Garmin Venu 4 vs Garmin Forerunner 970 - Which Smartwatch Fits You Best?

In the field of smart sports watches, the comparison between Garmin Venu 4 vs Garmin Forerunner 970 has drawn considerable attention. The Venu 4 stands out with its stylish design and comprehensive health tracking, making it ideal for daily wear and fitness needs, while the Forerunner 970 is positioned as a high-end professional sports watch, favored by runners and triathletes for its powerful training features and long-lasting battery life.

This article will provide an in-depth comparison of design, battery, sports features, health monitoring, and overall value, with recommendations in each section to help you decide which is the better choice between the Garmin Venu 4 and the Garmin Forerunner 970.

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Garmin Venu 4 vs Garmin Forerunner 970 Overview

The Garmin Venu 4 is designed for users focused on daily health management and versatile workouts. It offers comprehensive health monitoring, including heart rate, SpO₂, sleep, and stress tracking. The new hybrid workout mode automatically records multiple exercise types in a single session, eliminating the need for manual switching. The AMOLED display supports Always-On mode, paired with a voice assistant, music control, and NFC payments for convenient daily use. Battery life lasts 10–12 days, suitable for long-term wear.

Pros

• Comprehensive health tracking and hybrid workout mode for daily and exercise use
• AMOLED display with Always-On mode for clear visuals
• Supports voice assistant, music control, and Alipay/WeChat Pay
• Long battery life, ideal for all-day wear

Cons

• Limited advanced sports metrics; no external heart rate strap support
• GPS mode battery performance for long outdoor sessions is less detailed

Garmin Forerunner 970 Overview

The Garmin Forerunner 970 is tailored for professional runners and triathletes. It features multi-frequency GNSS positioning with SatIQ technology and, when paired with the HRM600 heart rate strap, tracks advanced metrics like running economy, pace loss, and VO₂ Max. Built-in maps and offline navigation support long outdoor workouts, and the LED flashlight is useful for night activities. Battery life reaches up to 15 days in smartwatch mode and 26 hours in GPS mode, meeting the demands of extended training sessions.

Pros

• Advanced sports metrics for running and triathlon, supporting professional training
• Precise multi-frequency GNSS positioning with SatIQ technology
• Built-in maps and offline navigation for long outdoor sessions
• Long GPS-mode battery life for extended workouts

Cons

• Fewer daily smart features and payment options compared to Venu 4
• Heavier display, more oriented toward professional sport

Garmin Venu 4 vs Garmin Forerunner 970 - Design and Build

When choosing a smartwatch, appearance, comfort, and usage scenarios are key factors for most users. The Garmin Venu 4 focuses on a stylish and lightweight design, featuring a metal case with a Gorilla Glass 3 touchscreen, available in 41mm and 45mm sizes. Its compact design makes it ideal for daily wear. With only two physical buttons, touch controls handle most operations, and built-in features like an LED flashlight, speaker, and microphone make it versatile for work, commuting, and fitness. Overall, the Venu 4 offers a refined look that pairs well with any outfit.

In contrast, the Garmin Forerunner 970 continues the professional sports-focused design of the Forerunner series. It has a larger 47mm case, titanium bezel, and sapphire glass, providing excellent scratch resistance and durability. Multiple buttons allow quick access to training modes, and the watch weighs around 56g, reducible to 43.8g with the UltraFit nylon strap - making it suitable for high-intensity workouts and outdoor activities. The Forerunner 970’s rugged design emphasizes performance and endurance for serious athletes.

Also Read:  Garmin Forerunner 970 Watch Bands and Garmin Venu Watch Bands.

Recommendation:

• If you want a lightweight, stylish smartwatch with versatile daily features, especially for work, commuting, and casual fitness, the Venu 4 is the better choice.
• If you need professional sports performance, precise tracking, and durability, especially for long-distance running, triathlons, or outdoor training, the Forerunner 970 is more suitable.

