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970 a good watch to buy or too many issues?

jav1z

Hi,

i’ve seen several people say the 970 is laggy and takes a while for activities to be saved. Is that still the case?

i am thinking of buying but wont bother if that’s the case - thanks 

  • 0

    The software is stable and the hardware is great overall, but the UI is definitely still a bit sluggish.

    If you want a perfectly snappy watch, you might actually prefer the 955. The slight lag on the 970 comes down to the high-resolution display paired with a processor that sometimes struggles to refresh all those extra pixels fast enough.

    It is an amazing watch, but that minor delay is a hardware limitation you just have to accept.

  • 0 in reply to Leon

    I disagree. I have a 965 and a 970 and the 965 is significantly faster, with the same display. In my opinion, the sluggish interface stems from firmware consolidation with the Fenix 8. The 965 had its own optimized firmware, while the 970 uses the software base of the Fenix ​​and others.

  • 0 in reply to RoWe

    Actually, the 965 and 970 don't have the same display. The 970 uses a much higher-density screen, meaning it has to push way more pixels. That's where the lag comes from: the processor just struggles to refresh that heavier visual load instantly.

    The shared Fenix firmware isn't the issue either. If anything, having a common software base actually helps Garmin optimize it faster because the code is being tested across a massive number of watches. The sluggishness you are seeing is almost entirely a physical hardware bottleneck, plain and simple.

  • 0 in reply to Leon

    Would you avoid buying the 970?

  • 0 in reply to Leon
    Leon said:
    Actually, the 965 and 970 don't have the same display. The 970 uses a much higher-density screen, meaning it has to push way more pixels.

    Are you confusing 965 with 955? Both 965 and 970 have 454x454 pixel screen.

  • 0 in reply to Bitti

    Yes, you are right, I meant 955, that I actually owned before and it was fast compared to 970.

  • 0 in reply to jav1z

    I bit the bullet and got the 970 after having the 955. I mainly wanted the bright AMOLED screen so I could see it
    without glasses, the crystal lens, and most importantly, the Elevate 5 heart rate sensor.

    Honestly, the minor hardware tweaks and new software features didn't matter much to me. I only use the watch for
    notifications and raw data collection, as I do all my data analysis on outside platforms anyway. But the jump from the
    Elevate 4 to the Elevate 5 sensor was the biggest deciding factor. I wear a chest strap for workouts, but I want the
    best possible data during the day and while sleeping, and the Elevate 5 is a massive improvement for that.

    That being said, my expectations for Garmin's software are pretty low. On the 955, they broke the VO2Max tracking for a
    long time, and I had constant issues with Bluetooth headphones cutting out.

    Because of those bugs, I follow a strict protocol now:
    1. Auto-updates are always turned off.
    2. I check the forums for at least two weeks before installing any upgrade.
    3. I never buy a watch at launch; I wait two months for the first patches to land.

    Even with the software headaches, Garmin is still the only manufacturer providing the complete package,
    so there isn't really a better alternative right now.

  • 0

    For the price, I would skip for now.

    Laggy, unreliable at times, & exceedingly un-customisibe.

    I'd wager it would find better options for less. 

  • 0 in reply to Leon
    Leon said:

    The software is stable and the hardware is great overall, but the UI is definitely still a bit sluggish.

    If you want a perfectly snappy watch, you might actually prefer the 955. The slight lag on the 970 comes down to the high-resolution display paired with a processor that sometimes struggles to refresh all those extra pixels fast enough.

    It is an amazing watch, but that minor delay is a hardware limitation you just have to accept.

    I agree.  I upgraded from a 955 solar which I thought was very good yet I am constantly surprised at how much better the 970 is given the small price difference.

    It is a little bit laggy and the stock watch faces are rubbish but both of these things I can cope with for all the other improvements.

    Main improvements for me: much higher resolution and more easily readable display which makes a lot of difference for activities and makes the maps actually readable, torch (flashlight),  metal bezel, improved strap, better glass and higher quality feel to the case.  

    And then there are the other improvements such as evening report, health status glance, battery sports scores, stocks, but every Glance is better than the 955 because the display is so much better without seeming to have compromised battery life.

  • 0

    I've had my share of bugs, like the black screen during an activity that would not go away, if you tried to access music (fixed now). And I'm not sold on some of the interface changes, like only have tre favourite activities.

    Still, I don't regret buying the 970 and selling my 965. I use the flashlight surprisingly often and it's nice to answer calls if the phone is buried somewhere even though I don't use that feature regularly.