Garmin Forerunner 230 (FR230) Hands-on Overview

[@vincentaurelius2390]

Of all the vids on this watch this is the best rundown of features in the shortest time.

[@AlvinSays]

i just bought FR225 2 months back and it was almost a new model in replacement for FR220! and garmin launched another? Nice and clear concise video as usual! Thanks dude

[@smwinn7]

Thanks for the many videos on the 230/235/630 releases really helped me make the decision between which one was going on my wrist. I really like these TL;DR versions of your in depth reviews from the site.

[@aarongardiner3561]

It has been used several times and loved.

[@JohnDoe-km9cx]

Another different between forerunner 230 and 235 is battery life. The 230 has 16 hours while the 235 has 11 hours ( as stated in Garmin website)

[@hakjak]

Good to know Al Michaels is working out.

[@crustysock1236]

Can you turn the beeps off?

[@Dcrainmaker]

+Finlay Sambrook Smith Yes, you can turn it off (the beeps).

[@kcswanko]

Any idea when these will be available?

[@parnovin5800]

Got my hands on the FR230 today bundled with the HRM strap. Got a great black friday deal!! My first runners watch and my first garmin (I have a Sony smartwatch 3 with built in gps). Did my first run with it and can't wait to see all the advantages of a "real" gps watch and garmin connect. Just the battery time alone will be a great improvement over the Sony smartwatch 3. Screen quality therefore is quite bad on the FR230, but otherwise it feels great!!

[@mine4751]

+Pär Novin I am seriously contemplating purchasing this watch. What are your opinions of it?

[@parnovin5800]

+Mine I wear the watch 24/7 since I bought it. I am very pleased! First battery life. It's very good. One charge every two weeks or so. It's comfortable. Just the right size for me. And the weight is so low that you don't even feel it. For smartwatch it works ok, not great. Why? Sometimes it don't connect and the garmin connect app don't work on my huawei ascend mate 7. But for most times it works. You can read texts directly on the watch and for example change songs on Spotify. But most importantly - the running! The gps works good. Sure you can see that the line on the map is 5 meters wrong sometimes but it's fast and pretty accurate. The features on the watch is good. You can customize up to 4 screens and that's really good. I find you have everything you need to get good feedback while you run! After the run you get very good feedback! Speed, distance, heartbeat (I have HRM strap) how long running steps and how far (there's a word for that but I don't remember it), meters up and down and so on. Read about all features on some site and try to see some of the feedback you get on garmin connect. I feel that's there no reason for me to get the forerunner 630. The 230 give me all I need! And the 235 you have to have tight on your wrist to get good hrm reed. And I rather have a HRM strap that I can wear whenever I run instead. Hope this give you some more insight into the life with garmin forerunner 230. I'm very happy with it. Would give it 9/10 rating. Do not regret buying it at all.

[@mine4751]

+Pär Novin Have you used the watch for doing custom workouts or intervals? I am interested in knowing if the watch will give alerts without a paired phone so I know to change my pace or heart rate zone. So If I have a workout for 5 mile run and want to run mile 3 at heart rate zone 4 and the other miles at zone 3, how do I know to run at that zone. Does it beep and provide a popup message?

[@weswheel4834]

Thanks for the overview. I bought an FR235 a week ago and I've been wondering how to use it properly! I couldn't work out how to switch watch faces (of those installed) without using the mobile app for example, and I was a bit vague on the activity tracking. Thanks :)

[@AluminumBird]

Thanks. I'm desperate for info on the 235, which seems to be what I really wanted the 225 to be. Can't find a manual online yet, which makes you the best source of info.

[@limkopi5355]

Same here. Bought 225 1 1/2 month ago. but I think I got all I need. We will never catchup the new model on everything.

[@dicklee0915]

+Lim kopi Same Opinion and same situation........bought 225 around Sep.........

[@Nukeproof30]

Ray, do you think the 230 is still a good buy? Noticed it's no longer on the Garmin web site, and it's actually on sale. Afraid to spend the money on a dead device. Thanks and keep up the great video's.

