Polar Verity Sense heart rate monitor tracks pulse more reliably than Garmin and Fitbit watches

Verity Sense might sound like a name of a news anchor but it's actually a new heart rate monitor from the Finnish fitness brand Polar. A successor to the popular Polar OH1 arm strap, the Verity Sense takes a very different approach to chest heart rate monitors: it's an optical heart rate monitor that attaches to your arm or temple. The second way of wearing it is primarily for swimmers, and Verity Sense can be attached to a pair of swimming goggles. It could also work equally as well worn under a headband, although the band needs to be rather tight in order to keep the sensor close to the skin.

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With a number of additional features also included, Verity Sense could be a very good alternative for those who find chest straps too cumbersome and wrist heart-rate monitoring – as used on Garmin watches, Fitbit trackers and all smartwatches – too unreliable.

Lately, Polar has released a number of new products, including the Polar Unite fitness tracker and the Polar Grit X outdoor watch and the Polar Vantage V2 premium running watch. The Verity Sense seems to be using a different optical heart rate sensor that's found in Polar's running watch range (Precision Prime), we are looking forward to seeing just how precise this system is.

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Polar Verity Sense: price and release date

The Polar Verity Sense is available to purchase from 17 February 2021 at Polar US, Polar UK and Polar Australia for a recommended retail price of $89.95 / £79.50 / AUD $129.

Polar Verity Sense: main features

The Verity Sense brings several added advantages to Polar’s existing heart rate sensor product line which now includes four different models. The new sensor is built to work with a wide variety of products, including cycling computers, treadmills and turbo trainers: the sensor pairs easily through dual Bluetooth and ANT+ connectivity. This enables real-time heart rate monitoring on a connected device or app, or afterwards through transferred data from recorded sessions.

Compared to the Polar OH1, the Verity Sense has a significantly improved battery life: while the Polar OH1 only lasts for 12 hours in between charges, the Verity Sense can record workout data for 20 hours straight on a single charge.

Talking about workout data: the Verity Sense also boasts 12 MB bigger memory compared to the OH1 (16 MB in total) which equals to 600 hours of training data. The Verity Sense improved its Bluetooth range too which is now 75 meters wider Bluetooth with omnidirectional antenna (150 meters in total).

Swimmers will appreciate the Verity Sense's swimming mode: with the swimming goggle strap clip against the temple, it tracks heart rate, distance, and pace – automatically in the pool. As well as providing heart rate readings under water, the Verity Sense can also be slipped around the arm or placed anywhere snugly and firmly against the skin under tight-fitting clothing, meaning that it can probably measure heart rate more accurately during HIIT workouts or kettlebell exercises, when the weight rests on the wrists.

Polar Verity Sense: image gallery

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