Smartwatches · owner-verdict comparison

Bip 6 vs Garmin Forerunner 970: what real owners say

Real owners rate these about evenly: 67% of 320 Bip 6 owners recommend it, vs 68% of 75 for the Garmin Forerunner 970.

Verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube owner comments — affiliate reviews excluded. Sample sizes differ; judge accordingly. How we score

Bip 6

67%of 320 owners recommend
67% recommend · 15% neutral · 18% don't
Owners praise
  • Exceptional value for the price, typically $60-80, with owners repeatedly calling it the best price-to-performance smartwatch on the market
  • Outperforms or replaces pricier rivals owners already own, including the Apple Watch (8, 10, Ultra), Galaxy Watch 7, Garmin, and Pixel Watch
  • Long battery life, with many owners reporting around 14 days per charge and far outlasting Apple and Galaxy watches
Owners complain about
  • Buttons and touchscreen stop working after swimming or pool/beach use, despite the watch being marketed as water resistant
  • Sleep and heart-rate tracking is inaccurate or unreliable, with several owners calling sleep tracking nearly useless
  • Very limited on-board storage (roughly 512MB, with much of that taken by the system) makes loading music for offline playback impractical
Full owner report →

Garmin Forerunner 970

68%of 75 owners recommend
68% recommend · 9% neutral · 23% don't
Owners praise
  • Remarkably light, slim, and comfortable for all-day and 24/7 wear
  • Packs the full Fenix-level feature set into a smaller, cheaper package
  • Strong battery life in typical use, often a week or more
Owners complain about
  • Ghost touches and an oversensitive touchscreen, sometimes unusable until disabled
  • Battery can drain badly, dying mid-run or dropping to around 30 hours
  • Reboots and reliability issues during workouts, with slow Garmin support
Full owner report →

Which should you buy?

Get the Bip 6 if
  • ✓Budget shoppers who want long battery life without smartwatch subscription costs
  • ✓Casual runners and gym-goers who just need basic activity and HR tracking
  • ✓Apple Watch or Galaxy Watch owners tired of daily charging
  • ✓First-time smartwatch buyers wanting an easy, low-cost entry point
Skip it if
  • Swimmers or pool users, since buttons and touch repeatedly fail after water exposure
  • iPhone owners, since messaging, photos, and app features are limited on iOS
Get the Garmin Forerunner 970 if
  • ✓Runners wanting a lightweight, full-featured GPS watch
  • ✓Small-wrist users needing a thin, comfortable watch
  • ✓Fenix owners wanting the same features but lighter
  • ✓24/7 wearers who track sleep
Skip it if
  • Those wanting a rugged, heavy-duty build
  • Budget-conscious buyers put off by the high price

What Bip 6 owners say

“This is more in line of how much they should be.”
— @briancross4415 on YouTube
“I wouldn't change Amazfit to any Apple watch.”
— @menifo4334 on YouTube
“Si lo utilizas en la piscina se estropea los botones laterales. Un desastre.”
— @joseantonio9500 on YouTube

What Garmin Forerunner 970 owners say

“I just upgraded from the 935 to the 970 and I am very happy with this decision!”
— @WolfgangUllrichPhoto on YouTube
“getting the Flashlight for a forerunner is amazing!”
— @vpnconsult on YouTube
“Garmin overpriced the 970.”
— @mccask on YouTube

Bip 6 vs Garmin Forerunner 970: frequently asked questions

Is the Bip 6 or the Garmin Forerunner 970 better?

Real owners rate these about evenly: 67% of 320 Bip 6 owners recommend it, vs 68% of 75 for the Garmin Forerunner 970.

Who should get the Bip 6?

Owners point the Bip 6 at budget shoppers who want long battery life without smartwatch subscription costs, and casual runners and gym-goers who just need basic activity and HR tracking.

Who should get the Garmin Forerunner 970?

Owners point the Garmin Forerunner 970 at runners wanting a lightweight, full-featured GPS watch, and small-wrist users needing a thin, comfortable watch.

What do owners complain about?

The most-cited downside of the Bip 6 is buttons and touchscreen stop working after swimming or pool/beach use, despite the watch being marketed as water resistant. For the Garmin Forerunner 970, it's ghost touches and an oversensitive touchscreen, sometimes unusable until disabled.