Garmin Venu 4 vs Garmin Forerunner 970 - Display

The Garmin Venu 4 comes in 41mm and 45mm case sizes, featuring 1.2-inch and 1.4-inch AMOLED screens. It offers vivid colors, high contrast, and supports Always-On Display (AOD). The screen uses Gorilla Glass 3 for scratch resistance and durability, making it suitable for everyday wear and light fitness activities. Its brightness is sufficient for outdoor visibility, and the combination of touch controls with two physical buttons provides a stylish and convenient user experience.

The Garmin Forerunner 970 features a larger 47mm case with a 1.4-inch AMOLED screen at 454×454 resolution. It delivers higher brightness for excellent visibility in direct sunlight. The screen is upgraded to sapphire glass, providing superior scratch resistance and durability, ideal for high-intensity outdoor workouts. Touch controls combined with multiple metal buttons create a professional sports-focused interface, while supporting voice commands and call handling. The display excels at visualizing training data, designed for serious athletes.

Recommendation:

• If you prioritize everyday wear, vibrant colors, and versatile use, the Venu 4 is the better choice.
• If you value durability, high brightness, and professional sports display features, the Forerunner 970 is more suitable.

Garmin Venu 4 vs Garmin Forerunner 970 - Battery Life

In terms of battery performance, the Garmin Venu 4 and Forerunner 970 each have their strengths. The Venu 4 comes in 41mm and 45mm sizes, offering 10 and 12 days of battery life in smartwatch mode, respectively. It’s ideal for all-day wear and health monitoring. Even with Always-On Display (AOD) enabled and medium brightness, users report around 4–6 days of real-world usage. While exact battery life in workout mode isn’t specified, it’s sufficient for regular exercise tracking, making it reliable for daily use.

The Forerunner 970 is designed for professional sports. In smartwatch mode, it lasts about 15 days, but enabling AOD reduces battery life to around 2.5 days. In GPS mode, it can run for up to 26 hours, with multi-band GNSS mode lasting 21 hours, and music playback extending it to approximately 24 hours. This makes it ideal for long-distance running, triathlons, and high-intensity workouts. However, high brightness or AOD can significantly reduce battery life, which can be extended by lowering screen brightness or disabling AOD.

Recommendation:

• If you prioritize daily wear, light exercise, and stable battery performance for all-day use, the Venu 4 is the better choice.
• If you focus on high-intensity workouts and long GPS tracking sessions, especially for running, outdoor training, or triathlons, the Forerunner 970 is more suitable.

Garmin Venu 4 vs Garmin Forerunner 970 - Sensors & Health Tracking

When it comes to health monitoring, both the Garmin Venu 4 and Forerunner 970 are equipped with the fifth-generation Elevate optical heart rate sensor, supporting real-time heart rate tracking and ECG measurements, along with abnormal heart rate alerts. Both watches also offer blood oxygen (SpO₂) monitoring, skin temperature tracking, all-day stress monitoring, and sleep stage analysis, giving users a comprehensive view of their body and recovery.

The Forerunner 970 is tailored for professional athletes. It can pair with the HRM600 heart rate strap for more precise metrics like running economy and pace loss. It also features a barometric altimeter, ideal for trail running or workouts on complex terrain. Its GPS supports multi-band satellite tracking with SatIQ technology, providing up to 26 hours of GPS battery life — perfect for long-distance runs, triathlons, or high-intensity training.

In contrast, the Venu 4 focuses on daily wellness and lifestyle tracking. It offers a sleep coach, lifestyle habit recording (such as caffeine and alcohol intake), and female health tracking, helping users improve habits and optimize sleep quality. Its GPS function is suitable for everyday exercise tracking, and in smartwatch mode, the battery lasts 10–12 days, making it ideal for all-day wear.

Both watches support external sensors like power meters, cycling accessories, or golf club sensors, meeting the needs of various sports.

Recommendation:

• If you value daily health monitoring, lifestyle insights, and all-day wearability, the Venu 4 is the better choice.
• If you prioritize professional sports analysis, high-intensity training, and long GPS sessions, especially for running, trail activities, or triathlons, the Forerunner 970 is more suitable.

