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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Garmin 235 Review}}
[[File:Garmin235.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The {{Garmin 235}}, showing the display of heart rate.]]
I had remarkably high hopes for the Garmin 235. I was naïve enough to think that it would be like the [[Garmin 225]], but with better optical heart rate monitoring, better [[GPS Accuracy]] and adding in [[Connect IQ]] to boot. Sadly, the GPS accuracy is even worse and the optical heart rate monitoring is still not viable. The 235 has some cool novelties, but if you look at the four basic questions I use to evaluate the foundational capabilities of a running watch, it comes up short.
* '''How far did I run?''' This is the most basic question, and sadly the 235 has distinctly grim [[GPS Accuracy]]. Even with my low expectations of recent Garmin devices I was rather disappointed. It's possible that the variants of the 235 that lack the optical heart rate monitor (230/630) might do a little better, but I wouldn't expect a huge improvement. Of course, the error that you'll see will depend on the nature of your route. On straight lines and with a clear view of the sky it should do okay, but in tree cover and on twisty courses it's likely to be pretty ugly. How much this will bother you is likely to depend on how what you're using the watch for and the nature of your personality.
* '''How fast am I running?''' Knowing how fast you're running can be a nice to know, or it can be vital for your training or race performance. Even Because of the best nature of GPS , watches that rely on GPS signal alone tend to have serious problems with current pace, and the poor accuracy of the 235 exacerbates this. If knowing how fast your running is important to youThankfully, then look Garmin has added support for a watch that has the display of your current [[Pace From A Footpod]]while getting all other data from GPS. (This was added in the 4.70 firmware, released June 2016. )
* '''Where am I? '''The 235 has extremely limited support for navigation, but it's better than nothing.
** '''Back To Start'''. This is a simple arrow point to your starting point, so it won't help you backtrack. However, knowing where your hotel is in a strange city or where you parked your car is immensely valuable, especially if you're running a circular route.
** '''Back To Waypoint'''. You can mark a location and use the arrow to point to it later. Again, this is a simple "as the crow flies" pointer.
** '''Connect IQ Apps. '''It's possible to add more navigation by installing a [[Connect IQ]] app. Connect IQ application take over the role of the display and recording of your activity, so while they can add some navigation they may not have the functionality that you'd expect from a running watch. I tried dwMap (V1.4.0018b) and it will give you navigation, but you have extremely limited options for displaying other data, with just four predefined fields shown.
* '''What's my cadence? '''[[Cadence]]''' '''is one of the most critical and often overlooked aspects of running. If you get your Cadence right, many other things naturally fall into place. . There is support for Cadence from the internal accelerometer, though I find that's not as accurate as the [[Footpod]] which it supports. While the 235 has alerts for heart rate, pace, distance, and time, it lacks an alert for Cadence which would have been the most valuable.
The 235 is not a good choice for ultrarunners, as its battery life is too short. You can charge the 235 while you're running, but I'd recommend getting a watch with a longer battery life so you don't have to charge it so often. See [[Best Running Watch#Watches for Ultrarunning| Watches for Ultrarunning]] for more details.
=Garmin 235 Pros=
* [[Connect IQ]] allows the 235 to include rich apps to extend its core functionality. For instance, the [https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?213535-Watchface-ActiFace-FR920XT-Vivoactive-epix ActiFace] app makes the activity monitor far more inspiring.
* Garmin has added support for displaying your current [[Pace From A Footpod]] while getting all other data from GPS. For situations where pacing is critical, such as running a marathon, this is a must have feature. You can also configure it to get both pace and distance from the Footpod, while still recording the track of where you've been from GPS.
* The 235 is a nice size, looking more like a watch than a brick. I find it a lot more comfortable than the [[Garmin Fenix 3]], [{Garmin Epix]], or [[Garmin 920XT]], though I have rather tiny wrists.
* The color display is bigger than the [[Garmin 225]], though it is neither square nor circular, but flat on the top/bottom and round on the sides, which is odd. Some of the screens end up with the edges cut off, which can make the graphs confusing.
* The battery life is annoyingly poor, even for fairly casual running when the watch is used as an activity monitor. I find myself having to charge the 235 far too frequently and it seems to take longer than I'd like to recharge.
* The 235 will automatically pair to a heart rate strap without being in a pairing mode. This means it will link to someone else's strap, which is mightily annoying.
* The 235 includes an internal accelerometer to give you an idea of pace and distance while running on a treadmill without a footpod, but I found the accuracy was rather poor. I've yet to come across a watch that can reasonably estimate your pace from the movement of your wrist, nor does it seem likely that this functionality is practical.
=GPS Accuracy =