New testing suggests the Apple Watch Series 12’s step tracking is highly competitive with Garmin’s Forerunner 570, but differences in battery life and ecosystem integration continue to influence user choice.
Tom’s Guide pitted the Apple Watch Series 12 against the Garmin Forerunner 570 in a straightforward walk test designed to check whether each watch could count steps accurately in everyday use. The publication manually counted 5,440 steps with a clicker while wearing one watch on each wrist, then compared that figure with readings from the two devices, both of which rely on an internal accelerometer to detect arm movement rather than counting footsteps directly. The Apple Watch Series 12 recorded 5,490 steps, while the Garmin Forerunner 570 registered 5,512, leaving the Apple watch closest to the manual total, although both errors were small enough to be within a practical margin for most users.
The comparison matters because Apple has said it improved pedometer accuracy in the Series 12, and the new model also brings a steps complication that lets users see their count directly on the watch face, rather than only inside the Health app. Tom’s Guide noted that the Apple Watch still presents step data as an overall daily figure, which can make short-form testing awkward, but the result suggested the revised tracking is at least competitive. MacObserver separately reported that Apple has described the Series 12 as its most accurate smartwatch for step tracking, although that claim has not been backed by published independent testing from the company.
Garmin’s result was slightly further from the manual count, but Android Central’s review of the Forerunner 570 found the watch typically missed by only around 40 steps in repeated 5,000-step checks, which still points to broadly reliable performance. Garmin’s user manual also recommends best practices for improving step accuracy, including wearing the watch on the non-dominant wrist when possible and understanding that arm movement is central to how the sensor works. In other words, the two watches are close enough that step counting alone is unlikely to be a decisive buying factor.
The broader trade-off is more substantial. Tom’s Guide said the Forerunner 570 has the clearer advantage on battery life, with Garmin quoting 10 days in smartwatch mode for the 42mm model and 11 days for the 47mm version. The Apple Watch Series 12, by contrast, remains the more tightly integrated option for iPhone users, with Tom’s Guide describing it as functioning like an extension of the handset on the wrist. It also said the new heart rate sensor helps make it the strongest Apple Watch choice for most people, while earlier testing from Tom’s Guide suggested the Series 12 is also solid in heart rate work, even if Garmin’s sports-oriented design still has appeal for runners and endurance users.
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