Garmin 010-01746-00 Forerunner 935 Running GPS Unit (Black)

I will not go into a technical review of the Garmin 935 GPS unit as there are already many available on internet and very detailed ones on YouTube. I will instead try to address some issues that I think are important to the average consumer. Mind that I gave 5-start rating and thus I like it, but still there are a few comments that I feel could be useful 1) I have had a Garmin GPS unit at my wrist from 2004 and, in particular, I went through the series 910XT and 920XT. Hence I claim that I know a thing or two about using GPS devices for sports. 2) I prefer the square format, but these days they seem to be all round and so no choice there. I just think that a square display provides, in general, a better organization of space. For instance when I cycle or skate I like to have the Distance, Time, Avg. Speed, Current Speed in one display and all the heart rate measurements on a second screen. As menus on this watch are organized by groups of 3, I find this less desirable.However, I found that the watch is easy to read and in that sense I would not complain. More recently, I found a third party software by Dozen Cycle and finally I was able to get more fields than just 3 on my display. Now I am satisfied. (See the second picture below). I just wish one could customize the display to have up to 8 fields on each individual display. Or 6, but 3 I find a little bit short of what I need. 3) It is light, much lighter than my 910XT and 920XT. I just hope that this "lightness" does not translate into less durability. The strap I really do not like. It irritates me if I wear as a watch. I did not have this problem with the 910XT and 920XT. The strap on the 935 is much softer than on the 910XT or 920XT as far as I can tell. 4) Sensors are fast to acquire signal. No problems with GPS signals so far and /or connecting to HRM and other devices. 5) Precision is as good as on my previous devices or better. Only things that surprises me a little bit is the calories consumption that on this device seem to be overall lower than on my 910XT that I used as a comparison (4 or 5 years apart, I thought, should show some differences). 6) I do not swim anymore so I have not tried it in water and I will not try it into water in the foreseeable future. So cannot comment on that. But, since the 910XT was already quite good in that sense, I am confident this is even better. 7) I learned how to use the 910XT and 920XTin a matter of 1 hour. The 935 has many more functions and menus and it took me quite a bit longer to learn the tricks I need. I found the manual (downloaded from Garmin's website) not very useful or, better, full of information, but not always quickly applicable. I learned more just by researching the internet under specific keys. 8) Connection with Garmin Express is fast and very reliable. So getting my workouts on Garmin Connect has been very easy 9) Battery time... So far (it is new) it looks great.. As a watch it can go many days in between charges. When I work out, I seem to find that 1 hour = 10% of charge, roughly 10) I connected to my Android, but I quickly disconnected it too. Why do I want the two to be connected? If I am going on a workout I tend to leave the phone in the car. I also use the watch for inline skating and falling on a bike or on skates is usually not good news for expensive smartphones.But I connected it to make sure that it works. Not difficult to do either after installing the proper application on my smartphone. 11) as a watch it is not bad at all and can be customize a fair amount (see my watch face below) 12) I was curious about the heart rate measurements without the strap and, overall, I found them very accurate. That is a pleasant plus even if I train with the HRM because I want to have more metrics to download and to study. OVERALL. I am happy. These devices seem to get more and more expensive every iteration, but they also contain more and more functionalities. I guess that is the trend. I resisted buying the Fenix 5X even if the Fenix 5X is better looking, there is no doubt about that, and has a stronger feel and touch. But, I really know that I would never ever use the maps and I already have a nice mechanical watch that is 10x spiffier than the Fenix 5X, so the 935 hit my sweet spot between what I want and what I need. I would have preferred a device a little bit sturdier, but even if it is thinner than my previous devices, it is quite usable and I have no issues finding the buttons even while exercising. As I took one small tumble on skates, perhaps, I noticed that being thin is not so bad as during the fall it did not get scratched, which is not always the case with bulkier devices.

