Garmin vs COROS for Running: Pace 4 vs Forerunner 170 Music and 165

The verdict

"Garmin vs COROS" is really a question about which watch, not which logo. The searches we see ask about exactly these models: COROS Pace 4 vs Garmin Forerunner 165, and Pace 4 vs Forerunner 170. So this page compares those three, and brings in the Garmin Forerunner 570 where the Pace 4 competes at marathon level.

Pace 4 vs Forerunner 170 Music vs Forerunner 165: the specs

Which one suits your level

Couch-to-5K: Garmin

The NHS Couch to 5K plan is nine weeks of timed run/walk sessions coached through a phone app, so a watch here is a bonus, not a need. If you want one, the Forerunner 170 Music and 165 both carry our C25K badge; the Pace 4's level fit, in our ratings, starts at 10K. Garmin's simplest option, the Forerunner 70, leads our best running watch for beginners list.

10K: either

All three suit a first 10K. The Garmins give more day-to-day guidance; the Pace 4 gives more battery and maps. If you'd have to guess which way you're headed next, that decides it.

Half marathon: Pace 4 or Forerunner 170 Music

Higdon's Novice 1 Half Marathon builds the long run to 10 miles over 12 weeks and notes that "GPS watches make measuring courses easy." Both the Pace 4 and the 170 Music carry our HALF badge. The Forerunner 165's fit stops at 10K in our ratings; it lacks the training readiness and music storage that the 170 Music adds.

Marathon: Pace 4, or step up to the Forerunner 570

Of these three, only the Pace 4 is rated for marathon training on our rubric. Higdon's Novice 1 Marathon puts a 20-mile long run in week 15 of 18, and the Pace 4's battery and maps suit that build. Garmin's closest match is the Forerunner 570, not the 170:

The 570 wins on Garmin's training tools, a built-in speaker and microphone, and a 42 mm size option. The Pace 4 wins on battery (up to 31 hours dual-frequency against the 570's up to 13 or 14 hours with multi-band on), on weight, and on maps, which the 570 doesn't list. Our GPS watches for marathon training ranks both against five more.

Battery: COROS's clearest win

COROS rates the Pace 4 for up to 41 hours with all satellite systems on, up to 31 hours in all-systems dual-frequency mode, and 24 hours dual-frequency with the display always on. Garmin rates the Forerunner 170 Music for up to 20 hours in GPS-only mode (up to 7.5 with music playing), and the 165 for up to 19 hours GPS-only or up to 17 with all systems on.

The mode names don't line up, so compare carefully. But even setting the Pace 4's more demanding dual-frequency figure against Garmin's basic GPS-only figures, the COROS lasts longer. Daily battery follows the same pattern: up to 19 days for the Pace 4, up to 10 for the 170 Music and up to 11 for the 165.

How much does it matter? At Couch-to-5K and 10K, very little: a week of runs is a few hours of GPS at most. It matters more in a marathon build, when long runs and weekly miles stack up and you'd rather not think about charging.

Coaching and training tools: Garmin's clearest win

Garmin lists its running coach on both Forerunners. The 165 adds daily suggested workouts, HRV status, running power, PacePro pacing and a race predictor. The 170 Music lists training readiness and HRV status, which the 165 doesn't have. For a new runner, a watch that suggests today's workout is the most useful feature on this page.

COROS answers with training plans and EvoLab, which covers recovery, fatigue, training load, a race predictor and VO2 max. It is a strong toolkit for runners who already follow a plan such as Higdon's. What COROS doesn't list is Garmin-style daily suggested workouts, which is why the Pace 4's card suggests a Garmin if those matter to you.

Screen, size and build

All three have 1.2-inch AMOLED touchscreens with an always-on option, and every maker charges for it in battery. COROS rates the Pace 4 at up to 19 days of daily use, or 6 with the display always on. Garmin rates the 170 Music at up to 10 days, or 4 with always-on.

The cases are within a millimeter of each other: 43.4 mm for the Pace 4, 42.6 mm for the 170 Music and 43 mm for the 165. Weights are close too: 40 g for the Pace 4 on silicone (32 g on nylon), 41 g for the 170 Music and 39 g for the 165. COROS lists a mineral glass lens on the Pace 4 rather than Gorilla Glass or sapphire.

Maps, music and extras

• Maps: the Pace 4 lists downloadable global landscape and topo maps, with back-to-start and deviation alerts. Maps aren't among the listed features for either Garmin here; among the Forerunners we cover, preloaded maps start at the 965 and 970.
• Music: the Pace 4 lists offline music with 4 GB of storage, and the 170 Music stores music with 4 GB and adds Wi-Fi. The base Forerunner 165 has neither music storage nor Wi-Fi.
• Sensors: the 170 Music lists a barometric altimeter, compass and gyroscope; the 165 lists a barometric altimeter and compass.
• Payments: COROS's spec list for the Pace 4 has no contactless payment feature. If tap-to-pay on your wrist matters, check Garmin's spec page for the exact model and version you're buying.

GPS accuracy and apps

Don't pick a brand on GPS accuracy claims. A 2020 validation study of eight sport watches (including Coros and Garmin models of that time) found mean absolute percentage errors from 3.2% to 6.1%, with distances generally underestimated in urban and forest areas. The models here are newer, but no published test we found compares them directly.

Both brands work with Strava. COROS lists sync with Strava and TrainingPeaks for the Pace 4, and Strava's help center says most devices, Garmin included, sync automatically once they're connected. If you already have years of runs in one brand's app, staying put is a fair tiebreaker.

Other Garmin vs COROS matchups runners ask about

Garmin Forerunner 70 vs COROS Pace 4

The Forerunner 70 is Garmin's newest entry-level running watch, and it narrows the battery gap: up to 23 hours GPS-only and up to 13 days as a smartwatch, against the Pace 4's up to 41 hours with all systems on and up to 19 days. It keeps Garmin's running coach and daily suggested workouts, and lists training readiness and HRV status. What it gives up is music storage (512 MB of memory), Wi-Fi, a barometric altimeter and multi-band GPS. For a Couch-to-5K or 10K runner who doesn't run with music, it is the simplest Garmin answer to the Pace 4, and it tops our beginner list.

COROS Pace 3 vs Garmin Forerunner 165

Both are previous-generation watches their makers still sell. The Pace 3 lists up to 38 hours of standard GPS, up to 15 days of daily use and 30 g on its nylon band, with an always-on memory LCD (240 x 240, 64 colors). The Forerunner 165 lists up to 19 hours GPS-only and up to 11 days, with a sharper AMOLED touchscreen, Garmin running coach and daily suggested workouts at 39 g. Battery and weight go to COROS; the screen and the day-to-day coaching go to Garmin.

At a glance

Who should buy which

• New runner, Couch-to-5K or first 10K, wants to be told what to run: Garmin Forerunner 170 Music, or the 165 if you don't need music or training readiness.
• 10K runner who already knows a half is next: COROS Pace 4.
• Half or marathon trainee who hates charging: COROS Pace 4.
• Marathon trainee who wants Garmin's training tools: Forerunner 570, and accept shorter battery and no maps.
• Not sure you need a watch at all: read do I need a running watch? first. Your phone may cover it for now.

Whichever you choose, match the rest of your kit to your weekly miles too. Our half marathon training mileage guide shows how the weeks build, and where a watch's training-load tools start to pay off.