Garmin Forerunner 230 and 235 review: smart health connected GPS running watches

Garmin Forerunner 230 vs 235 ,what’s the difference?The Garmin Forerunner 230 and Forerunner 235 GPS watches are GPS smart health connected watches designed mainly for indoor and outdoor running. They replace the older models (forerunner 220 and 225) with a change in the hardware and features offered.

We are dealing here with a watch fine, light, pretty one, easy to use and offering all the useful functions to the runner for a reasonable price while being smart health connected (access to social networks, email notifications, SMS, phone calls via a Smartphone, real-time monitoring of the athlete, etc. See below). Garmin wanted to offer a model accessible to the greatest number without making it a low-end watch. If you are looking for a quality watch to run without spending too much money, the forerunner 230 or 235 is therefore perfectly suited. It offers a Very good value for money. It is for this reason that these models are currently very successful and are among the best selling running watches.

Ideal for motivation while offering all the useful functions for the runner

The forerunner 230 or 235 is perfect both for the confirmed sportsman looking for a reliable, easy to use and not too expensive watch, as for the amateur or beginner sportsman looking for a tool to help and motivate him to do sport. !

The watch allows you to manage your race well, to enjoy reliable and relevant information. It records the output data, allows you to define a route to follow, to program a workout. She knows how to manage the fractional and takes care of the follow-up very well after the race (display of the course on a map, statistics, analyzes, progress monitoring, sharing on social networks, etc.) She can even encourage the sportsman to move and knows how to make comments to encourage him.

Wrist HRM sensor

Comparison Forerunner 230 and 235: what differences?

The forerunner 230 and the Forerunner 235 are two very similar watches, which is why we cover them in this same article. What differentiates them is essentially the optical wrist heart rate monitoring that equips the Forerunner 235. The other model can work with a chest strap (to buy in addition) to measure the heart rate and deduce other indicators such as estimation of calories burned, VO2max (fitness Review), etc. For a full description of the differences between these 2 models and which one to choose, see our article: Forerunner 230 vs 235 comparison: which one to choose?

Characteristics of the Forerunner 230 and 235

Weight41 g (Forerunner 230) and 42 g (Forerunner 235)

Housing dimensions45 x 45 x 11.7 mm

Display dimensions31.1 mm, 215 x 180 px (glass)

Autonomy (1)Forerunner 230: 5 weeks (watch) / 16 h (GPS)Forerunner 235: 9 d (watch) / 3 p.m. (GPS & HRM)

GPSGPS & GLONASS

MultisportsNo

Recommended activitiesRunning, indoor running, cycling

Activity trackerYes

ConnectivityiOS, Android, Windows. Bluetooth wireless data transfer.

Heart rate monitoringYes (belt not supplied for Forerunner 230, optical sensor for forerunner 235)

AltimeterYes

BarometerNo

AccelerometerYes

BacklightYes

Weather forecastYes, via Smartphone

Waterproof5 ATM

Othersmart health connected bracelet, 200 h data memory, real-time monitoring (LiveTrack), anti-reflective color screen

Forerunner 230 and 235: the design

On the design side, Garmin offers a pretty GPS watch with a silicone strap. The watch is available in 3 colors depending on the model (black and white, white and purple, black and yellow for the Forerunner 230, black and marsala red, black and water green and black and gray for the Forerunner 235). Unlike more high-end models (forerunner 935 for example), the strap is not interchangeable and the case is entirely made of plastic, which makes the model less easy to wear in everyday life unless you like to wear a watch with a sporty look.

The watch has a very comfortable color screen of 31.1 mm in diameter and 215 x 180 pixels against 25.4 mm and 180 x 180 pixels for the previous model, which makes reading easier. In addition, its dial is readable even in direct sunlight thanks to transflective technology.

Garmin offers a very pleasant and intuitive full-color graphical interface. We regret the absence of a touch screen which would have reduced the number of buttons (5 in total!) And made the watch even easier to use.

The watch displays are customizable from the ConnectIQ interface. For example, you can display your favorite photo as wallpaper or download other watch faces for free.

In terms of comfort, we are dealing with an ultra-light GPS watch. Difficult to do better with its 42 g. As for its size, it is relatively thin (11.7 mm) and not too bulky (45 mm). For thin wrists, the Fenix ​​5S multisport GPS watch will be better but it is much more expensive! Nothing better to get an opinion than to Review by wearing the Forerunner 230 or 235 to see if the size is suitable.

Functions of the Garmin Forerunner 230 and 235

The forerunner 230 or 235 offers all the functions useful to the runner or the cyclist. The functions offered are numerous and satisfactory. If we want more measurements and metrics, it is better to turn to a more expensive model, the most complete of the Garmin range currently being the multisport watch Garmin Fenix ​​5 or, more specific to running, cycling, swimming, triathlon, the Garmin Forerunner 935, both released in 2017. Read also our file Best 2020 cardio GPS watches for running).

Sports offered

The watch has been specially designed for running, but it is also suitable for cycling. Garmin also offers 3 main activities: running, indoor running (treadmill), cycling. The watch can be paired with a cadence sensor (running or cycling) and speed sold as an option.