I have the Garmin 235 watch and it has been a mainstay of mine for training for the last 5 or so years and in all honesty it's a good watch. So why did I get the 935. Realistically my training was getting longer and I needed a 'distance' watch where the battery life would last even if I was wearing chest HR monitor. I also wanted multi sports like swimming and mapping for trail running. This watch is by far the best in it's class and yes the newer 945 has a couple of nice features but for the cost difference ? No, not worth it. This watch is still the mainstay for a lot of ultra-runners and triathletes and theres a reason why. I just works. It has everything (and more) that you need and has all the bugs ironed out. It's also still getting updates from Garmin as it's a premium product. For $260, this is a bargain. You don't NEED the newest model, you NEED a product that is reliable and has no bugs. New features are just window dressing in lots of cases. As far as fit it's a little bulky for my 7" wrist but still comfortable. It lights automatically when you flick your wrist whilst running (which is great for those early/late runs when it's dark). It has alarms for just about everything, can pair with just about every bio measurement device, has a great battery life and has so many customisable functions. Another 'great' is that it has in built wi-fi so you don't end up messing with syncing through your phone (and this was a big sell for me). I don't believe there are many watches that have wi-fi. Again this thing is top spec on everything. You won't go wrong. [2 years later, how do I feel ?] To be honest this watch is still well worht it compared to the newer FR955. The only thing that would cause me to upgrade is the topo maps on the FR955 vs the breadcrumbs mapping on the FR935. However with that said I can’t justify the cost and this watch is still working flawlessly. The features on it are still beyond what most people need and then there’s the ability to add all the custom widgets if you don’t find what you want (and in all likeliness there’s a widget for the thing you can’t find natively!). The display is still very legible and the battery lasts a long time. I did have it once give me battery indication issues where it dropped from 99% to 80% in an hour. I let it discharge fully (as per suggestions) and then recharged it as this resets the battery monitoring circuits. Now it’s back to normal! Bottom line: I’m still very happy with it and love having my little navigation computer on my wrist when on my long runs!

I'm training for a half Ironman and bought this watch two months ago. It is overall fantastic, it greatly exceeds my expectations, and I have no complaints whatsoever. I started training by using the Google WearOS watch I already had. It, theoretically, could do what I needed it to do since you can download apps for just about anything. But there were problems. Each app you download makes the watch even slower to respond than it normally was. It often locked up. The touchscreen, a feature I thought was so cool at first, turned out to be its worst feature during triathlon training. In water the touchscreen is 100% unusable. Actually, just the contact of the water on the touchscreen makes it magically change from screen to screen or even turn off half way through a swim. When it’s wet and your finder is wet, there’s only a 1% chance that your touches will register properly. During running it's impossible to interact with the tiny icons on the tiny screen as I bounce around while striding. And during rides, with my gloves on, there's no touchy at all. Touch screens for triathlon watches are to be avoided. This Garmin does not have a touchscreen. You interact with it through five buttons that work perfectly in the pool, while running, and with gloved hands. The watch never locks up. It has all the power it needs to be extremely responsive to your interactions, every single time. The watch is always on. Unlike a "smart" watch that must turn its display off to conserve battery, this watch is always on. I can see the time, date and other indicators all the time. If I activate it by touching a button, I get a ton of other features. The GPS locks onto a satellite very quickly, and consistently records my activities. The pace is always accurate. The heart rate monitor always works (PROTIP: tightening the strap during a training session results in a more accurate heart rate). It provides all the biofeedback I need during my training sessions. The Garmin Connect app that comes with it provides a treasure trove of data that you can, and will, analyze on a daily basis. It tells you how you sleep, and how long you're in which sleep zones. It tells you how you’re training - your pace, your distance, your cadence, your heart rate, VO2, and even if you’re overtraining...everything you need to know to understand how to make minor adjustments. The sync between watch and app happens without you having to do anything. You can also connect with your friends and view a feed, similar to Strava. Garmin Connect is so good that I simply stopped using Strava...it’s no longer needed. The battery lasts crazy long. My Google watch would die on day 2, so I HAD to plug it in every night. That meant no sleep tracking. The longest I've gone between charging my Garmin is 11 days. 11 DAYS!! That's insane. Here's the bottom line... This watch is perfect for triathlon training. It's the perfect watch because it just works. And it works every, single, time. If you are training for a triathlon, you will regret not buying this watch.

Glad I went with this watch. After 1 month I’m still loving it. Screen: not a touch screen, but I actually prefer this. If you are in the middle of an activity and sweaty sometime buttons are just easier. Part of the reason I didn’t go with the vivoactive. Golf app: this is why I went with the 935 over the 735 model and other models (those don’t have golf). it does a great job of giving you distance to pin from your spot which is all I really wanted. It doesn’t tell you the shape of the hole or where traps are, or about your swing but it’s easy to download corses and simple to use. Smart watch: you can read texts and it notifies you of calls and app notifications that also pop up on your phone. Again, all I needed. You can’t reply to texts or call from the watch itself but this is a fitness tracker first. Ask yourself if you really need a camera or to send text messages or call people on your watch, if so you might be better off with a smart watch more than a fitness tracker. I have trouble with the weather app on this watch but I haven’t toyed around with it too much, still just use my phone. GPS and battery: both are great. GPS is accurate and the battery life if fantastic, very quick to charge too. Another reason I picked over the vivoactive. Style: very comfortable to wear and looks slick. The screen is smaller than the fenix 5, but that’s not a bad thing. It’s more compact without sacrificing anything. Fitness tracking: yep, it does that very well. Also syncs up to other apps like Strava and MyFitnessPal. As far as data, it’s hard to beat. Swimming: water proof. I only ever take it off to charge. Does a great job counting laps and giving you your pace per 100. Does not count laps with kickboard where your arms are not moving. Music: haven’t really explored this, I still just use my phone. Sleep tracking. I knew I woke up in the middle of a dream. Now I have the data to prove it!

