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Garmin Connect and Connect IQ
- Automatic syncing is great... when it works
- Packed full of features but can feel overcomplicated
Big brands' apps and web platforms divide opinion. Some people love Garmin Connect and hate Polar Flow, others take the opposite view. Others hate them both. Whatever your view, Garmin has worked hard to make Connect a more capable partner.
There are some really nice touches, such as the fact that if you’re already a Garmin user, Connect will auto update your personal information for your new watch so you don’t have to re-input your height, weight and everything else.
We really liked the fact you can create a training calendar and sync that to the Forerunner 235, letting you see from your watch what your session is for the day, even down to the length of your warm up.
We also like the fact that sessions can be synced straight into Strava so you can still boss your local leaderboards.
Automatic smartphone syncing over Bluetooth is another fantastic time saver, when it works. However, we found that wasn’t all the time and frequently had to re-pair our Forerunner 235 with our phone to update our stats when using an Android phone, although in our experience Garmin watches are far more stable with an iPhone.
Sadly, this watch also doesn't offer Wi-Fi like some of the more expensive models... that would have been a nice touch but explains how the cost can be lower.
With Garmin’s ‘app platform’ Connect IQ you also get access to loads of downloadable watch faces, data fields, widgets and apps so you can further customize your 235 to meet your needs.
However, as new features are added there’s a real danger that Connect is becoming a complicated beast that makes it harder to pull insights from your data, though the app is far simpler than the web tools for reviewing runs.
Smartwatch skills
- Allows notifications and music controls
- Shows full messages, not just subject lines
To add to its all-rounder credentials, the Forerunner 235 packs in a range of smartwatch skills including smart notifications for calls, emails, messages and social media updates, plus Spotify and music player controls, and audio announcements, all of course provided you run with your phone.
It’s an added bonus that you can read your messages rather than just get the subject line and also that you can easily set Do Not Disturb to cut out the pestering should you want to run uninterrupted.
Battery life and charging
- Enough battery to last an average week
- Proprietary charger is an annoyance
When it comes to endurance, Garmin claims the Forerunner 235 can last up to 9 days in watch mode and up to 11 hours in GPS mode with the heart rate monitor in use.
We tested it over a normal training week starting on Sunday with a long 1.5 hour run, with three short midweek runs of up to an hour and then normal daily usage in between. It coped with all of that but we put it back on the dock before the following week’s Sunday run.
We also gave it a whirl on a marathon, taking it off the dock at 6.30am on race day. It had no trouble tracking a 4-hour marathon and made it through to Wednesday with normal activity tracking and smartphone notifications on before it finally died.
It’s more than capable of coping with an average training week, and it could potentially handle a 100km ultra for faster runners.
Like all Garmins, the Forerunner 235 comes with its own special charging cable and all the frustrations that brings for traveling and not being able to charge it easily on the move unless you remember to bring your special lead with you.
Anything else I should know?
There’s a stopwatch, an alarm clock, automatic daylight saving updates, calendar sync, weather information and a nifty little Find My Phone feature, though Find My Watch might be more useful.
Who’s it for and should I buy it?
The Garmin Forerunner 235 delivers enough training insights to satisfy runners at most levels, right up to those shooting for personal bests at the faster end of the pack.
It’s probably a tool for those who take performance at least semi-seriously more than casual fitness runners, as there are cheaper options for those who really only want to know how far, fast and hard they’ve worked.
The 11-hour battery life could potentially make it suitable for faster ultra runners tackling runs up to 100km, but its skills are more suited to tarmac than trail.
A bit like Steve Winwood’s back catalog, the Forerunner 235 has aged well. This is a fantastic running tool that’s still very competitive. In fact, if you don’t care about some of the more complex running dynamics we’re seeing offered on newer models such as the Garmin Forerunner 645, then this should definitely be on your Amazon price alert list.
First reviewed: September 2017
Competition
Not sure about the Garmin Forerunner 235? Instead you may want one of these other watches.
Polar M430
The Polar M430 is an upgrade to the best-selling M400 and looks almost identical until you flip it over to find a built-in heart rate sensor. It's a good upgrade too, keeping all of the features that made the M400 so popular but bringing some extra intelligence too.
In addition to solid wrist-based heart rate tracking, there's better GPS, improved sleep tracking and smartphone notifications. It all adds up to one of the best mid-range running watches to buy right now. It's also more future-proofed than the Forerunner 235.
- Read the full Polar M430 review
TomTom Spark 3 Cardio + Music
TomTom’s wrist-based heart rate tracking tool also offers GPS tracking for multi sport and 24/7 activity tracking, but where it differs from the Forerunner 235 and is the ability to store up to 500 songs locally on the watch, meaning you can whack on a pair of Bluetooth headphones and run phone-free.
The web tools aren’t anywhere near as advanced as Garmin Connect or Polar Flow, but this is a strong alternative if you love running with music but hate bringing your smartphone.
- Read our full TomTom Spark 3 review
Or other Garmins...
Garmin's extended family of run trackers is growing all the time and the US giants offer something for runners of all abilities. But how do you know which one is the perfect running partner for you? We've tested them all and built our findings into a handy guide to give you the topline on the best Garmins you can buy right now.
