Customer Ratings & Reviews

This is my fourth Garmin running GPS device over the course of 12 years. This appears to be the best yet. I haven't spent a whole lot of time with it as it is still cold out in the Midwest. However, the few times I have used it the satellites/GPS calibrates almost instantly. My last device from 7 years ago could take several minutes to find a signal. This one has a heart rate monitor which used your wrist instead of a chest strap. It works pretty well. A strap would be better. It's easy to sync to your Garmin online profile. I haven't tested any of the cell phone features as I have no plans to carry my cell phone with me while running. Best Buy did a price match so I got it at a very good price. It's primarily focused on running so if you want something for biking, swimming, etc. you might want to look at the higher end models. This is a great size and is nice and lightweight. I like it.

Battery life, GPS accuracy and lock time, Heart Rate monitor and last but not the least Garmin Connect App is great. I can get away with one charge for the entire week that includes 3 5k run tracking. Smart notifications are basic, has lot of room for improvement - but that is not what I bought this for

This watch does everything I need it to and more. I was mainly looking for a running watch but this watch provides more info than just that. The previous running watch I owned was a Nike+ GPS sports watch. This one is much lighter, GPS signal is ready much faster, no shoe pod needed for cloudy days, no heart rate strap needed Overall very please with this watch. Pros: Lightweight- light on the wrist. The strap is soft and comfortable Good battery life- After 30 miles a week plus other workouts I will still have about 30% battery life left Garmin Connect app integrates with Strava and MyFitnessPal Programmable workouts with audible queues Cons: Battery indicator does not show percentage- Can probably be fixed by downloading a new watch face from the Garmin IQ store Some of the menus are difficult to navigate

I was a former owner of an Apple Watch Sport. I liked the watched, but it had too many features that I did not use nor need (e.g. receiving notifications, all the apps...). I wanted to downsize to something that included GPS, would track my workouts with maps, count steps, and provide me with detailed feedback on my runs. I read reviews of several watches and found that this Garmin watch would meet my needs the best. PROS: - The battery life is amazing. I charge it once every 8 or 9 days. I do 3-4 runs a week and the battery has yet to run out in under a week. Today I charged it after 10 days and it was still at ~20% capacity. That's amazing! - It's waterproof. I don't have to take it off when I take a shower. - It counts steps accurately. - It finds GPS signal quickly. - The Garmin Connect app is great. It was easy to sync with and it updates my data between the watch and the app often. It shows tons of data (heart rate, weight, runs, calories, steps, sleep...) and you can customize what data you want to see. - It tracks your sleep and HR. - When running you can change the screen on your watch to show you data about your current run, data about your current lap (I love this!), your HR, your HR zone, or you can make a custom screen with several data points on it. - You can join challenges with other people. - You can sync with MyFitnessPal - It can receive notifications from your phone. It would let me know when I received a text or call. I disabled this feature cause I didn't need it. - It has a move alert: if you've been inactive for too long, it'll buzz/beep at you to get moving. There is so much I love about this watch. I rarely take it off and it's been so much more motivating to me to improve my running.

This is my second Garmin. I really like the GPS and pace tracker. I like the built in heart rate monitor. I wish it had a traditional stop watch. It's still a bit troublesome to navigate some of the features.

I spent several months reading research on activity trackers and gps running watches. I asked friends that had smart watches what they liked about their watch. The Choice came down to the Apple Watch, Garmin vivoactive, and the Garmin forerunner 235. The forerunner seemed to have the best accuracy and connected to gps quickest. It’s lightweight, easy to use, easy to setup, and feels/fits great on wrist for daily use. I did purchase the 2 year warranty just to be safe and so I could wear it through any activities without worrying. I also purchased a screen protector to keep the watch face free from scratches. I leave it connected to Bluetooth at all times to sync and get all phone alerts. Very very happy with this watch and love how the app is set up. Easy to customize the style and functions.

Overall great product. The charge lasts a week easily and recharges quickly. The heart rate is about as accurate as you can get for a wrist based HR monitor. The band is comfortable. The sensor may get irritating sometimes if the watch is too tight.

I had high hopes that I finally would have a good tracker for my running. The GPS was great!! But the dimness of the screen was awful. I had to use my phone at times to light up the watchface to read it. It’s very deceptive from marking, they show a bright colorful screen, it is not!! The heart rate monitor was all over the place too. I was running almost full steam and it never went over 111 but my Fitbit and Apple Watch both said 165. I’ve heard there are more expensive models that are better but this one just didn’t cut it for me. I gave it 3 stars because it was comfortable, and the GPS worked great.

