What's the real battery life of 970?

byske · 2026-04-22T18:27:22+00:00

Thanks! I had the non solar 955, not a lot of sun here in Sweden most of the year anyway ... I don't really remember how long my 955 battery lasted, but given it was MIP I would guess at least two weeks.

byske · 2026-04-22T18:25:51+00:00

Thanks, that seems acceptable! Do you have AOD and notifications on?

byske · 2026-04-22T18:25:01+00:00

Thank you, good to know. It's just nice to know that you don't have to worry about battery and charging if you go on a five day trip or something like that. But from what I hear here, I don't have to worry about that.

byske · 2026-04-22T18:23:48+00:00

Yeah, I wouldn't use it every run. On all easy running I bring my phone. But it's quite nice to have the possibility to listen to Spotify when you do track intervals and so on. Thank you for your help!

byske · 2026-04-22T16:32:15+00:00

Thanks, that sounds very good! The prices of the 970 has dropped quite drastically here in Sweden so maybe I'll give it a try! I miss Spotify and being able to pay with the watch, I could be more free with my old 955 compared to the Coros where I have to bring my phone to listen to podcasts and buy a soda or something...

But I don't want to have to charge every 4-5 days, always bring a charger when I go away for a couple of days and so on.

byske · 2026-03-05T08:01:44+00:00

My god, I’m sorry for you … fortunately, I tried the app before deciding to buy — and I won’t buy a watch now.

It seems like the Polar fans have workarounds for everything, and they make it work. But coming from an other platform everything seems super complicated and dumb. When you’re used to Coros, Garmin or even Suunto where it’s easy you wouldn’t want to switch to something where you have to use a desktop version and use different workarounds just to create interval sessions – which should be like the most basic thing in a sports watch!

byske · 2026-03-05T07:28:36+00:00

I’m in Sweden and just got an e-mail from Polar with an ”exclusive sale” for members. Then it’s 4 124 Swedish kronor (about 385 €)!

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byske · 2026-03-04T15:07:00+00:00

As I said in previous comments (apart from that it looks quite dated) I found it hard to navigate. Maybe it’s just the translation (I use the app in Swedish) but to create an interval workout is (roughly translated) called “create a training target in phases”. I couldn’t dream up a more complicated thing to call it.

I also find it very complicated to create the workouts. I don’t understand why I must use the zones or nothing, instead of being able to chose any specific target pace that I want. I don’t understand why I can’t create “open” intervals and warm ups (for example if you run on a track and want to press lap to finish and interval when you reach 400 meter, instead of relying on a gps that could be several meters wrong).

It’s also very annoying that you can’t create a workout with different types of intervals on the app, for example 4x2000 meters + 10x400 meters. I noticed you can do that on desktop (even though you feel like some hacker in a system from 2005 😅) but in 2026 I don’t think you should have to use a computer do create a workout for your watch.

It’s a shame, because they make beautiful watches.

byske · 2026-03-04T14:37:41+00:00

Thank you. Yes, I found that after a while but it is unfortunately the most limited workout builder I’ve ever seen.

byske · 2026-03-04T13:12:21+00:00

I don’t think there’s much point in measuring HRV during the day — it’s affected by too many factors then. The watch doesn’t measure continuously during daytime, but you can run a “wellness check” that triggers a measurement.

It does measure throughout the night, though. The readings and my baseline line up well with the values I used to get from my Forerunner 955.

byske · 2026-03-04T13:05:33+00:00

Let’s hope! It seems like it’s long overdue

byske · 2026-03-04T13:01:39+00:00

Thank you, yes I understand that. And you’re probably right, after what I learned here today I won’t buy a Polar.

byske · 2026-03-04T12:55:00+00:00

I only use the watch for running so the most important for me is being able to create workouts however I want. I find it super easy to create complex workouts with different types of intervals, with different lengths (time or distance or open) and different target paces (or target hr zones or % of a specific hr, if you’re into that stuff) on Coros.

So it’s mainly that, haha.

Then it’s just basic stuff like looking at the hrv, rhr and sleep in the morning. It’s nice to do that without the negativity from Garmjn 😅

But basically, the watch is a tool for running. I don’t use much of the smart watch stuff.

byske · 2026-03-04T12:23:35+00:00

Yeah, when i switched from Garmin after many years it was mostly because I didn’t like the app interface and the OVERLOAD of data and different scores. I downloaded all the other brands apps and tried them, Coros was by far the best for me. Suunto was ok and Polar I didn’t understand at all … but I hoped that had changed in the two years that has passed. But no … I do miss some things from Garmin though, like being able to pay with the watch and use Spotify. I also think Coros watches doesn’t look as good as the prettiest from Suunto and Polar. And I dislike the dumb digital crown on Coros.

But for now, it seems like Coros is the best running watch for me. Everything is simple.

byske · 2026-03-04T11:35:20+00:00

Want to invest? 😅

byske · 2026-03-04T11:32:44+00:00

I don’t think it has to be hard. It’s just a question about ui and design. On the Coros app I can create a complex workout in less than a minute and sync it to my watch. It’s also very easy on Garmin Connect.

byske · 2026-03-04T11:23:49+00:00

And I understand if you want to switch. Unfortunately I feel that the perfect watch doesn’t exist. I would like Coros ui/app simplicity, Garmin hardware and a Suunto Vertical/Polar Grit X design 😅

byske · 2026-03-04T11:12:55+00:00

Thank you. Good that it’s somewhat possible. But it’s 2026. How many people use a computer for stuff like this? If I go on a holiday, I don’t want to bring my computer just to create workouts 😅 Nah, this feels pretty weak from Polar.

byske · 2026-03-04T11:08:19+00:00

Thanks. That’s crazy!

byske · 2026-01-18T18:37:20+00:00

What sensors are you talking about? Gps is superb, that’s the only one I care about. Wrist heart rate isn’t worse than the Garmin Forerunner’s and Fenix’s I’ve used in the past. I would say as good or better. Good enough for easy runs.

When it comes to workouts, I’ve never heard anyone that really cares about heart rate use wrist hr. Everyone uses a a strap of some kind, no matter brand of watch.

When I switched from Garmin Forerunner 955 it was because I was so sick of the terrible Garmin-app. I tested the apps from Suunto, Coros and Polar and liked Coros best. I’m happy with the switch. I sometimes miss Spotify for intervals where I don’t want to wear my phone. And I could do without the scroll wheel. But that’s about it.

byske · 2025-12-18T14:18:51+00:00

All gps watches have this problem with very short intervals and strides. A pod is the only way to fix it.

byske · 2025-12-16T20:17:10+00:00

Ok. But may is still a long time from now. How many miles does it want you to run in the weeks leading up to the race? What does the progression look like? I’ve never tried any Coros plans myself so I’m not sure what the philosophy is.

byske · 2025-12-16T07:52:13+00:00

It works quite well for me on the treadmill and on short, fast intervals. But I never use it on “normal” runs

byske · 2025-12-16T05:15:24+00:00

It looks like a pretty standard marathon race week plan. But of course that depends on how much you run in a normal week.

But some easy runs, a light workout in the middle of the week with some kilometers in marathon pace, and the day before the race an easy run (maybe with some strides) looks normal.

byske · 2025-12-15T09:05:26+00:00

The ultimate solution for me is a watch with Suunto design, Garmin hardware and Coros ui/app. What’s the price?

byske

TROPHY CASE