[@10nut5]

has anyone problem with instant peace? I think it is getting updating slower

[@theotht]

I'm looking for a gps watch that has real time mapping feature like Google Maps which is on android wear but the only ones I can find are the Suntoo Ambit/Traverse and the Garmin Fenix.I love the look of the Forerunners but I'm guessing they dont have that feature so I'm not sure what to buy.Also looks like the upcoming Moto 360 Sport seems to be a good choice.

[@rickywest57]

Can you set up this watch so you no if your going to hit your 5k or 10k target time

[@rayna73]

What features won't work if I don't get the heart rate strap to go with this watch? Do many people buy these watches without purchasing the heart rate strap? I hate wearing those things.

[@pugrat66]

Can the FR 230 be connected to wifi to download devices? if so, how do you set it up? Thanks!

[@matiasb4444]

Is this watch a good choice for rowing? Thanks

[@mycuteb]

Garmin 230 for 138euros or Tomtom Runner Cardio 3 (without music) for 112 euro? Both watches are second hand. Thx in advance.

[@CYtraveler]

i have a problem with the audio alert.i cant hear any voice everytime i finish a lap of 1km.i have set it to do so but nothing happens.can anyone help?

[@CentralSinger]

Does this watch track walking steps per day indoors and outdoors, including running steps without the foot pod, as it has an accelerometer. (i.e. does it count total steps like a fitbit.)

[@Dcrainmaker]

+Lindsay Lehr Yup.

[@kimberlychua2090]

Hi, does anyone knows what the red bar on the left of the clock screen measure/ represent? Thank you!

[@WhewLads]

+Kimberly Chua that is the "move" alert/indicator that appears if the step tracker doesn't pick up any steps. It increases in size over a 2 hour period and disappears if you walk around for a few minutes.

[@djolecar88]

Help! Im debating on the 220 vs 230. I realize the differences but I can get the 230 for $200 and the 220 for $120... I currently own a 610 but the screen is cracked and when water gets in it doesnt pick my HR properly. I wish they had less options... Now we have the 735Xt so many options to spend money...

[@djolecar88]

If anyone is interested the tracking activity and smartphone connection was a deal breaker for me, and I got the 230 instead the 220. As for the higher class watches, I saw a video of a guy a half marathon at 1h19min and full for 2h29min where he does not completely understand the extra running data on the 630 and others just tells me I do not need it either..

[@Furkidd]

I always thought the same about advanced running dynamics, maybe only pro athletes need these features. Do you have a link to the video though? I really want to see it.

[@rheigel24]

does it monitor running cadence(outdoor)?

[@AliSaeed-wd5vt]

How l can write my grids in said these watch???

[@natesilvers2166]

The beep sounds really quiet?

[@rvtBC]

I just bought the 225 - and another one for my wife - just 2.5 weeks ago. And now the 235 comes out just four months after the 325 was released?! Not impressed at all with that. Worse than Apple! Had I know a replacement was imminent I would have waited for it. Can't help feeling a little peeved. Thankful that I at least got the 225 for 20% off on flash sales but still ....

[@josephmikhail9329]

Do you have to have your phone with you to receive notifications from your phone?

[@Dcrainmaker]

+Joseph Mikhail Yes, it uses Bluetooth Smart to connect to the phone for display of the notifications.

[@josephmikhail9329]

+DC Rainmaker how far away? If my phone is a few hundred feet away but both devices are on the same network will I receive notifications

[@wicket4969]

This watch makes me wanna sell my 225 now

[@-zerocool-]

+Poopychoo Just bought my 225 this month, just sold my 225 for the 235 lol seriously does look on another level compared to the 225!

[@GingerPhotographer]

+Poopychoo me too but it's not out yet and I need my watch at the moment!! :)

[@ps3narciso]

Wich one do you recommend :230 with hrm strap or the 235?thanks

[@Hoodeene]

Hi, does ths watch has a similar funktion like the polars have like the fitness test? Like it measures the resting pulse variation and it finetunes the Heartrate Zones... Many thanks!

