Key Takeaways
- The Garmin S70 has only a few upgrades to the golf features found in its predecessor, the Garmin S62, including a more advanced virtual caddie that takes elevation into account and comes with shot dispersion data for each club you want to use.
- The Garmin S70 comes with many extra fitness tracking features not found in the Garmin S62. These features are only found in the Garmin Fenix, Forerunner, and Vivoactive models, which are some of the best golf and fitness smartwatches for running.
- The Garmin S70 has a 1.4″ AMOLED display that is larger and brighter than the Garmin S62’s 1.3-inch LCD display.
- Unlike the Garmin S62, the Garmin S70 has built-in music storage that can store up to 2000 songs downloaded from Spotify, Amazon Music, and the iTunes store but not from Apple Music. However, the S70 does not have a speaker which means you will have to listen to your songs with Bluetooth headphones.
- Neither the Garmin S70 nor S62 has a built-in microphone or speaker so you won’t be able to use either one to make phone calls.
Garmin S70 vs S62 Comparison Chart
| Features and Specifications |  Garmin Approach S70 (47mm) |  Garmin Approach S70 (42mm) |  Garmin S62 (47mm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Release Date | May 2023 | May 2023 | January 2020 |
| Suggested Retail Price | $699.99 | $649.99 | $499.99 |
| Available Colors | Black only | White, Powder Gray | Black, White |
| Display Size | 1.4" (35.41 mm) diameter | 1.2" (32.02 mm) diameter | 1.3” (33.02 mm) diameter |
| Display resolution | 454 x 454 pixels | 390 x 390 pixels | 260 x 260 pixels |
| Weight | 2.0 ounce (56 grams) | 1.5 ounce (44 grams) | 2.2 ounce (61 grams) |
| Watch Case Width X Length x Thickness | 47 x 47 x 13.4 mm | 42 x 42 x 12.6 mm | 47 x 47 x 14.8 mm |
| Watch Band Circumference | Fits wrists with a circumference of 130-205 mm | Fits wrists with a circumference of 115-185 mm | Fits wrists with a circumference of 125-208 mm |
| Built-in Speaker and Microphone | No | No | No |
| Listen to Spotify or Amazon Music playlist without phone | Yes (must use Bluetooth Headphones) | Yes (must use Bluetooth Headphones) | No |
| Memory Storage | 32 GB (stores up to 2000 songs) | 32 GB (stores up to 2000 songs) | 1 GB (no song storage) |
| Slope compensated distances (PlaysLike) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual Caddie Club Recommendation Feature | Yes (takes wind and elevation into account) | Yes (takes wind and elevation into account) | Yes (takes wind into account) |
| Wind Speed and Direction | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Elevation | Yes | Yes | No |
| GLONASS and Galileo satellite navigation systems, multi-frequency positioning, barometric altimeter | Yes | Yes | No |
| Automatic Shot Tracking | Yes (CT10 club tracking sensors are needed for tracking putts and chip shots) | Yes (CT10 club tracking sensors are needed for tracking putts and chip shots) | Yes (CT10 club tracking sensors are needed for tracking putts and chip shots) |
| Manual Club Tracking | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic Club Tracking with Garmin Approach CT10 club tracking sensors | Yes (CT10 club tracking sensors purchased separately) | Yes (CT10 club tracking sensors purchased separately) | Yes (CT10 club tracking sensors purchased separately) |
| Make Phone calls | No | No | No |
| Receive Phone calls | Yes (with your iPhone or Android phone nearby) | Yes (with your iPhone or Android phone nearby) | Yes (with your iPhone or Android phone nearby) |
| Send text messages | Yes (with your iPhone or Android phone nearby) | 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 (with your iPhone or Android phone nearby) | Yes (with your iPhone or Android phone nearby) |
| Call emergency services with Emergency SOS | Yes (with your iPhone or Android phone nearby) | Yes (with your iPhone or Android phone nearby) | Yes (with your iPhone or Android phone nearby) |
| Distances to the back/middle/front of the green | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| List of hazard layup and carry distances to each hazard | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Wrist-based Heart Rate Monitor | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Blood oxygen saturation level readings | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| On-screen workout animations for strength training, yoga, or Pilates | Yes | Yes | No |
| Step-by-Step Workout Instructions for strength training, cardio, running, biking, yoga, and Pilates | Yes | Yes | No |
| VO2 Max | Yes | Yes | No |
| Interval Training | Yes | Yes | No |
| Virtual Running Partner | Yes | Yes | No |
| Incident Detection for Certain Outdoor Activities | Yes | Yes | No |
