Is the Garmin Forerunner 70 good for a first-time runner?

Yes. It is Garmin’s entry-level running watch and covers everything a beginner needs, with Training Readiness and Training Status ready for when you start training seriously. Expect to spend a week learning the interface if you have not owned a Garmin before.

Forerunner 70 vs Forerunner 170: what's the real difference?

The 170 adds a barometric altimeter, Garmin Pay, open water swimming, power meter support with the Garmin Cycling Coach, and a compass, thermometer and gyroscope. Both watches share the same AMOLED display, the same Elevate Gen 4 heart rate sensor, single-frequency GPS and the full Garmin physio stack.

Is the Forerunner 70 GPS accurate?

Yes, within the limits of single-frequency GPS. It matched a Stryd footpod exactly on a measured suburban segment and produced the best 10-mile test result of any single-frequency watch I have tested. It drifts in urban canyons and close to tall buildings, as every watch does in those conditions.

How long does the Forerunner 70 battery actually last?

Garmin claims up to 23 hours in GPS-only mode, 16 hours in All-Systems GNSS mode and up to 13 days in smartwatch mode, falling to 5 days with the always-on display enabled. Across four continuously recorded tests, I averaged 18.6 hours of GPS use, with a worst case of 12.5 hours and a best of 25 hours.