Garmin S70 vs Forerunner 965 Features Comparison

Key Takeaways

• The Garmin S70 has more golf features than the Forerunner 965 including slope adjusted distances, a virtual caddie, Swing Tempo monitoring, touch targeting, and full vector course maps. Click on the following link to learn more about the Garmin s70 and s62: garmin s62 vs s70 features comparison.
• Both the Garmin S70 and Forerunner 965 come with a 1.4-inch AMOLED display that is the biggest and brightest display on any Garmin smartwatch.
• The Garmin Forerunner 965 is more durable than the Garmin S70 because it has a stronger lens and bezel.
• The Garmin Forerunner 965 comes with a slightly longer battery life than the S70 in both smartwatch and GPS modes. Neither watch comes with solar charging.
• The Garmin Forerunner 965 has more sensors than the S70 which allows to track more running, hiking, and biking metrics such as topographical, road, and trail maps, point to point navigation, breadcrumb trails, training readiness, pacing strategies, virtual running on Zwift, and racing against your previous times. These extra fitness features make the Forerunner 965 one of the most accurate smartwatches for golf, running, and hiking.
• Both the Garmin Forerunner 965 and s70 do not come with a microphone or speaker so you won’t be able to make or receive phone calls.

Luxury GPS Golf and Outdoor Smartwatches Face Off: Garmin S70 vs Forerunner 965

Golfers and outdoor athletes searching for a premium GPS smartwatch have two excellent options in the Garmin S70 and Forerunner 965. With suggested retail prices of $699 and $599 respectively, these watches pack advanced display technology, connectivity, and robust feature sets into durable multi-sport designs. But which provides better value for your needs?

With color AMOLED touchscreens, 5 ATM water ratings, identical 47mm case sizes, GPS, Glonass, and Galileo satellite tracking, and sensors including barometric altimeters, gyroscopes, and accelerometers, both watches can tackle activities from golf courses to running, hiking, and biking trails in style. However, a closer look reveals differences in display specs, bezel and case materials, and extra perks like the S70’s slope compensation for golfers.

But for golf purists, the S70’s exclusive golf features including full vector maps, virtual caddie, playslike distances, wind gauge, touch targeting, swing tempo monitoring, and tempo training make it the definitive golf companion.

While the Forerunner 965 trails slightly in golf features, it more than makes up for it with unique running, hiking, biking, and swimming features that makes it the best dedicated running watch for 2024. Also its massive battery life up to 31 hours in GPS mode trounces the S70’s approximate 20 hours. Runners, hikers, and outdoor athletes needing extended GPS tracking get far more mileage out of a single charge.

Neither watch will leave you wanting when it comes to amenities like music storage, training and fitness analysis features, or safety and tracking features. But discerning buyers must weigh design preferences against battery needs and desired sport-specific metrics. If your weekends are dominated by early tee times, the Garmin Approach S70 golf gps watch has the edge. Yet for endurance athletes chasing PRs across different terrain, the Forerunner 965’s stamina features and longer run time earn its place on the podium.

