Garmin Forerunner 25 GPS Running Watch + Heart Rate Monitor
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Take the next step as a runner with this GPS watch and heart rate monitor. It tracks distance, speed, heart rate and more. Afraid of missing a call? Text and call alerts appear right on the screen.
Shop similar products- Tracks distance, pace, speed and calories; use the included heart rate monitor strap to dial in your training zones
- Live Tracking lets you instantly share runs and activity tracking progress via social media by pairing a compatible device with Garmin Connect™ Mobile
- Activity tracking function counts steps and calories and reminds you when it's time to move
- Up to 8 hours (small) or 10 hours (large) of battery life with GPS on or 8 weeks (small) or 10 weeks (large) in watch/activity tracking mode
- Save, plan and share your activities at Garmin Connect™
| Best Use | Running |
|---|---|
| Average Battery Life | Small: 8 hrs. training; 8 weeks watch mode / Large: 10 hrs. training, 10 weeks watch mode |
| Battery Type | Lithium Ion |
| Display Size | S: .73 x .73 / L: .91 x .91 |
| Illumination | Backlight |
| GPS/Satellite Detectable | Yes |
| HRM Included/Integrated | Yes |
| Average Heart Rate | Yes |
| Heart Rate Target Zone(s) | Yes |
| Tracks Steps | Yes |
| Tracks Calories Burned | Yes |
| Water-Resistant Depth | 50 meters |
| Alarm | Yes |
| Time Display | Yes |
| Stopwatch | Yes |
| Smart Device Notifications | Yes |
| Data Exchange | Bluetooth |
| Compatible Fitness Accessories | Heart Rate Monitor |
| Included Fitness Accessories | Heart Rate Monitor |
| Gender | Unisex |
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Okay watch, not great
I was attracted to the very basic nature of the watch- so I don't have complaints there- although it is true that there is not much to customize and are limitations on what you can change and view. Pros: Accurate GPS tracking, light weight, easy to use, nice size for a small wrist Cons: Battery life in activity mode is not that great, pairing with smartphone is extremely finicky, the HR monitor only works if you are in activity mode (and draining the battery), and it takes WAY too long to obtain a GPS signal. On my last 3 runs the device took over ten minutes to get a signal. Overall, although I like a lot about it, the frustration of the cons really outweigh the pros
Does Everything I Need It To Do
I was looking for a reasonably priced, GPS-enabled, watch for training and racing. There are obviously many that do much more, but this gets me my immediate and average pace; and for races tells me how much further to go. Worked perfectly in the San Diego Rock n' Roll Half that I just finished. I was able to follow my race plan exactly.
Great Little Running Watch
I've had this watch for a few months now and have been very pleased. The battery life is about what they say (I only charge it once a week or after 5 runs or so). The screen is big enough to read clearly, but not too big for my wrist. It usually picks up a GPS signal quickly, every once in a while it will take 5+ minutes, but usually it's about 30 seconds. I like the bluetooth syncing capability, however every once in a while it will not sync with my phone. When that happens, I just turn it off then turn it on and then it will sync. The garmin connect app is pretty glitchy, but it gets the job done. I have my runs sync with Nike plus as well. Over all, the watch is wonderful. I don't use the heart rate monitor because I find wearing it annoying, but it's nice to have my heart monitored every once in a while. I would recommend this watch for a basic GPS running watch. It does its job excellently. Sure there are other, more expensive watches that have more bells and whistles, but this watch is fantastic for me and my running.
Garmin Forerunner 25 review
This is an awesome little running watch. I previously purchased the TomTom Cardio Spark + Music, but almost instantly regretted it and ended up returning it a week later after trying it out on one run. The activity tracking on the TomTom was wildly inaccurate. Anytime I was sitting at a desk the watch thought I was sleeping and the pedometer seemed to count steps independent of any real movement. To top it all off, the TomTom was WAY too big on my small wrists -- too big to wear as a day-to-day watch -- and I couldn't live with the thought that I had paid $250 for a watch that was unwearable 90% of the time. So, as I was looking for a replacement, my research brought me to the Forerunner 25. It seemed like the only GPS watch that was a reasonable match for small wrists. That being said, I was worried that the limited features (no real multisport modes, no wrist-based HRM) would make me feel like I had wasted my money. Two weeks later, I can say that that's definitely not the case. This watch is not only a reasonable size for 24-hour wear, but it does just fine on about 90% of the activities I do on a weekly basis. The GPS is quick, the battery life is long, it tracks my heart rate/pace/distance during long runs and speed work sessions with ease, and putting on a HR strap for several workouts a week is a negligible price to pay for a small watch that I can actually wear. In addition to running, I use this to track my speed on my bike, which is really the only metric I need. So the only workout I don't use it for is swimming, and in that case regular old counting laps will work just fine for me.
Looks like I'll be returning this.