This is the first GPS watch I have owned, and made the decision to go with the Garmin 235 based on reviews here, REI, and what friends were using. Prior to getting the watch, I was using my phone to track runs, and rides on Strava, and started to be a pain running with my phone all the time. I have been using this watch for about a month now, and am really happy with the purchase. It was simple to set it up through the Garmin app, and syncs with my phone without any issues. It took a little bit of time to understand how the widgets, and different watch faces, etc work, but pretty easy once you go through a couple of trials. I also appreciate how simple this watch is, and seems function focused. Gives you just what you need to track your exercise - no music, games, apps, colors, etc. I have owned a bunch of Timex Ironman watches, and this is kind of modern version of that classic. I like that you can get set notifications for texts, emails, when paired with a phone - which is not something I wanted, but happy to have that function to avoid looking at my phone all the time. On runs, the watch finds GPS signal almost immediately. Its super helpful to have different data reporting while running like avg pace, lap pace splits, HR avg, distance, time, etc. Makes it very easy to adjust pace on the run, and vary your workout. Also, syncs with Strava app immediately - no issues loading activities. Garmin also has their own app that allows you so see all your exercise/living data. Garmin's app seems a little bit much, with sleep info, and all kinds of health metrics, but interesting to see what its analyzing and your overall living stats. From what I have read the chest strap heart rate monitors are more accurate then the wrist, but I can't really say. I have a had a few runs where I was going very easy and the HR was reading as near my max. I adjusted the tightness of the band and moved around on my wrist, and reading varied. Battery life is good, and I go a few days between charging. Really nice to be able to track with the watch when outside of cell range and not kill the phone battery... Really happy I bought this watch, and imagine I would buy this version again in the future when its time to replace it.

I was once a Fitbit owner until I found this watch! It's durable and overall a nice looking watch. I kept finding myself trying to keep up with the lastest trending with Fitbit and it was nearly impossible. With Garmin I love how it tracks and how user friendly the application is.

So far, I have not been disappointed with this purchase. (Other than running less than I planned, but that's another problem...) I've been debating about updating my Garmin Forerunner from the old 405 for a year, and I'm so happy I did. The heart rate and bluetooth to Garmin connect work perfectly. I also love the varied screens. I ruled out so many cheaper options because I want a lot of info on my running screen. I do not use it as a smart watch (no need, so I don't want the bother), but everything else has lived up to my expectations. Another note, it is so much more comfortable than the old 405!

I bought this watch after my Garmin Forerunner 10 stopped holding a charge. I chose this watch over the forerunner 35 because I am running my first marathon in 8 months and I liked the look of the round face on the 235 over the 35, especially if I decided to use it as an activity tracker in addition to a running watch. I absolutely love this watch! I wear it 24/7. So far I've only used the activity tracker for runs, though I will look at the heart rate while in cross fit classes. I know I haven't unleashed all the potential of the watch yet, but I am looking forward to using it more when I get into my marathon training.

Love the Forerunner 235. It's got all the features you need in a running watch (HRM, GPS, VO2 max) as well as some great "smart watch" features such as notification mirroring. The battery last for ~4 days with daily workouts and Bluetooth enabled. I highly recommed this watch but will say newer models 7xx and 9xx series offer a few more features for not too much more money. My only gripe with the 235 is the plastic construction. It definitely does not feel cheap and I have yet to have any breakage issues but I can't help be wary with something that gets knocked around as much as a watch.

This watch has been amazing. It has great functionality coupled with a heart rate monitor. The phone app functionality is what really makes this watch worth the money. The only negatives are it's not very accurate when running indoors or cycling indoors.

This watch is everything that I'm looking for in a running watch: quick to pick up the GPS signal, accurate distance tracking & heart rate, and additional workout types available (both pre-loaded and available at Garmin Connect, great battery life. I switched to this after a couple years doing battle with the FitBit Ionic and am already much happier with this watch than any other that I have owned.

If you're looking for a general fitness band, you're better off with a Fitbit or Apple Watch. But if you're serious about running or biking, this is the watch to get. The battery life is phenomenal, the GPS is more accurate than that of my iPhone 7, and you can use the watch even with sweaty hands (because it is not a touchscreen). You can even link your Garmin account with Strava if you prefer to have your data there. My one recommendation is to get a screen protector, as I think the screen is plastic. I found a good tempered glass one on Amazon for around $15.

Excellent GPS Running Watch. Super easy to use. Long lasting charge. Great motivating information to track your progress

This watch is pretty sweet. PROS: ease of use, great for running, ability to personalize, constant HR monitor, app is light years ahead of the competition, when connected to my phone it would show all my texts and alerts, EXTREMELY Comfortable. This is hands down the most comfortable watch in the history of the world CONS: no MP3 storage - must be connected to blu-tooth for music, bad for PT - during workouts the buttons would automatically press up against my wrist and switch the timer or turn off the timer entirely- this is no good when trying to maintain certain time requirements This is a great watch for a tech savy person and also a runner. As far as an "all around" fitness watch I believe it to be below the competition. It feels very delicate and that it could break at any minute. I loved this watch but needed something a little more durable. If you are a runner GET THIS WATCH! If you are a crossfitter or spartan racer or whatever the TomTom might be a better route.

Battery life id really good. Very quick charge time considering you can easily get 5 days between charges. Very light and comfortable especially since you wear it 24 x 7. Can install different watch faces to make it more 'work appropriate.' Love that it's waterproof but I haven't tested this. Plus - Garmin Connect had all of my run history from my old school 305. I had the Microsoft Band 2 which worked great, but had poor battery. This is the exact opposite. You just get notifications - not full emails which is fine by me.

Both my teens (who are avid runners) now wear this. Never had any problems. My son utilizes the altitude and heart rate readings constantly to train. What I like is not having to ask them what they have run. I just look at their accounts to find out to make sure they are following coaches instructions on their own time. Invaluable, especially if you hate to write down workouts or are wondering at what point you started to feel bad during a run.