Customer Ratings & Reviews

I purchased the Garmin Forerunner 235 to track my running workouts. While no item is perfect, I have been very happy with this one. Previously, I was using an iPhone app and carrying my phone when running. That served its purpose for a while, but this has been a huge improvement. The watch is very comfortable and doesn't bother my wrist at all, not even on long runs. The watch band has a lot of holes, which makes it really easy to get a good fit. I also wear it for tracking my sleep as well as for my alarm, and I hardly notice that it's there. With each workout segment, you can set your desired intensity target based on pace, speed, cadence, or HR zone (including custom HR zones). And when you establish a target, the watch will give you alerts when you are outside of this range. Now that I know what the alerts sound like, I find myself not looking at the watch nearly as much during runs. When I was researching different options, I had a hard time determining if you could use third party ANT+ heart rate monitors with the 235. But I was happy to see that this can be done. I didn't have any trouble pairing this with the Scosche Rhythm+. You can disable the wrist HR monitor and only use the external device or you can download a data field from the Garmin IQ store that allows you to use both simultaneously. There are a few things about this item that I believe could be better. First, I have not been able to find any available data screen that will give you an interval countdown. The existing timer options start at 0:00 and count up, not the other way around. Not a deal breaker by any means, but this is one improvement I think that could easily be made. Second, I wish there were more variables that could be configured with certain specific workouts. For example, I use GPS+GLONASS when running at the track, as this seems to provide for more accurate location readings. However, it drains the batteries more quickly and doesn't seem to make a discernible difference on street and trail runs, so I haven't been using it for these. So it would be nice to be able to have certain workouts default to a particular GPS setting. But again, not a deal breaker. Another issue is the accuracy of the wrist HR monitor. I've seen this mentioned and even witnessed it myself on one of my earlier runs. It was a really cold day. I was doing an easy (zone 1) warmup, when it started indicating that my heart rate was close to 190. Once I broke a sweat, it settled into a more accurate heart rate reading. To remedy this problem, I've been using a drop of HR monitor gel before each run. This allows it to maintain better contact with the skin, which seems to result in more consistently accurate readings. In fact, I recorded both the Garmin FR 235 and the Scosche Rhythm+ HR readings this morning. As you can see in the picture, other than a minor peak difference early on, the two were very close. The other thing I wasn't particularly thrilled about was the brightness of the screen. Or I should say lack of brightness. But I soon realized the lighting is basically the opposite of my phone or something like the Apple Watch. When there's no light shining on the screen, it's pretty dim and can be difficult to see. But as long as there's good light, it's very easy to see. So outside during the daytime, there's no issue at all. At night or early in the morning, I've just started wearing a head lamp, which I probably should have been doing anyway. With this on, I can see the screen perfectly well. I'm sure it was done this way to preserve batteries. I should add that the wrist HR monitor isn't the best for tracking weight workouts. Neither is the Scosche Rhythm+. I'm not sure why, but the readings are just way off at times. I'll be out of breath, and it will show my HR to be in the 80's or so. For now, I've pretty well just determined not to worry about tracking my HR on these types of workouts. But for running, the 235 is excellent. I'm not sure about the scientific accuracy of the race predictors, recovery advisor, or VO2 max readings, but changes in these areas at least seem to correspond with improvements in conditioning. Anyway, that's about it for now. While not perfect, I've been very happy with the Garmin Forerunner 235. I look forward to using this for years to come and would definitely recommend it to others.

I am taking up triathlons and this watch is great for tracking my training. I like that it uses GPS so I can see my routes and I get my phones notifications on it too. If you are looking for a good watch for running, biking, swimming, or all of them I would definitely suggest this one.

After the Apple Watch and then the Gear s3 I finally found a keeper!! Battery life is great! Get all notifications. Two things that I love about it are it tracks your heart rate and sleep very accurate. Still playing with it!

I decided to buy this watch because it had more options than most others. For example it detects stride length and strides per minute which was really good to know when trying to increase SPM. The battery life was great which was really nice! Notifications were also handy.

This was my first gps watch ever. I honestly didn't know if I'd wear it often or only during activity. Let's just say the only time I don't wear it is when I'm sleeping. Love this watch! It tracks all my runs, records, data, provides me with incoming texts and calls and allows you to control your phones music by fw, re, and volume options. You aren't able to reply to texts via the watch but if you have a wireless headset, it's easy to answer incoming calls that are displayed on the watch. It tracks bicycling and treadmill along with outdoor runs. It's not a watch for this that want to track much more than running.

This review is for people who are either NOT Garmin enthusiasts or are looking for a new/first time smart watch. This watch does it all!! It is great for runs and reminders especially when you don't have your phone in your hand! Highly recommend this watch and overall very pleased so far!!!

Very good watch for runners, it’s another features that I didn’t have time to set yet. Also I can see my messages and my phone calls. Certainly a great watch.