| Color touchscreen | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Overhead view of each hole displays bunkers, water hazards, etc | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Touch Targeting (distance to any target) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AutoShot round analyzer - view shot distances and locations and clubs used on a 2-D overhead course map on the free-to-use Garmin Connect website. | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Green View (layout and shape of the green) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Move flag location | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Step counter (Pedometer) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Inactivity alert | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Calories burned counter | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sleep monitor | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Distance traveled and time elapsed | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Apps for Running, Indoor Track Running | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Apps for Biking, Indoor Biking | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Apps for Pool Swimming | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Apps for Skiing, Snowboarding, XC Skiing, Stand Up Paddle Boarding, Rowing | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Apps for Strength, Cardio, Treadmill and Elliptical Training, Stair Stepping, Indoor Rowing and Walking, Yoga | No | No | Yes |
| Smartphone notifications, including incoming calls, texts, emails and alerts | Yes (vibrates) | Yes (vibrates) | Yes (vibrates) |
| Vibrating smartphone notifications and alarm | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| PinPointer blindshot assistance | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Save distances for up to 5 unmapped targets per hole | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic shot distance measurement | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Manual shot distance measurement | No | No | No |
| Digital Scorecard | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Stat tracking | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Time/Date/Alarm | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Countdown Timer/Stopwatch | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lens Material | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Bezel Material | Yes (scratch-resistant ceramic bezel) | Yes (scratch-resistant ceramic bezel) | Yes (scratch-resistant ceramic bezel) |
| Watch band material | Yes (silicone) | Yes (silicone) | Yes (silicone) |
| Touch-targeting - displays distance to any location | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| list of layup and dogleg distances | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Shot history for each hole | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 42,000+ Preloaded Golf Course Map | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Free Lifetime Course Updates | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Auto hole advance | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Handicap Scoring Options | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Swing Strength comparison with your normal full swing | No | No | No |
| Re-synchronize Your Swing Tempo | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Preloaded run profiles | Yes (Running, Indoor Running) | Yes (Running, Indoor Running) | Yes (Running, Indoor Running) |
| GPS-based distance, time and pace | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Clock Features (includes time, date, GPS Time Sync, Automatic daylight saving time, Alarm clock, Sunrise/sunset times) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Face It watch face creator - download a watch face or upload your own photo | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Contactless payment solution | Yes (Garmin Pay) | Yes (Garmin Pay) | Yes (Garmin Pay) |
| Battery life in GPS mode | Smartwatch mode: Up to 10 days GPS Mode Up to 15 hours (using default display settings: gesture wake-up in Smartwatch mode and always-on while golfing) | Smartwatch mode: Up to 10 days GPS Mode Up to 15 hours (using default display settings: gesture wake-up in Smartwatch mode and always-on while golfing) | Smartwatch mode: up to 14 days GPS mode: up to 20 hours |
| QuickFit watch bands - change your stylish watch band without tools to match your activity | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Waterproof | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Water rating | 5 ATM (50 meters) | 5 ATM (50 meters) | 5 ATM (50 meters) |
Golfing Features
The Garmin S70 and S62 are the two best dedicated golf watches on the market because they both have golf features not found in most other golf watches including slope technology for shots on uneven terrain, a virtual caddie that will make club recommendations based on wind speed and direction, blind shot compass, list of layup and carry distances for each hazard, overhead views and color graphics of each fairway and hazard for each hole, and shot and club tracking.