Comparison Chart

Features and Specifications	Garmin Approach S70 Learn More	Garmin Forerunner 965 Learn More
Release Date	May 2023	May 2023
Suggested Retail Price	$699.99	$599.99
Display Type	AMOLED (Optional Always-On Mode)	AMOLED (Optional Always-On Mode)
Display Size	1.4" diameter	1.4" diameter
Display resolution	454 x 454 pixels	454 x 454 pixels
Weight	56 grams	53 grams
Watch Case Width X Length x Thickness	47 x 47 x 13.4 mm	47.2 x 47.2 x 13.2 (mm)
Battery life	Smartwatch mode: 10 days GPS Mode: 15 hours	Smartwatch mode: Up to 23 days GPS-only mode without music: Up to 31 hours
Slope compensated distances (PlaysLike)	Yes	No
Virtual Caddie Club Recommendations	Yes	No
Training Readiness	No	Yes
Race Finish Time Predictor	No	Yes
Daily Suggested Workouts	No	Yes
Pacing Strategies	No	Yes
Breadcrumb Trail in Real Time	No	Yes
Preloaded Topographical Maps	No	Yes
Preloaded Road and Trail Maps	No	Yes
Built-in Speaker and Microphone	No	No
Make and Receive Phone calls	No	No
Send text messages	Yes (with your iPhone or Android phone nearby)	Yes (with your iPhone or Android phone nearby)
Receive text messages	Yes (with your iPhone or Android phone nearby)	Yes
Listen to Spotify or Amazon Music playlist without phone	Yes	Yes
Memory Storage	32 GB (stores up to 2000 songs)	32 GB (stores up to 2000 songs)
43,000+ Preloaded Golf Course Maps	Yes	Yes
Zoomable aerial views of each hole	Yes	Yes
Distances to greens and hazards	Yes	Yes
Digital Scorecard	Yes	Yes
Stat tracking	Yes	Yes
Shot Tracking	Yes	Yes
Club Tracking	Yes	Yes
Strokes Gained Analysis	Yes	Yes
Swing Tempo Metrics	Yes	No
Tempo Training App	Yes	No
Blind Shot Compass	Yes	Yes
Call emergency services with Emergency SOS	No	Yes
Wrist-based Heart Rate Monitor	Yes	Yes
Blood oxygen saturation level readings	Yes	Yes
VO2 Max	Yes	Yes
Interval Training	Yes	Yes
Virtual Running Partner	Yes	Yes
Incident Detection for Certain Outdoor Activities	Yes	Yes
Step counter (Pedometer)	Yes	Yes
Sleep monitor	Yes	Yes
Running Metrics	Yes	Yes
Cycling Metrics	Yes	Yes
Swimming Metrics	Yes	Yes
Skiing Metrics	Yes	Yes
Hiking Metrics	Yes	Yes
Lens Material	Corning Gorilla Glass 3	Corning Gorilla Glass 3 DX
Bezel Material	ceramic bezel	titanium
Watch band material	silicone	silicone

Display Showdown

When it comes to the display technology built into these two high-end Garmin watches, both provide stunning visuals and responsiveness to enhance the user experience.

Identical Display Foundations

The Garmin S70 and Forerunner 965 watches have the same 1.4 inch diameter AMOLED touchscreen display, optional always-on mode, 454 x 454 pixel resolution for crisp and brilliant graphics, and color display for beautiful rendition of apps, maps, and data visualizations. With vibrant AMOLED technology and identical specifications in terms of size, resolution, and touch-capability, the S70 and Forerunner 965 displays deliver equally beautiful and bold visuals ideal for sports and fitness usage. At 1.4 inches, these represent the largest displays amongst all Garmin smartwatches.

Durable Display Protection

Both watches also provide hardy display protection for active lifestyles with chemically strengthened glass lens materials – the S70 uses Corning Gorilla Glass 3 while the Forerunner 965 has Corning Gorilla Glass 3 DX which provides better scratch resistance, less reflection, and improved optical clarity. Though both glass variants offer rugged durability, the Gorilla Glass DX on the Forerunner 965 is a bit more advanced for crystal clear visibility.

Always-On Display Option

A major shared convenience factor is the optional always-on display mode on both the S70 and Forerunner 965. This allows the user to keep the watch face visible at all times instead of having to raise their wrist to wake the watch. Especially useful during activities like running or golfing, the always-on display keeps essential data in view at a quick glance.

Equal Viewable Display Area

The Garmin S70 and Forerunner 965 have the same 1.4 inch diameter viewable display area since they share identical bezel sizes surrounding the screen. With matching circular display dimensions, both watches offer the same screen real estate for apps, data fields, and maps.

Equally Brilliant and Bold

When it comes to core display performance, the Garmin S70 and Forerunner 965 are equals, with AMOLED technology, touchscreens, crisp resolution and color rendering that make both watches visual standouts on the wrist for any activity. With identical viewable display areas and only slight differences in durability of the protective lens, both smartwatches deliver world-class visuals and responsiveness.

Durability Compared

When adventuring outdoors, having a rugged and resilient sports watch is crucial. Both the Garmin S70 and Forerunner 965 fit the bill with durable designs, but how do they stack up in terms of withstanding the rigors of active lifestyles?

Identical Water Ratings

First up, both watches carry solid 5 ATM water ratings, meaning they are water resistant up to 50 meters depth. This allows them to be safely used for swimming, snorkeling, surfing, and high intensity water sports without leakage issues. Whether you’re tracking laps in the pool or getting splashed climbing up a waterfall, the S70 and Forerunner 965 won’t flinch.

