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Garmin Forerunner 170 Music · Photo source

Garmin Forerunner 170 Music
Photo 1 of 36

Garmin Forerunner 170 Music · Photo source

Garmin · Forerunner

Forerunner 170 Music

Released May 2026

Forerunner 170 Music is a 42.6 mm AMOLED GPS running watch with training readiness and status, a barometric altimeter, Garmin Pay and downloadable music for phone-free listening.

Type
Smart and sports
Sizes
42.6 mm
Movement
–
Power reserve
–
Display
OLED
Battery
10 days
Water
50 m
GPS
Single-band
Weight
41 g

What reviewers say

Reviewers like the comfortable design, extensive running analysis and generally accurate tracking. Both find Garmin Pay and offline music useful but question value against cheaper running watches. Tom's Guide gets about three and a half days with daily runs and the display always on, and sees heart-rate lag during intervals; TechRadar gets more than a week with mixed workouts but finds the screen relatively dull.

From tomsguide.com and techradar.com

Specifications

Report a wrong or missing spec

Display

Case sizes
42.6 mm
Panel
OLED
Always-on display
Yes
Display detail
1.2-inch (30.4 mm diameter) colour AMOLED touchscreen, 390 x 390 pixels; optional always-on display and large-font setting; five physical buttons
Screen protection
Chemically strengthened glass

Health and fitness

ECG
No
Blood oxygen
Yes
Skin temperature
No
Sleep apnoea alerts
No
High blood pressure alerts
No
Body composition
No
Fall detection
No
Crash detection
No
GPS
Single-band
Water resistance
50 m
Sensors
Garmin Elevate wrist heart rate; Pulse Ox; barometric altimeter; compass; gyroscope; accelerometer; thermometer; ambient light sensor; thermometer measures activity/ambient temperature, not overnight skin temperature
Health features
Continuous heart rate with high/low alerts; HRV status; Body Battery; stress and respiration; advanced sleep, sleep coach, breathing variations and nap detection; meditation; smart wake alarm; Health Snapshot; lifestyle logging; Health Status; women's health tracking via Garmin Connect; no ECG app
Fitness features
More 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 maps
Safety features
Incident detection during selected activities, assistance and LiveTrack require a paired compatible smartphone; live event sharing is Android-only; screen flashlight, not a separate LED torch

Battery and connections

Battery life (maker's claim)
Up to 10 days
In low-power mode
Up to 19 days
Mobile data option
No
Works with
iPhone and Android
Storage
4 GB
Battery life detail
Smartwatch 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; with music, GPS-only up to 7.5 hours and all-systems up to 6.5 hours (exact series manual; UK web table mislabels 7.5 hours as days); actual life depends on enabled features and usage
Charging
Garmin proprietary plug charging/data cable; rechargeable built-in lithium-ion battery; USB charging temperature 0–45 °C
Connectivity
Bluetooth, ANT+ and Wi-Fi; 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 and plays downloaded personal audio or supported music-service content through compatible Bluetooth headphones; third-party services may require subscriptions; no speaker/microphone calls or cellular connection
Storage
4 GB memory/history with offline music support

Design

Weight (lightest version)
41 g
Software
Garmin
Case materials
Fibre-reinforced polymer bezel; silicone band; chemically strengthened glass; 5 ATM water rating; operating/storage temperature –20–60 °C
Size
42.6 x 42.6 x 11.9 mm; Garmin lists 41 g without a separate body-only weight
Bands
Standard 20 mm quick-release two-tone silicone band; fits 126–203 mm wrists
Colours
Black with Black/Amp Yellow band; Whitestone with Whitestone/Cloud Blue band; Teal Green with Teal Green/Citron band; Red Pink with Red Pink/Mango band
In the box
Forerunner 170 Music; charging cable; documentation

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Training readiness, training status, Garmin Coach and daily suggested running workouts
  • Barometric altitude, cycling power-meter support and open-water swimming
  • Garmin Pay, Wi-Fi and offline music with compatible Bluetooth headphones

Cons

  • No multi-band GPS, ECG or skin-temperature tracking
  • No dedicated triathlon mode or full offline maps
  • No speaker, microphone or Bluetooth calls

Closest rivals

Model
TypeSizesMovementPower reserveDisplayBatteryWaterGPSWeightReleased
GarminForerunner 170
Smart and sports42.6 mm––OLED10 days50 mSingle-band41 gMay 2026
GarminApproach J1
Smart and sports43 mm––OLED10 days50 mSingle-band29 gJan 2026
GarminForerunner 70
Smart and sports42.6 mm––OLED13 days50 mSingle-band40 gMay 2026

Sources

  1. garmin.com/en-GB/p/2014513
  2. garmin.com/en-US/p/2014513
  3. www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/GUID-4A2FC8FE-7025-4AEC-946E-097B31131B45/EN-US…
  4. support.garmin.com
  5. garmin.com/en-US/newsroom/press-release/sports-fitness/run-further-with-forerun…
  6. garmin.com/en-PH/newsroom/press-release/news-2026-jun-runnning-ecosystem
  7. tomsguide.com/wellness/smartwatches/garmin-forerunner-170-review-an-affordable-…
  8. techradar.com/health-fitness/fitness-trackers/garmin-forerunner-170-review

Photo: res.garmin.com

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