I tried Garmin’s Forerunner 570 smartwatch on launch day at its HQ in Kansas City

When it comes to running watches, Garmin’s Forerunner range is a bit of a legend. The series has been the trusty training sidekick for runners of all levels for years – whether that’s beginners just getting going with 5Ks or those going deep into marathon training.

I was at the brand’s massive global HQ in Olathe, Kansas City, this week for the official launch of its brand new watches in this series, where it not only unveiled the flagship Forerunner 970, but also a fresh mid-range model, the Forerunner 570. We’d already seen a few leaks of the flagship leading up to launch, so that was kind of expected, but the 570 was a total surprise.

Garmin’s Forerunner 570 is now available with a retail price starting from $549.99/£459.99/AU$999. While that’s not exactly budget territory, it’s still well below the Forerunner 970 and Fenix range while bringing over a lot of the most useful features.

Not just a cosmetic refresh, the Forerunner 570 boasts a beefier update that quietly replaces the Forerunner 265 and, in doing so, ends the 200-series moniker altogether. Something Garmin’s VP of fitness and outdoor said was necessary because there was “too much of a jump” between the 100 and 200 series watches.

Taking the mid-range Forerunner into the 500s helps users understand the difference between the different series, he said, where the 100 Series is for beginners, the 500 Series for enthusiasts, and the 900 Series for professionals. It’s also ditched the old ‘S’ naming convention, which is a relief.

So what’s it like on the wrist? Let’s break down what’s stood out during my early testing and why I reckon this will be one to watch from Garmin.

Stunningly vibrant

I’ve only had a few hours with the Forerunner 570 so far, but it was enough time to get a solid feel for the upgrades – and there are quite a few. Coming in two sizes of 42mm and 47mm, the refresh isn’t just a small bump up in spec – it boasts some snazzy new colour ways never-before-seen in the series, a slew of new training tools, but – most notably – a  much better screen.

I’ve been testing out the 42mm model, which sports a 1.2-inch display with a 390×390 resolution, and the first thing I noticed was just how bright and sharp it is. I’d say it’s more vibrant than anything Garmin’s done before – it’s super easy to read in bright sunlight, and it’s simply a pleasure to look at. If you’re coming from a Forerunner 255 or 265, you’ll notice this improvement right away.

Somewhere else Garmin has switched things up for this launch is the Forerunner’s new colour options. Things are much more loud and playful this time ‘round. While my test model is the straight-up black for those who want to keep things minimal, there are some fruitier options to choose from, such as a raspberry with a translucent bone/mango band, a yellow with a translucent whitestone/turquoise combo, or indigo paired with purple.

They’re pretty out there, and I can imagine they’ll divide opinion among potential customers, but from what Garmin has said, that’s the point. As Collin Murray, the company’s senior industrial designer, put it: “We’re looking forward to the polarising feedback about the colours [ …] If you hate them, there’s a black watch.”

In classic Garmin style, the 570’s design is solid, well-built in all the right places and feels like it’ll stand the test of time. It’s also super comfortable on the wrist, which will be good news for those who prefer long distance running.

Training smarter

Looks aside, the Forerunner 570 packs in plenty of proper upgrades under the hood. One of the standout additions is the new training readiness score, which checks your sleep, recovery and training load each morning and tells you whether it’s a good day to push or take it easy. This is handy if, like me, you don’t always trust your own judgment when planning a workout.

Another new, noteworthy feature is auto-lap. This means you can load the official course into the watch during races and it’ll trigger laps based on real mile or kilometre markers, not just GPS. If you’ve ever had your watch beep “1 mile” long before you hit the race sign, you’ll know how useful that’ll be.

The 570 series is also bringing wrist-based running power in the form of training effect, VO2 max, and daily workouts that adapt based on how you’ve been running. Multi-band GPS and SatIQ are here too, giving better tracking without rinsing your battery. Speaking of, Garmin says it’ll last up to 11 days in smartwatch mode. While I’ve not yet had a chance to test it out, that’s a little lower than the 265’s quoted 13 days, but since you’re getting a much nicer display and some new tech in the mix, it’s not a bad trade.

On the smarter side of things, you’ve now got a speaker and mic for calls and voice control, plus music downloads (Spotify, Deezer, Amazon Music), Garmin Pay, safety features like incident detection, and wellness tracking for sleep and stress. Basically, all the useful bits.

• This free Garmin update makes your old fitness watch even better

Garmin Forerunner 570 early verdict

The launch of the 570 feels like the Forerunner range is coming into its own again. The brighter screen is a joy to look at during use, GPS accuracy seems top-notch, and the design feels like it has more personality than ever.

You’re also getting proper performance insights, smart features that should genuinely help, and the lots of new features across different areas of fitness and health that makes it more than just a running watch. Based on my early impressions here in Kansas City, the Forerunner 570 is shaping up to be one of Garmin’s best ever mid-range releases.