Wall of text warning: Both the 235 and the VA3 integrate pretty well with your smartphone (alerts, controlling music on your phone, etc). The 235 is a great running watch with tons of customisability for setting up running workouts and the exact type of information you want during a race. But it is pretty much a dedicated sports watch (which I like as I don't want my watch interrupting the rest of my life). It also works with the Connect IQ store, which is where Garmin adds so much value as there are a ton of great 'apps' and widgets that extend the functionality of the watch. It also has great battery life at around 10 hours, I think. That said, the VA3 does have Garmin Pay, which has already proven its worth with my 645. It's brilliant to be able to pay pretty much anywhere without having your card on you (currently only working with FNB). It also has about 3 hours more battery life during a workout. Like the Garmin 235 it has been software crippled to have a limited number of data screens but it has at least got 3 screens, one more than the 235. The caveat with that is they chose some weird system of forcing you to have the same number of data fields on each of those screens. So if you choose 4 data fields on 1 screen, your 2 remaining screens will also be set up for 4 data fields. I've got no idea why Garmin would do that. It also integrates with Connect IQ and I think it has native navigation, which, if it's anything like that on the 645, is extremely capable for trails and other routes. The 235 can also handle navigation via an app on the Connect IQ store but naturally that's a bit more fiddly. The one thing I don't like is that the VA3 has a touch screen. That might appeal to you, I don't know, but I personally like the simplicity and reliability of button activations when I'm running. It's a pity Garmin cripples their software to create differentiation but that's the nature of capitalism, I suppose. If you're looking for a watch that you can use more outside of running but still does a very capable job during your workouts, the VA3 looks like a good choice.
