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Verdict
Is the Garmin Forerunner 935 one of the best running watches out there? No… it’s more. It’s arguably the best running, triathlon, cycling and hiking watch on the market, filled with all the sensors you’d want.
Want to connect smart lights from your bike? Done. Want to know how high you are up a mountain? Done, thanks to the barometric altimeter. Want to keep going for days and days and not pack a charger? Done… the battery life is insane.
There’s a lot to love about the Garmin Forerunner 935, and despite the understated design and the rudimentary interface, there’s little we wanted for from it.
The battery life, as mentioned, is the key selling point (along with the number of things you can monitor and analyze in the Garmin Connect app), and we were thoroughly impressed at nearly every turn.
Who's this for?
Look, let’s not beat about the bush: this is an expensive watch and it’s pointless unless you’re either a) training hard for a triathlon (or ideally an Ironman race) b) are desperate for excellent battery life or c) want to get the best out of sleep and stress tracking while maintaining a bit of points a) and b).
Otherwise, this will be a waste of money. Yes, it’s powerful, but you’d never get close to using it to its full potential, and there are a lot of cheaper watches that would suit you better.
Should you buy it?
As long as you’re not enamored by accurate swim or strength tracking, and can afford it, the Forerunner 935 is an excellent treat for most athletes.
It’s a little bigger than some fitness watches out there, but not by much, and for that you’re getting a fantastically powerful device.
The interface can be a touch slow at times, and like we said there are a couple of very, very small flaws in there, but for a smartwatch that can go, and go, and go… well, it’s hard to think of something better than the Forerunner 935.
First reviewed: May 2018
Not sold on the Forerunner 935? There are a number of alternatives, such as these:
Garmin Fenix 5X
The Garmin Fenix 5X is very similar to the Forerunner 935, in both price and performance. You’ll be really buying the ruggedized shell and the harder glass, as otherwise the functionality and fitness prowess is largely the same.
- Read our Garmin Fenix 5X review
Garmin Forerunner 735XT
If you’re not sold on the cost of the 935, we’d instantly push you in the direction of the Garmin Forerunner 735XT, one of the best (and now, more affordable) watches on the market. It’s not got all the same fancy features, like stress tracking, but it does the rest very, very well and is one of our favorites to go running with.
- Read our full Garmin Forerunner 735XT review
Suunto Spartan Trainer Wrist HR
A slightly left-field choice if you’ve not heard of the brand, but it comes with excellent heart rate monitoring, and the app is capable of suggesting well-trodden routes around you. It’s a little chunkier on the wrist and things like sleep tracking are nowhere near as good, but this is a brand with a strong heritage in fitness tracking, and it shows.
- Read our full Suunto Spartan Trainer Wrist HR review