Matched Size and Weight

In terms of physical dimensions, the S70 measures 47 x 47 x 13.4 mm while the Forerunner 965 is 47.2 x 47.2 x 13.2 mm. With less than a millimeter difference in diameter and thickness, they are essentially the same size on your wrist. The weight is also similar with the S70 at 56 grams and Forerunner at 53 grams – a negligible 3 gram difference. So no clear winner here.

Rugged Case Materials

The cases on both watches are made from fiber-reinforced polymer composite, delivering equal levels of shock absorption and resistance to cracks and dents. This polymer casing has proven ultra-durable across Garmin’s sports watch lineup.

Forerunner 965 Titanium Bezel

The Forerunner 965 gains an edge with its titanium bezel surrounding the display rather than the ceramic bezel on the S70. Titanium is stronger and less brittle than ceramic, meaning the Forerunner’s bezel has improved resilience against chips, cracks, and breaks over time. However, titanium is less scratch resistant than ceramic.

Forerunner 965 Gorilla Glass 3 DX

The Forerunner 965’s Gorilla Glass 3 DX lens provides more scratch protection for the display than the S70’s Gorilla Glass 3 lens. So while the Forerunner bezel may show scratches more easily, its lens better preserves visibility over years of rough use.

Matched Strap Durability

Both utilize silicone watch bands that are flexible, lightweight, and withstand exposure well. Replacement bands are widely available too.

Which is Tougher?

The titanium bezel gives the Forerunner 965 better protection against cracks and breaks, while the S70’s ceramic provides more scratch resistance. But with identical waterproofing, case materials, and display lens, both watches can endure intense outdoor activities and daily wear and tear.

Battery Life Face-Off

When selecting a sports watch, battery endurance is a key factor for athletes and adventurers. How do the Garmin S70 and Forerunner 965 compare in terms of battery performance?

Garmin Forerunner 965 Battery LifeLearn MoreForerunner Battery Life

The Forerunner 965 provides about 40% more battery life than the S70 in smartwatch mode, about 50% more runtime across GPS only mode, and between 10% and 25% more battery life depending on satellite and music storage.

The Forerunner 965 does offer better battery life than the S70, though the differences are not huge.

In smartwatch mode, the Forerunner 965 lasts up to 23 days while the S70 provides up to 16 days of use before needing a recharge.

For GPS activity tracking, the Forerunner 965 can last 31 hours in GPS mode without music, while the S70 goes up to 20 hours with default settings enabled.

With music playback, the Forerunner has up to 10.5 hours compared to around 9 hours for the S70.

When using multiple satellite systems simultaneously, the Forerunner tops out around 19-22 hours depending on settings, while the S70 offers about 15-18 hours with multi-satellite use.

The Forerunner achieves this slightly superior battery life through its more efficient antenna design and chipset integration. It also has an UltraTrac battery mode that samples GPS less frequently to save power during long activities. The Power Manager settings provide granular customization of sensor usage to optimize battery.

Advantages for Runners and Outdoor Athletes
So while the Forerunner 965 clearly beats the S70 in all battery metrics, it’s only by a factor of 1.5-2x rather than a drastically longer runtime.

Still, for runners, hikers, climbers, and mountaineers those extra few hours of GPS tracking or music playback will enable you to run an ultramarathon or go on a multi-day backpacking trip while still recording the entire activity and getting accurate pace, distance and elevation data. The pulse ox sensor also continues providing overnight blood oxygen measurements on long expeditions when other watches would have drained. The Forerunner will keep going for that extra mile when other watches give out.

So while both watches have enough longevity between charges for most training runs or rounds of golf, athletes who demand every last bit of endurance will appreciate the Forerunner 965’s battery that outpaces the S70 by 15-25% in real-world conditions. If you want a sports watch that never quits on you, the Forerunner is the clear choice.

The Best Golf Watch is Clear: S70’s Superior Golf Features

Garmin S70 PlaysLike DistanceLearn MoreWhen it comes to high-tech golf watches, both the Garmin S70 and Forerunner 965 pack robust feature sets to help improve your game.

However, when you look at these high-end golf watches a little more closely, the Garmin S70 stands out as the definitive choice for golfers wanting the most advanced on-course features and accuracy.

