You can work out with an Apple Watch or fitness tracker, but for the real thing, you go for a sports watch. In our Polar Vantage M review, you can read if this new wearable is worth it.
Polar Vantage M review
For athletes, the Apple Watch offers possibilities for measuring your workouts, and there are countless cheap fitness trackers on the market. Fanatic athletes, however, often have more wishes. That’s what the new Polar Vantage is for: a watch that focuses purely on measuring your sports performance and helps you get better.
Two versions
There are two versions of the Polar Vantage M Review on the market: the Vantage M and Vantage V. With a suggested retail price of 279.95 euros, the Vantage M is the cheapest edition, which is also 20 grams lighter. The Vantage V is with a suggested retail price of 499.95 euros a lot more expensive, but you get a touch screen, just like a larger battery and the ability to measure your walking power without additional sensors.
We have tested the Polar Vantage M. Compared to an Apple Watch Series 4, this watch is a lot bigger. The wearable is, therefore, a clear presence on your wrist, but you won’t notice it anymore in use.
More than 130 sports
You can do different things with a Polar Vantage M Review. First of all, the watch can constantly measure your heart rate. You can also start a timer or training. If you start training, you choose from one of the many sports.
Think of swimming, walking, cycling, strength training, CrossFit, triathlon and more. In total, you can choose from more than 130 sports, so as long as you don’t do a session of old united states hikstap jump on a skippy ball, yours is probably among them.
The buttons on the watch are a bit rough, but you also have no chance of accidentally pressing a button. You also have to figure out what you use which button for, but once you have mastered it, the Polar Vantage M is a clearly usable watch. For example, training sessions are easy to pause, or you divide your session into different rounds.
The screen is always on
The color screen clearly displays all information. The watch has a large round edge around the display, making it appear larger than it is. What is special is that the screen always stays on, because the light is reflected instead of the display itself illuminating. Only when you need the watch in poor light conditions does the backlight come on.
As a result, wearable lasts a nice long time. With the M you can train for 30 consecutive hours with GPS on. The V adds another ten hours. In addition, the watch can be worn for days without having to use a special charger. Although in theory, you can therefore easily continue to wear the Polar Vantage at night to measure your sleep, the wearable is a bit awkward to keep in bed comfortably.
Polar Flow
Because the watch has built-in GPS, you don’t have to take your smartphone with you during exercise. All performance is synchronized via the Polar Flow app. You will see clear graphs in the app (or on the website), so that you know if you are making progress. With the Vantage V, you get even more clarity with the walking power, because your muscle load is also measured.
The watch goes further than just charting everything. You will also be put to work. This way you can plan workouts or an entire training schedule by setting goals. For example, reaching a specific distance within a certain time. You will receive guidance based on your statistics. That also means that Polar encourages you to take a rest because that is what your body needs.
Sports buddy
The Polar Vantage in combination with Polar Flow, therefore, becomes a true sports buddy. Do you work with a coach and happens to use the Polar software? Then the coach can gain access to your data and sessions, or prepare an entire training plan.
The Polar Vantage is not that interesting outside of exercise. You can use the wearable as a normal watch and read notifications, but you cannot respond to those notifications, install other apps or listen to music. This is really a sports watch.