Polar Vantage V3 assessment: The tip of the iceberg

Polar had to make the Vantage V3. Health rivals have spent latest years including AMOLED shows, new sensors for sleep monitoring, maps, and different “mainstream” smartwatch instruments. In the meantime, dual-band GPS has grow to be a near-necessity for health watches in any respect costs. Polar wanted to convey these options to a flagship watch to maintain its loyal followers glad. 

Your angle in the direction of the Polar Vantage V3 will range based mostly on whether or not or not you are a long-time Polar consumer. It’s possible you’ll have already got a working watch with a few of these options, or maybe you have used a GPS-only MIP look ahead to years and need to determine whether or not or not the Vantage V3 provides sufficient so that you can improve. 

After months on and off with the Polar Vantage V3, I will say that it will not change your present perspective on Polar as a model. Polar Circulation is unchanged. The on-watch UI is similar. The large attracts are nonetheless the Fitspark exercise recs and the coaching load algorithm guiding your exercise calendar and restoration. 

That could be sufficient for Polar followers, however is it sufficient to justify the excessive worth and lure followers of Garmin, COROS, or Suunto watches? Let’s dive in.

Assessment disclaimer

I initially acquired a Polar Vantage V3 loaner in December 2023. This mannequin would crash throughout lengthy mountain climbing or working actions, displaying an countless flashing Polar image that would solely be solved by a manufacturing facility reboot. I acquired a alternative unit after Polar’s help staff could not crack the difficulty. 

After months of use, I have never had a single crash or software program subject. I, due to this fact, assume that Polar’s preliminary batch of watches might have had {hardware} points however that any new Vantage V3 fashions have had the problems absolutely resolved. That being stated, I would not advocate shopping for it used to keep away from potential points like mine. 

Polar Vantage V3: Value, bands, and equipment

The Polar Vantage V3 launched in October 2023 at $599 / CA$879 / €599 / £519. That places it on the identical pricing scale as different premium multisport watches just like the Garmin Forerunner 965 ($599) and COROS VERTIX 2S ($699), although greater than many AMOLED health watches within the $300–$500 vary (APEX 2 Professional, Suunto Race).

The watch ships in three colours: Night time Black, Sky Blue, and Dawn Apricot. It comes with a 22mm silicone band of matching shade and a proprietary USB-C charging cable with magnetic contact factors. You should purchase spare bands in numerous colours for $35–40. Fortunately, in contrast to the Vantage V2, you do not want an adapter to connect customary Fast Launch bands. 

Polar permits you to bundle within the well-liked H10 chest strap for $649 whole; it usually prices $90 or extra. Additionally, you will get free trials of Komoot or Strava when shopping for the Vantage V3, although you will need to decide into Polar advertising emails first. 

Polar Vantage V3: What you will respect

Just like the Polar Pacer Professional I reviewed a few years again, the Polar Vantage V3 has a UI much like Tiles on a Galaxy Watch 6. You swipe left & proper or faucet the Up/Down buttons to maneuver between full-display widgets displaying key data like every day step proportion, weekly mileage, nightly sleep and recharge knowledge, cardio load standing, Fitspark exercise options, and the every day forecast. 

I’ve a few nitpicks with Polar’s total knowledge method, however I believe this methodology may be very accessible. A lot of the watch’s summarized knowledge may be accessed in just a few seconds while not having the cellular app.

Polar jumped on the AMOLED bandwagon, and I am grateful for it. MIP shows (just like the Vantage V2’s) are turning into much less well-liked regardless of their out of doors readability and decrease energy calls for. Because it occurs, the Vantage V3 lasts ten days (4 greater than the V2) because of an additional 142mAh capability, so there’s little trade-off. The pixel-rich Vantage V3 show is as shiny, colourful, and readable indoors as any AMOLED watch, with a reasonably slim bezel.

Polar guarantees 43 hours of dual-band GPS monitoring per cost in its spec sheet. In follow, a standard smartwatch battery drain will convey that quantity considerably decrease in-between every day exercises. Regardless of this, I am impressed by the battery life the Vantage V3 provides, among the many finest on the market.

At 57g/2oz with the strap, it is on the heavier aspect however on par with most different premium working watches on this vary, just like the Forerunner 965 (53g) and APEX 2 Professional (66g). The identical applies to its 13.5mm thickness: it is simply skinny sufficient to be snug in comparison with many rivals within the 14mm+ vary.

The in-box silicone strap is snug sufficient, although a bit extra inflexible than I am used to; it helps stop any wobbling throughout runs, however feeding the strap by means of the lugs may be surprisingly tough. I do want Polar allow you to select nylon as a substitute of silicone to mitigate the load a bit, however you should buy one individually.