The S70 includes several premium features tailored for golf that the Forerunner lacks:

S70’s Premium Golf Capabilities

• Full vector maps – Provides zoomable aerial views of each hole in the course in vivid color. You will be able to see all of the fairways, hazards, trees, and greens for each hole on the course. Allows pinpointing any terrain feature or target.

• PlaysLike distance – Calculates adjusted distances by factoring in elevation changes. Critical for choosing the right club as uphill and downhill shots play shorter and longer.

• Virtual caddie – Uses AI to provide customized club selection advice based on your average club distance and weather and course conditions. Takes the guesswork out of club selection.

• Touch targeting – Simply tap any point on the course map to see its exact distance. Great for getting distances to sand traps, water hazards, or any object.

• Swing tempo training – Analyzes your swing cadence, consistency, and backswing-to-downswing ratio to help refine your tempo and mechanics.

• Tempo training – Specialized activity helps you develop optimal swing tempo through practice with feedback.

• Wind data – When connected to smartphone, shows real-time wind speed and direction to adjust shots accordingly.

• Green contours – With Garmin Golf membership, provides detailed green topo maps to read slopes and breaks.

Shared Golf Features

Both the S70 and Forerunner 965 offer robust golf support like:

• Preloaded courses – 43,000+ preloaded courses with no additional downloads needed. Pair your smartphone with your watch and you can download more courses from the Garmin Connect app.
• Green View – Layout and shape of each putting green with manual pin position targeting
• Hazard View – Layup and carry distances for each hazard
• Digital scoring – Easy scorecard right on the wrist
• Garmin Autoshot shot tracking – Automatically detects and records shot locations and distances for post-round analysis

The Golf Watch Winner

With its specialized golf tools like PlaysLike distances, touch targeting, virtual caddie, swing training, and full vector maps, the Garmin S70 clearly provides the best specialized golfing experience for lowering your score and justifies the higher price for golf enthusiasts. But the Forerunner 965 offers solid golf tracking alongside wider multi-sport versatility.

Running Feature Breakdown

Both the S70 and Forerunner 965 include robust features for runners looking to track workouts, improve performance, and smash PRs. But the Forerunner 965 pulls ahead with more advanced metrics for serious runners.

When choosing a premium GPS watch for running, the Forerunner 965 edges out the S70 with more advanced performance tracking and analysis.

Core Running Features

• GPS Tracking – Both watches use built-in GPS to record pace, distance, elevation and route without needing a phone. Satellite reception is excellent even under tree cover or in urban areas.

• Run Profiles – The S70 and Forerunner 965 both have settings tuned specifically for road, trail, treadmill and track running. This optimizes data tracking and features for each running environment.

• Cadence – Measures your steps per minute in real-time so you can hit optimal turnover targets and observe changes over time or terrain. Very useful metric.

• Virtual Partner – Train against a digital pacer you can customize by time or distance to push your limits. Great for interval sessions.

• Training Plans – Both watches allow creating custom workouts and downloading free Garmin Coach training plans with guided workouts.

In-Depth Analytics

Both smartwatches come with these performance monitoring features:

• VO2 Max – Estimates your cardiovascular fitness level and can indicate performance changes over weeks and months.

• Training Load – Quantifies your exercise volume over the past week to gauge optimal training stimulus.

• Training Effect – Rates each activity based on aerobic and anaerobic benefits to monitor training quality.

• Auto Lap – Can auto-mark laps by distance or location to benchmark segments of each run.

• Recovery Time – Predicts how long until fully recovered and ready for the next hard workout.

Forerunner 965 Exclusive Features

The Forerunner 965 adds several high-end running tools the S70 lacks:

• Running Dynamics – Measures cadence, stride length, ground contact time, and oscillation for gait analysis.

• Vertical Oscillation/Ratio – Quantifies bounce for injury insights and running form.

• Stride Length – Track stride length changes in real-time or over time to refine technique.

• Running Power – Estimates power output in watts to quantify and compare run intensity.

• PacePro Plans – Create customized pace guidance strategies for routes based on terrain, elevation, and more.

• Race Predictor – Estimates your ideal finish time based on VO2 max and training history.

Ultra and Virtual Run Modes

Two other Forerunner exclusives are the Ultra run profile for extreme distance tracking and Virtual Run mode for running virtual routes using the Zwift platform.

The Running Watch Winner – Forerunner 965 by a mile

With advanced dynamics, power, grading, pacing tools, and ultra/virtual modes, the Forerunner 965 clearly provides the superior feature set for seasoned runners wanting to optimize performance. But the S70 covers the core basics like GPS pace and distance very well.

