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Garmin Forerunner 165 vs Garmin Forerunner 970

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

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GarminForerunner 165GarminForerunner 970
Overview
ReleasedFebruary 2024May 2025
Display
Case sizes43 mm47 mm
PanelOLEDOLED
Always-on displayYesYes
Display detail1.2-inch (30.4 mm diameter) colour AMOLED touchscreen, 390 x 390 pixels; optional always-on display; five physical buttons1.4″ (35.3 mm) AMOLED colour touchscreen, 454 x 454 pixels; five buttons
Screen protectionChemically strengthened glassSapphire crystal lens
Health and fitness
ECGNoYes
Blood oxygenYesYes
Skin temperatureNoYes
Sleep apnoea alertsNoNo
High blood pressure alertsNoNo
Body compositionNoNo
Fall detectionNoNo
Crash detectionNoNo
GPSSingle-bandDual-band (L1 and L5)
Water resistance50 m50 m
SensorsGarmin Elevate wrist heart rate; Pulse Ox; barometric altimeter; compass; accelerometer; thermometer; ambient light sensor; GPS, GLONASS and GalileoGarmin Elevate wrist heart rate monitor; Pulse Ox blood oxygen monitor; barometric altimeter; compass; gyroscope; accelerometer; thermometer; ambient light sensor
Health featuresContinuous heart rate with high/low alerts; HRV status; Body Battery; stress, respiration and blood oxygen; advanced sleep and sleep score; sleep coach and nap detection; Health Snapshot; hydration and women's health tracking; no ECG appGarmin ECG App (atrial fibrillation); Pulse Ox spot checks, with optional all-day acclimation and sleep readings; skin temperature; high and low heart rate alerts; HRV status; health status; sleep score, sleep coach, sleep alignment and nap detection; breathing variations; Body Battery; all-day stress; Health Snapshot; lifestyle logging; women's health tracking with past ovulation estimates; jet lag adviser
Fitness featuresDaily suggested running workouts and Garmin Coach plans; training effect and recovery time; wrist-based running dynamics and running power; PacePro; VO2 max and race predictions; pool and open-water swimming; running, cycling, strength, HIIT, yoga, Pilates, tennis, pickleball and padel profiles; point-to-point and breadcrumb course navigation, back-to-start and TracBack; no full offline maps or dedicated triathlon mode; no training readiness, load or status (Wareable and Tech Advisor)Training readiness and training status; running tolerance; running economy and step speed loss (with HRM 600); wrist-based running dynamics and running power; VO2 max, endurance score and hill score; race predictor and projected race time; PacePro; ClimbPro; real-time stamina; Garmin Coach and Garmin Triathlon Coach plans; daily suggested workouts; quick workouts; built-in maps with turn-by-turn directions, dynamic round-trip routing and Up Ahead; triathlon and multisport profiles
Safety featuresIncident detection during selected activities, assistance and LiveTrack require a paired compatible smartphone and connectivity; live event sharing is Android-onlyIncident detection during select activities; assistance; LiveTrack; live event sharing (Android only); LED flashlight
Battery and connections
Battery life (maker's claim)Up to 11 daysUp to 15 days
In low-power modeUp to 20 days–
Mobile data optionNoNo
Works withiPhone and AndroidiPhone and Android
Storage4 GB32 GB
Battery life detailSmartwatch up to 11 days; battery saver smartwatch up to 20 days; GPS-only up to 19 hours; all-systems GNSS up to 17 hours; actual life depends on display settings, enabled features and useSmartwatch mode up to 15 days; GPS only up to 26 hours; SatIQ (AutoSelect) up to 23 hours; All-Systems + Multi-Band up to 21 hours; with music up to 14, 13 and 12 hours in the same modes
ChargingGarmin proprietary plug charging/data cable; rechargeable built-in batteryGarmin charging cable with proprietary plug
ConnectivityBluetooth and ANT+ ; controls smartphone music without offline playback; no Wi-Fi; Garmin Pay; Connect IQ apps, watch faces and data fields; smart notifications; Android-only text responses and notification images; Garmin Share and Garmin Messenger; no cellular connection or multi-band GNSSBluetooth, ANT+ and Wi-Fi; multi-band GPS with GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS and BeiDou and SatIQ; Garmin Pay; speaker and microphone for calls and the phone's voice assistant with a paired phone; hands-free voice control
Storage4 GB memory/history ; standard model has no offline music player–
Design
Weight (lightest version)39 g–
SoftwareGarminGarmin
Case materialsFibre-reinforced polymer bezel; chemically strengthened glass; silicone band; 5 ATM water ratingTitanium bezel; sapphire crystal lens; 5 ATM water rating (swim); operating temperature –20 °C to 60 °C
Size43 x 43 x 11.6 mm; Garmin lists 39 g without a separate body-only weight47 x 47 x 12.9 mm; 56 g (Garmin doesn't give a case-only weight)
Bands20 mm quick-release silicone bands; fits 126–203 mm wrists22 mm silicone band; takes QuickFit 22 bands; fits 135–205 mm wrists
ColoursBlack/Slate Grey; Mist Grey/WhitestoneCarbon Grey DLC Titanium with Black case and Black/Translucent Whitestone band; Titanium with Whitestone case and Whitestone/Translucent Amp Yellow band; Soft Gold Titanium with French Grey case and French Grey/Translucent Indigo band
In the boxForerunner 165; charging/data cable; documentationForerunner 970, charging cable, documentation

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