UNA Watch vs Garmin: Don’t buy until you read this
The UNA Watch vs Garmin matchup shouldn’t be a fair fight. One is a $199 watch from a young Scottish startup; the other comes from the company that practically owns the GPS running watch. And yet…here we are.
UNA Watch is a newly released modular smartwatch. You can repair it with a single screwdriver, and it charges over USB-C. It runs on a platform developers can tinker with, and the battery is swappable—which is interesting.
Its closest Garmin rival is the Forerunner 70 ($249.99), Garmin’s most affordable running watch right now. Garmin has the deeper fitness ecosystem. But after digging into both, this is a close call. And the answer depends entirely on what kind of runner you are.
Quick verdict: What do you want to own?
UNA wins if you want better GPS hardware for $50 less and you care about repairability. It also has USB-C charging (you won’t have to drag Garmin’s proprietary cable everywhere), and it lasts for years. In the Una Watch Vs Garmin debate, it’s the watch for people who actually want to own their wearable—not just lease it.
Garmin Forerunner 70 wins if you want a watch that coaches you, tracks dozens of sports, and survives the pool. It plugs into Garmin’s established app ecosystem without any extra work.
UNA Watch vs Garmin Forerunner 70: At a glance
| UNA Watch | Garmin Forerunner 70 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $199 | $249.99 |
| Display | 1.2″ MIP LCD, 240×240 | 1.2″ AMOLED touchscreen, 390×390 |
| Battery (everyday) | Up to 10 days | Up to 13 days |
| Battery (GPS) | Up to 20 hours (dual-frequency) | Up to 23 hours (GPS only) |
| Water resistance | IPX5 (no swimming) | 5 ATM (pool swim tracking) |
| Barometric altimeter/compass | Yes/Yes | No/No |
| Charging | USB-C | Garmin proprietary cable |
| Weight | ~50g | ~40g |
| Replaceable battery | Yes | No |
| Built-in activities | 5 (more coming) | 80+ |
UNA Watch fitness tracking vs Forerunner 70 training features: How much coaching do you want?
Do you want a watch that tells you what to do tomorrow, or one that just records what you did today? That’s the split here.
Garmin Forerunner 70’s training features are why people buy Garmin. You get Garmin Coach adaptive plans, daily suggested workouts, HRV status, training readiness—the works. It also covers 80+ activities.
The UNA Watch heart rate monitor handles 24/7 HR, resting HR, and SpO2. But the activity modes stop at running, treadmill, cycling, hiking, and general workout. Engadget’s review lists “restricted workout tracking options” as a con and notes there’s no automatic activity detection.
That said, plenty of runners don’t want a coach—myself included. If you already follow your own plan or use Strava, UNA’s core data (pace, distance, heart rate, elevation, route) covers what you’ll look at after a run.
My verdict: The Forerunner 70 wins for training features. I’d pick it for newer runners who want a plan customized for them—but I wouldn’t pay extra for coaching I’d ignore.
UNA Watch GPS: Which tracks your route better?
Ever finish a city run and find your map zigzagging through buildings? That’s the problem dual-frequency GPS fixes.
UNA has a dual-frequency GPS (L1+ L5) across six satellite systems. It’s a feature you usually see on pricier watches. The Una Watch dual-frequency GPS locked on in under 30 seconds in Engadget’s testing.
The Forerunner 70 is single-frequency only, though the5KRunner still called it the “best single-frequency GPS accuracy I have measured.”
UNA also has a barometric altimeter and a compass—the Forerunner 70 has neither—on hilly trail runs and hikes, that’s the kind of hardware I’d want on my wrist.
My verdict: UNA wins for GPS and outdoor sensors. If you run trails, hike, or run downtown, it has the better hardware for $50 less.
UNA Watch battery life vs Garmin Forerunner 70 battery life: Which is easier to live with?
