I walked 11,000 steps with the Apple Watch 11 and Garmin Forerunner 170 — and the results surprised me
The author tested the step-counting accuracy of the Apple Watch Series 11 and Garmin Forerunner 170 by walking 11,000 steps while using a manual clicker for comparison. Both devices use internal accelerometers to track steps based on arm movement. The results revealed differences in accuracy between the two smartwatches.
- ▪The Apple Watch Series 11 has features like hypertension alerts and sleep scoring to monitor overall health.
- ▪The Garmin Forerunner 170 is a new entry-level running watch with features previously found only in higher-end models.
- ▪The author used a $5 Amazon clicker to manually count steps during the 11,000-step test.
- ▪Both watches were worn simultaneously, with the Apple Watch on the left wrist and the Garmin on the right.
- ▪Step counting on both devices relies on internal accelerometers that detect arm swing motion.
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Wellness Smartwatches I walked 11,000 steps with the Apple Watch 11 and Garmin Forerunner 170 — and the results surprised me Features By Jane McGuire published 17 May 2026 Get ready to crunch the numbers When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Future) Copy link Facebook X Reddit Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter If you see me walking down the street, and I start to cry, it’s probably because I’ve lost count of how many steps I’ve taken for another one of these Tom’s Guide walking challenges.
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