Garmin Releases 3 New Runners’ Watches
There are more fitness devices than ever available now but if you’re a serious runner, Garmin has three new watches packed with all the features you need. While the updated Forerunner models are not technically smartwatches they do include some pretty cool functions.
The Forerunner 230, Forerunner 235 and Forerunner 630 are designed to be worn 24/7 and track just about everything the wearer does including number of steps taken, calories burned and hours of sleep. All three have Garmin GPS for measuring the runner’s distance and pace plus Auto Pause and Auto Lap. You can even wear the Forerunner in the pool or the shower since the new models are water-resistant to 50 meters.
A few smartwatch functions are incorporated into the updated Forerunners like the ability to get notifications from an Android or iOS smartphone via Bluetooth and control music for your workouts. The watches can be customized with more faces, apps and widgets from the Garmin Connect IQ platform.
The only difference between the Forerunner 230 and the 235 is that the latter includes an optical heart-rate sensor that can help the wearer to estimate the amount of oxygen consumed in each run and predict race times. The 230 requires the addition of an ANT+ chest strap for tracking the heart rate.
The top-of-the-line Forerunner 630 does not have the optical heart-rate sensor but does include a high-res color touchscreen that remains on all the time. Add the Garmin HRM-Run chest strap for heart-rate monitoring plus advanced feedback like steps per minute and ground contact time.
All three watches are scheduled to go on sale before the end of the year. Prices are $250 for the Forerunner 230 ($300 if the heart-rate strap is included), $330 for the 235 and $400 for the 630 ($450 with the HRM-Run strap).
