Garmin Forerunner 235 Review

Recently, I've understood the ultimate reason of sharing your hobbies and life stories with colleagues: they'll give you nice presents! XD Surely, I'm joking, but boyfriend who goes in for sports got Garmin Forerunner 235 from his co-workers on Birthday half a year ago. So, he has helped me in completing the review a bit) He likes all these sport accessories, but I doubt whether he would afford buying Garmin for himself. It costs £220 on Amazon, £250 on Ebay, and £270 on the official web site of Garmin. As for me, I would not spend such sum of money on a watch that can fall, crash, be stolen etc. At the same time, I would not reject a present of this kind.

This is not a smart watch as we know it today (only for receiving and answering calls), but Garmin is supposed to be an expert in sports watches; thus, the firm adds new and new functions necessary for sportsmen.

                                    Technical Characteristics

Physical dimensions: 1.77" x 1.77" x 0.46"
Display size: 1.23"
Display resolution: 215 x 180 pixels
Weight: 1.5 oz (42 g)
Battery: Rechargeable lithium-ion
Battery life: 11 hours training, 9 days watch + activity tracking + notifications + heart rate
Water rating: 5 ATM
Watch functions: Date and alarm
Color display: Yes
GPS-enabled: Yes
GLONASS: Yes
High-sensitivity receiver: Yes
Smart notifications (displays email, text and other alerts when paired with your compatible phone): Yes
Vibration alert: Yes
Music control: Yes
Find my phone: Yes
VIRB® control: Yes
Connect IQ™ app support: Yes
Wrist-based heart rate: Yes

Why it Helps Runners

Smart watch Garmin Forerunner 235 helps to track and control physical activity of a person. They have such functions as accelerometer and pedometer that can measure the distance you have passed, you speed of movement, and how many calories you have spent. In order to provide accurate calculations, the watch uses the sensor of heart rate. With the help of Garmin Elevate function, it is possible to have this sensor in the watch, not in a separate device on the breast of the sportsman.

Ideal Sleep

As for me, I was amazed by this function. I do not know, how it does it, but the watch can collect the data about the duration of human rest. It can also define the time of the beginning of rapid eye movement sleep. Due to this function, the device can calculate the optimal time of wake up for you. I think, this function is very helpful at weekends, when you can let the watch decide when to wake up. However, in our busy life, we cannot afford ourselves such "luxury". This option can also help those who want to improve their sleep and health in general since the duration of sleep has a significant influence on our nerve system and overall mood and condition.

Additional Functions

Garmin Forerunner 235 has a GPS module, which allows you to define your location and see what part of the way you have covered. This smart watch also synchronizes with the smart phone via Bluetooth. Thus, you can see the data about calls and messages on the display of the watch.

Quality of Image

The display of the watch is 1.23 inches. I should say that it has a very high quality and shows perfect image due to the OLED technology, which was used for its creation. It provides a bright and rather contrast image. Moreover, it has a matte coating that prevents the appearance of glares and does not irritate you.

Personalization

The device has maximum personalization. It uses the Garmin IQ platform that supports installation of a number of apps and widgets as well as the design of the main screen. Forerunner 235 can be automatically synchronized with the app "Garmin Connect". It is a free service for communication and analyzing sports data.
You can also synchronize your account on Garmin Connect with MyFitnessPal service in order to receive automatically calculated calories and recommendations regarding diet.

Safety

Well, despite all my biases, my boyfriend has assured me that the watch is highly protected. It has a metal frame that protects it when it is hit, falls down, or undergoes high temperatures. Moreover, it prevents water from penetrating inside the watch, so it can be put up to 50 metres under the water. 

Design

As for me, I find the design of Forerunner 235 good-looking and comfortable. Now, I'll tell you why. As for its attractiveness, it is visible. It has nice blue colour of a wristlet that perfectly matches classical black display. Moreover, the wristlet has a very creative form. It is covered with bigger and smaller holes along its full length. These holes not only allow the arm "to breathe", but also are very helpful for people with thin arms. I have faced the problem of lack of holes a lot of times in my life. I often had to make an extra one for myself. So, if I owned this device, I would not have to do it. To tell the truth, I find it a big advantage because the activity of making additional holes irritates me a lot!

Verdict

First, when I saw Garmin 235, it looked like a high technological device I have ever seen. It has so many functions that can be helpful for both ordinary people and sportsmen. However, if you do not go in for sports professionally, a lot of options will be unnecessary for you, like activity tracking that counts daily steps, distance, calories, and sleep. However, if you are looking for a present for a sportsman, it is the best choice, judging by experience;)
I think, this watch refers to those things that every runner dreams of, but cannot bring oneself to buy it.

This review can be also found on Ciao under my nickname AliceBond.