Garmin smartwatches are really giving the Apple Watch Series a serious run for their money as the best smartwatch you can buy. They’re capable of multisport support, accurate fitness tracking, and look phenomenal on your wrist. If there’s one department that really puts Garmin way ahead of Apple, it’s the company’s watches’ tremendous battery life. The Forerunner 935, in particular, can last a terrific two weeks – something an Apple Watch would never be able to do. We think this watch is practically perfect, earning a rare 5-out-of-5 stars rating and the Digital Trends Editors’ Choice stamp of approval. Right now, this GPS multisport smartwatch is available on Amazon for a cool $70 off
The Garmin Forerunner 935 is smaller and more subdued-looking than the large-and-in-charge Fenix 5X. Although technically a sports watch, its black casing is subtle enough to be worn even when you’re not training. Plus, its silicone band is replaceable if you wish to pair it with a fancier strap. From its size alone, it’s hard to believe that is has a built-in optical heart rate monitor, barometric altimeter, compass, gyroscope, accelerometer, and thermometer. It also connects to smartphones via Bluetooth, external sensors via ANT+, and networks via Wi-Fi. It may not look chunky enough to hold that much tech inside it – but it does!
This watch includes loads of preconfigured apps for tracking a multitude of sports (not just running), including road cycling, mountain biking, walking, hiking, swimming, snowboarding, skiing, stand-up paddling, rowing, and even golf. All your fitness metrics get stored and are presented neatly and comprehensively on the Garmin Connect app, where you can create training programs as well. The Forerunner 935 isn’t just designed for serious athletic training. It also covers lots of daily fitness metrics like steps tracking, calories burned, floors climbed, intensity minutes, distance traveled, sleep time and quality, and 24/7 heart rate monitoring. This watch is also extremely well-rounded in terms of smart features. You can receive notifications for calls, texts, and calendar alerts, real-time weather updates, and music playback control. This watch also allows you to answer a call, locate a lost phone, and remotely control a Garmin Virb action camera.
The watch’s interface is smartly laid out and is very easy to navigate. The Forerunner 935 also includes a Live Tracking feature that lets you share location, speed, and performance metrics with friends and family live via a web page. It’s a great way for loved ones to keep tabs on you while you train.
If there’s one issue that we found with this watch, it’s that its swim tracking is not the most precise. When we did some laps in a 50-meter pool, the watch seemed to get confused and oftentimes leaped ahead a lap or two, tracking hundreds of meters already when in fact we’ve just been swimming for a few minutes. But then again, we’re already nitpicking, as overall this is a superb smartwatch that we wholeheartedly recommend. Get the Garmin Forerunner 935 for $430 today on Amazon.
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