You’ve seen the newer, flashier watches. They have AMOLED screens that look like miniature iPhones strapped to your wrist. They track your naps, tell you how much "body battery" you have left, and basically try to manage your entire life. But then there’s the Garmin Forerunner 35. It’s blocky. It has a black-and-white screen. Honestly, it looks like something from a decade ago because, in tech years, it kind of is. Yet, people are still buying them, and more importantly, people are still wearing them until the straps literally fall off.
Why?
Because it just works. While the Garmin Forerunner 35 isn't the newest kid on the block, it represents a specific era of Garmin design where utility was king and distractions were non-existent. If you’re a runner who just wants to know how fast you’re going without having to navigate five sub-menus, this weird little square watch might actually be better than the $500 flagship models.
The "Ugly" Truth About the Design
Let’s be real: the Garmin Forerunner 35 is not a fashion statement. It has a high-resolution (well, for 2016) chemically strengthened glass display that is strictly monochrome. No colors. No touch screen. You navigate using four physical buttons.
Actually, the buttons are one of its best features.
Have you ever tried to use a touch-screen watch while your hands are sweaty or it’s pouring rain? It’s a nightmare. The screen jumps around, or it doesn't register your touch, and suddenly you’ve accidentally paused your workout three miles back. With the Forerunner 35, you get a satisfying click. You know the workout started. You know the lap was marked. It’s tactile. It’s reliable.
The strap is silicone, and the housing is plastic. It’s light. Like, "forget you’re wearing it" light. Weighing in at only 37.3 grams, it’s significantly less bulky than the Fenix series or even the newer Forerunner 255. For people with smaller wrists, this is a massive win. It doesn't bounce around when you’re doing sprints. It just sits there, doing its job.
What’s under the hood?
Inside this plastic square is a high-sensitivity GPS receiver. It connects to GPS satellites remarkably fast for its age. It also features Garmin Elevate wrist heart rate technology. This was one of the first "budget" watches to bring 24/7 heart rate monitoring to the masses without requiring a chest strap. Is it as accurate as a $500 Polar H10 chest strap? No. Optical heart rate sensors on the wrist always struggle with high-intensity interval training (HIIT) because of the rapid changes in blood flow. But for a steady-state Sunday long run? It’s plenty accurate.
Garmin Forerunner 35 Features That Actually Matter
Most people use about 10% of their smartwatch features. The Forerunner 35 gives you that 10% and cuts the rest.
You get:
- Built-in GPS that tracks distance, pace, and intervals.
- All-day activity tracking (steps, calories, "intensity minutes").
- Smart notifications (you can read texts, though you can't reply).
- LiveTrack, which lets your family see where you are in real-time.
- Music controls for your phone.
That last one is important. The watch doesn't store music. You can't put your Spotify playlist on it. But you can skip tracks on your phone from your wrist. For most people who run with their phone in a belt or an armband, that’s all they really need.
One thing that surprisingly holds up is the battery life. Garmin claims up to 9 days in watch mode and 13 hours in GPS mode. In my experience, those numbers are pretty honest. If you’re running three or four times a week for 45 minutes, you’re only charging this thing once every week and a half. Compare that to an Apple Watch that needs a charger every night, and you start to see why the "retro" Garmin has a cult following.
Where the Forerunner 35 Falls Short (The Honest Version)
I’m not going to sit here and tell you it’s perfect. It’s not.
The screen resolution is 128 x 128 pixels. That’s low. If you’re used to a modern smartphone, the text looks blocky and pixelated. The "Smart Notifications" are just a wall of text. There are no emojis. If your friend sends you a heart emoji, you'll probably just see a weird box or nothing at all.
There’s also the lack of Connect IQ support. Connect IQ is Garmin’s app store. Newer watches let you download custom watch faces, data fields, and apps. The Forerunner 35 is a closed system. What you see is what you get. You can't change the watch face to a picture of your dog. You’re stuck with the digital or analog options Garmin pre-loaded.
Also, it doesn't have a barometric altimeter. This means it calculates elevation gain based on GPS data and map surveys rather than air pressure. If you’re a trail runner who lives for vertical gain, the elevation stats on the 35 are going to be "close enough" at best and wildly off at worst.