The Garmin S62 was released in January 2020 with a new major golf feature – the virtual caddie. The Garmin S60 was the predecessor to the S62 and it was a great golf watch but you had to use your own expertise to choose a club to use which may be difficult for someone just starting out. This is why the virtual caddie was such a big deal because it could fairly accurate suggestions for which club to use based on your past shot history with each club and wind data.
The Garmin Approach S70 golf gps watch was released in May 2023 but it did not come with any new major golf features. Instead, they just upgraded the virtual caddie feature to also factor in elevation for each club recommendation and they also included a shot dispersion chart that tells you where your shots will end up for each club recommendation.
| Golfing Features | Garmin Approach S70 | Garmin Approach S62 |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Caddie | Yes (based on wind and elevation) | Yes (based only on wind) |
| Wind Speed and Direction | Yes | Yes |
| Shot Dispersion Chart Used with Virtual Caddie | Yes | No |
| Elevation Measurements | Yes | No |
| Slope Technology (PlaysLike Distance) | Yes | Yes |
| Blind Shot Compass | Yes | Yes |
| Hazard Distances | Yes | Yes |
| Overhead Views of Each Hole | Yes | Yes |
| Shot Tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Club Tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Swing Tempo | Yes | Yes |
| Tempo Training | Yes | Yes |
Virtual Caddie
Both the Garmin S70 and S62 have a virtual caddie feature that recommends the club you should use for each shot based on your previous shot distances with each club and the wind speed and direction. However, the virtual caddie of the Garmin S70 includes a new shot dispersion chart that shows you what hazards you will have to deal with if you choose to use the club they recommend, and, unlike the S62, it will take elevation into account which will give you more accurate club suggestions.
So if you are thinking about buying the S70 in hopes of finding some amazing new golf features that will help you improve your golf game, you will be slightly disappointed. If you just care about the golf features, I would just stick with the S62.
Display Comparison
| Display Features | Garmin S70 | Garmin S62 |
|---|---|---|
| Display Technology | AMOLED | LCD |
| Screen Diameter | 1.4 inches | 1.3 inches |
| Resolution | 454 x 454 pixels | 260 x 260 pixels |
| Lens Material | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Bezel Material | Ceramic | Ceramic |
| Case Material | Fiber-reinforced polymer | Fiber-reinforced polymer |
Both watches feature a sunlight-visible, transflective MIP LCD display that offers good visibility in various lighting conditions, including bright sunlight. The screen size, resolution, and lens material are slightly different between the two models, with the Garmin Approach S62 having a slightly larger screen and higher resolution. The bezel and case materials are similar for both watches, with options for polymer or Cerakote ceramic bezels.
Please note that the specific materials and options may vary depending on the exact variant or edition of these models.
The Garmin S70 has a much better display than the Garmin S62 because it utilizes brighter AMOLED technology, instead of the LCD technology of the Garmin S62, and it also has a larger screen and higher resolution.
The AMOLED display of the Garmin S70 is much brighter and easier to read than the LCD display of the Garmin S62. Also the AMOLED display consumes less battery power than the LCD display.
The Garmin S70 has a bigger screen and higher resolution than the S62. The Garmin S70 has a 1.4-inch diameter circular touchscreen and 47mm watch housing while the S62 has a slightly smaller 1.3-inch diameter circular touchscreen and the same 47mm housing.
The Garmin S70 has much better looking graphics than the Garmin S62 because the larger AMOLED display holds more pixels, making the graphics brighter and more detailed. The display resolution of the Garmin S70 is 454 x 454 pixels while the Garmin S60’s display resolution is much lower at 260 x 260 pixels.
There is also a version of the Garmin S70 for people with thinner wrists such as women. It comes with a 1.2-inch diameter circular touchscreen and 42mm watch housing. It also has a resolution of 390 x 390 pixels.
Sensors
Both the Garmin S70 and S62 come with GPS, Garmin Elevate wrist heart rate monitor, pulse ox blood oxygen saturation monitor, compass, gyroscope, and an accelerometer.
