Garmin 235 vs Apple Watch Series 5: Which Is Best For Fitness Tracking?
Category: Fitness Smartwatches
We all know that Garmin watches and Apple watches are among the best and most popular smartwatches available but how do they stack up against each other? In this article we going to compare the Garmin 235 vs Apple Watch Series 5 to see which of these two smartwatches is better for fitness tracking.
Before we get into the vs Apple Watch Series 5 comparisons it is best to understand why you need a fitness smart watch in the first place.
Fitness smart watches allow you to have access to Google Now and Siri, your photo gallery and tons of notifications. You can also get emails, text, have access to social media and even incoming call notifications. These watches also allow you to track your fitness goals and keeps track of your steps, running distance, heart rate, swimming laps or strokes, sleep patterns and even the amount of calories you burn.
At one time if you wanted a smart watch and a fitness tracker you needed to invest in two different devices. Today there are a number of fitness smart watches that is a combination of a wristwatch, fitness tracker and smart phone.
Garmin 235 vs Apple Watch Series 5 Comparison
Similarities & differences between the Garmin 235 and Apple Watch Series 5?
- Fitness Device vs Smartwatch:
When comparing the Garmin 235 vs Apple watch the main thing you need to understand is that the is basically a fitness device designed with smartwatch capabilities while the is a smartwatch with fitness device capabilities.
- Design & Look:
While both the Garmin 235 and the Apple Watch Series 5 have watch faces the Garmin 235 has a round flat face while the Apple Watch Series 5’s face is rectangular and curved dial.
- Display Size:
When it comes to the actual display size in the Garmin 235 vs apple watch, the Apple’s display is 1.5 inches while the Garmin’s display is slightly smaller at 1.2”
- Battery Life:
The Apple Watch Series 5’s battery life is only 1 day while the Garmin 235 can last up to 9 days in smart watch mode, but only 11 hours in GPS mode.
- Water Resistance:
Both the Garmin 235 and Apple Watch Series 5 are waterproof and both come with GPS.
- Performance Tracking:
Both the Garmin 235 and the Apple Watch Series 5 tracks such things as calories burned, distance, sleep quality, active minutes, heart rate and more.
- Both the Garmin 235 and the Apple Watch Series 5 get notifications including incoming calls, calendar reminders, text messages, alarm and email. However, the Apple Watch Series 5 gets more notifications than the Garmin 235 does.
- The Apple Watch Series 5 comes equipped with a pedometer and the Garmin 235 does not.
- The Apple Watch Series 5 is compatible with iOS devices and the Garmin 235 is compatible with both iOS and Android.
- In addition the Apple watch Series 5 has a number of other features that are missing on the Garmin 235.
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Garmin 235 Major Features:
In the battle between Garmin 235 vs Apple Watch Series 5 in order to determine which is best for fitness you need to know the major features of each device.
Here is a brief look at the major features of the Gamin 235:
- The comes with a wrist based heart rate monitor so you can keep track of your heart rate while working out or resting.
- The screen on the Garmin 235 is visible even in daylight
- You can connect the Garmin 235 to your smart phone and get various prompts including laps and lap times.
- This device offers a long battery life (9 days) in smart watch mode
- You get numerous smart notifications
- The Garmin 235 automatically uploads to Garmin connect, live tracking and more
- The Garmin 235 is water resistant
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Apple Watch Series 5 Major Features:
Here is a look at the major features of the Apple Watch Series 5 to help you better determine which device is best for you in the battle of the Garmin 235 vs Apple Watch Series 5:
- The comes equipped with a GPS and cellular
- This watch is swim proof and is water resistant up to 50 meters.
- Optical heart monitoring sensor (great for tracking heart rate during workouts or running)
- You can store music and audio books on the Apple Watch Series 5
- The Apple Watch Series 5 has built in emergency SOS
- This smart watch has both an accelometer and gyroscope
- Comes with a pedometer
- Built-in compass (great for outdoor hiking)
- Elevation tracking monitor (again great for hiking)
Garmin 235 vs Apple Watch Series 5: How they differ in fitness monitoring
If you are looking for a device that provides accurate fitness monitoring, but has some smart watch capabilities then you will need to take a hard look at the Garmin 235 vs Apple Watch Series 5 to determine the difference in fitness monitoring.
We started by taking a general look at the reviews of both devices and the first thing we noticed is that while most of the reviews for the Garmin 235 were directed towards the fitness features of this device the majority of the Apple Watch Series 5 reviews talk about the “smart” features of the watch. While this doesn’t give any concrete evidence as to which device is better at fitness monitoring it does show that more people perceive the Garmin 235 as having better fitness monitoring.
The Apple Watch Series 5has both a pedometer and gyroscope which seems to lacking in the Garmin 235 Watch (although you can track steps with the Garmin.) However, it does appear that the majority of people don’t use their apple watch for dedicated fitness, but actually use it more for tracking their heart rate, steps and sleeping but doesn’t seem to be the device of choice for hard core fitness workouts.
The Garmin Forerunner 235 GPS Running Watch on the other hand is used for running races, biking, and other more energetic activities.
The Garmin 235 seems to pick up GPS signals faster; tracking routes and seems to do well on time, speed and heart rate monitoring. It also seems to be a better job of allowing you to see the tracking information when working out in sunlight.
Garmin 235 vs Apple Watch Series 5: Which is Better for Your Fitness Goals?
When everything is considered it appears that the is the better bet when it comes to wanting a device to reach your fitness goals.
While both the Garmin 235 and the does offer you fitness tracking the Garmin just seems to do it better for a more reasonable price.
Check out the Apple Fitness Store, Garmin Fitness Tech Store, or the Fitbit Store for cool and in-demand fitness wearable tech gadgets.
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