The Garmin Forerunner 70’s battery life is rated at up to 13 days in smartwatch mode and 23 hours of GPS—but the5krunner averaged 18.6 hours of GPS across four tests. Un promises up to 10 days and 20 hours of dual-frequency GPS. Engadget got about 7 days with several GPS workouts mixed in.
I like the idea of upgrading a watch rather than sending it to the recycling bin after just a few years. The Forerunner 70 is sealed like almost every other fitness watch, so repairs are Garmin’s job, not yours.
My verdict: UNA edges it. Garmin lasts a few days longer on paper, but USB-C charging and a $40 battery swap make UNA the easier watch to live with long-term.
Repairable smartwatch vs sealed Garmin: Do you own your watch?
Say your screen cracks three years from now. With most smartwatches, you’d have to start shopping.
Unless you own the UNA, it’s repairable in the truest sense. Held together with Torx T3 screws, Engadget’s Daniel Cooper swapped the display in just over three minutes. He described the parts fitting together “like slightly fancier LEGO.” The replacement display costs $50. UNA also sells a Torx tool and plans new sensor modules you can add later.
My verdict: UNA goes for the win here. This is its main selling point.
Display: MIP vs AMOLED
Does a watch need to look like a phone? Maybe not on a run.
UNA uses a 1.2-inch, 240×240 MIP LCD with backlight. MIP is easier to read in direct sun and is easier on battery life–that’s why it’s a favorite on outdoor watches.
The Forerunner 70’s 1.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen is brighter, more colorful, and much sharper at 390×390. The touchscreen and 5-button controls ensure it’s intuitive to use.
My verdict: The Forerunner 70 has the better display for everyday wear. Mid-run in bright sun, though? I’d be perfectly happy with UNA’s MIP screen.
UNA Watch water resistance: A major compromise
If you swim, this section may decide it for you.
The UNA Watch water resistance rating is IPX5. That means it’s splash- and shower-proof, but it’s not designed for swimming. Rain, sweat, and showers are fine—pools, lakes, and paddleboarding are not.
The Forerunner 70 is rated 5ATM and tracks pool swims (though not open water).
My verdict: Garmin wins. If swimming is part of my routine, UNA Watch isn’t up to the task.
Open-source smartwatch vs Garmin Connect: Which ecosystem wins?
Do you want freedom, or do you want things to just work?
UNA is an open-source smartwatch platform with a software development kit and hardware development kit. Independent developers are already building mapping, yoga, and sleep tracking—and the companion app syncs to Strava. Open doesn’t mean polished, though. Engadget found the software “basic,” and notifications ignore your phone’s Do Not Disturb.
Garmin Connect is the opposite: mature, deep, and full of years of training history. Plus, it’s got LiveTrack, incident detection, and Google Maps directions on Android.
My verdict: Garmin wins on polish today. But if you’d enjoy adding the features you’re missing, UNA’s platform gives you control over the watch itself.
Who should buy the UNA Watch?
The UNA Watch is the best Garmin alternative if you:
- Want a GPS watch under $250
- Care about repairability
- Like tinkering with software
- Don’t need a running coach
- Don’t track swims regularly
Who should buy the Garmin Forerunner 70?
The Garmin Forerunner 70 makes more sense if you:
- Train for races
- Want recovery suggestions
- Track a lot of sports
- Swim
- Don’t want to tinker
I’d pick the Forerunner 70 if I want a watch that’s mostly a training tool. I’d get the UNA Watch if I like playing around with software and like setting my own pace during runs.
UNA Watch vs Garmin: Final verdict
There’s no winner-takes-all here. Each is the right buy for a different buyer.
Buy the Forerunner 70 if you’re a newer runner who wants a coach on your wrist, you swim, or you’d rather Garmin Connect do some thinking for you.
Buy UNA if you already know how you like to train, and you want a watch you can still fix in five years.
As a tech journalist, I’ve seen too many good wearables end up in a drawer over one tired battery. UNA is the first GPS watch I’ve seen that treats that as a design problem. For the right customer, that’s more meaningful than another training metric.
