commuting with cadence tracking
- Fair limitations: no dual-frequency GPS (lower accuracy in dense woodland or deep urban canyons), no consecutive triathlon profiles, no built-in colour maps
- Condition
- New
- Warranty
- 2 years
- Type
Mixed - Year
- 2026
- Discover the shop
- GARMIN Forerunner
ReviewFORERUNNER 170 BLANC/CIEL