However, only the Garmin S70 comes with access to GLONASS and Galileo satellite navigation systems, multi-frequency positioning, SatIQ technology, a barometric altimeter, and an ambient light sensor.
Access to GLONASS and Galileo satellite navigation systems and multi-frequency positioning will give you more accurate tracking and the SatIQ technology will improve battery life.
The barometric altimeter will give you elevation and pressure readings during your Hiking, Indoor Climbing, Bouldering, Climbing, and Mountain Biking activities.
Tracking Gym and Fitness Equipment Usage with the Garmin S70
| Workout Features | Garmin S70 | Garmin S62 |
|---|---|---|
| Cardio Workouts | Yes | No |
| Strength Workouts | Yes | No |
| HIIT Workouts | Yes | No |
| Yoga Workouts | Yes | No |
| Pilates Workouts | Yes | No |
| On-screen Workout Animations | Yes | No |
| On-screen Workout Muscle Maps | Yes | No |
| Automatic Rep Counting | Yes | No |
Garmin decided to take some really great gym and fitness equipment features from the Garmin Fenix and Vivoactive models and add them to the Garmin S70 including many different workout routines – some of which have step-by-step instructions and instructional animations – and automatic rep counting.
Workouts Available
The Garmin S70 comes with preloaded workouts for strength training, cardio, yoga, and Pilates. After you begin any of these workouts, the S70 will display each step of the workout and the goals for each step, including time and number of reps. If you choose any strength training, yoga, or Pilates workout, an instructional animation showing how to perform the workout will appear.
Also you can create and find more workouts and training plans using Garmin Connect and download them to your device.
Automatic Rep Counting
In the strength profile of the Garmin S70, there is an automatic rep counting feature that can automatically count the number of reps performed during training exercises that consist of distinct arm movements, such as pushups, curls, lat raises, squats, and bench presses. The exercises recognized typically consist of a basic motion and include a start, repeat, and end with a rest period in-between sets.
The S70 will have a tougher time tracking leg presses because they do not involve any arm motion. In these types of situations, during your rest period after completing your set, you can manually enter the reps and weight.
Fitness Tracking Features Comparison
| Fitness Tracking Features | Garmin S70 | Garmin S62 |
|---|---|---|
| Step Counter | Yes | Yes |
| Sleep Monitor | Yes | Yes |
| Wrist-based Heart Rate Monitor | Yes | Yes |
| Pulse Oximeter (Blood Oxygen) Monitor | Yes | Yes |
| VO2 Max Readings | Yes | No |
| Cadence | Yes | No |
| Run Workouts | Yes | No |
| Total Ascent/Descent | Yes (For Hiking, Climbing, and Mountain Biking) | No |
| Stroke Type Detection | Yes | No |
| Swim Time and Distance Alerts | Yes | No |
| Underwater Wrist-based Heart Rate | Yes | No |
| Virtual Partner | Yes | No |
| Interval Training | Yes | No |
| Automatically Marking Laps | Yes (For Running and Cycling) | No |
Both the Garmin S70 and S62 are known more as golf watches because they have many more golf features than fitness tracking features but with the S70, Garmin wanted to make it more of a fitness watch while keeping all of the same great golf features from the S62.
Both the Garmin S70 and S62 have many of the same fitness tracking features that would find in any standard smartwatch including a step counter, sleep monitor, wrist-based heart rate monitor, pulse oximeter to measure your blood oxygen saturation levels, and irregular heartbeat alerts.
Both the Garmin S62 and Apple Watch 7 come with apps for tracking running, cycling, walking, and strength training activities and they can also track your workouts on cardio gym equipment including treadmills, ellipticals, rowing machines, stair climbers, and indoor bikes.
However, the Garmin S70 has many extra fitness tracking features that give it the edge in this category. The Garmin S70 comes with many fitness features not found in the Garmin S62 including VO2 max readings for your runs, interval training, configurable lap alerts, training effect, improved recovery time, and a virtual partner to compete against.
VO2 Max
The S70 can record VO2 max readings which is an accurate indicator of the fitness level of any runners, skiers, or swimmers because it tells you how much oxygen you use while exercising.
