Garmin Forerunner 235 GPS Running Watch with Elevate Wrist Heart Rate and Smart Notifications, Black/Marsala Red

I use it for running and this replaced my old TomTom Runner which was a basic but very decent watch over the years. This Garmin Forerunner 235 is several leagues above.I've only had it a few days but tested it out thoroughly before writing this review and so far I'm very happy. It took a bit to work out the in and outs of setting it all up and linking to my Strava account but now it's all configured how I want it, I'm very happy indeed.It looks really smart and is comfortable on my wrist despite having the heart monitor on the back. I used several websites/feeds and videos online to get it all set up as the manual you get is just basic and a start up only.One thing: If yours seems dead when you get it, like mine was, i.e. just showed Garmin logo on the screen and would not respond to anything even when plugged into your PC, you need to reset by pressing the off (top left) button for 15 seconds approx until it goes blank altogether, then you press the same button for a second or two and it should restart no problem.If I was to give any slight criticism; during day the screen can in a certain light be a bit on the dull side. I countered this by adjusting the background to white with green/orange numerals. This looks much better for me. Also I find that too much info is hard to read when you are running, so it is best to set up different screens, so you can just have your pace for example and distance. That's the info I find most useful when running, but you can change the screens to show whatever you want. It also does 'lap times', i.e. time splits, which I like, so during your run you get a bleep or buzz each KM or mile, whatever you want and you can see it all in the history bit post run if you want to. There is a short online tutorial on this You know where to look ;)The battery life is amazing. I was used to charging up my old TomTom every day. This Forerunner 235 has lasted all week on one full charge and is still over 50%. It does all I want for my runs. I like that you can adjust so there is one, two, three or even four data-sets on screen. Eg pace, time, distance, heart rate, cadence etc. And the apps are good too.The Bluetooth is super fast and no probs at all with GPS. I went onto my Strava account and linked it easily to my Garmin Connect account, so it auto uploads my workouts first to the app which looks good then up to Strava as well.I got this for a very good price, 'used' but it looks as good as new. Definitely justifies 5 stars for me as the slight issue over the dull screen can be overcome and in poor light or darkness the backlight is very good and you can set it so it comes on when you flick your wrist, which when I'm running it does.

I've been running with a watch for a while. I went from a Pebble 2 HR (RIP) to a Garmin Vivosport which I had issues with the non-replaceable strap tearing, and then decided that I would go for a more fit for purpose watch.I decided on the FR235, being the most used running watch on the market currently, I thought it would be a safe place to put my money. To which I am delighted to say that it is. Though depending on the price it's up for, there may be some better options.I bought the watch for only £130 during the Prime Day sale 2019 and since then, it has assisted me on a few races, my first marathon and over 200 training runs. The watch is comfortable and looks great, it has a good blend of looking sporty but also subtle, it doesn't look out of place in the office either. I decided on the Marsala Red edition which in my opinion looks best of the 3 options though note that in the pictures the red accent comes across as a browny-red burgundy colour, in reality it is more of a cherry red.It lacks some of the features that the newer or more premium Garmin watches have, however, most of these features can actually be added via the Gamin app store, Connect IQ. If you're just after the basics, this watch definately has all you need and more.The watch is very accurate in it's workout tracking, featuring both GPS and GLONASS satellite tracking which a plot of your route is visible on your phone when you return from your run. I have compared the satellite tracking to a friend's newer FR245 model and to our surprise, the tracking was actually more accurate on this model. This however could change over time if Garmin choose to update the watches.The watch is very customizable, you can choose all of the real time data that you're interested in during your run and place them on the two display fields for use while you're out, some of these include: Speed/Pace, Average Speed/Pace, Duration, Distance, Current HR, Average HR, Altitude (though this is a software metric), HR Zones, Calories, Steps, as well as hundreds of other custom data fields that can be downloaded. It's also worth noting that the always on display can be customized with a photo off of your phone and made to be your watch face which is really nice and makes your watch unique.Sleep tracking is ok, if you're coming from using a FitBit or even a Pebble watch like I was, it is a fair few steps behind. Some nights it aces the sleep tracking and others it can be vastly off. It's worth noting that this watch only features basic sleep tracking so transitions between light and deep sleep, no REM tracking. You can use the Sleep with Android app on this watch though if you're really interested in improving your sleep patterns.Overall, if you're looking for a running watch that masters all of the basics, this is your safe bet. There is also the FR735XT which is very similar to this watch and sometimes in sales can come close to the price of the 235 but most of the features on the 735XT are aimed towards triathletes so you may not need them.