All Day Health and Activity Tracking

In addition to dedicated workout features, the S70 and Forerunner 965 provide 24/7 activity tracking and health monitoring to help maintain an active, healthy lifestyle.

Step Tracking

Both watches count your daily steps, allowing you to monitor movement goals and walking volume. Seeing step counts accumulate throughout the day can motivate you to get moving if numbers are low. The data also syncs to Garmin Connect to track long-term trends.

Auto-Goal Setting

An Auto Goal feature learns your typical activity levels and assigns a customized daily step target to encourage consistency rather than an arbitrary number. As your activity increases, so does the goal.

Move Alerts and Prompts

If you’ve been sedentary for too long while wearing the watch, it provides move alerts telling you to walk around. This periodic prompt to get in a few minutes of activity can break up prolonged sitting.

Distance, Calories and Floors

Both watches track total distance traveled per day, floors climbed via the altimeter, and estimated calories burned based on movement, heart rate and personal stats.

Intensity Minutes

Any minutes spent in moderate-to-vigorous activity that raises your heart rate contributes to your weekly intensity minutes total, which quantifies your active time.

Sleep Monitoring

Though not continuously tracked, the devices detect sleep duration and consistency overnight while also measuring heart rate variability and blood oxygen when sleeping.

All Day Health Insights

By combining 24/7 activity data, recovery metrics, and periodic heart rate and stress measurements, the S70 and Forerunner 965 provide comprehensive health insights and motivation no matter if you’re working out or going about your daily routine.

Call and Music Features

While designed primarily for sports and outdoor use, the S70 and Forerunner 965 watches include some connected features for music, notifications and basic smartphone interactions.

Music Playback

Both watches let you store up to 2000 songs locally using the 32GB of onboard storage. You can load playlists from streaming services like Spotify, Amazon Music, and Deezer. Playback requires connecting Bluetooth headphones as neither watch has a built-in speaker.

This music functionality comes in handy when hiking, running or playing golf without needing to bring your phone. The Forerunner 965 also allows controlling music playback on your phone.

Notifications and Alerts

When paired to your smartphone, the watches can display notifications from any app so you can stay updated without taking out your phone. This includes text messages, calendar events, emails and more.

Quick Replies and Rejecting Calls

On Android, you can send quick canned text responses directly from the watch to incoming calls or texts. Both watches also let you reject calls with an automated text response.

Limitations- No Phone Calls

Neither watch has a speaker or microphone, so you cannot make calls directly on the devices or listen to music without bluetooth headphones. Certain features like quick replies are restricted to Android phones.

While very useful for alerts and music playback sans phone, the S70 and Forerunner 965 are limited in call making/taking and full smartwatch functionality by lacking a speaker and microphone. But their connectivity features enhance their versatility.

Hiking and Climbing Feature Deep Dive

When you’re conquering trails and mountains, having an advanced multisport watch can provide helpful data and navigation. Here’s how the S70 and Forerunner 965 compare when it comes to hiking and climbing features.

Shared Capabilities

Both watches record key metrics like:

• Total ascent and descent
• Elevation gain and loss
• Distance traveled
• 3-axis compass for bearing

This allows you to track elevation profiles and mileage on hikes or climbs. You can also load GPS routes to follow.

Forerunner 965 Exclusive Features

The Forerunner 965 stands out as the ultimate Garmin watch for hiking and climbing thanks to its extensive navigation, planning, and tracking features purpose-built for the trails.
The Forerunner 965 includes more robust tools tailored for the trails:

• On-watch topo and trail maps – With GPS navigation aids like back to start, breadcrumb view, and TracBack routing
• Breadcrumb Navigation – Provides a real-time breadcrumb map showing your current route as you hike or climb. This lets you see the entire path traveled up to that point. Critical for situational awareness, retracing steps, and avoiding getting lost when used alongside topo maps.
• ClimbPro Ascent Planner – Provides detailed ascent data like gradient, distance to the top and bottom, and elevation gain remaining when climbing. Lets you gauge your effort and progress when tackling tough climbs.
• Storm alerts – Warn you of drops in barometric pressure
• UltraTrac Battery Mode – Improves GPS battery life by tracking points less frequently during long expeditions. Still provides enough tracking detail. Essential for multi-day hikes or climbs where normal GPS drain would be untenable. Allows recording entire activity.
• Rest timer – Helps time appropriate rests at intervals during ultra distance hikes
• Back To Start – Allows you to instantly navigate back to the activity’s start point in a straight line, providing peace of mind. Eliminates the need to meticulously track your route to return safely. Useful if low light, weather changes, or fatigue set in.
• TracBack Routing – Lets you navigate back along the actual path you traveled to return to the start or any previous point reached using the breadcrumb trail. Provides backtracking capability if you need to return to a certain junction or trail fork that veered from the return path.

