Polar Vantage M3 Evaluation | A Nice Multi-Sport Operating Watch

The Polar Vantage M3 is filled with tons of options, from detailed coaching plans to restoration monitoring to it’s glossy wanting look, it’s not probably the most beginner-friendly working watch, however positively nice for multi-sport athletes.

For those who’re simply getting began with working or searching for one thing easy to trace your miles, you would possibly discover the watch a bit overwhelming.

Polar designed this look ahead to multi-sport athletes who love diving into information and are searching for instruments to assist them enhance their efficiency. Mainly if you’re an athlete that loves having all of the bells and whistles at your fingertips, this watch can be an amazing match!

I took this watch on the roads, trails and naturally the treadmill to place it to the check. Let’s take a more in-depth have a look at what I liked and effectively didn’t love about this watch.

Who’s it good for?

• Novice Runners: May be extra bells and whistles than you want
• Present Garmin Customers: Not very best in case you’re a treadmill runner needing to calibrate
• Path Runners: Battery life could drain quicker particularly in case you’re an extremely runner
• Day by day Utilization: Has all the things you want proper on the watch besides having the ability to use your cellular pay
• Worth for Worth: Completely priced for multi-sport athletes at $399

Polar Vantage M3 Evaluation

Straight out of the field, the Polar Vantage M3 instantly catches your eye with how glossy the design is. It’s tremendous light-weight and the brilliant AMOLED display screen offers it a glance of a fancier watch that you can put on to actually any event.

It’s clear that Polar targeted on making the Vantage M3 snug for on a regular basis put on, whether or not you’re working, coaching, or simply monitoring your every day steps.

Whereas Coach Amanda was fairly in love with the Polar Vantage V2 as a result of it had a few of the finest HR monitoring she’d ever seen…I used to be extra ho hum on this watch. HOWEVER, we are able to all agree that they’re doing one thing proper with HR monitoring as a result of it’s fairly dang good.

In fact we nonetheless advocate you utilize the armband HR monitor to get extra correct outcomes, that additionally means you should purchase the cheaper watch!

As somebody new to Polar, I discovered the watch a bit difficult to arrange at first.

There are such a lot of options and choices that it took a short while to determine the place all the things was, each on the watch and within the Polar Flor app. I positively hit the fallacious buttons a number of instances throughout a exercise! Whether or not you might be new to Polar or have used their gadgets earlier than, simply know it would take a little bit of exploring earlier than you could have a good suggestion how the watch is ready up.

The opposite factor that had me on the fence about loving this watch was the way it carried out throughout treadmill runs. I put A LOT of miles on my treadmill and I’m used to having the ability to calibrate my watch post-run.

The Polar Vantage M3 does have a built-in accelerometer to measure pace and distance from wrist motion in case you’re not utilizing a stride sensor indoors.

However as we all know, it’s best to at all times go by what your treadmill says because the watch is probably going going to be inaccurate!

Fast Take Professional’s and Con’s

Professionals:

• Amoled display screen
• Twin Frequency GPS
• Gas and Hydration Alerts
• Prolonged battery life and a number of power-save choices

Cons:

• No calibration possibility after working on the treadmill.
• No wrist mapping or coloured maps
• No good pay options
• Touchscreen might be tremendous delicate

Test the present worth >>

Good Watch

Like most GPS working watches now it could actually show textual content notifications, calendar objects, telephone calls, and so forth. I agree with Amanda’s previous critiques of Polar gadgets, it’s very nice to have a brilliant detailed climate display screen.

You may scroll by to see the temperature, humidity and even wind with the intention to choose one of the best time of day to go exterior!

• Music Controls for no matter is taking part in in your telephone
• Step monitoring, 24/7 HR Monitoring
• Straightforward to customise watch faces per exercise through the Polar Stream app
• Holds as much as 150 sport profiles (personalized on the app)
• Obtainable in only a one dimension matches all strap, however you’ll be able to swap out straps
• Prolonged battery life and a number of power-save choices
• Obtainable in 2 colours

As soon as you identify what every of the 5 buttons do, it’s fairly easy to make use of. The most important purple or backside left hand buttons is what you’ll press to point you’re able to do a exercise. Then you definitely’ll choose from the record of working, strolling, power, and so forth to begin your exercise.

High left button is to show the watch face on and off.

High and backside proper buttons are to go up and down.

Battery Life

• 7 Days in smartwatch mode
• 30 hours in Efficiency Coaching Mode
• 70 hours in Eco Coaching Mode
• Tremendous quick charging for these oops I forgot mornings

I did by accident neglect to cost the watch in a single day however plugging it in whereas I did my dynamic heat up received me about 20% battery.

The opposite good factor is that it’ll ship notifications to your telephone concerning the watch needing to be charged or when the cost is full!

