I Ran a Half Marathon With a Garmin Forerunner 970 on One Wrist and This AmazFit Running Watch on the Other, and Here’s How They Compared.
Earlier this month, I wore two different Garmin watches for a 10K run— a mid-range model on one wrist and a premium model on the other—to compare them. This time, I ventured outside the Garmin ecosystem. For the Brooklyn Half Marathon, I wore the Garmin Forerunner 970 ($749.99) on my right wrist and the Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro ($449.99) on my left, pitting one of the most reliable running watches against a more affordable and ambitious Amazfit model designed for long-distance running. Here’s how it went.
In terms of GPS performance and key parameters, the Garmin 970 and Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro showed the same results.
A quick note: I had a minor glitch at the start of the race—nothing catastrophic, but serious enough that you might want to experiment a bit when comparing the exact time and distance measured by both watches with my official results. For reference, my official race time was 2:04:49 at a pace of 9:32 per mile. The Amazfit recorded 13.23 miles in 2:04:26 at a pace of 9:24 per mile. The Garmin recorded 13.22 miles in 2:04:20, also at a pace of 9:24 per mile. Given the chaotic atmosphere at the start (and my own mistake in pressing the “start workout” button), both devices showed impressively close results to each other and quite close to my official chip-based time.
If you’re only interested in accurately tracking distance, pace, and heart rate during a run, both models will do the job. GPS readings were virtually identical, and heart rate data remained stable on both devices throughout the run. The Amazfit showed an average heart rate of 166 bpm with a maximum of 192 bpm. The Garmin’s readings matched exactly. There was no significant difference between the two devices for the most important metrics on race day.
This makes me wonder if I was a bit too harsh on the Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro in my original review . As a running watch, it does its job reliably. It’s also noticeably lightweight, which is an important factor for long runs.
Why I’m Sticking with My Garmin Over the Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro
However, there are a few small areas where the Forerunner 970 wins for me. The Garmin’s display is slightly more visible and easier to read at a glance, which is important when you’re breathing heavily and trying to control your pace mid-stride without breaking your running form. The wrist-raise unlock feature is also noticeably more responsive on the Garmin. Again, these are small things, but they feel important when you’re trying to check your results mid-race.
And then there’s running dynamics. I’ve included stats screens from the companion apps for both watches. Even those who find Garmin Connect a bit cumbersome to navigate (and many dedicated Garmin users do) will appreciate the wealth of information once they find what they need. As you can see below, I even have speed loss data for each step, thanks to the HRM 600 chest heart rate monitor. Stay tuned for my next post, where I’ll go into more detail about the running analysis capabilities of a chest heart rate monitor.
As a racing watch, the Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro is quite good. But as a training watch for those seriously training for a marathon (which is how Amazfit positions it), the price-to-performance ratio doesn’t impress me. Let’s exclude the 970 from consideration, as it’s $300 more expensive than the Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro. I still wonder what long-distance runner would choose an Amazfit at that price over more established brands. The running ecosystem—training tools, recovery insights, daily coaching features—simply doesn’t stand out compared to competitors like the Garmin Forerunner 570 ($449.99) or Coros Vertix 2S ($699). And for a runner logging weekly mileage for a half marathon or marathon, these daily coaching features are likely more important than race-day accuracy.
Ultimately, both watches tracked this half marathon with such accuracy that I’d confidently run it again. For stats buffs, the Garmin is hard to beat (especially if you have the HRM 600 chest heart rate monitor, which lets you track your running economy and speed loss with every stride). The Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro surprised me on race day, and I think I deserve a better review than I initially gave it.