The Clear Hiking Watch

While the S70 offers the basics for hiking activities, the Forerunner 965 provides much more advanced mapping, navigation, planning, and power management tools specialized for long days on the trails. For serious hikers and climbers, the Forerunner 965 is the superior choice.

Cycling Features

While designed as versatile multi-sport watches, the Forerunner 965 provides a much more robust cycling feature set compared to the S70.

Shared Cycling Functions

For basic ride tracking, the S70 and Forerunner 965 both offer:

• Biking activity profiles for road, indoor, and mountain biking to optimize data tracking.

• Core metrics like speed, distance, duration, elevation gain, and heart rate. Useful for monitoring your rides.

• Alerts to trigger notifications when reaching set goals for the activity like mileage or time.

Forerunner 965 Additional Cycling Features

The Forerunner 965 stands out as the ultimate Garmin watch for cyclists thanks to its vast array of purpose-built cycling features. Where the Forerunner 965 pulls far ahead is the following wealth of advanced cycling tools:

• Variety of additional biking profiles – Options for road, gravel, mountain, commuting, touring, cyclocross, and eBiking to optimize data tracking for each discipline. Provides the most tailored experience.

• On-device cycle maps – Preloaded routable street and trail maps allow navigation of saved or downloaded cycling routes right from the watch. Provides turn-by-turn guidance without needing a phone.

• Mountain biking grit and flow ratings – Grades trail segments during mountain bike rides based on difficulty and experience desirability to quantify each ride. Helps select future trails.

• Power meter connectivity – Pairs with external sensors like Vector and Rally to capture advanced power data like watts and FTP to analyze cycling performance and growth.

• Cycling dynamics sensors – Captures metrics like platform center offset, power phase, and seated vs standing position when using vector power meters to perfect pedal stroke and bike fit.

• Aerodynamic accessories – Syncs with Varia rear radar, smart bike lights, and off-bike displays like Varia Vision to enhance awareness and reduce drag.

• Race an Activity – Virtually races a previous or downloaded activity for extra motivation and to gauge performance improvements.

• Power Guide – Provides real-time guidance on whether you are in the optimal power zone for your goals during a ride. Helps optimize pacing and training stimulus.

The Cycling Watch Winner

While the S70 covers basics like speed and HR monitoring, the Forerunner 965 is packed with features purpose-built for road cyclists, mountain bikers, bike commuters and casual riders alike. For cyclists who train seriously, the Forerunner 965 provides unparalleled data, connectivity, mapping, and performance features purpose-built for riding. It is the ultimate cycling companion.

Swim Features

Both Garmin watches provide robust swim tracking, but the Forerunner 965 has the edge for serious swimmers wanting more detailed data and training tools.

Shared Swim Features

The S70 and Forerunner 965 both offer:

• Pool swim mode with metrics for distance, pace, stroke count and type detection for freestyle, back, breast, and fly.

• Basic rest timer for interval training.

• Underwater wrist-based heart rate without a chest strap.

• Alerts for time or distance goals.

Forerunner 965 Additional Swim Features

The Forerunner 965 also includes:

• Open water swim mode with GPS tracking of distance, pace, stroke count and more.

• Drill logging to record kick sets, one-arm drills, etc.

• Repeating/auto rest timers for more flexible interval training.

• Pacing alerts to stay on target for each set.

• Pool swim workouts with built-in drills and sets.

• Critical swim speed measurement and training targets.

• Enhanced heart rate from external sensors for live readings anytime and session summaries.

The Swim Watch Winner

While the S70 covers the basics well, the Forerunner 965 is designed for serious swimmers who want robust data, structured workouts, open water tracking and superior heart rate. It provides the best swim training experience.