FitSpark Exercises

Some days I simply don’t really feel like placing collectively a exercise and would fairly comply with one thing pre-built. FitSpark is a customized coaching information straight in your watch that has three totally different categories- Energy, Cardio and Supportive (which is mainly circuit kind coaching combining power and mobility).

All the exercises are time-based and are adjusted based mostly in your health stage. You may stand up to 2-4 advised exercises a day.

The watch will clarify easy methods to work by the circuit and even has tiny graphics that mimic the motion. The exercises are positively not like a Peloton class but it surely’s nonetheless one thing to maintain you accountable!

GPS and Navigation

Now that I’m beginning to dip my toes into path working, a watch that has an correct GPS and navigation is changing into increasingly necessary. Polar truly supplies you the choice to connect with a wide range of totally different satellite tv for pc choices, which can assist with accuracy and be particularly helpful to modify if you’re within the US vs Europe.

For navigation you could have so many choices!

You may pre-download a map that can be utilized offline. You may also plan out a route and use navigation to information you turn-by-turn alongside the trail or trails.

Or my private favourite is being able to drop “Breadcrumbs” in order that I can get again to my place to begin after I occur to get misplaced on the attractive trails right here in Colorado as a result of I noticed a moose or one thing.

Gas and Hydration Alerts

There are such a lot of issues that we have to preserve observe of whereas working. I really like how the Polar Vantage M3 has each fueling and hydration reminders. You may both set these up manually by choosing wherever from 5 to 60 minutes alerts or you need to use the FuelWise good fueling assistant.

The Good Carbs Reminder estimates your fueling wants based mostly on the depth and length of your exercise. A bit of reminder will come up on the display screen with a suggestion of what number of carbs you ought to be taking at the moment!

If you’ll be on the market for longer, at all times keep in mind to pack somewhat additional incase you drop gasoline or wind up needing greater than deliberate.

Structured Exercises

For so long as I can keep in mind, I’ve at all times adopted some type of structured exercise on my watch. Whether or not it’s a tempo exercise or one thing so simple as strides, it’s at all times good having one thing preloaded on my watch to maintain me on observe.

Placing collectively a structured exercise was not as easy like when utilizing Garmin or COROS. You need to use the Polar Stream app or log into your account by the Polar web site. From there you could have the choice to create a “fast goal” or “phased goal”.

If you’re working with a coach and so they prescribe a selected exercise, you’ll want to use “phased goal”. However remember the exercises might be particular to your Coronary heart Fee, Tempo and Energy zones present in your Polar account.

Health Testing

The Polar Montage M3 has a number of several types of check that you would be able to carry out to maintain observe of your progress and optimize your coaching. A few of these are widespread with Garmin and COROS just like the Operating and Biking Efficiency Exams. However the others are distinctive to Polar and are assessments that you would be able to carry out frequently.

• Operating Efficiency Take a look at
• Biking Efficiency Take a look at (requires an influence meter)
• Orthostatic Take a look at
• Strolling Take a look at
• Leg Restoration Take a look at

Polar Elixir

That is the primary Polar watch to have a biosensing know-how that’s able to analyzing and translating biomarkers.

• Optical Coronary heart Fee- new sensor decreasing the interference that may happen throughout motion to offer extra correct HR readings
• Wrist-ECG- retains observe of the center’s electrical exercise and rhythm
• Sp02- helpful for HIT or excessive altitude coaching
• Nightly Pores and skin Temperature- seems to be at how your temperature fluctuates throughout sleep and compares it on a rolling 28-day common

All of those mixed mainly lets you get a much bigger image of easy methods to take advantage of out of your coaching.

Polar M3 vs Polar V3

So, what are the variations that will persuade you to avoid wasting $200? Actually, there’s not too many now that they share the identical HR monitoring software, so that you’re largely battery life and an general good really feel to the watch.

Each the Polar M3 and Polar V3 are very glossy designed multisport watches with a ton of options. Listed below are a number of of the important thing issues you’ll discover when coaching with the watch.

Polar Vantage M3

• 1.28 Inch show
• 53g weight
• Entrance and Again case are plastic
• Touchscreen
• 7 days Smartwatch mode
• 30 hours Efficiency coaching mode
• 70 hours Eco coaching mode
• No wrist mapping however you’ll be able to comply with a route and use back-to-start
• Obtainable in 2 colours
• Discover it now for $399

Polar Vantage V3

• 1.39 Inch show
• 57g weight
• Entrance case is Aerospace aluminium
• Again case is plastic
• Touchscreen
• Brighter display screen with 454×454 decision
• 10 days Smartwach mode
• 43 hours Efficiency coaching mode
• 140 hours Eco coaching mode
• Wrist mapping with full colour maps
• Obtainable in 4 colours
• Discover it now for $599

All proper, hopefully this Polar Vantage M3 evaluate helped breakdown some areas you may need puzzled about! You probably have extra questions, we’re at all times pleased to reply.

Searching for extra gear?