It met my expectations. It record all datas that I need in order to monitor my workout and to improve my performance

I've had this watch for about 3 months and I absolutely love it. I actually started off with the Vivoactive HR, but I have a small wrist and found it uncomfortable. The Forerunner 235 is much more comfortable and I wear it all the time except on the rare occasion I am going to a semi-formal or formal function when the watch is just too sporty. I'm a runner who doesn't run quite as much as I used to, but I love all the statistics regardless. Giving up some of the activity tracking functions the Vivo offered was no big deal (I don't golf or paddleboard) and I'm definitely happier having the additional running functions of the 235. I upgraded from an older model (forerunner 410) and I'm really enjoying all the extra features. I love the activity tracking, although I do find that sometimes the step count can be off by as much 25%. I have a good idea how many steps I cover when I walk and find this watch sometimes (not always) varies significantly. I also use an iPhone and find that to be more consistent and accurate. Having said that, I still give this watch 5 stars because the step count is not the primary reason I got it. Syncing with phone app can be slower than I would like, but again, not a deal breaker for me. Aside from those two minor (for me) glitches, everything else works great. The GPS loads lightening-fast - no more waiting and waiting as I had to previously do on occasion with my older Garmin. The display is great and very customizable. There are so many features, I haven't even figured them all out yet. The smart notifications are really cool, too. I was at a meeting for work where we all had to turn in our phones. No worries for me; I was wearing my Garmin and got my notifications. I didn't need to worry the possibility of a rare emergency, like my kids' school calling because one of them became sick (highly unlikely, but in that rare instance when the phone is taken away, that's when I just know I'm going to get such a call). Or if I'm out with friends, if I get a text, I can quickly glance at my wrist without being one of those people who's looking at their phone so much, it seems like they'd rather be somewhere else. I love the heart rate monitor, too, as I never could deal with the chest strap. I owned one with the old watch and never once used it. Big waste of $$ because I liked the idea but could never be bothered. I can finally now do heart-rate training without any fuss using the wrist-based heart rate. Another feature that's new to me that I like a lot is the recovery time which automatically pops up every time I finish a run. I don't always follow it, but it's nice to have it, since I tend to overdo it sometimes and push myself too much. VO2 max is another great feature. Battery life is good and charging is fast. Having used a Garmin GPS watch for the past 5+ years as well as owning a Garmin car GPS, I am big fan of Garmin. Their customer service is fantastic, too.

Had an Apple series I sport watch but sold that to get the Apple series 2. After weighing everything, I decided to get this Garmin 235 and am very happy I did. Got this watch on Black Friday weekend so it was discounted and as we all know, new Apple products may be great and exciting but there is always a length of time before they go on sale. This Garmin watch is great for running and it can be simple or if you want to use all the bells and whistles it can track everything involved with your running.

I am a 30-40 mile per week runner training for my 2nd Marathon and I was looking for a Running Watch with GPS, Heart Rate monitor, and great battery life. This watch is perfect for me! It provides all the basic functions you expect with decent battery life. I don't utilize the phone notifications much, but it is nice to know who is texting you while running. I would highly recommend this watch to any runner.

I got this Garmin to replace my old Forerunner 225 that was dying (took forever to get GPS sync). This model is a bit more streamlined, has easy-to-read display and the wrist-based HR function seems to be as accurate as the old chest strap of the old model. I like the battery life and the GPS sync is super fast, so I'm pretty happy with this overall.

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.

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.

I spent a lot of time reviewing multiple fitness trackers. I have been using Fitbit for the last two-and-a-half years, and up until recently, have enjoyed it. However, when I started having sync issues and GPS issues with my Blaze, I knew I needed a change. I have been doing more runs and races, and wanted something that would track and give me all the data I wanted for my runs. The Garmin Forerunner 235 gives me more information then I thought I would ever need, but I love it. I enjoy looking at the historical data on the watch itself, as well as the other running data it collects and displays in the app, such as steps, cadence, pace, heart rate, calories burned, etc. What I really love is that I don't need my phone with me, because it has built-in GPS. I was used to logging calories right in the Fitbit dashboard, which the Garmin dashboard doesn't have. However, all I had to do was install MyFitnessPal, and it integrates beautifully with the Garmin dashboard. It's surprisingly lightweight, almost feels like my son's toy watch, which is great because it's not big and clunky. The face may look big, but I am petite and feel the watch fits perfectly on my wrist without being or looking too big. It's waterproof, so I can jump right in the shower after my run and rinse it off while tracking my recovery heart rate. I also enjoy the sleep tracking, as well as continuous heart rate monitoring which gives me my resting heart rate. Besides tracking running, indoor running, elliptical, it does have an "Other" option. You can customize the other activity tracking option within the app. Initially it tried to track using GPS, so distance and pace would be included in the data collected. However I turned off GPS, and can still get the duration of my workout, as well as my heart rate and calories burned, which is really all the data I'm looking for with workouts such as weight training or interval training. I am more than happy with my Garmin Forerunner 235, and I am continuously excited whenever I use it. I definitely recommend it, and it's worth the price tag. I would say it's more beneficial for those who want something to track running, instead of other types of workouts. If you want something that is just going to count steps, calories, and other workouts, you're probably better off with a different activity tracker.

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.

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.

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