Garmin Forerunner 970 / Apple Watch Series 8 (45 mm, GPS)

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

Apple Watch Series 8 (45 mm, GPS): Apple Watch Series 8, 45 mm aluminium case, GPS model. The 41 mm case, GPS + Cellular and stainless steel versions are separate models; weight and screen size differ.

SpecificationGarmin Forerunner 970Apple Watch Series 8 (45 mm, GPS)
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		Always-On Retina LTPO OLED; 396 × 484 pixels; 1143 sq mm display area; up to 1000 nits

The LTPO panel can lower its refresh rate a lot, so the screen stays on dimmed when the wrist is down.

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		Blood oxygen sensor; electrical heart sensor (ECG app); third-generation optical heart sensor

The Blood Oxygen app is not for medical use. The ECG app is not intended for people under 22 and may not be available in every country.

Apple
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		32 GB Apple
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—
Chip—S8 SiP with 64-bit dual-core processor; W3 wireless chip; U1 (Ultra Wideband)

Ultra Wideband is used for close-range location with an iPhone; availability varies by region.

Apple
Motion and safety—High-g accelerometer up to 256 g (Fall Detection and Crash Detection); high dynamic range gyroscope; Emergency SOS; international emergency calling

On the GPS model, Emergency SOS needs a nearby iPhone or Wi-Fi Calling; international emergency calling works only on cellular models.

Apple
Location—L1 GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS and BeiDou; compass; always-on altimeter

This is single-frequency (L1) GPS; drift between tall buildings can be higher than on dual-frequency models.

Apple
Connectivity—Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n 2.4 and 5 GHz; Bluetooth 5.3 Apple
Battery and charging—Up to 18 hours; built-in lithium-ion battery; USB-C magnetic fast charging cable

Apple’s 18-hour figure is based on 90 time checks, 90 notifications, 45 minutes of app use and a 60-minute workout with music; sleep tracking is not part of that scenario.

Apple
Durability—Water resistant to 50 metres under ISO 22810:2010; IP6X dust; ceramic and sapphire crystal back

Suitable for shallow-water activities in a pool or the sea; not for scuba diving, waterskiing or high-velocity water.

Apple
Size and weight—45 × 38 × 10.7 mm; aluminium GPS: 38.8 g Apple
Compatibility—Requires iPhone 8 or later with iOS 16 or later

It cannot be used with Android phones.

Apple
Colours—Aluminium: Midnight, Starlight, Silver, (PRODUCT)RED Apple