Polar made a shocking alternative by giving the Vantage V3 an aluminum body. That is the default in your typical smartwatch, however some health manufacturers default to a sturdy polymer that is gentle however ugly. On this case, the Vantage V3 has a pleasing metallic sheen, accentuated by its lengthy, textured buttons. It nonetheless appears to be like like a health watch however with out the same old plastic brick look to which I’ve grown accustomed. 

Other than the dual-band GPS, the most important change from the Vantage V2 to the V3 is that Polar caught as much as the trade for well being knowledge with SpO2, ECG, and pores and skin temperature readings. Of the three, solely pores and skin temp is measured passively at evening, when you should spot-check for blood oxygen and AFib. It is a step in the fitting route, although I do hope Polar provides in a single day SpO2 or altitude acclimation knowledge sooner or later. 

As somebody who hates sleeping with a smartwatch, the Polar Vantage V3 is decently snug to put on, and it offers some helpful insights into your sleep zones, restlessness, restoration time, pores and skin temperature variation, and so forth. 

I’ve had to enter the Polar app to regulate my wake-up time on sure nights. In a single case, it marked me as waking up at 5:30 as a substitute of 6:30, however once I adjusted the time, it nonetheless had my sleep zones for that final hour, together with some transient REM sleep. 

Polar’s Restoration Professional knowledge, targeted in your sleep high quality, HRV stress knowledge, latest coaching, and different metrics, greater than competes with the “every day readiness” scores of different manufacturers while not having a subscription. Which may reduce the sting of the Vantage V3’s excessive worth.

I am an enormous fan of Polar’s Checks function, which incorporates an Orthostatic check — beforehand requiring an H10 chest strap — and leg stiffness exams. Primarily, you’ll be able to take HRV readings to spot-check your Cardio Load Restoration and readiness to work out or leap up and down in place to check your Muscle Load Restoration. 

This offers some helpful insights I might usually miss out on by refusing to put on my smartwatches for sleep monitoring like Restoration Professional.

Past that, the separation between cardio and muscle load is a welcome addition. Polar makes use of your working energy knowledge to guage your muscle soreness, as a separate calculation from no matter coronary heart fatigue you will expertise from a tough exercise. Polar then makes use of this knowledge to find out your coaching’s short-term pressure in your physique and long-term build-up of your tolerance, to determine whether or not or not you are bettering or overtraining. 

Combining the 2, Polar provides you energetic and passive instruments for guiding your health routine, with an easy-to-understand widget summarizing your coaching progress and physique standing. 

Polar’s “Fitspark” algorithm, related to your Cardio Load knowledge, recommends various kinds of exercises you would full in your present state. 

As an illustration, once I’m absolutely recovered, Polar recommends I full a 30-minute body weight exercise—with a listing of workouts like Good Mornings and Bench Dips and little stick figures displaying the way to full them—to realize Energy or a 50-minute run in particular zones to enhance Cardio, with suggestions for when to gas or hydrate. 

I really like Polar’s beneficial indoor workouts, one thing no different model provides; Garmin has one thing related with its indoor exercises, however with out the auto-generated routines, its animated train examples are tougher to seek out. 

Polar’s out of doors cardio runs are a bit much less instructive. They deal with period and coronary heart fee zones so that you hit the fitting effort degree. You will not get any estimate of how briskly Polar thinks you will must run to hit these zones, although. I respect that Polar provides you a number of exercise choices per day, however they’re by no means fairly as specialised as those I get from Garmin (aka focusing on low cardio zones or recommending particular intervals).

Polar’s customized working program fills in that hole to an extent. You mark down a goal race distance from 5K to marathon, what number of occasions and for the way lengthy you practice per week, and get weeks of beneficial runs, power coaching, and relaxation days. These auto-generated runs sometimes advocate Zone 2, 3, and 4 runs at particular factors within the week. 

I discover Polar’s marathon program a bit simplistic and repetitive, with out sufficient selection within the forms of runs, nevertheless it’s actually an efficient construction and basis to enhance as a runner. I take advantage of them as a information for the trouble degree to match, whereas adjusting them to my most well-liked mileage and energy degree. 

The final important Vantage V3 improve is that it has 32GB for offline maps, along with your area’s “fundamental” continental knowledge downloaded by default. You will wish to join your watch to your laptop and obtain the detailed maps in your area. You may’t use the storage for the rest (like music), so there’s loads of room.

When you obtain the maps, you get wonderful topographical element of your path environment and first rate velocity when zooming out or scrolling round (with the occasional delayed loading).

You will need to make a Komoot account to create routes with turn-by-turn navigation. I wrestled with whether or not to think about this a constructive or destructive; Komoot is a good mountain climbing app and is usually free in your native area, and I suppose I might relatively get a fantastic third-party possibility than a stripped-down first-party various. However if you happen to want one other app for GPX route information like Strava or Alltrails, be ready to change manufacturers or regularly export to a different app. 