I'm grateful for the REI return policy because this will be going back. Let me preface my review by saying that in 2001 I purchased a Polar S410 HRM with chest strap and that sucker still works to this day. I bought this one because I wanted to wirelessly upload workout info to my phone and because I wanted a GPS built into the watch. That said, I do like the color and the watch is small and lightweight for my tiny wrist. Additionally, I wanted some sort of idea of calories burned (and I do get that no HRM is perfect). Here's why I contacted Garmin in the first place (I spoke with Nick yesterday): I used this on two successive days for the same cycling route (the email is incorrect; the dates were 7/31 and 8/1, but whatever I guess...) The data from this HRM showed that I burned 515 calories cycling on 7/31. That's probably fairly accurate. The following day, this HRM showed I burned 899 for the exact same route (a 15 mile bike ride on a flat railroad grade). What? I hadn't changed any settings between the two workouts. Again, I get the data re calories burned isn't perfect, but there's no reason behind why the values doubled. That said, see the snippet of the email I received back from Garmin. If you're looking for some sort of calorie count this HRM is only "accurate" for running. Point being: if you bike, cross train, etc etc, don't buy this HRM. Additionally, Nick was supposed to get me an answer for why the watch will sync with the Garmin Connect app over a 3G/4G network. I was in an area without cell service, but I did have wifi and the watch wouldn't sync until I was back in cell service range. Bummer! While Nick was super friendly, I must convey I'm disappointed in the capabilities of this item and the explanation for the difference in calories burned. No offense Garmin engineers, but your explanation doesn't add up, IMO. Since I was performing the same exercise two days in a row, the calorie burn data may not be accurate, but should be consistent from day to day. Time to revisit Polar products, I guess.
Good entry level GPS running watch, but not great
I spent several months researching GPS and activity tracker watches after parting with my old Garmin 305. In my research, I looked the Forerunner 225 (with optical HRM), Polar M400, Garmin Vivoactive, Fitbit Surge. I was hesitant to purchase any of the more expensive Garmin watches because I felt that they were a little overkill for just standard running but I wanted some more modern activity tracking. None that I researched were exactly right for me, so I was excited when the new Forerunner 25 was announced. I figured it was a good price for a solid GPS watch, but also included some nice activity tracking features. My disappointment might be that I really expected more updated functionality in the watch. It is pretty simple, which is good, but maybe too simple and too basic. Here are my initial thoughts on the watch after only having it for 2 days. Pros: - Great size and light weight compared to my old GPS which fit like a brick on the wrist. - Comfortable lightweight, flexible, rubber band. - Seems like good battery life. Have not tested out fully with GPS - Simple to use. - can use as a daily watch and also basic activity tracker. - Notifications seem to work fairly well, but it is very basic. Cons: - again, pretty basic functionality and clunky user interface. - activity tracker move alert is set to 1 hr.but no way to change, only turn off. I am used to a Jawbone UP where we can get movement alerts every 15 minutes. 1 hour seems like a long time. - Does not pair via bluetooth settings on iPhone, but will pair with the Garmin Connect app. Only took me an hour + to figure this out. - notification and alert tones are beeps. It would be nice to have different tones or vibrate functions. - stopwatch does not have the hundredths of a sec display that I have seen. Only hours, minutes, seconds. Not sure if a big deal, but still. - has watch mode or run mode only. I would have liked additional modes. Example, I do a daily walk with the dog, but also do a separate run and then activity tracking. To the watch with GPS enabled, it all looks like running. I then had to go into Garmin Connect and edit the dog walking activities to a "walking" category as to not skew my running stats. - dated design and color screen. My wife called it dorky, but not as dorky as the Garmin Vivoactive. I would have preferred blue / black color, but did not want the blue strap and was not willing to purchase an additional black strap. - dated LCD. It seems like it could be more updated or modernized for layout, design, color, user interface? - Unable to use included Garmin Ant+ heart rate monitor unless in “Run” mode. I want to track my HR continually not just when running and not only as a stand alone activity with the stopwatch. Strange that this is not part of general activity tracking. - Every button pressed turns on the back light. Not that big of a deal but I would prefer that only the back light button did this to save battery power. - heart rate strap is pretty much the same, plastic, uncomfortable, strap as I had on my old Garmin 305. I would have preferred a more modern, more comfortable strap. If I did it again, I would buy the model without the strap. - When considering purchasing another Ant+ and bluetooth straps as a replacement for the plastic strap, I am getting up into the price of the Forerunner 225 with the Optical HRM. I guess that is the point. - Garmin's user manual is pretty much useless. - There is still some onfusion on how to use the watch, vs app, vs online Garmin connect to make updates configurations,etc. I'm sure I will uncover more as I go. Right now, I am torn between returning it and upgrading to a Foreunner 225 or perhaps something else. That said, I think that it will work really well for an inexpensive GPS running watch as long as the purchaser knows the limitations.
Best watch ever
I absolutely love this watch. Prior to purchasing I had a variety of other watches (both fitbit and garmin), and I never really like any of them. This watch is very durable and waterproof, so I can wear it for any activity. The GPS feature is excellent, making run distances accurate, and providing a map of the run. The watch also has an indoor run mode, allowing for treadmill and elliptical use. The battery life is excellent. Even after 2 years, it still lasts for weeks if I don't use the GPS tracking, and 10 to 12 hours with GPS. Most importantly, this watch does not have heart rate monitoring. My wrist has a bad reaction to the green light that many of the watches have, so it was very nice to find on without it. The heart rate chest strap was nice to use instead. However, the battery only lasted around 6 months.
Nice watch
Easy to use, fits my wrist, overall pleased with purchase.