I recently bought the Forerunner 235 and sent it back for several reasons. One of those reasons was the shockingly dim display (and the awful heart rate accuracy). After reading reviews, and after a brief fling with an Apple Watch, I ordered the Forerunner 935, especially after reading that the display is brighter than the 235 and 735, and the brightness level could be adjusted. Well, no. But, yes. Depending on what your definition of display brightness is. More on that later. Pros: 1. Incredibly accurate heart rate monitor, even when working out. Same as my Garmin chest strap. 2. Sleep tracking, as far as I can tell, is accurate. More importantly, very comfortable to sleep in. 3. Lots of cool stats and analytics for the geek (me). 4. Lots of watch faces to choose from. A ridiculous amount. 5. Notifications are great when they work (see below) 6. Display is bright in direct light. 7. Garmin Connect app is very good. 8. Quick to pick up (and stay with) external senors (Bluetooth and ANT). Cons: 1. Yeah, so, don't confuse normal display brightness (cannot be adjusted) to backlight brightness (which can be adjusted). Backlight happens when you press the appropriate button on the watch or when the watch is gestured towards your body (at least it is most times, although I haven't quite figured out the exact hand-body motion algorithm for the gesturing activation yet). Otherwise, in a dark room, if you look at your 935, it is dim dim dim. So, if you want a watch face with thirty metrics, you better have superhero vision, even when you're looking at it in direct sunlight, because most of the additional stats (other than time) are itty bitty. 2. Notifications are finicky. I have an iPhone and there is a little song and dance you have to do when notifications stop working. Just be prepared. It's not a tragedy, but can be slightly annoying when it happens. Also, even when notifications work, some notifications get skipped. Example, for 1 text I get a notification, and then 2 minutes later another text arrives but I get no notification. Then, 5 minutes later I get a text notification for the next text. Weird. It's like the iPhone and 935 never really get along, but have come to some sort of passive-aggressive agreement to coexist. I would definitely not describe the relationship as seamless or consistent. 3. If you're going to constantly monitor your heart rate just be prepared that battery life is not going to be super-fantastic. I charge it at night when I'm showering. Charges fairly quickly. Example, last night I started at 99% before I went to bed. Tracked sleep. Heart rate has been constantly tracking. It is now 5:00 PM and the 935 is at 87%. So not too shabby. But, after I work out tonight I'm guessing it will be in the low 70%. 4. Pricey. Not sure this a $400 watch, and for about that much you can get a lot more in the way of apps and connectability with an Apple Watch, if that's your thing. I wanted this for activities, not to have another iPhone on my wrist, so I like it better than the Apple Watch 4 (which I did also order and send back). 5. While there are many, many, many watch faces available, there are surprisingly few apps like weather and other non-activity-tracking apps available. Looks like even on the Garmin Connect Store there are apps that are in weird stages of development (require API codes and other developer-type workarounds). The interface is pretty one-dimensional, which accounts for the lack of "fun" apps. Good thing statistics and metrics don't need to be fun. Summary, if you want a smartphone on your wrist, with access to hundreds of cool apps and the ability to be able to answer texts and calls from your watch, don't buy the 935. If you are a serious athlete and an accurate wrist-based heart rate monitor is your thing, and you want to be able to ONLY see calls and other notifications, I would suggest the 935. One final note: if you have an iPhone, before you buy this, I would suggest getting on the Garmin forums and checking out the issues that have been going on for some time with no real solutions. Pro tip: if you opt for the 935 and you have an iPhone, be prepared to have the Garmin Connect app running at all times to increase the likelihood that you will receive notifications. That will tax the battery on both ends, but it seems to help. UPDATE 1. Every morning I have to reset notifications to start working again. It's easy but has to be done every morning. Check out Garmin forums. Turn off Garmin Connect notifications, then turn off Bluetooth, then do all that in reverse. Works every time. 2. Do not have the Garmin Connect app open when you're working out or the 935 will reboot itself several times during the workout. 3. Email notifications from the iPhone email app are annoying. Several times during the day the 935 will suddenly give me individual notifications for all the unread emails in my inbox even if it already has notified me prior of those same emails. Would I buy this watch again? Maybe. Personally I probably should have waited 2 weeks for the 945 and shelled out the extra $ for that. But this is an above average smartwatch for athletes.