Garmin Venu 4 vs Garmin Forerunner 970 - Sports and Training

The Garmin Venu 4 is designed for everyday fitness and versatile workouts. It supports over 80 sports modes, including running, cycling, swimming, HIIT, and strength training. Its hybrid training mode can automatically track multiple activities in one session without switching manually. With Garmin Coach, sleep tracking, heart rate variability (HRV), and Body Battery monitoring, it gives you a complete view of your health and training. The battery lasts 10–12 days in smartwatch mode, making it easy to wear all day and ideal for users who want flexible daily activity tracking.

The Garmin Forerunner 970 focuses on professional training and high-intensity workouts. It supports advanced modes like brick workouts, duathlons, and swimrun. Paired with the HRM600 heart rate strap, it provides detailed metrics such as running economy, cadence loss, VO₂ Max, lactate threshold, and training load. GPS mode offers up to 26 hours of battery life, and it can automatically detect tracks and optimize route tracking - perfect for serious runners and triathletes who want precise data to improve performance.

In short, the Venu 4 is great for everyday exercise and health tracking, offering simplicity and long battery life, while the Forerunner 970 is built for professional athletes and high-intensity training, providing in-depth performance metrics.

Recommendation

• Choose the Venu 4 if you want a watch for daily workouts, health tracking, and easy use.
• Choose the Forerunner 970 if you focus on professional training, running, or triathlon performance.

Garmin Venu 4 vs Garmin Forerunner 970 - Smart Interaction and Daily Convenience

The Garmin Venu 4 focuses on everyday usability. It supports Bluetooth call answering, SMS notifications, and calls, allowing users to operate directly through the watch’s speaker and microphone. Its built-in voice assistant can control music, check the weather, or locate your phone. The watch also supports NFC transit cards, Alipay, and WeChat Pay, making shopping and commuting more convenient. For music, it can play local files or stream via apps like Spotify and QQ Music, allowing users to enjoy music without carrying a phone. This makes it ideal for daily wear and light workouts.

The Garmin Forerunner 970, on the other hand, leans toward sports-focused functionality. It also supports Bluetooth calls, SMS notifications, and music playback, but its smart features are more geared toward training, such as route sharing and training plan synchronization via Garmin Connect. Payment options include Garmin Pay or Alipay “tap-to-pay,” which is convenient for quick purchases during workouts. The watch’s speaker is louder, ensuring clear calls even in outdoor or active environments, though its everyday usability and diversified interactions are less versatile than the Venu 4.

Overall, the Venu 4 is better suited for users seeking daily smart convenience, while the Forerunner 970 is ideal for sports training and outdoor use.

Recommendation

• For daily wear, smart features, and convenient payments: Venu 4
• For high-intensity training or extended outdoor activities: Forerunner 970

Garmin Venu 4 vs Garmin Forerunner 970 - Summary & Recommendation

The Garmin Venu 4 and Forerunner 970 each have their strengths, catering to different user needs.

Venu 4 ($549.99)

• Target users: Those focused on daily health management, light workouts, fitness training, and convenient smart features.
• Features: AMOLED display, long battery life (10–12 days), comprehensive health tracking (heart rate, SpO₂, sleep, stress), NFC payments, and voice assistant.
• Strengths: Comfortable for everyday wear, provides full health and lifestyle insights, and records light exercise conveniently.

Forerunner 970 ($749.99)

• Target users: Professional runners, triathletes, or high-intensity training enthusiasts.
• Features: Advanced training metrics (running economy, pace loss, VO₂ Max), supports HRM600 heart rate strap, built-in maps, long GPS tracking (up to 26 hours).
• Strengths: Deep sports performance analysis, ideal for long-distance outdoor training and competitive use, rugged design for intense workouts.

Purchase Recommendations

• Choose Venu 4: If you prioritize daily health, light workouts, smart convenience, and long battery life.
• Choose Forerunner 970: If you need professional training data, high-intensity workout support, or long outdoor sessions.

Not recommended for

• Users on a tight budget seeking professional sports data: Venu 4 lacks in-depth metrics.
• Users who only want a daily health or light activity watch: Forerunner 970 is heavy and relatively expensive.