Garmin Forerunner 970 / Apple Watch SE (2nd generation, 44 mm)

Garmin Forerunner 970: 47 mm · 010-02969-xx (colour options)

Apple Watch SE (2nd generation, 44 mm): Apple Watch SE (2nd generation), 44 mm aluminium case; GPS and GPS + Cellular models. The 40 mm case, the original Apple Watch SE (2020) and Apple Watch SE 3 are separate models.

SpecificationGarmin Forerunner 970Apple Watch SE (2nd generation, 44 mm)
Release year20252022
Announcement and saleAnnounced 15 May 2025; on Garmin.com from 21 May 2025 Garmin—
Part numbers010-02969-00, 010-02969-01, 010-02969-02

The numbers correspond to colour options; the US page does not map each number to a colour. The page image belongs to 010-02969-01, Whitestone case with Whitestone/Amp Yellow band.

Garmin		—
Case47 mm; titanium bezel Garmin—
LensSapphire crystal

The Forerunner 965 used Gorilla Glass 3 DX; sapphire is more scratch-resistant.

Garmin		—
DisplayAMOLED touchscreen; five-button design

Garmin calls it its brightest AMOLED yet but publishes no nit figure. Touch and buttons can be used together.

Garmin		Retina LTPO OLED; 368 × 448 pixels, 977 sq mm display area, 326 ppi; up to 1000 nits; Ion-X glass

SE has no always-on mode; the screen wakes when you raise your wrist. Ion-X is strengthened glass and is not as scratch-resistant as sapphire.

Apple
FlashlightBuilt-in LED flashlight; adjustable brightness, strobe and red light

Red light disturbs night vision less in the dark.

Garmin		—
Speaker and microphoneBuilt-in; call handling with a compatible phone and voice commands Garmin—
Health sensorsWrist-based heart rate (PPG); ECG app; skin temperature

The ECG app screens for signs of atrial fibrillation; it is for adults 22 and over and is not available in every region.

Garmin		—
Running metricsRunning tolerance; running economy and step speed loss (with HRM 600)

Running tolerance suggests a weekly maximum distance. Running economy and step speed loss need the separately sold HRM 600 chest strap.

Garmin		—
Battery typeRechargeable built-in lithium-ion Garmin—
Battery (smartwatch)Up to 15 days

With activity tracking, notifications and wrist heart rate; Garmin notes active features affect the result.

Garmin		—
Battery (GNSS)GPS only 26 hours; Auto Select 23 hours; All systems + multi-band 21 hours

With music the figures are 14, 13 and 12 hours. Multi-band uses several satellite frequencies to improve accuracy in cities and valleys at the cost of more power.

Garmin		—
StorageUp to 32 GB media storage

Used for music and maps; this is not RAM.

Garmin		—
Water ratingSwim, 5 ATM

Withstands pressure equivalent to 50 m depth; it is not a dive watch.

Garmin		—
Operating temperature-20 °C to 60 °C; charging 0–45 °C Garmin—
Wireless frequencies2.4 GHz (17 dBm maximum); 13.56 MHz NFC

13.56 MHz is the NFC band used for contactless payments.

Garmin		—
MapsBuilt-in maps Garmin—
Case and weight—44 × 38 × 10.7 mm aluminium case; GPS 32.9 g, GPS + Cellular 33 g

Weight is for the case only and rises with the band. The 44 mm case fits 140–245 mm wrists.

Apple
Chip and storage—S8 SiP (64-bit dual-core processor); 2-core Neural Engine; 32 GB

Storage holds music, podcasts and apps and cannot be expanded.

Apple
Sensors—2nd-gen optical heart sensor; compass; always-on altimeter; high-g accelerometer; high dynamic range gyroscope; ambient light sensor

The high-g accelerometer and gyroscope are used for Crash Detection. ECG, blood oxygen and temperature sensors are not included on this model.

Apple
Safety features—Emergency SOS; International Emergency Calling; Fall Detection; Crash Detection

Crash Detection can call emergency services after a severe car crash. Emergency SOS needs a cellular connection or Wi-Fi calling with internet access from the watch or a nearby iPhone.

Apple
Battery—Up to 18 hours; about 80% charge in about 1.5 hours

Apple measures 18 hours with 90 time checks, 90 notifications, 45 minutes of app use and a 60-minute workout with music; on the cellular model, 4 of those hours are on LTE. Longer GPS workouts shorten it.

Apple
Water resistance—50 metres under ISO 22810:2010

Suitable for swimming, but not for scuba diving, water skiing or high-velocity water sports.

Apple
Location and wireless—L1 GPS, GNSS, Galileo and QZSS; Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n); Bluetooth 5.3; LTE and UMTS on the GPS + Cellular model

The cellular model can make calls and use data without your iPhone nearby; carrier support is required.

Apple
Compatibility—iPhone Xs or later with iOS 18

The watch can only be set up and used with an iPhone; it does not work with Android phones.

Apple
Colours—Midnight, Starlight and Silver Apple