Amazing quality and has everything in need for running, workout and cycling. Don't you forget to buy a screen protector.

This is my first (and only) advanced fitness watch. I had a relatively simple Fitbit previously, so this was quite a step up. So I write this review with the caveat that I'm not an expert in advanced fitness trackers or smartwatches. Having said that, I am really enjoying this watch. I use it predominantly for walking, swimming, running (and once the weather improves, biking). My Fitbit did not support swimming, and I wanted a watch that could do that, but also seamlessly interface with Strava for activity tracking. At first it was a bit overwhelming, but it only took a few days to get used to the features. After a week or so I was comfortably editing the data screens on the watch during activities to show the data I wanted. I love that it is configurable like this. Accuracy during swimming seems very good. The first few times I used it I either "lost" a lap or had an "extra" one recorded, but lately it has been rock solid. Maybe I was obsessing over having it detect the end of a lap, but now I simply touch the wall and don't worry about it and it counts it accurately every time. It does not seem to recognize my strokes that well, but this may be more about my technique that the watch! That doesn't really bother me though. During walks I have noticed that the heart rate monitor has an issue. The uploaded picture illustrates this. It showed my heart rate hovering at about 80bpm (which I know was inaccurate) and then suddenly jumped up to about 113bpm, which was probably accurate. Somehow it was missing one out of every 3 heart beats. I haven't looked too closely at the problem--maybe it's the clothes I'm wearing, but clearly it was not reading the heart rate accurately at the lower bpm because I was definitely exerting myself. I used it on an elliptical trainer this past weekend and the heart rate was dead on in agreement with the elliptical unit's built in sensor heart rate monitor, so I know it has the accuracy with even vigorous movement. The other readings on the elliptical (pace, etc.) were spot on as well. GPS accuracy is excellent, much better than my phone was recording on MapMyRide and native Strava. It is nice to be able to go out without having to carry my phone to get my routes plotted during workouts. And I love the ability to overlay pace and heart rate on the map. The Garmin Connect app is quite good. It has a few UI idiosyncrasies, but overall it's one of the better ones I've used. It keeps track of personal records for my swims (and I assume it will do the same with bike rides once I start riding), although for some reason it does refuse to capture some records, such as Longest Swim and 1000m. I haven't figured that out yet. I do wish that there was an interface to the MapMyFitness set of apps which is where most of my fitness history lies, so basically I am transitioning away from that platform and to Garmin Connect and Strava. A few things I would like to see improved: First, the watch can be set to auto-sync after an activity is completed and within WiFi range. Great! But to get daily step counts to sync, you either have to open the app or use the Sync feature on the phone. This is not a huge deal if you only use the app itself, but I have a third party service that syncs daily step counts from Garmin Connect, so at the end of the day I need to make sure I force a sync. It would be nice to have the watch auto-sync periodically when in range of my phone. Also, in swimming mode, I like to time certain distances (250m, 750m and 1500m). I would be happy with it capturing every 250m, and I'll note that you can set an auto-lap distance for walks (and I presume runs and bike rides too), but that doesn't seem to be an option for swimming. Instead, I can manually press the lap key, which puts it into rest mode, and then hit it a second time to restart. It's not a huge deal--I get what I am looking for, but it would be nice if it were more automatic. Update: I forgot to mention the accuracy of the sleep tracking on this device. Basically it drastically overestimates my sleep. It shows me getting 9-10 hours a night, and I know that on some nights I have been lying awake for almost an hour and the app shows that I was asleep the whole time. This is not a big deal for me, but if you are looking for accurate sleep tracking, that would be something to watch out for with this watch. Overall, I am extremely pleased with this purchase.

When my Forerunner 410 finally bit the dust (battery life under 2 hours fully charged) I did a lot of research on Garmin and other watches and settled on the 935 to track my running training, backpacking, and off-trail running races. I couldn't be happier. It is light, the battery life is wonderful, and the analysis it provides through Garmin Connect is impressive. I was most impressed last weekend. At the end of several weeks of hard training my body was beaten down a bit. I have been running for a long time and am very familiar with the signs. When I came home from my run I noticed my training status had changed to "unproductive" for the first time (meaning training load is fine for my condition but I my fitness is decreasing suggesting being worn down). What algorithm it uses to differentiate the body breaking down vs. just having an off day (have had a couple of those over the last couple of weeks but didn't change my status) I don't know but I was impressed! My only complaint is the watch face got scratched on my first off-trail race. I knew that was one of the differences between the 935 and Fenix 5 but being a triathlon watch I expected the watch face to be a little more durable (after all I never had this problem with my 410). I promptly bought a screen protector and haven't had a problem since, so for new buyers that are likely to abuse this watch a bit I would definitely suggest doing the same.