Polar Vantage V3: GPS and coronary heart fee

Anybody with the Vantage V2 may discover the V3 improve tempting for the dual-band GPS monitoring alone. In any other case, Polar is finest identified for its coronary heart fee chest straps, and also you may assume its smartwatches would have wonderful coronary heart fee accuracy as properly. So, I put that to the check. 

First, I examined the Vantage V3 towards the Forerunner 965 and VERTIX 2S for GPS and coronary heart fee accuracy. In that check, Polar’s GPS map did not do particularly properly at factors, shoving my path into buildings or the center of the road the place Garmin and COROS had been extra on level. Nevertheless, for coronary heart fee, the Vantage V3 got here fairly near the Polar H10 in accuracy and responsiveness, and it did the most effective of the three for elevation monitoring. 

I made a decision to provide the Polar Vantage V3 its honest shake and do one other GPS run in the identical situations to see if its points had been a fluke or not. This time, it did considerably higher, although nonetheless imperfectly. You may see within the screenshots above how Polar (blue) compares to Garmin (darkish purple) for dual-band GPS accuracy. 

Neither stays completely on my path, with the left-wristed Forerunner and right-wristed Polar splaying out like I am a dozen toes large. That stated, in particular situations, Garmin was extra prone to be on the sidewalk, whereas Polar was extra prone to stray into the road, although preserving the identical line. Finally, they had been 0.03 miles aside throughout three miles, in comparison with 0.04 miles final time. 

My one continued criticism with the Vantage V3’s dual-band GPS is with its accuracy throughout observe runs. I spent your entire 2.5-mile coaching run within the fourth lane, however my GPS map had me…elsewhere.

For many opinions, I take advantage of a chest or arm strap because the management group to fee the watch’s optical sensor. Sadly, this final check had me questioning whether or not my Polar H10 chest strap is all that dependable. You may see within the charts above and under the way it had my coronary heart fee spiking or dropping at absurd charges, disproportionate to my effort.

Fortunately, for the primary run I additionally had the Forerunner 965 to check towards, and each watches had the identical 142bpm common and near-identical charts all through. Each watches matched the H10 intently earlier than it began to freak out, then continued to responsively change to my various effort with out the straight-lined dips and crests you get with watches that do not pattern precisely or regularly. 

For the second run, I solely in contrast the 2 Polar gadgets. As soon as once more, the Polar H10 had me hitting some absurd highs and lows, together with 20 beats above my max coronary heart fee. Nevertheless, as soon as it calmed down midway by means of, it gave a helpful baseline to check towards the Vantage V3. At that time, the watch intently trailed behind the chest strap, lagging barely every time I switched from sprinting to jogging, however by no means off by a lot. 

General, I am fairly glad with the Polar Vantage V3’s GPS, coronary heart fee, and elevation accuracy in my sensible exams. Even when I do not just like the observe run’s wild GPS map, it does not appear to have an effect on the tracked distance considerably, so complaining about it feels unfair. 

Polar Vantage V3: What you will not love

Like every other model, Polar has a selected imaginative and prescient of what a “premium” health watch wants and what options it may possibly skip to avoid wasting on prices. 

Whereas different premium health watches sometimes use sapphire glass or (at minimal) Gorilla Glass DX with good anti-reflective coating, Polar gave the Vantage V3 Gorilla Glass 3. I am not thrilled with that alternative of a $599 look ahead to visibility or safety. It makes AMOLED a tougher promoting level for anybody used to MIP shows.

I do not assume ANT+ equipment are particularly prevalent today, however you could resent its absence right here. If that is a priority, solely Garmin watches persistently provide ANT+, whereas different manufacturers more and more abandon it. 

Extra individuals will discover the absence of music storage irritating, given its 32GB of storage. Even when Polar could not make a cope with music streaming platforms, it would be good to retailer your individual MP3 information and join exercise earbuds whereas leaving your telephone behind.

I additionally observed the obvious lack of an ambient gentle sensor, which implies this watch will blind you at bedtime till you activate DnD mode. 

Given its 32GB of storage, it would be good to retailer your individual MP3 information and join exercise earbuds whereas leaving your telephone behind.

To me, the software program expertise at all times issues greater than {hardware}. That is what athletes are paying for. And on that entrance, I’ve just a few hang-ups.

Two years in the past, I might have cherished the simplicity of Polar’s Cardio Load Standing widget. You are both underneath/overtraining, sustaining, or bettering. You needn’t perceive what coaching load or (an)cardio impact numbers imply; you simply run, observe the Fitspark options, and attempt to enhance. 

Extra data-driven customers — the sort which may purchase a $599 watch — will want they might see extra data on the watch itself. There is a weekly abstract widget, nevertheless it’s gentle on knowledge (whole miles, whole energy, time spent in particular coronary heart fee zones) and does not present weekly targets apart from HR zone percentages. If you happen to faucet the Cardio Load widget, it does not present something new, only a textual content abstract explaining why it’s good to practice roughly. 