Basic functions

The Forerunner offers all the useful basic functions: duration, distance traveled, pace, heart rate (requires a cardio belt on the Forerunner 230) and associated measures (estimate of calories burned, recovery time, VO2max). This data is displayed in color, by numbers, graphs or in the form of gauges, on customizable screens.

If you like to train on the treadmill, the watch will show you the distance covered thanks to its accelerometer.

The cardio watch also records your route to display them on a map after the race (PC or Smartphone) with a complete report of the outing, statistics and much more.

The more advanced functions

Garmin offers many functions to manage your race well, optimize your training, share your data, find more motivation, etc. There are thus many functions such as:

• Virtual Pacer: set a pace and the watch helps you maintain it with audible and visual warnings.

• Race predictor: the Forerunner can estimate how long it will take you to run a certain distance (5 km, 10 km, half marathon, marathon). It is based on a physical condition Review obtained by reading the heart rate and estimating the VO2max.

• LiveTrack: this function allows someone to follow you on the Internet. To do this, connect the watch to a Smartphone with an Internet connection.

• VO2max assessment: VO2max is a performance indicator (see what VO2max is and how to measure your VO2max).

• Alerts: the forerunner can be programmed to alert you (beeps) if you exceed programmed thresholds or if you reach a target (distance, heart rate, speed, etc.)

• Auto pause: the watch will automatically pause when you stop. This function is disengageable.

NB: the estimate of calories expended, VO2max, race time (predictor) are proposed by the 2 watches but require a pulse reading. A cardio belt (not supplied) is therefore necessary for the Forerunner 230.

Training schedule

The 2 watches offer to create training sessions or download training programs ready-made on your watch. For example, you can define a fractional race by defining the number of series, the distance of the laps, a pace or a target heart rate. The watch will then indicate, by sound alerts, the moments when it is necessary to change the rhythm or to warn that the sportsman is going out of the programmed limits. These alerts allow the runner not to watch his watch and thus avoid distracting him or making him take unnecessary risks.

Programming a target zone can also be very useful for training (see how to train with a heart rate monitoring) or to lose fat by working at the right intensity.

24/7 activity monitoring

The 2 watches are equipped with an activity tracker which permanently records your daily activity (number of steps taken, distance traveled, quality of sleep, intensive minutes) and deduces the calories expended during the day (shopping, cleaning, gardening, etc.).

Thanks to this function, you will know how many steps you take daily knowing that the WHO recommends taking at least 10,000 per day to stay healthy! The watch can also set goals based on your fitness level and goals and encourage you to move to reach them. Learn more about activity tracking and the smart health connected bracelet.

Watch customization

The Forerunner 230 or 235 can be personalized via the Connect IQ app. It is possible to choose from many dials, widgets, applications. or even display your favorite photo as wallpaper with the free FaceIt app.

A smart health connected GPS watch

The Forerunner 230 or 235 is a smart health connected GPS watch: it allows you to receive SMS, call and email notifications, share your activities on social networks or even control the music on your Smartphone. It gives access to weather forecasts, calendar and other functions. It is even possible to transmit your position live for real-time monitoring of your trip on a map by your friends! And if you like challenges, you can face other people in the community on the same circuit as them.

Our opinion on the Garmin Forerunner 230 and 235

The Forerunner 230 and the Forerunner 235 are currently very popular running watches for their very good value for money. We recommend these GPS watches more for running than for cycling even if they were designed for both sports.

We appreciate the elegance, the lightness, the simplicity of use and the reasonable price of these models for the functions and the quality offered. All the essential functions and even more are present and the Garmin interface is quite user-friendly. We can regret the absence of a touch screen that would have made their use even simpler (it will be necessary to do with 5 buttons) but widgets allow access to essential data very easily.

We may also regret, for this price, the absence of an on-board MP3 player with wireless transmission for runners who like to listen to music while training without having to transport their Smarphone! For this, Tom Tom keeps ahead with its models with an MP3 player and up to 4 GB of music that can be listened to with bluetooth wireless headphones (see our review and Review of the Tom Tom Runner 3 and our review and Tom Tom Runner 2 Review).

On the practical side, these watches are more made for sports use. But their elegant look can make them adopt everyday. The autonomy announced is relatively good but needs to be tested. By cons it may be insufficient (especially on the Forerunner 235) for very long trips (ultra-trail for example) since there is no energy saving mode (GPS readings spaced). However, you can turn off the heart rate monitoring and save the battery. The Garmin Elevate system (heart rate monitoring on the wrist) is also a plus for the Forerunner 235 if you want to take advantage of the estimates associated with measuring the heart rate without the hassle of a chest strap. The optical sensor is not necessarily an advantage (learn more in our article Comparison Forerunner 230 vs 235: which one to choose ?.

Overall, the Garmin Forerunner 230 and Forerunner 235 are very good running watches at a good price. We can only advise them for occasional or regular outings, whether you are a beginner or not, to progress or simply have fun.

We liked

• Value for money

• Light, pretty, intuitive, easy to use

• Easy-to-read, pleasant and very precise color screen

• LiveTrack (real-time tracking)

We’d have liked

• Touchscreen

• Built-in mp3 player

• Thinner optical sensor (Forerunner 235)

Where to buy the Forerunner 230 and 235?

The Forerunner 230 is no longer sold since the end of 2017. The Forerunner 235 is available on the Internet (see below) and in sports stores.

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