Interval training
The S70 has an option for interval training for running, biking, or cardio activity profiles which allows you to create interval workouts based on distance or time. You can even enter a distance or time for your rest interval and select how many times you want the interval and rest sequence to repeat.
Training effect
Training Effect is an important measurement because it tells you how much of an impact an activity has on your aerobic and anaerobic fitness. The higher the training effect, the more of an impact that exercise has on your fitness. Training Effect is determined by your heart rate, exercise intensity, and training history.
Virtual Running Partner
For some exercise activities, the S70 will let you race against a Virtual Partner that runs at a certain pace or speed. You can view the Virtual Partner screen anytime you want to see the distance and time you are leading or behind by.
Safety and Tracking Features
The Garmin S70 comes with extra safety features not found in the Garmin S62 including incident detection for certain outdoor activities, which will send a text message to your emergency contacts containing your name and GPS location if the S70 detects an incident and it is paired with your phone.
Music Storage and Playback
| Music Storage Features | Garmin S70 | Garmin S62 |
|---|---|---|
| Memory Storage | 32 GB | 1 GB |
| Song Storage | Up to 2,000 songs | 0 songs |
| Third Party Music Providers | Amazon Music, Spotify, Deezer, and iTunes Store | No |
| Built-in Speaker | No | No |
| Bluetooth Headphones | Yes (compatible) | No |
The Garmin S70 comes with 32 GB of memory storage which allows it to store more than 2000 songs from your Amazon Music, Spotify, and Deezer playlists. This means you can go for a run with this watch and listen to your favorite tunes without having your Apple iPhone or Samsung Galaxy nearby. However, the Garmin S70 does not come with built-in speakers so you will have to connect your Bluetooth headphones to listen to your music.
Apple Music playlists cannot be downloaded to Garmin Music watches, but songs that you purchased from the iTunes Store can be downloaded. You will have to install the Garmin Express software on your computer and sync your watch to the iTunes library in the Garmin Express software before you can download anything.
The Garmin S62 doesn’t have music storage so you won’t be able to listen to music directly from the watch.
Phone Calls and Text Messages
Neither the Garmin S70 nor S62 have a built-in microphone so you won’t be able to make a phone call with either watch. If someone calls your phone or sends you a text message while either the S70 or S62 is connected to your phone, the screen will display the text message or the name or phone number of the person who called you. You will have to use your smartphone if you want to speak to the caller.
You can use either watch to receive phone calls, receive text messages, or send pre-written text messages already loaded onto the watch but you have to first, connect your iPhone or Android smartphone to the S70 or S62 via Bluetooth.
Battery Life Comparison
The Garmin S62 had the longest battery life of any golf watch when it was released so there was no pressing need to make improvements, which is why the battery life of the Garmin S70 in both GPS and smartwatch modes is slightly shorter.
The Garmin S62 can last up to 20 hours while the Garmin S70 can last only 15 hours if you are using GPS mode to look at the overhead views of each hole and getting target distances to the sand bunkers, water hazards, front of the green, flagstick, etc. The GPS mode of operation gets its name because while you are walking around the golf course with your watch, the watch communicates with GPS satellites to get up-to-date information about your location on the course. If I used either watch while skiing, they would have to use even more power because they would have to use an extra sensor (an altimeter) to get my altitude.
The operating mode of the Garmin S70 and S62 while only using the default settings is called smartwatch mode. This means that the watches are not tracking any exercise activities or sleep and they are receiving Bluetooth notifications on the display and 24/7 heart rate monitoring is turned on.
In smartwatch mode, the Garmin S70 can last up to 16 days while the Garmin S62 can last for a slightly shorter duration of 14 days.
Final Verdict
The Garmin S70 comes with nice upgrades to the display and fitness features but it does not come with many upgrades to the golf features. I do not think that the upgrades that Garmin integrated into the Garmin S70 justify the extremely high price of about $700. If I was on a budget, I would just buy the Garmin S62 for about $400 and be really happy with my purchase.
