If it’s time to up your game and invest in a new fitness watch and you only want the best, we’ve reviewed two powerhouses that should be top of your list.
In our roundup of the best fitness watches, two clear favourites emerged. The Garmin Forerunner 970 is the brand’s newest model in the Forerunner 900 series and packed with biometrics and advanced tech, whereas the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is an adventure watch that’s uber-connected and intuitive.
There’s only one man for the job of deciding, once and for all, which of these two watches — both billed as ‘the best the brand has to offer’ — truly deserves the title of best fitness watch. We turn to Men’s Fitness professional product tester, ultra-runner, and gym-goer, Mike Sawh.
In Mike’s independent reviews of both fitness watches, he found that price doesn’t always equal performance. Where Garmin is concerned, Mike’s reviewed pretty much every single watch in the range over the past decade and can pinpoint the key features that will boost your fitness. Equally, Mike’s had his hands on every iteration of the Apple Ultra and here dissects the wrist-based smarts and rugged adventure capabilities intended in the Ultra 3.
To reach a verdict, Mike trained with the Forerunner 970 and Ultra 3 watches for over four weeks, running across a range of distances and tackling regular gym sessions near his base in West London.
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We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Our team of fitness kit reviewers includes experienced product testers and fitness writers – as well as the core MF team – who know exactly what sets the best products apart from the rest. These two fitness watches were tested by experienced fitness product tester Mike Sawh. Find out more about how we test.
How do the watch designs stack up?
The Garmin Forerunner 970 was released in May 2025 and immediately impressed with its updated advanced metrics and useful new features. After time spent at Garmin’s Kansas Headquarters, Mike was fully briefed on the 970’s design remit: “to make things a bit more fun and inspired by the kit and shoes you whip on when going for a run.”
The colorways on offer evidently fit that brief, including a black, a gold/indigo option, and the white/lime combination here on test. Garmin also has all the strap colour options under the sun if you want to swap out yours depending on the occasion.
There are several meaningful updates from the previous Forerunner, too. “A titanium bezel gives it a clean, premium sheen and surrounds a touchscreen [35mm] that’s the brightest Garmin has ever slapped onto one of its watches. I’m glad that the screen protection has been upgraded to sapphire crystal, as my Forerunner 965 acquired two identical scratches picked up from taking it for a swim in the sea.”
Unusually though, it’s the new LED flashlight built into the top of the watch’s casing that really steals the show. Immensely bright and simple to tap on in the dark by a double click of a button, the flashlight also has multiple brightness options and a red mode. Like others who have raved about the 970, Mike admits the feature is “life changing on those nighttime runs or scrambling around in your bedroom without turning on the big light.”
The Apple Ultra 3 was released to the market in September 2025, and it’s immediately apparent that this newest version in the Ultra series is bigger and better than ever. Although Mike notes that the visual changes from the Ultra 2 aren’t obvious, that’s because Apple’s focus for the v3 is more subtle – durability is king here.
In terms of design, that translates to a large (49mmx44mm) and square watch face, along with three buttons, namely the twisting crown button with haptic feedback (right) and big orange action button (left) to customise with your preferred shortcut. The main interface for both the 970 and the Ultra 3 watches is touchscreen, with additional buttons allowing for easier navigation on the go or with sweaty fingers.
Colourways for the Ultra 3 are equally numerous, with Apple offering two casing options of black or natural (silver), followed by four different strap materials (fabric, silicone, and chainlink), with an array of colours to choose from.
The winning duo of a matte titanium casing paired with sapphire crystal screen goes some ways toward bulletproofing, and this construction is found on both the 970 and Ultra 3. While the screen gets some size upgrades, notably: “Apple’s new wide-angle OLED screen aims to improve viewing angles when glancing at it in brighter light. I can’t say I noticed a massive difference, but offering more screen estate without having to grow the size of the watch is something I’m on board with.”
Useful features that add value
It’s no surprise to see that both the 970 and Ultra 3 are overflowing with features. The 970 is stuffed with some of the best parts of Garmin’s Fenix line, without the overtly rugged design. As is typical with Garmin, there’s a lot to like in the 970’s reliable tracking and mapping capabilities. The new multiband GPS tech locks onto a signal quickly and reliably, while the heart-rate sensor is accurate, and like the Ultra 3, the 970 can now take ECG measurements.
Since the 970 is a watch geared originally towards runners, new advanced run metrics are a welcome addition and come in the form of running economy and running tolerance: “Both want to help you think more about the time you spend hitting the track and your weekly volume. Think of these metrics influencing how efficiently you run and making sure you’re not putting yourself at risk of injury.”
Connectivity has been taken even further than previous Forerunners with a new microphone and speaker for hands-free communication, including intercepting calls and voice commands. And then, there’s the aforementioned flashlight, which just speaks for itself.
