Garmin Forerunner 170 vs Garmin Forerunner 35

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

Better figure, where one is clearly better

Forerunner 170 compared with Forerunner 35
GarminForerunner 170GarminForerunner 35
Overview
ReleasedMay 20262016
Display
Case sizes42.6 mm40.7 mm
PanelOLEDMemory-in-pixel
Always-on displayYesYes
Display detail1.2-inch (30.4 mm diameter) colour AMOLED touchscreen, 390 x 390 pixels; optional always-on display and large-font setting; five physical buttons0.93 × 0.93-inch (23.5 × 23.5 mm) monochrome, transflective memory-in-pixel display, 128 × 128 pixels; button controls and a backlight.
Screen protectionChemically strengthened glassChemically strengthened glass.
Health and fitness
ECGNoNo
Blood oxygenYesNo
Skin temperatureNoNo
Sleep apnoea alertsNoNo
High blood pressure alertsNoNo
Body compositionNoNo
Fall detectionNoNo
Crash detectionNoNo
GPSSingle-bandSingle-band
Water resistance50 m50 m
SensorsGarmin Elevate wrist heart rate; Pulse Ox; barometric altimeter; compass; gyroscope; accelerometer; thermometer; ambient light sensor; thermometer measures activity/ambient temperature, not overnight skin temperatureBuilt-in GPS, Garmin Elevate optical heart-rate sensor and accelerometer; supports ANT+ heart-rate and cycling sensors.
Health featuresContinuous heart rate with high/low alerts; HRV status; Body Battery; stress and respiration; advanced sleep, sleep coach, breathing variations and nap detection; smart wake alarm; Health Snapshot; lifestyle logging; Health Status; women's health tracking via Garmin Connect; no ECG appContinuous heart rate, steps, calories, distance, sleep and intensity-minute tracking, with inactivity alerts and Move IQ activity recognition.
Fitness featuresMore than 80 sports apps; training readiness, status, load, load focus and recovery time; Garmin running, cycling and strength coaching; daily suggested running workouts and quick workouts; wrist-based running dynamics and running power; ground-contact balance requires a compatible accessory; PacePro and grade-adjusted pace; VO2 max and race predictions; cycling power-meter and Varia radar/light support; pool and open-water swimming; no dedicated triathlon mode; Breadcrumb course navigation, point-to-point navigation, back-to-start and TracBack; elevation profile, future elevation plot and Up Ahead; no full routable offline mapsOutdoor and indoor running, walking, cycling and cardio profiles; virtual pacing, intervals, personal records and vibration alerts. No swim-tracking profile.
Safety featuresIncident detection during selected activities, assistance and LiveTrack require a paired compatible smartphone; live event sharing is Android-only; screen flashlight, not a separate LED torchLiveTrack shares a run's location when paired with a compatible smartphone.
Battery and connections
Battery life (maker's claim)Up to 10 daysUp to 9 days
In low-power modeUp to 19 days–
Mobile data optionNoNo
Works withiPhone and AndroidiPhone and Android
Storage4 GB–
Battery life detailSmartwatch up to 10 days, or 4 days with display always on; battery saver smartwatch up to 19 days; GPS-only GNSS up to 20 hours; all-systems GNSS up to 14 hours; actual life depends on enabled features and usageUp to nine days with notifications, activity tracking and wrist heart rate, or 13 hours in GPS training mode.
ChargingGarmin proprietary plug charging/data cable; rechargeable built-in lithium-ion battery; USB charging temperature 0–45 °CRechargeable lithium-ion battery with a USB charging clip.
ConnectivityBluetooth and ANT+; GPS, GLONASS and Galileo; no multi-band GNSS; Garmin Pay contactless payments; Android-only text responses and notification images; Connect IQ apps/watch faces/data fields; Garmin Share; controls smartphone music without offline playback; no Wi-Fi, speaker/microphone calls or cellular connectionBluetooth and ANT+; paired-phone notifications, music controls, automatic Garmin Connect uploads and Find My Phone. No Connect IQ app support or music storage.
Storage4 GB memory/history; standard Forerunner 170 does not support offline music playbackSeven activities of on-watch history.
Design
Weight (lightest version)41 g37.3 g (better)
SoftwareGarminGarmin
Case materialsFibre-reinforced polymer bezel; silicone band; chemically strengthened glass; 5 ATM water rating; operating/storage temperature –20–60 °CSilicone strap and 5 ATM water rating.
Size42.6 x 42.6 x 11.9 mm; Garmin lists 41 g without a separate body-only weight35.5 × 40.7 × 13.3 mm; 37.3 g. The longest case dimension is used in the size comparison.
BandsStandard 20 mm quick-release two-tone silicone band; fits 126–203 mm wristsFits wrists 140–200 mm.
ColoursBlack with Black/Amp Yellow band; Whitestone with Whitestone/Cloud Blue band; Teal Green and Red Pink belong to the separate Music modelBlack case and band; Garmin also sold limelight, frost blue and white versions.
In the boxForerunner 170; charging cable; documentation–

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