Coros Pace 4 VS Garmin Forerunner 970

The Coros Pace 4 and Garmin Forerunner 970 both feature an OLED/AMOLED display, but differ in screen size, resolution, and pixel density. The Pace 4 has a 1.2″ screen with a resolution of 390 x 390 px, offering a pixel density of 459 ppi. In contrast, the Forerunner 970 sports a larger 1.4″ screen with a higher resolution of 454 x 454 px, resulting in a slightly lower pixel density of 458.6 ppi. Despite these differences, both displays have an Always-On feature and are touch-sensitive.

Both watches are waterproof with a 5 ATM water resistance rating, ensuring they can withstand submersion. The Coros Pace 4 has branded damage-resistant glass, while the Garmin Forerunner 970 does not specify any branded protection for its glass.

In terms of physical design, the Coros Pace 4 is lighter and thinner, weighing just 40 g with a thickness of 11.8 mm, while the Garmin Forerunner 970 is heavier at 56 g and slightly thicker at 12.9 mm. The height and width of the two devices also vary: the Pace 4 has a height and width of 43.4 mm, while the Forerunner 970 is slightly larger at 47 mm in both dimensions. Despite these differences, both watches feature replaceable bands and are built to handle a maximum operating temperature of 50 °C (Pace 4) and 60 °C (Forerunner 970), with both capable of operating in temperatures as low as -20 °C.

The Coros Pace 4 and Garmin Forerunner 970 both come equipped with a comprehensive suite of sensors. Both devices feature GPS, heart rate monitors, blood oxygen level monitoring, barometers, accelerometers, compasses, and gyroscopes. Additionally, both watches have temperature sensors, though the Pace 4 and Forerunner 970 share this feature in common.

Neither the Pace 4 nor the Forerunner 970 includes a cadence sensor or a wind speed sensor, and both lack perspiration monitoring. The key difference is that the Forerunner 970 offers the temperature sensor, which the Pace 4 also includes, ensuring that both watches have similar sensor capabilities in this regard.

Overall, the sensors across both models are very similar, with the main difference being the identical set of sensors, all present in both watches. There are no unique sensors for either model in this category.

The Coros Pace 4 and Garmin Forerunner 970 share a very similar set of activity tracking features. Both models include a route tracker, distance tracking, pace measurement, and trackback mode. Additionally, both watches track sleep, provide sleep reports, and support multi-sport modes. They also automatically detect activities, track elevation, monitor steps taken, and include exercise tagging and a stroke counter for swimming. Both watches also track calorie intake and are not specifically designed for diving.

The main difference between the two products lies in golf tracking. The Garmin Forerunner 970 is designed for golf, while the Coros Pace 4 is not. This is the only feature where the two models diverge in terms of activity tracking capabilities.

Overall, the activity tracking features of both watches are nearly identical, with the exception of the Forerunner 970’s support for golf tracking, which is not available in the Pace 4.

Both the Coros Pace 4 and Garmin Forerunner 970 are compatible with iOS and Android devices, ensuring cross-platform support. They also both support Wi-Fi connectivity, enabling users to sync data without needing a wired connection. Neither device has a cellular module, meaning both rely on smartphone pairing for any cellular-related features.

The key difference between the two products lies in their additional connectivity options. The Forerunner 970 supports ANT+, which allows it to connect with a wider range of fitness accessories, while the Pace 4 does not. Additionally, the Forerunner 970 has NFC, which is absent in the Pace 4.

Overall, while both watches offer essential connectivity features like iOS/Android compatibility and Wi-Fi, the Garmin Forerunner 970 stands out with its support for ANT+ and NFC, which are not available on the Coros Pace 4.

The Coros Pace 4 and Garmin Forerunner 970 differ slightly in battery performance. The Pace 4 offers a longer battery life, providing 19 days of usage and 41 hours with GPS on. In comparison, the Forerunner 970 has a shorter battery life of 15 days and 26 hours with GPS on.

Both watches feature rechargeable batteries, but neither supports wireless charging or solar power. Additionally, neither model has a removable battery.

Overall, the Coros Pace 4 outlasts the Garmin Forerunner 970 in terms of both general battery life and battery life during GPS usage, though both devices offer similar charging methods and lack advanced power-saving features like wireless or solar charging.

The Coros Pace 4 and Garmin Forerunner 970 share several advanced features, including HRV tracking, VO2 max measurement, resting heart rate monitoring, readiness level tracking, vibrating alerts, a stopwatch, phone locator, silent alarm, notifications, GPS acquisition, sunrise/sunset times, and the ability to control calls. Both devices support Galileo and have a single microphone. They also provide thunderstorm risk notifications and have 4GB (Pace 4) or 32GB (Forerunner 970) of internal storage.

The main differences between the two devices come down to a few specific features. The Forerunner 970 has fast/slow heart rate notifications, which the Pace 4 lacks. The Forerunner 970 can upload maps, while the Pace 4 cannot. Additionally, the Forerunner 970 supports voice commands and allows users to answer calls, while the Pace 4 does not have these functions. Lastly, the Forerunner 970 has a smart alarm, which is absent in the Pace 4.

Overall, while both watches share many core features, the Garmin Forerunner 970 includes a few extra capabilities, such as voice commands, call answering, and map uploading, which the Coros Pace 4 lacks.

The Coros Pace 4 and Garmin Forerunner 970 offer similar functionality in terms of app and software features. Both provide activity reports, track calories burned, allow goal setting, include achievements, offer an exercise diary, support weight tracking, track water intake, and provide coaching. They also support routes, predict start dates, and include temperature tracking.

The primary difference between the two is that the Garmin Forerunner 970 includes inactivity alerts, a feature not available on the Coros Pace 4. Both watches lack a barcode scanner on the app, so this feature is not a distinguishing factor.

Overall, both watches offer nearly identical features, with the key difference being the inactivity alerts present on the Forerunner 970 but not on the Pace 4.

Both the Coros Pace 4 and Garmin Forerunner 970 feature a battery level indicator, helping users monitor their device’s power. However, the two products differ in terms of computer compatibility. The Coros Pace 4 does not support either Windows or Mac OS X, while the Garmin Forerunner 970 is compatible with both Windows and Mac OS X.

Neither watch has an external memory slot or a socket for a 3.5 mm audio jack, so there are no additional connectivity options in this regard.

Overall, the key difference in this group is the Garmin Forerunner 970’s compatibility with Windows and Mac OS X, which the Coros Pace 4 lacks.