Garmin Sensors: Newer ≠ Better?
In a Nutshell
Garmin's Elevate V5 optical heart rate sensor (Forerunner 570) shows no major performance edge over V4 (Forerunner 165) for running (correlations 0.97-0.98) or cycling (0.95-0.97) on tester Raphael's right wrist, with both deemed "good enough" despite trailing top competitors like Apple and Pixel Watches. The biggest surprise: massive accuracy drops on the left wrist for both sensors due to factors like blood flow constriction from straps or physiology, far outweighing V4 vs. V5 differences—experiment with wrists before upgrading. Reviewers should test both wrists; no need to upgrade from V4 if satisfied.
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
Is there a big difference in performance between the top-of-the-line Elevate V5 sensor in Garmin devices and the older Elevate V4 sensor in cheaper devices? Tested on colleague Raphael for several weeks: Garmin Forerunner 570 (Elevate V5) vs Garmin Forerunner 165 (Elevate V4). Focused on outdoor cycling and running. Results surprising; main finding unrelated to sensors but another factor affecting performance, impacting how reviewers test watches.
Rob is a post-doctoral scientist specializing in biological data analysis. Video fully data-driven, N=1 limitations, plans bigger tests later.
Horizontal axis: heart rate from reference Polar H10 ECG chest strap. Vertical: Forerunner 165. Perfect agreement on or near blue line. One deviation, otherwise excellent. Correlation 0.98 (max 1.0).
Individual runs:
- First run: red (165) and blue-green (reference) agree perfectly; minor trouble during break/short interval quick changes.
- Second run: minor deviation, otherwise excellent.
- Third run: almost perfect, small deviation.
Forerunner 165 good enough for running on Raphael; no need to upgrade to newer sensor.
Correlation 0.97, slightly lower. Points very close to blue line, potentially tighter at higher rates. Individual runs:
- Overlaps reference almost perfectly.
- Some deviations: increases not detected by reference, other deviations.
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