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At the beginning of this month, I strapped on Two different Garmin watches To race a 10K—a Mid-range model On one wrist, premium on the other – to see how they stack up. This time, I branched out of Garmin’s ecosystem. For the Brooklyn Half-Marathon, I wore Garmin Forerunner 970 ($749.99) on my right wrist and Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro ($449.99) is one of the most reliable running watches in the game, to my left, against the Amazfit’s more affordable and most ambitious claim for the long-distance running space. Here’s how it went.
Garmin® Forerunner® 970, Premium GPS Running and Triathlon Smartwatch, AMOLED Display, Built-in LED Flashlight, Titanium with Whitestone Case and Whitestone/Translucent Amp Yellow Band
$649.99
on Amazon
$749.99
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Get the deal
Get the deal
$649.99
on Amazon
$749.99
Save $100.00
Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro 48mm GPS Running Smartwatch, 1.32″ AMOLED Display, Sapphire Glass, Ti Case, 32GB Storage, 20 Days Battery, 5 ATM, Flashlight, Offline Maps, 170+ Sports for Android and iPhone
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It’s a tie between the Garmin 970 and the Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro on the GPS and Core metrics
A quick caveat: I had a bit of a rough start to the race—nothing catastrophic, but enough to give you some wiggle room when comparing exact times and distances between the two watches and my official results. For the record, my official race time was 2:04:49 at 9:32 per mile pace. The Amazfit logged 13.23 miles in 2:04:26 at a pace of 9:24 per mile. Garmin recorded 13.22 miles in 2:04:20, also at a 9:24 per mile pace. Considering the chaotic energy of the start line (and my own user error in pressing “start workout”), the two watches were impressively close to each other and reasonably close to my official chip time.
If the only thing you care about is whether the watch will accurately track your distance, pace, and heart rate during a race, both of these watches get the job done. GPS readings were nearly identical, and heart rate data was consistent on both devices throughout the race. My average heart rate at Amazfit was 166 bpm with a maximum of 192 bpm. The Garmin Entry matches it exactly. For the metrics that matter most on race day, there is no meaningful gap between them.
This makes me wonder if maybe I was a little too harsh on the Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro. My initial review. As a racing watch, it reliably delivers. It is also remarkably light, which is a major consideration for long distances.
Why I stick to my Garmin over the Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro
All that said, the Forerunner 970 has a few small ways to pull ahead for me. The Garmin’s display is a little more visible and easier to read at a glance, which is important when you’re breathing hard and trying to hold your pace in the middle without breaking form. The “raise wrist” unlock feature is also noticeably more responsive on the Garmin. Again, these are small things, but they seem big when you’re trying to check your splits mid-race.
What do you think so far?
And then there’s the running dynamics. I’ve included stats screens from both watches’ companion apps here. Those who find Garmin Connect a little cumbersome to navigate (and many dedicated Garmin users do too) will appreciate the sheer depth of what’s out there once you find what you’re looking for. As you can see below, I also have step speed loss data, thanks HRM 600 chest strap. Stay tuned for my upcoming post that goes more in depth with the running insights that unlock the chest strap.
Amazfit stats in Zepp app.
Credit: Meredith Dietz
Garmin Statistics in Garmin Connect.
Credit: Meredith Dietz
As a racing watch, the Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro is fully capable. But as a training watch for someone seriously preparing for a full marathon (which is how Amazfit markets it), the value proposition doesn’t impress me. Let’s take the 970 out of the equation, since it’s $300 more expensive than the Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro. I still keep asking myself what kind of long-distance runner would choose Amazfit at this price over more established brands. The ecosystem that runs around it—training tools, recovery insights, daily coaching features—just doesn’t stand up to the competition, such as Garmin Forerunner 570 ($449.99) or Choirs Vertex 2S ($699). And for a runner putting in weekly mileage for a half or full marathon race, those daily training features are probably more important than race-day accuracy.
Finally, both watches here tracked this half-marathon with precision, leaving me feeling confident racing again. For data nerds, the Garmin is hard to beat (especially if you have the HRM 600 chest strap to watch your running economy and step speed loss). The Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro surprised me on race day, and I think I owe it a much warmer review than I initially gave it.
