I had a Forerunner 235 for 2 years and this summer for Prime day I got myself a VA3. Overall, I like the VA3 much better than the FR 235. Love the touchscreen instead of multiple buttons, and I got the rose gold and white VA3, which definitely looks nicer.
In terms of tracking runs, I would say they are pretty equal in capabilities, EXCEPT the VA3 pretty much just makes up the elevation reading. I do not just mean that the zero-point elevation is offset from reality. I mean that most of the time it gives me plain nonsense. Since I run out-and-back routes or loop routes, there should generally be symmetry and/or repeating elevation patterns in the measurements, and usually it gives nothing of the sort. I also run a lot on the HS track, which is FLAT, and sometimes it will give me substantial gains.
Possibly I've got a bad watch, but I feel like I've heard others complain about this. I've rebooted mine a few times. Every once in a while, I'll get an elevation graph that makes logical sense, but it seems to be maybe 20% of the time. My guess is that the VA3 has fewer or less sensitive GPS receivers and thus typically doesn't lock onto as many satellites as the FR 235 did. The FR 235 was always quite repeatable and consistent for the different routes that I run.
For me, this is a bit frustrating but not enough to want to go back to the FR 235. But I thought I'd mention it in case it's something that may be important to you.