To everyone’s surprise, running watch manufacturer extraordinaire Garmin has just announced not just its latest flagship multisport watch and a new heart rate strap (Forerunner 970 and HRM 600, respectively), but it also dropped a bomb by replacing the 200 Series with a brand new addition to its wearable line: the Forerunner 570.
The new performance watch replaces the Garmin Forerunner 265 as the new mid-range option for athletes who need a bit more support than the Forerunner 165 can provide, but don’t quite want to remortgage their homes to buy a Forerunner 965.
“The good news is, the [Forerunner] 570 actually never leaked this entire time,” explained Joe Schrick, Executive Vice President, Fitness & Outdoor, in a presentation in Olathe, Kansas City. “You may have seen the 970 pop, but the 570 never did. Because everyone assumed it would be the 265 to 270.”
Schrick said the change in numbering was necessary because the jump between the 100 and 200 series was too significant. “The 500 series is more than capable of earning its higher number,” he added.
It also helps people understand the difference between the different series: the 100 Series for beginners, the 500 Series for enthusiasts, and the 900 Series for professionals.
Brighter, smarter, more vibrant
So, what’s new? The brand claims the new watch sports the brightest AMOLED screen to date on any Garmin.
The Forerunner 570 comes in two sizes, 42mm and 47mm, but the company did away with the ‘S’ moniker, meaning that both sizes are now simply called ‘Forerunner 570’.
“We’ve added an aluminium bezel,” Schrick explained. “Because of this, we were able to offer more colour variety.”
Indeed, some of the Forerunner 570 colours are quite ‘out there’.
“I like to call them 'looks like they got dressed in the dark’ colours, for runners who love that,” he said. “It says, 'I am a runner'.”
Battery life is up to 11 days, which is what we expect from a Garmin watch with an AMOLED display, but actually shorter than the larger Forerunner 265 (up to 13 days).
On a more positive note, the Forerunner 570 has SatIQ and multi-band GPS, allowing the watch to provide position data more accurately (these features were present in the Forerunner 265, too).
The Forerunner 570, which will be available to order at Garmin UK, Garmin US, and Garmin AU on 21 May, has a suggested retail price of £459.99/ $549.99/AU$ 999.
Top-tier features for a top-tier price
Even though we knew the new flagship triathlon watch was coming, Garmin's Forerunner 970 is still an impressive debut.
It has the same bright display as the Forerunner 570 but adds a physical flashlight (borrowed from the Garmin Fenix 8).
“We stole the LED flashlight,” Schrick admitted with a smirk. “I know many people wanted that. They said, 'When is the flashlight coming to Forerunner?' As a matter of fact, it’s right here.”
Another new addition is the scratch-resistant Sapphire lens, moving the 900 series further into the premium watch category.
The fifth-generation Elevate heart rate sensor enables the Forerunner 970 to read ECG and alert users of potential heart conditions.
Battery life is up to 15 days, which, similar to the Forerunner 570, is actually lower than the watch’s predecessor (23 days on the Forerunner 965).
On the software side, the 900 Series's already impressive feature list now includes three exciting additions: Running Tolerance, Running Economy, and Step Speed Loss.
“The Running Tolerance [...] tells you what the impact [of training] is to your body,” Schrick explained. “It says, 'Here’s what your tolerance is,' and it doesn’t just say, 'Here’s what you ran.”
For example, if your tolerance was 25 miles, and you’ve run 30 or 35 miles, then Running Tolerance tells you you’ve exceeded the load your body is used to. It helps you better understand if you’re overtraining.
Running Economy and Step Speed Loss both require the new HRM 600 heart rate monitor, and as such aimed at professional athletes.
The Forerunner 970, which will be available to order at Garmin UK, Garmin US, and Garmin AU on 21 May, has a suggested retail price of £629.99/ $749.99/AU$ 1,399.
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