We stock the Garmin Forerunner 230 from Garmin, the mid-range offering in the Garmin Forerunner series of watches and we’re all really impressed by it.
The watch is designed to replace the Garmin Forerunner 220 and subsequently had a tough act to follow. However, like all great aging sportsmen or women the 220 has witnessed the rookie arrive, and they’re slightly faster, last longer and have more tricks.
Like its forerunner (bad pun intended) the 230’s upgraded GPS system tracks distance, pace, time and heart rate but it now also has a VO2 Max predictor thrown in for good measure. When married to a 16 hour ‘GPS active’ battery life it’s a powerful suite of features. The 230 also comes with Garmin’s Smart Features including live tracking, audio prompts, smart notifications and even social media sharing, it really feels like the watch has jumped into the future and embraced it with gusto.
Another great feature that its predecessor didn’t have is activity tracking. More and more people nowadays are looking to assess how active (or not) they are on a daily basis. The watch will count your daily steps, distance covered, calories burned and will even track how long you are asleep for. This is a great little feature if you’re picking up injuries as a recent study* showed that a lack of sleep can lead to an increase in injury rates.
The 230 is also fully customisable when connected to a computer (wireless is an option). Via Garmin’s Connect IQ website you can download new data fields, watch faces, widgets and applications giving you unprecedented control over your data management and even the look of your watch.
Overall the watch is a big step forwards from the 220 with many more useful features. If you’re looking to treat yourself or provide a great present for a running loved one then the Garmin Forerunner 230 would be an excellent choice.