The Ultra 3 gives the 970 a proper run for its money where connectivity is concerned. “That communication boost comes from the new satellite connectivity”, shares Mike. “When you’re out of Wi-Fi range or have no mobile coverage, the satellite icon will pop up on your watch face and you can then send texts, share location or send an SOS emergency message to emergency services if you get into serious trouble.”
Off-grid connection is more than just useful, it’s a great safety tool that the Ultra 3 has expertly honed. Part and parcel of that is battery life. The Ultra 3 has extended its battery life to 2-3 days, almost a 100% improvement from the previous version. While fast charging means you can get a full day’s juice in just 15min. Regardless, the 970’s battery life completely blows any competition out the water (apart from the Coros Nomad), with 26h battery in GPS mode and comfortably lasting over a week in smartwatch mode.
Like the 970, the ultra 3’s performance metrics have had a significant upgrade: “Apple says it’s packed the Ultra 3 with the best GPS performance from a smartwatch, which will be music to the ears of runners, riders and even open water swimmers. Cyclists and runners get a bigger hit of metrics to analyse performance and you can monitor training load to make sure you take rest days when they’re most needed.”
There are also new hypertension notifications for those keeping a closer eye on blood pressure and sleep scores for more global fitness and recovery tracking.
Performance and training prowess
We come to expect high performance from Garmin and the 970 does not disappoint: “The multiband GPS mode didn’t falter in outdoor environments ripe for causing a signal nuisance and it was a similar story tracking heart rate, even when upping the intensity with more explosive workout sessions.”
Though the advanced run metrics are a welcome addition, some additional equipment is required, explains Mike. “Making the most of the new running metrics requires investing some training time before they start to become useful. It does also require Garmin’s new HRM-600 heart rate monitor chest strap to unlock them, which brings added expense to an already very expensive training companion.”
While if gym is your main focus, you’ll be pleased to hear that the Forerunner range has started to delve more into its strength and conditioning tracking: “It’s great to see that strength training is now more of a focus for Garmin and while its delivery still needs some work on the tracking of reps and movements, being able to build plans that can be sent over to the watch and see muscle heat maps to know when you’re neglecting leg day are steps in the right direction.”
While the Ultra 3 is the biggest smartwatch in Apple’s range, it’s also packed with the most features. Like the 970, Mike notes the Ultra 3’s outstanding activity tracking in all environments – from urban jungles to dense forest. It’s only once in the gym though, that really begin to see the Ultra 3’s value: “indoors, Apple’s own apps have you well covered for activities, including functional and traditional strength training, as well as other sporting pursuits such as squash and yoga.”
It’s well suited to monitoring your gym session, especially when it comes to weight lifting and other more static exercises. Mike notes that “The built-in heart rate monitor is a better match for measuring efforts during stationary or steady paced workouts as opposed to high intensity ones.”
Garmin Forerunner 970 vs Apple Watch Ultra 3: Specs
| Garmin Forerunner 970 | Apple Watch Ultra 3 | |
| Price | £629.99/$749.99 | £749/$799 |
| Display | AMOLED, 454 x 454 pixels | Retina LTPO OLED, 3000 nits (peak), 422 x 514 pixels |
| Display size | 35mm diameter | 49 x 44mm |
| Battery life | 26h max GPS mode, over 1 week smartwatch mode | 2-3 days smartwatch mode |
| Materials | Titanium bezel, sapphire crystal lens, silicone strap | Titanium bezel, sapphire crystal lens, fabric/silicone/metal strap |
| Weight | 56g | 61.6g |
| Memory | 32GB | 64GB |
Verdict and value for money
Overall, it’s clear after reviewing both these watches that you can’t really go wrong with either frontrunner from such behemoth brands as Garmin and Apple. The Garmin Forerunner 970 (£629.99) is a streamlined, classical-looking sports smartwatch with a larger focus on multisport athletes and advanced run-specific fitness metrics. Paired with Garmin’s excellent GPS tracking and accurate biometric analysis, you’re looking at the whole package in a sport-centred smartwatch.
The Apple Ultra 3 (£749) offers many similar metrics to the 970, with some additional connectivity options and health trackers, plus this iteration has a real focus on creating a durable offering for hardcore adventures. Sitting on the wrist, it’s more of a unit than the 970, yet remains intuitive and tactile to use. Like the 970, it’s got all the features you’d expect in a high-end smartwatch but with shorter battery life and will set you back an extra £110.
If you’ve trained with a fitness watch before, it’s possible you already have a preference between the two brands and may just want to go with your gut. Otherwise, we’d recommend runners to go with the 970 and the plethora of performance analytics and excellent outdoors mapping on offer, while those whose sport is primarily gym and indoor activities would be best suited to the strength training support offered by the feature-packed Ultra 3.
How I tested both watches
“I am an ultramarathon runner and professional product tester, so know how to put training tech through its paces. I trained with each of these watches for a minimum of four weeks, running across a range of distances near my base in West London, as well as doing regular gym sessions.”
For more information, see how we rate and test products.
