| Garmin Forerunner 235 | Garmin Vivoactive 3 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Basic Info | |||
| Wear Type | Wristband | Wristband | |
| Price | $16139 | $13099 | Garmin Vivoactive 3 is 120% cheaper |
| Ratings | |||
Activity & Fitness | |||
| Activity | Yes | Yes | Both track daily activity |
| Calories | Yes | Yes | Both track calories burned |
| Sleep | Yes | Yes | Both track sleep pattern |
| Heart Rate / Pulse | Yes | Yes | Both have heart rate tracking |
| VO2 Max | Yes | Yes | Both track VO2 Max level |
| Distance | Yes | Yes | Both track your running/walking distance |
| Steps | Yes | Yes | Both track how many steps you take |
| Pace | Yes | Yes | |
| Speed | Yes | Yes | |
| Stairs / Floors | No | Yes | Garmin Vivoactive 3 has built-in altimeter for elevation feature |
| Stress | No | Yes | Garmin Vivoactive 3 provides all-day stress level tracking |
| Exercise Tagging | No | Yes | Only Garmin Vivoactive 3 provides exercise tagging |
| Smart Coach | No | No | Both don't have coaching feature |
| Goal Setting | Yes | Yes | Both can help with your goals setting |
| Inactivity Alert | Yes | Yes | Both have move reminders |
Additional Features | |||
| GPS | Yes | Yes | Both have integrated GPS modules |
| Glonass | Yes | Yes | |
| Compass | No | Yes | Garmin Vivoactive 3 has a compass |
| Watch / Clock | Yes | Yes | Both have watch |
| Alarm Clock | Yes | Yes | Both have alarm clock |
| Reminders | No | Yes | Garmin Vivoactive 3 has a reminder option |
| Stopwatch | Yes | Yes | Both have stopwatch |
| Music Playback | No | No | Both don't have music playback |
| Weather | Yes | Yes | *Weather forecast |
| Temperature | No | Yes | |
| Reports | Activity, Sleep | Activity, Sleep | |
Smartphone Remote Features | |||
| Notifications | Yes | Yes | Both show smartphone notifications |
| Caller ID | Yes | Yes | Both show caller ID notification |
| Music Control | Yes | Yes | Both allow control smartphone music player |
| Call Control | No | Yes | Garmin Vivoactive 3 allows you control phone calls |
| Camera Control | No | No | Both don't have camera control |
| Find Phone | Yes | Yes | Both can help find your smartphone |
Battery | |||
| Duration | 9 days | 7 days | Garmin Forerunner 235 battery life is about 1.3 times longer |
| Battery Type | Rechargeable Battery | Rechargeable Battery | |
Physical Specs | |||
| Weather Resistance | Yes | Yes | |
| Waterproof | Yes | Yes | |
| IP Rating | 5 ATM | 5 ATM | |
| Weight | 42 grams | 43 grams | Both are the same weight |
User Interface | |||
| Display | LCD Screen | LCD Screen | |
| Display Size | 1,23 inches | 1,2 inches | |
| Screen Resolution | 215 x 180 pixels | 240 x 240 pixels | |
| Color Display | Yes | Yes | |
| Touch Screen | Yes | Yes | |
| Gorilla glass | No | Yes | *Specialized toughened glass: thin, light and damage-resistant |
Compatibility | |||
| Android | Yes | Yes | Both compatible with Android devices |
| iOS | Yes | Yes | Both compatible iOS devices |
| OS X/Mac | No | No | Both don't compatible MAC OS X devices |
| Windows Phone | No | No | Both don't compatible with Windows Phone devices |
| Windows | No | No | Both don't have a find phone feature |
| Web Portal | Yes | Yes | Both have access to online web portal |
| Social Features | Yes | Yes | Both have social features |
Connectivity | |||
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes | Both have Bluetooth data transfer technology |
| Wi-Fi | No | No | Both don't have Wi-Fi connection |
| NFC | No | No | Both don't have NFC connectivity |
| ANT+ | Yes | Yes | Both provide ANT+ wireless technology |
| Buy on Amazon | Buy on Amazon | ||
Which one should you buy?
Garmin is continuously working towards creating better fitness smartwatches for the health conscious crowd. Garmin Forerunner 235 and Garmin Vivoactive are one of the finest smartwatches by the brand. They come at almost the same price and offer a wide range of smartwatch features. However, there are certain differences between the two that need some analysis before you decide to make a purchase.
Design
Garmin Forerunner 235 comes in a wrist-band design with a sunlight-visible display that allows you to virtually increase the size of the display by 44%. Garmin Vivoactive 3 also comes with a LCD display with better resolution of 240x240 over Forerunner’s 215x180 resolution. Both of these watches come in waterproof bodies with an IP rating of 5 ATM. Both are extremely lightweight and easy to wear during heavy workouts as well.
Key Features
Both of these smartwatches track the basic health stats like heart rate, calories, sleep, distance and steps. Garmin Forerunner 235 does not have stairs tracking and exercise tagging feature. These smartwatches alert you when you’re inactive and help you with its special goal tracking feature. With an inbuilt GPS, these smartwatches allow you to track your activities on the go automatically. They also have the stopwatch feature to track your plank minutes! These smartwatches also have music control and caller ID feature. Vivoactive 3 is one step ahead in this aspect with call control feature as well. Garmin Forerunner 235 has a battery life of 9 days in normal smartwatch mode; in training mode the battery lasts for 11 hours. Garmin Vivoactive 3 has a battery life of 7 days in smartwatch mode and 13 hours of life in GPS mode.
Both of these smartwatches offer the VO2 max estimate that allows you to calculate amount of oxygen you can consume per minute under a certain conditions. Garmin vivoactive 3 is the first smartwatch by Garmin with Garmin Pay option. It allows you to make payments with just a tap on your smartwatch. It allows you to go for your morning walks and workout sessions hands-free without having to carry your wallet or purse. It also connects with your smartphone apps and gives you notifications. For example, it connects to your Uber app and notifies you about your cab’s arrival time. Garmin Forerunner does not have these advanced features but has a weather widget which helps you to plan your adventure sports according to the weather when you’re travelling. Both of these Garmin products are waterproof and help you in tracking the calories you burn during a swim. They also have bluetooth connectivity but do not support Wifi connectivity. They also have ANT+ connectivity feature. They sync well with both Android and iOS phones, however, they do not sync with Windows phones.
The final verdict
Originally priced at $269, Vivoactive 3 offers more advanced features than Forerunner 235, which is priced at $329. Garmin Vivoactive 3 seems to be stealing the show among the two and is perfect for anyone looking for a really smart smartwatch. Both of these products are available on Amazon at discounted rates.