The Comparison: Forerunner 35 vs. Forerunner 45 vs. Forerunner 55
You might be wondering if you should just spend the extra $50 on a newer model. It's a fair question.
The Forerunner 45 introduced a round design and "Body Battery" metrics. It also added incident detection, which can text your emergency contacts if you take a hard fall. The Forerunner 55 took it further by adding suggested workouts and better recovery advisors.
But here’s the thing: the 45 and 55 feel more like "smartwatches." The 35 feels like a tool.
There is a simplicity to the 35 that the newer models lost. The 35 doesn't nag you as much. It doesn't feel like it's trying to be a coach; it feels like a stopwatch that happens to have GPS. For some runners, the "coaching" features of the newer watches are just added noise. If you already have a training plan, or you just run for mental health, do you really need your watch telling you that your "training status is unproductive"? Probably not.
Is it a good buy in 2026?
Honestly, it depends on your budget. If you find a refurbished Garmin Forerunner 35 for under $70, it is an absolute steal. It’s the perfect "starter" watch for someone training for their first 5K. It’s also a great backup watch.
👉 See also: Date of TikTok Ban: What Most People Get Wrong
However, if you're paying full retail price, you might feel the age. The technology has moved on, especially in terms of screen quality and heart rate sensor precision. But "old" doesn't mean "bad." In a world where every piece of tech is trying to grab our attention with bright colors and constant pings, a monochrome screen that only tells you how far you've run is almost... refreshing.
Real-world performance notes
- Water Resistance: It’s rated to 5 ATM (50 meters). You can swim with it. You can shower with it. Just don't go scuba diving.
- Syncing: It uses the Garmin Connect app. The app is fantastic and is the same one used by people with $1,000 watches. You get all the graphs, maps, and social challenges.
- Durability: These things are tanks. Because there’s no touch screen, there’s no digitizer to break. The plastic bezel takes scratches well, and the buttons rarely fail.
Making the most of your Forerunner 35
If you decide to pick one up, or if you have one sitting in a drawer, there are a few things you should do to make it better. First, turn off the "Move Alert." It’s that annoying beep that tells you to walk if you’ve been sitting too long. Unless you need that motivation, it just kills the battery faster.
Second, customize your data screens. You can have two pages of data during a run. Put your "Pace" and "Distance" on the first page in big letters. On the second page, put your "Heart Rate" and "Time." Keeping it simple makes it way easier to read while you're huffing and puffing.
Lastly, don't ignore the "Virtual Pacer." It’s a hidden gem on this watch. You set a pace—say, 9:00 minutes per mile—and the watch will tell you if you're ahead of or behind that target. It’s a literal game-changer for people trying to hit a specific race goal.
Actionable Steps for New Users
If you are looking to get into the Garmin ecosystem without breaking the bank, here is exactly how to handle the Forerunner 35:
- Check the Used Market First: Sites like eBay or Swappa are flooded with these. Because they are so durable, a "used" one usually works perfectly fine. Just check the strap for cracks.
- Update the Firmware Immediately: Plug it into a computer using the proprietary clip charger and use Garmin Express. This fixes the old GPS "soak" issues where it took forever to find a signal.
- Ignore the Sleep Tracking: It’s okay, but not great. The watch is a bit chunky to wear to bed, and the movement-based sleep tracking from 2016 isn't as accurate as the newer "Sleep Score" tech. Use it for running; use your phone or a dedicated tracker if you're obsessed with sleep cycles.
- Sync via Bluetooth, not Cable: Once set up, the Garmin Connect app will pull your data automatically via Bluetooth. It’s seamless. Usually. Sometimes you have to toggle Bluetooth on/off if it gets stubborn, but that’s a Garmin quirk that exists even on the new models.
The Forerunner 35 isn't trying to be the best smartwatch in the world. It’s trying to be a reliable running partner. It doesn't care about your "Body Battery" or your stress levels. It just wants to know if you're ready to hit the pavement. Sometimes, that's exactly the kind of energy we need. No fluff. Just miles. No distractions. Just the road. For the price, it remains one of the most honest pieces of technology Garmin ever released.