Staying Safe on Adventures

Having safety features and tracking tools built into your sports watch provides peace of mind when training and exploring alone. Here is how the S70 and Forerunner 965 compare:

Incident Detection

Both watches have Incident Detection that can sense if you have taken a hard fall or crash during certain activities. An alert with your location can then automatically be sent to your emergency contacts for help. This adds a layer of protection for solo sports like trail running, cycling, or hiking.

LiveTrack

The S70 and Forerunner allow sharing your real-time location during activities with chosen friends/family using Garmin’s LiveTrack functionality. They can follow your route live on a web link for monitoring.

Forerunner Exclusive Features

The Forerunner 965 also includes:

• Group LiveTrack – Share to multiple contacts simultaneously so more people can track your activity. Useful for events or group trips.

• Spectator Messaging – Friends can send motivation messages to your watch screen during events or races when tracking via LiveTrack.

• Live Event Sharing – Broadcasts your location and performance metrics in real-time to specific apps and platforms during races or events. Allows viewing on event screens.

While both watches help you stay connected and safe solo, the Forerunner 965 provides enhanced location sharing and monitoring tools for added security and engagement.

Training Metrics and Workouts Options Compared

Optimizing your training and tracking progress requires many data and insights that most sports watches do not provide. Here is how the training features and workout options for the S70 and Forerunner 965 compare. Both watches provide the following training features:

Shared Training Features

• Interval training – Create custom timed or distance-based intervals.

• Advanced workouts – Build complex sets and target metrics for each step.

• Auto/manual lap – Mark laps automatically or manually during activities.

• Performance metrics – Training load, VO2 max, recovery time and more.

• Activity history – Stores completed activities to track progress over time.

• Adjustable HR zones to target different effort levels

• Downloadable training plans with guided workouts

• Advanced data pages to customize stats displayed

• Virtual partner to compete against previous activities

Forerunner 965 Additional Features

When evaluating training capabilities, the Forerunner 965 provides more robust tools and actionable insights compared to the S70. Only the Forerunner 965 offers:

Enhanced Workout Options

• Improved intervals – Create repeats with more flexibility including open-ended intervals. Provides an intervals data page and rest timer.

• Audio prompts – Get alerts, lap announcements, pacing updates and more through Bluetooth headphones during activities.

• Race an activity – Virtually compete against a past activity or downloaded course for extra motivation.

• Custom workouts with complex targets and open-ended repeats

Informed Guidance

• Training readiness score combining sleep, recovery, and HRV data to indicate if you should train hard, easy, or rest

• Daily workout suggestions – Get 7-day recommended workout options based on recovery, load and fitness data.

• Endurance score – Rates your volume and intensity over time to optimize training periods.

• Course guidance – Follow downloaded routes with turn prompts and on-course features.

• Heat/altitude acclimation insights when training in tough conditions

• Real-time stamina showing exertion adaptations during activities

Run-Specific Features

• HRM Running – Captures advanced running dynamics like cadence, ground time, oscillation and more (with chest strap).

• Rest timer – Time breaks between hard intervals with precision.

Achieving Your Goals

While both provide robust training features, the Forerunner 965 provides more actionable insights to optimize daily readiness, adaptations, and workout performance. This helps athletes periodize and progress effectively.

The Definitive Verdict: Forerunner 965 is the Superior Multi-Sport Watch

When comparing the premium Garmin S70 and Forerunner 965 watches, the Forerunner 965 emerges as the clear winner for multi-sport athletes and adventurers wanting one rugged GPS watch that excels across activities.

While the S70 offers unmatched specialized golf features like slope compensation, touch targeting, virtual caddie and full vector maps, the Forerunner 965 trails only slightly on golf capabilities.

But for runners, cyclists, swimmers, hikers, and fitness enthusiasts wanting detailed data and advanced training tools, the Forerunner 965 dominates with its vast array of purpose-built specialty sport modes and features.

The Forerunner adds running dynamics, open water swim tracking, on-device cycling maps, ClimbPro for hiking, stamina and training readiness metrics and more not found on the S70. It also provides up to 1.5X the battery life of the S70.

So while the S70 is the premier golfing watch, athletes wanting a single rugged, long-lasting watch to excel in golf along with other activities should choose the Garmin Forerunner 965 for its unrivaled multi-sport versatility. Its wider range of advanced training features make it the ultimate high-end GPS sports watch.