Garmin Approach S70 is Garmin’s Golf GPS watch and was released in May 2023. Approach S62 was released in January 2020.
Compare Garmin Approach S70 and Approach S62 Golf smartwatches below. Find more information about the differences in features and capabilities of the two variants of Garmin Approach S70 and S62 smartwatches.
Main differences
The main differences between Garmin Approach S70 and Garmin Approach S62 are shared below:
- Garmin Approach S70 comes in two sizes. It has a 47 mm and 42 mm variant. Approach S62 has a single-size variant of 47 mm.
- Garmin Approach S70 has an AMOLED display. The display resolution, clarity, and brightness of the Approach S70 are way better than that of the Approach S62 Golf smartwatch.
- Garmin Approach S70 has a higher device storage of 32 GB. Approach S62 has a device storage of 1 GB only.
- Garmin Approach S70 supports multi-band GPS. This improves GPS reliability and accuracy. Approach S62 does not support multi-band GPS or dual-frequency GPS.
- Garmin Approach S70 supports GPS, GLONASS, and GALILEO satellite systems. Approach S62 only supports GPS satellite systems.
- Garmin Approach S70 supports Wi-Fi, ANT+, and Bluetooth wireless connectivity. Approach S62 can only support ANT+ and Bluetooth. Wi-Fi connectivity is unavailable in Approach S62.
- Garmin Approach S70 has full music features. Approach S62 is not compatible with any music functions or features.
- Sleep score insights, respiration rate tracking, health snapshot, and Jetlag advisor features are only available in the Garmin Approach S70. Garmin Approach S62 misses all these features.
- Garmin Approach S70 has a higher number of profiles in running, outdoor recreation, and cycling than in Approach S62.
- Garmin Approach S70 costs $699.99 and Approach S62 comes at a list price of $499.99. There is a cost difference of $200 between the two Golf smartwatches.
Let us look at these features and differences in detail below.
Display specifications
Garmin Approach S70 and Approach S62 use the 3rd generation Corning Gorilla Glass in the display lens. The chief difference between the Garmin Approach S70 and Approach S62 lies in the AMOLED display of Approach S70.
Due to the AMOLED display in Approach S70, the watch has a higher display resolution and supports Always-on-display mode.
Apart from this, the other display specifications of Approach S70 and Approach S62 are shared here under.
| Display specifications | Garmin Approach S70 | Garmin Approach S62 |
|---|---|---|
| Display size | 1.4″ or 36 mm | 1.3″ or 33 mm |
| Display type | AMOLED | MIP (Memory in Pixel) |
| Display resolution | 454 x 454 pixels | 260 x 260 pixels |
| Always on Display | Yes | No |
| Color display | Yes | Yes |
| Touchscreen | Yes | Yes |
| Ambient light sensor | Yes | No |
| LED Flashlight | No | No |
The AMOLED display of Garmin Approach S70 offers a game-changing experience. The screen display is more vibrant and bright than that of the Approach S62. It is definitely worth the extra cost spent on the Approach S70
Physical specifications
In terms of physical specifications, you will find that the Approach S70 is slimmer than the Approach S62.
Approach S70 comes with higher device storage. The water rating and swimming profiles remain unchanged between the Garmin Approach S70 and Approach S62.
We look at the physical specifications of Approach S70 and Approach S62 is a side-by-side comparison table below.
| Physical Specifications | Garmin Approach S70 | Garmin Approach S62 |
|---|---|---|
| Watch size | 47 x 47 x 13.4 mm | 47 x 47 x 14.8 mm |
| Thickness | 13.4 mm | 14.8 mm |
| Watch weight | 56 g | 61 g |
| Recommended wrist circumference | 130-205 mm | 125-208 mm |
| Watch body | Ceramic | Ceramic |
| Water rating | 5 ATM or 50 Meters | 5 ATM or 50 Meters |
| Swimming profile | Pool Swimming | Pool Swimming |
| Device Storage | 32 GB | 1 GB |
| Wireless Connectivity | ANT+, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | ANT+, Bluetooth |
| NFC Payments | Garmin Pay | Garmin Pay |
| Charger | Garmin wire charger | Garmin wire charger |
| Garmin Elevate Heart Sensor | Yes | Yes |
| Garmin Pulse Ox Sensor | Yes | Yes |
| Accelerometer | Yes | Yes |
| Barometric Altimeter | Yes | No |
| Compass | Yes | Yes |
| Gyroscope | Yes | Yes |
| SatIQ Sensor | Yes | No |
| iOS compatibility | iOS 15 or higher | iOS 15 or higher |
| Android compatibility | Android 7 or higher | Android 7 or higher |
GPS
Garmin Approach S70 supports GPS, GLONASS, and GALILEO satellite networks. In comparison, Approach S62 only supports GPS satellite networks. It is missing support for GLONASS and GALILEO satellite networks.
