Garmin Forerunner 970 VS Suunto Vertical 2

The Garmin Forerunner 970 and Suunto Vertical 2 both feature OLED/AMOLED displays, offering high-quality visuals. The Forerunner 970 has a 1.4″ screen with a resolution of 454 x 454 px and a pixel density of 458.6 ppi. The Vertical 2, on the other hand, has a slightly larger 1.5″ screen, with a resolution of 466 x 466 px and a pixel density of 439 ppi. While the Forerunner 970 has a slightly higher pixel density, the Vertical 2’s larger screen could offer a more expansive display experience.

In terms of durability, the Forerunner 970 and Vertical 2 are both waterproof, with an ATM rating of 5 ATM for the Forerunner and 10 ATM for the Vertical 2, making the Vertical 2 slightly more resistant to water pressure. Both devices feature sapphire glass displays, which enhance their scratch resistance. Neither watch comes with branded damage-resistant glass.

When it comes to size and weight, the Forerunner 970 is lighter at 56 g and slightly thinner at 12.9 mm, compared to the Vertical 2’s 74 g and 13.6 mm thickness. Both devices have replaceable watch bands, touch screens, and always-on displays. The Garmin has a maximum operating temperature of 60 °C and a minimum of -20 °C, while the Suunto model has a maximum of 55 °C and the same minimum temperature. The dimensions of both watches are close, with the Forerunner being 47 mm in height and 47 mm in width, while the Vertical 2 is 49 mm in height and 49 mm in width. The Forerunner’s smaller volume (28.5 cm³) also makes it more compact than the Vertical 2’s larger 32.7 cm³ volume.

Both the Garmin Forerunner 970 and Suunto Vertical 2 are equipped with a variety of sensors to track and monitor fitness data. Both watches feature GPS, heart rate monitors, blood oxygenation monitoring, barometers, accelerometers, compasses, and gyroscopes. The key difference between the two lies in the additional sensors they offer. The Vertical 2 includes a wind speed sensor, which the Forerunner 970 lacks, while the Forerunner 970 offers a temperature sensor, which the Vertical 2 does not.

Neither watch includes a cadence sensor or the ability to monitor perspiration, so both are limited in this regard. However, both watches are equipped with similar core sensors, making them well-suited for a wide range of outdoor and fitness activities.

Overall, while the two watches are similar in terms of sensor features, the Vertical 2 has the advantage of a wind speed sensor, while the Forerunner 970 offers a temperature sensor. Both devices provide comprehensive tracking capabilities with their existing sensors.

The Garmin Forerunner 970 and Suunto Vertical 2 offer a similar set of activity tracking features. Both watches include route tracking, distance tracking, pace measurement, trackback mode, sleep tracking, multi-sport mode, automatic activity detection, elevation tracking, step tracking, sleep reports, exercise tagging, stroke counting for swimming, and calorie intake tracking. These overlapping features make both watches capable fitness companions for a variety of activities.

The primary differences lie in the specialized activity tracking modes. The Forerunner 970 is designed for golf, while the Vertical 2 is designed for diving. These unique features are tailored to specific activities, but neither device supports both, with each watch focused on different sports.

Overall, the activity tracking capabilities are nearly identical, with the key distinction being the Forerunner 970's golf-specific design and the Vertical 2's diving focus. Both watches excel in general fitness tracking and provide a wide range of useful features for multi-sport enthusiasts.

The Garmin Forerunner 970 and Suunto Vertical 2 both offer compatibility with iOS and Android devices, ensuring wide support across mobile platforms. However, when it comes to additional connectivity features, the two watches differ. The Forerunner 970 supports Wi-Fi, while the Vertical 2 does not. Additionally, the Forerunner 970 supports ANT+ connectivity, which allows for wireless communication with compatible devices, while the Vertical 2 does not have ANT+ support.

Both devices lack a cellular module, meaning they do not support cellular connections for calls or messages directly through the watch. The Forerunner 970 also includes NFC support, allowing for features such as contactless payments, whereas the Vertical 2 does not offer NFC functionality.

In summary, the Forerunner 970 has more robust connectivity options with Wi-Fi, ANT+, and NFC support, while the Vertical 2 is more limited in this area, lacking Wi-Fi, ANT+, and NFC capabilities.

The Garmin Forerunner 970 and Suunto Vertical 2 offer different battery life expectations and charging capabilities. The Forerunner 970 provides up to 15 days of battery life under typical usage, while the Vertical 2 offers a significantly longer 30 days of battery life. In terms of GPS use, the Forerunner 970 lasts for 26 hours, whereas the Vertical 2 can last up to 75 hours with GPS on. For intensive training, the Forerunner 970 provides 14 hours of battery life in training mode, compared to the Vertical 2’s impressive 90 hours.

Regarding charging features, the Forerunner 970 does not support wireless charging, while the Vertical 2 offers this feature for added convenience. Both watches have rechargeable batteries, but neither includes a removable battery or a solar-powered battery.

In summary, the Vertical 2 stands out with its longer battery life, especially with GPS on and during training, and its wireless charging capability. The Forerunner 970, while having a shorter battery life, offers solid performance for standard usage and GPS activities.

The Garmin Forerunner 970 and Suunto Vertical 2 share several useful features, with both offering HRV tracking, VO2 max measurement, resting heart rate monitoring, and the ability to show readiness levels. They both also include features like vibrating alerts, stopwatches, phone locator functions, silent alarms, notifications, and the ability to provide sunrise and sunset times. Both watches also support Galileo for GPS accuracy, and they offer 32GB of internal storage.

However, the Forerunner 970 has several additional features not found on the Vertical 2. It provides fast/slow heart rate notifications, fall detection, call control, and the ability to upload maps. The Forerunner 970 also has the ability to be used for answering calls and has voice commands, which the Vertical 2 lacks. Additionally, the Forerunner 970 can acquire GPS signals faster and has an alert for the risk of thunderstorms, while these are not specified for the Vertical 2.

The Vertical 2, in contrast, lacks the fall detection, call answering, voice commands, and fast/slow heart rate notifications found in the Forerunner 970, and it cannot be used for answering calls. The Vertical 2 also lacks the fall detection feature but retains other core functions such as HRV tracking and notifications, making it similar to the Forerunner 970 in many aspects, though with fewer advanced features.

The Garmin Forerunner 970 and Suunto Vertical 2 offer a very similar set of app and software features, with both providing activity reports, inactivity alerts, calorie counting, goal setting, achievements, exercise diaries, weight tracking, water intake tracking, coaching, route support, and map inclusion. These features make both watches effective for tracking and improving fitness and health.

Both devices also lack a barcode scanner on the app, so users will need to manually log any items without this feature.

In summary, the Garmin Forerunner 970 and Suunto Vertical 2 are nearly identical in terms of app and software functionality, offering the same set of features without any significant differences between them.

Both the Garmin Forerunner 970 and Suunto Vertical 2 offer similar miscellaneous features. Each watch has a battery level indicator, and both are compatible with Windows and Mac OS X, ensuring broad support for different operating systems. Additionally, neither watch includes an external memory slot nor a socket for a 3.5 mm audio jack.

In summary, the Garmin Forerunner 970 and Suunto Vertical 2 are identical in this category, offering the same connectivity and feature set with no notable differences between the two.