Product Comparison: Garmin Forerunner 735XT vs Garmin Forerunner 235

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Garmin Forerunner 735XT Multisport GPS Training Watch, Black/Gray

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Garmin Forerunner 235 Frost Blue

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General Specifications

About the Product

Be a better athlete today than you were yesterday with Forerunner 735XT. This GPS running watch with multisport features is for athletes who want dialed-in data for training and a lighter load on race day. A smaller form factor and comfortable band make 735XT the ideal watch to get you from workout through workday. Connected features4 like automatic uploads to Garmin Connect, our free online fitness community, let you share your stats and triumphs through social media.

Forerunner 235 with Elevate™ heart rate technology² measures heart rate at the wrist 24/7, giving you the option to run without a strap. Its colorful gauge identifies your heart rate zone and beats per minute in real time.

Brand

Garmin

Model

Forerunner 735XT

Forerunner 235

Origin

Taiwan

China

Key Specs

Operating System

Garmin wear

Display Size

1.23 in.

Band Material

Silicone

GPS Enabled

Yes

What customers say about "Key Specs"

Garmin Forerunner 735XT Multisport GPS Training Watch, Black/Gray

Easy to use, light, comfortable, attractive in a sporty sort of way. I am small boned with small hands, and the watch doesn't overwhelm my wrist.
I am very happy with my Garmin 735xt. It gives me more stats and info than all the other fitness watch I've tried. I got it for the multi-sport functions for triathlon training.
Overall size is about the size of an oreo. Being a female, I cannot wear a bulky watch so this watch sits perfectly.
This watch fit all the fitness needs in my life. Indoor and outdoor swims, sleep tracking, running, GPS, heart rate etc. it is accurate and reliable.
Only had a week ,not as easy to work as the Garmin Vivo active he. But a lot more comfortable and smaller.

Garmin Forerunner 235 Frost Blue

Very lightweight and comfortable. Band stretches slightly to keep heart rate monitor tight to wrist, but is not uncomfortable, in fact it is amazingly lightweight.
Extremely comfortable sport band for your wrist and the watch itself is pretty low profile and very light.
Watch band has lots and lots of holes to get just the right fit
Very light and perfect size for my small wrist the band is great especially when sweaty, it doesn't get sticky.
I wish they made small watch band sizes for women like me.

Size & Weight

Height

1.75 in.

1.77 in.

Width

1.75 in.

1.77 in.

Depth

0.47 in.

0.46 in.

Weight

1.42 oz.

1.62 oz.

Display

Display Type

Sunlight-visible, transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP)

Screen Resolution

215 x 180

Display Type

What customers say about "Display"

Garmin Forerunner 735XT Multisport GPS Training Watch, Black/Gray

Bought this as an upgrade to my Forerunner 620 as I needed a little longer battery life - and I like this non-touch display much better than the 620 as well.
This watch would have 5 stars if the display and back light were better. The pictures of the watch are really enhanced and show all of the display brighter than what they are.
Not the brightest display, but it's okay.
Now about the form factor and weight. It is plastic. And this may be a be negative for some. I remember trying on the display model at REI and it felt like a toy. Of course I know these display versions are basically shells and not the real thing, but even the real thing feels a bit like a toy.
However, the display is not crisp and the backlighting doesn't make the characters pop.

Garmin Forerunner 235 Frost Blue

I love the big display that really brings out the beauty in the custom faces you can find on Garmin Connect IQ.
The display has great resolution and capable of showing color graphics.
The display is beautiful and can be customized to show pics or anything else.
Extremely dim display, so much so that it's basically useless unless you are in bright sunlight.
4 stars because the display is not bright enough- just a little too dim.

Features

Color

Black/Gray

Frost Blue

Design

Sport

Protection Class

Water Resistant 5ATM

Customizable Watch Faces

Yes

Built-In Microphone

Vibration Alert

Yes

Sensors

Garmin Elevate™ wrist heart rate monitor, Compass, Accelerometer

Garmin Elevate™ wrist heart rate monitor, Accelerometer

What customers say about "Features"

Garmin Forerunner 735XT Multisport GPS Training Watch, Black/Gray

Outdoor run and bike worked great and transferred cardio workouts (including the swim) to Strava seamlessly.
Upgraded to this from my forerunner 10. Many more features and easy to use. Looking forward to using it for triathlons this summer!
Purchased for my daughter who is a high school Xc and track runner. She has enjoyed all of the watch features
Been a garmin fan for many years. This is a fairly good watch thus far. like the features.
I love this sports watch. Had the 920 XT and was somewhat big and didn't have the features this has. The ease of operation and how lightweight is makes this a fantastic Sport Watch

Garmin Forerunner 235 Frost Blue

Heart rate is accurate (compared to separate pulse rate monitor) at rest, and appears fairly accurate during brisk walking/jogging. If it is loose on wrist then the heart rate varies, so it is important to keep the watch snug on the wrist.
Steps are accurate (compared to MISFIT which I carry in my pocket to use as comparison for awhile)
Connects to the Connect IQ app on phone (you use this app to configure and customize watch applications)
Notifications and Calendar work perfectly (when connected to phone via Bluetooth, when out of range of phone then these features are disabled)
Downloads from Connect IQ store (so far all downloads are free)
Limited number of widgets and apps
Limited number of available watch apps from Connect IQ Store (but there are new apps added weekly)
Had to install Garmin Express on PC and plug in watch to PC to get watch face re-synched and watch software updated

Connectivity

Bluetooth Version

4.0

Wi-Fi Compatibility

NFC Technology

Power

Charging Interface

Magnetic Connector

Battery Life

264 hours

216 hours

Battery Life

What customers say about "Power"

Garmin Forerunner 735XT Multisport GPS Training Watch, Black/Gray

I am getting around 6 days with a single charge with around 5 hrs of workouts.
Battery life is amazing in normal watch mode, and GPS mode seems to drain battery as stated by Garmin about 12 to 14hrs.
I haven't used the Garmin in an ironman race yet so I don't know how the battery is, although I used it all last week and did workouts every day plus wore it for daily activities and I seem to only have to charge it once every 7-9 days.
Much more accurate than my Apple Watch 1st Generation, and battery life is great, lasting over 5-6 days without using the 'workout tracking' feature.
Only knock would be battery life can usually go 3-4 days between a charge.

Garmin Forerunner 235 Frost Blue

Battery life up to 11 hours for training; 9 days for watch + activity tracking + notifications + heart rate functions.
Battery life still seems very reasonable at about one charge every 5 days. During the 5th day when I do charge the battery still reads ~30% normally.
I have only had the watch for 5 full days now. I charged the watch the moment I received it and have yet to have to charge it since. I am very pleased with this because I have kept the bluetooth and heart rate monitor on from the moment I unplugged it from the charger.
Very long battery life (lasts a week, even with about 4 runs logged)
Battery life. Well, needless to say it doesn't last very long. I charged it fully on Wednesday and then used it only during the day (turning it off at night) and it is Sunday now. It has 31% battery left.

Warranty / Certifications

Manufacturer Warranty

1 year(s)

Certifications

Other Information

Manufacturer

Link

Manual

Download

MSRP

499.99 $

249.99 $