[@ninawestenraad459]

do I need to run with my phone while wearing the watch or can I leave my phone at home and just run with the watch?

[@Dcrainmaker]

+Nina Westenraad No need to run with phone, it has self-contained GPS within.

[@mmww13]

Thanks for the vedio!

[@manasbhaijaan]

Nice watch! Any idea Ray from where the cadence comes for 230. Is it from the watch accelerometer or from then heart rate sensor unit?

[@Dcrainmaker]

+manas bhatnagar It comes from within the watch.

[@royfr8136]

NO. You can customize the running screne to show 4 types of data . For other you suggest yoga. Why? Wihout a heart rate, what exactly would you be measuring? If 'other' was assigned to... walking... or anything that involved movement then a timer and GPS might be useful. 243,412 views and you're basically reading from the back of the box.

[@Dcrainmaker]

Cool, glad you enjoyed!

[@dineshlaungani4544]

can i wear it while swimming , doesnt matter if it does not rrack anything , but will i spoil my watch if i dive into my pool with the watch om

[@Dcrainmaker]

+Dinesh Laungani No problems wearing swimming. It's 50m waterproof and perfectly fine for swimming.

[@CyclistGruff]

Do you think this will have a ANT+ setting for cycling power?Thank you

[@Dcrainmaker]

+Gruff Lewis No, no power meter support on it.

[@anthonypreciado2291]

Can you go swimming with it

[@mikeklepper9734]

Do you know if the 230 has a simple stopwatch function w/o GPS? I'm struggling to find it.

[@timothy4229]

I just Downloaded an stopwatch app

[@mikeklepper9734]

I did the same but it seems funny that the watch didn't come with it.

[@Cobbleswl]

Hey Ray, not happy with the Fenix 3 GPS accuracy so selling and thinking of trying this, would you say this watch is as accurate as the 220?

[@parnovin5800]

Just tried it twice, but my opinion is that it is quite accurate. But when you're running in the city it sometimes cut corners.

[@ericyoshimitsu7817]

Why would I want GPS only and not GPS + GLONASS?

[@MT-kl5kt]

battery life is better

[@victorsolano1097]

How do you pause the time?

[@orsolyatoth7440]

you just push the button with the runner figure

[@hendrikreyneke4560]

Hi Ray, thanks for the video. Just a couple of questions. I saw in one of the menus, it shows cadence. Can you see the cadence while you run or only after you have completed a run?

[@mmww13]

It can show you current cadence.

[@furtox7024]

hi guys... I have the forerunner 410 and I was thinking con buying the 230. the only concern is that i love the virtual partner function. does the race predictor replace it? is there any similar function?

[@Tricroman]

+Federico Ramon Fuhr Tomatis No, there isn´t. Virtual Race, Partner and Pace are out in this model. Race predictor is based on VO2Max and estimate how fast you can run a race, that estimation is too much benevolent (or false).

[@moneycat878d5]

This is just something that I kind of care about before maybe buying this. I just want those icons off the actual watch face itself... not anything much, just something little before buying this lol.

[@ahmedalmudaweb7736]

Can the 235 tracks weight lifting and other gym workouts??

[@ahmedalmudaweb7736]

Or is it just for running and walking

[@Tiffers963Hz]

Does anyone have experience with this working with the Polar H7 heart rate monitor strap?

[@Dcrainmaker]

+T.L B No, the H7 is a Bluetooth Smart strap, whereas the Garmin units require an ANT+ strap.

[@Tiffers963Hz]

+DC Rainmaker Thought I was being overly optimistic. 😊 Thanks for taking the time to reply.

[@tome2432]

this watch resis at the water ?

[@TheDJSka]

Nice watch but the garmin forerunner 235 is better, it costs only 100 $ more than the model garmin forerunner 230...That's it...

[@MrVoPiOo]

+ICER GAMES optical hrm on FR235 is inaccurate. Its better to buy FR230 with HRM strap. You get accurate HR + longer battery life for less price. ;)