Best Polar watch 2024: find the perfect companion for your fitness journey

We've rounded up, put to the test, and ranked the best Polar watches worth considering right now. These wearables are not only reasonably priced but also pack a punch with top-notch build quality, precise sensors, finely-tuned algorithms, plus a whole bunch of health and wellness features.

When it comes to performance watches, Polar watches are almost in a league of their own, giving Garmin watches and Coros a run for their money. While some stick to Fitbits for casual workouts, Polar offers a wide range of health and fitness watches to suit every need, from the newbie-friendly Ignite to the do-it-all Vantage V3.

Sure, Garmins might be most athletes top choice and steal some of the spotlight, but there's no denying the Polar fanbase. Curious what's the difference between the two brands? We've got you covered with our Garmin vs Polar showdown.

And if you're interested in exploring other options, don't miss our roundup of the best triathlon watches and best running watches. Time to find your perfect fitness companion!

Best Polar watches to buy right now

Best overall

The Polar Pacer Pro is one of the best Polar watches – this is a fact. If you aren't super keen on touchscreen operation, we think it's a better option than the flagship Vantage V2 and definitely better value for money. The new screen is brighter and easier to read in broad daylight.

The Pacer Pro can sometimes feel dated, especially its user interface, which hasn't changed for a long time. Not to mention, there are other running watches that A) are cheaper or B) offer more features for the same money as the Pacer Pro. On the bright side, the Pacer Pro is a decent mid-range multisport watch, so if you're on the market for one of those, by all means, get this watch.

Read our full Polar Pacer Pro review

Best multisport

The Polar Vantage V3 is a significant departure from its predecessor, boasting a host of improvements both inside and out. With a larger, brighter AMOLED display, faster processor, and enhanced sensing platform, it's a formidable upgrade.

While maintaining the familiar Polar aesthetic, it introduces notable advancements, such as a dual-frequency GPS and expanded sensor suite, including ECG and SpO2 monitoring. Despite these enhancements, it retains the signature Polar look and feel, ensuring a seamless transition for existing users. 

Notable upgrades include a 129% faster CPU speed and the introduction of the Polar Elixir sensing platform, offering more accurate health metrics and recovery insights. The inclusion of offline maps from the Polar Grit X further enhances its versatility as a multisport watch.

However, it's not without its drawbacks; the V3 sacrifices some water tightness compared to its predecessor and lacks offline music storage. Connectivity issues and a dated user interface also persist, although the faster processor mitigates previous lag issues.

Overall, the Polar Vantage V3 impresses with its comprehensive feature set, robust performance, and refined design. It may not be the flashiest option on the market, but its reliability and functionality make it a compelling choice for serious athletes and fitness enthusiasts alike.

Read our full Polar Vantage V3 review.

Also consider: the watch's predecessor, the Polar Vantage V2, boasts exceptional build quality, abundant tests, and unique data for serious athletes. While lacking UI improvements, it offers unparalleled insights for runners, cyclists, and triathletes seeking to elevate their performance.

Best outdoor

Packed full of features, this watch still only weighs 64g. It’s easy to navigate with touchscreen options. Having an hour-by-hour weather forecast is just one click away, with weather icons on the screen showing you what to expect. This means the need to take your phone when training is reduced even more. All this watch needs is a camera so you can snap your shots, and then the days of running with a phone will be gone.

You get so much more than training stats with sleep insights, recovery suggestions, workouts (tiny figures animate how to do each exercise) and well-being. You even get WeatherWatch, so essential for trails, hills and mountains where micro-climates are constantly changing.

Read our full Polar Grit X review

We compared the Polar Vantage V2 with the Grit X here: Polar Grit X vs Vantage V2.

Best running

The Polar Vantage M2 strikes a good balance between style and substance: it has an ample amount of features, both sport and casual, and despite all the premium features it has to offer, it doesn't cost the earth either. Although fitness wearables are never an investment, I reckon the Vantage M2 will serve its users well for at least a good few years.

Is there a reason why you shouldn't get the Polar Vantage M2? Admittedly, if you need a hardcore running watch, you might find the Vantage M2 a tad too fashion-watch-like. To clarify, it isn't one, but Polar is undoubtedly trying to make the Vantage M2 more appealing to smartwatch users by offering specific colour variants (looking at you, Champagne/Gold Vantage M2). However, you'll find a clever multisport watch under the hood that can effectively help you get better in whatever sport you practice.

Read our full Polar Vantage M2 review

How does the Vantage M2 compare against the Vantage V2? We compared the two here: Polar Vantage M2 vs Vantage V2. 

Best fitness tracker

The Polar Ignite 3 Titanium offers a ruggedly handsome upgrade to its predecessor, featuring a sleek titanium bezel and improved silicone strap for enhanced comfort. Its vibrant AMOLED display remains clear in any lighting, while new health features like Nightly Skin Temperature Sensing provide valuable insights into well-being.

Despite lacking smartwatch features, it excels as a fitness and wellness tracker, delivering accurate data and long battery life. With updates addressing previous software issues, it offers a smoother user experience, making it ideal for urban runners and casual fitness enthusiasts.

However, its battery life may not suit prolonged outdoor adventures, and it lacks advanced smart functions like call answering and text replies.

Overall, the Ignite 3 Titanium combines style and functionality, making it a reliable companion for fitness tracking and lifestyle improvements.

Read our full Polar Ignite 3 Titanium review.

Best budget

The Polar M430 is geared towards serious runners. Because if you aren't a serious runner, you can get a Fitbit Versa for cheaper than the Polar M430, and the former looks less like an oversized fitness tracker, whilst still tracking all the basic fitness metrics.

But in case you are an avid runner and would like to own a running watch that clearly communicates to others around you that run often, you should definitely choose the Polar M430. It does most of the tricks the more expensive models can do, like the Polar Fitness Test, which estimates your VO2 max levels, and even tells you your Running Index, which is a measurement of how well you run.

The Polar M430 is heavier than the Polar Ignite but not too heavy with its 51 grams. The screen is a good size, too, although the resolution is fairly low so the display is a bit blocky. You won't get silky smooth animation here and you will miss out on non-running features as well, like the Serene breathing exercise or the Nightly Recharge metric.

But all the negative stuff doesn't matter to you, since you probably wouldn't use all that casual stuff anyway. What you need the M430 for is running, and for that – especially considering the friendly price point – it's more than adequate. You'll get built-in GPS and wrist-based heart rate, which is really all you need to track running.

How to choose the best Polar watch for you

Polar – unlike Garmin – has a straightforward lineup of watches. The company's current offering consists of 5 main smartwatches, and they all have significantly different capabilities from one another.

The flagship model, the Polar Vantage V3, can measure running power on the wrist and provides its users with a number of useful tests to assess their training level and recovery.

The Pacer Pro currently offers the best of both worlds, riding a fine line between running and multisport watches. It offers plenty of functionality for runners, cyclists and swimmers for not a lot of money. It also has most of the tests the Vantage V3 can do, a faster CPU and a slightly updated user interface.

One step down is the Polar Vantage M2, which is almost identical to the Vantage V in looks and functionality and only misses out on features such as some of the tests and the running power. The Vantage M2 can be bought for a little over half the price of the Vantage V2.

If you will use your new Polar watch mainly for tracking fitness activities like HIIT sessions or even yoga classes, go for the Polar Ignite 3 Titanium. It has the updated Polar Precision Prime sensor and all the new Vantage features in a lightweight body.

If you just want a no-frills running watch, you can choose either the Polar M430 or M200. The latter really is the basic model, but for the money, you'll still get built-in GPS and wrist heart rate, which is pretty good.

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