Garmin Forerunner 570

The Garmin Forerunner 570 arrived in May 2025 as the successor to the beloved Forerunner 265, inheriting that watch's reputation for hitting a sweet spot between price and capability and adding meaningful hardware refinements along the way. The most immediately striking upgrade is the display: Garmin describes it as the brightest AMOLED panel ever fitted to a Forerunner, and in direct afternoon sunlight that claim holds up. Where competing AMOLED screens can wash out in harsh outdoor conditions, the 570 stays sharp and readable at a glance — a practical benefit that accumulates across thousands of runs. It comes in 42mm and 47mm case sizes with five colorway options across the lineup, giving it more visual personality than any previous Forerunner and making it the most genuinely stylish sports watch Garmin has produced. GPS performance is the 570's strongest suit and is genuinely hard to fault. Its dual-frequency GNSS system logs accuracy that independent reviewers rate on par with the flagship Forerunner 970 — a result that makes the $200 price gap between the two watches more defensible on technical grounds. Training metrics are drawn from the same Garmin platform powering the 970: structured workouts, adaptive training plans from Garmin Coach, HRV Status, race time predictions, morning reports, and training readiness scores all carry over. The new microphone and speaker add a quality-of-life feature that feels natural by the third use: fielding a quick call mid-cooldown without pulling your phone out of your vest is the kind of convenience that sticks. The criticisms of the 570 are real and worth understanding before committing. At $549, the absence of offline topographic maps is a notable omission — the Suunto Race 2, which costs $50 less, includes full maps and sapphire glass. Garmin's own Forerunner 965, available at the same or slightly higher price depending on discounts, adds maps and a titanium bezel. The Gorilla Glass lens and aluminum bezel of the 570 feel appropriate for its price tier, but the positioning means it sits in an awkward no man's land between the excellent value of the discounted Forerunner 265 below it and the more complete flagship experience above. For runners whose primary arena is roads and treadmills — where maps are irrelevant and the brightest display and most polished Garmin coaching tools are the priority — the Forerunner 570 is an outstanding watch. For those who venture off-trail or want navigation safety nets, spending slightly more for maps is the wiser long-term decision.