GLONASS is a Russian GPS satellite network. GALILEO is a GPS satellite network owned and operated by the European Space Agency.
Approach S70 offers better GPS performance than the Approach S62.
Apart from the additional support for GLONASS and GALILEO satellite networks, the Garmin Approach S70 has a multi-frequency positioning sensor.
The multi-frequency positioning sensor helps in providing for the multi-band GPS capability in the Garmin Approach S70 Golf smartwatch.
With multi-band GPS, the Approach S70 can get GPS data from mutliple satellites at any given point in time. This is useful when you are in a remote area or in the hills with weak or poor GPS connectivity.
Alongwith multi-band GPS, Approach S70 also supports Garmin’s SatIQ technology.
SatIQ technology is an intelligent algorithm that toggles on or off the multi-band GPS mode. If the GPS signals are weak, SatIQ will automatically turn-on the multi-band GPS mode.
When the GPS signal quality improves, SatIQ will turn-off the multi-band GPS mode and restore the simple GPS mode.
SatIQ mode helps in conserving battery by optimizing the usage of multi-band GPS mode in the Garmin Approach S70.
Support for GPS, GLONASS, and GALILEO networks and multi-band GPS support in Approach S70 is well worth the extra money spent on Approach S70. Approach S62 only supports GPS satellite network.
Music
There is no music coverage in Approach S62. You cannot use an Approach S62 Golf smartwatch to manage music on the paired smartphone.
In comparison, Approach S70 has full music coverage. This implies you can get the following music features in an Approach S70 Golf smartwatch:
- You can use Approach S70 to control music on the paired smartphone
- You can store music or audio content on the device storage of Approach S70.
- You can manage music on Approach S70 directly through the watch interface
- Use Connect IQ apps to download streaming apps like Spotify. You will need a premium subscription to Spotify to stream music.
Battery
Nothing much has changed in terms of battery backup between the Approach S70 and Approach S62. Both watches provide, almost, an identical battery backup.
We lay out the battery backup of Approach S70 and Approach S62 in a side by side comparison table below.
| Watch mode | Garmin Approach S70 | Garmin Approach S62 |
|---|---|---|
| Smartwatch mode | Up to 16 days | Up to 14 days |
| GPS Mode | Up to 20 hours | Up to 20 hours |
Additional Activity profiles
Approach S70 features higher and diverse set of profiles for measuring performance and offering functionality in running, cycling and outdoor recreation.
We have laid out the profiles of Approach S70 and Approach S62 below.
| Activity profiles | Garmin Approach S70 | Garmin Approach S62 |
|---|---|---|
| Running | Running, Outdoor Track Running, Treadmill Running, Indoor Track Running, Trail Running | Running, Indoor Track Running |
| Cycling | Biking, Indoor Biking, Mountain Biking | Biking, Indoor Biking |
| Outdoor recreation | Hiking, Indoor Climbing, Bouldering, Climbing, Mountain Biking, Skiing, Snowboarding, XC Skiing, Stand Up Paddleboarding, Rowing, Kayaking, Snowshoeing | Skiing, Snowboarding, XC Classic Skiing, Stand Up Paddleboarding, Rowing |
Incident detection
The incident detection feature is unavailable in Garmin Approach S62.
Garmin Approach S70 does have the incident detection feature. The incident detection feature is similar to the fall detection feature in an Apple smartwatch.
If the watch detects a hard fall during select activities, it can notify the designated emergency contacts. The SOS message contains your geographical location and GPS data to help seek assistance.
Final verdict
For the additional $200 spent on Garmin Approach S70, you will get the following:
- Multi-band GPS support
- GPS support for GPS, GLONASS, and GALILEO satellite networks
- Higher internal storage
- Music feature
- Incident detection during select activities
All these benefits or features are well worth the additonal money spent.
Given a choice between the Approach S70 and Approach S62, we will prefer the Approach S70 for all the new features and additions in the Approach S70 smartwatch.
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