Polar collects the identical knowledge that Garmin Join or COROS EvoLab provides; each post-run abstract exhibits a efficiency Operating Index, the kind of Coaching Profit (much like Impact), and the cardio/ muscle coaching load. Nevertheless, the one amalgamation of this knowledge is the Cardio Load Standing widget with its 7-day Pressure and 28-day Tolerance numbers, together with a graph buried within the Calendar tab of the Polar Circulation app with a bit extra element. 

For me, one of the best ways to enhance my VO2 Max is to know the way to enhance my Tolerance (or Persistent Load) with knowledge on whether or not my cardio and anaerobic numbers are optimized. Polar’s knowledge is just tougher to seek out, making you depend on Fitspark recs to know what you’ll be able to deal with. 

As I stated above, I just like the Fitspark recs, particularly the power coaching choices. But it surely appears to place extra inventory in my coaching standing than my physique’s fatigue. 

Living proof: I did a three-mile jog adopted by 2.5 miles of 100-meter sprints and exhausting 400-meter laps interspersed with jogging. After an evening’s sleep, my Garmin watch recommends 60 hours of restoration, whereas Fitspark’s two cardio suggestions are 56 minutes of zone 2/3 working or 90 minutes of strolling/jogging. That appears ill-advised, and it is as a result of I am nonetheless “Detraining” in accordance with Polar’s algorithm.

Fortunately, Polar’s Orthostatic and leg stiffness exams signaled that relaxation is preferable as we speak. But it surely’s as much as the consumer to examine that for themselves. Anybody trusting Polar’s algorithm to get fitter may get pushed to work out extra rigorously than they need to.

Finally, I believe Polar has quite a bit to supply athletes, nevertheless it may make extra data out there on the watch and make the Polar Circulation app far more accessible. Proper now, it may be very troublesome to seek out what you want. 

Polar Vantage V3: Competitors

The Garmin Forerunner 965 is the Vantage V3’s closest rival in worth and options. You get a 1.43-inch AMOLED show with higher GG DX coating, a design that is 0.3mm thinner and 3g lighter, and an additional 13 days of battery life — although about half the dual-band GPS hours. The Forerunner 965 beat the Vantage V3 in GPS accuracy in a number of exams, whereas they had been comparable in coronary heart fee accuracy. Garmin has music storage and all-day SpO2 knowledge however no ECGs or pores and skin temperature.

I want the Forerunner 965 for its extra accessible knowledge on coaching load and standing; it is at all times clear how my VO2 Max, latest breakdown of exercise varieties, and my total workload evaluate to earlier weeks, whereas Polar makes you seek for that knowledge. Each watches offer you exercise and restoration options, however Garmin’s recs do not embrace power coaching. 

The COROS APEX 2 Professional is an alternative choice to think about in order for you epic battery life, offline maps, and dual-frequency GPS. You will have to simply accept the MIP show and lack of non-HR sensors, nevertheless it’s extra inexpensive and has the upside of EvoLab coaching load knowledge. 

You might also wish to take a look at the Suunto Race, an AMOLED working watch with related perks to the Vantage V3 (dual-frequency GPS, teaching, and HRV restoration knowledge). Since I’ve solely simply acquired my assessment unit, I can not give a extra definitive suggestion. 

Polar Vantage V3: Do you have to purchase?

You can purchase the Polar Vantage V3 if…

• You are a long-time Polar Circulation consumer.
• You want coaching steerage and knowledge to enhance as an athlete.
• You are prepared to spend so much in alternate for a high-end show and sensors.

You should not purchase the Polar Vantage V3 if…

• You want smarts like actionable notifications, apps, or music storage.
• You are on a finances and may settle for a less expensive Polar just like the Pacer Professional.

For me, a very powerful side of a health watch is that it provides exercise options which might be each aspirational and practical. You want one thing to maintain you motivated but additionally grounded so you do not run your self into the bottom (figuratively or actually).

The Polar Vantage V3 is actually aspirational. It has working applications and Fitspark recs that offer you robust exercises that will help you enhance but additionally preserve you grounded with restoration estimates, exams of your coronary heart and muscle load, and coronary heart fee knowledge that had been fairly correct in my exams. On the identical time, I’ve discovered moments the place it recommends exercises which might be above and past what I am able to, so the Vantage V3 is finest suited to athletes who know their very own limits. 

In any other case, the Polar Vantage V3 is what it seems like on paper. It is a huge however comparatively snug watch with a pleasant AMOLED show, stable battery life, a pleasant smattering of well being sensors, and Komoot maps for hikers. If that each one sounds interesting to you, then you definitely’ll actually just like the Vantage V3.