I’ve had 3 x smartbands yet. Polar M400- Apple Watch 3 and now Polar Unite. I am very happy with my choice. AW had a lot useless options for me. First I wanted to buy AW5 but spending about 500 $ on watch was a little bit not worthy to me. Also I don’t like square design- It was not comfortable for me (idk why, but I have the same problem with AirPods - they are very uncomfortable too (I know, I’m weird)). I have a trust in Polar, because I swam with my m400 in sea, I took it everywhere and there are NO scratches at all! BTW, I bumped (very light) my AW3 into door frame. I got an ugly scratch. But back to Polar Unite- there are some things that could be better in this watch, but I like it a lot.
Thank you, I just bought Unite using your link and a 3 yr warranty. I love Polar products with Flows Tracking Software and its feature. I"ve had my Polar Loop for 8 yrs now and after wear and tear, it was time to replace it. Sad to see it go but thanks to your review I found my next fitness tracker that is "simple and basic" and not all that hype everyone "wants". I'm not a slave to my phone so I don't want my fitness tracker to alert me when a text message shows up, or social media notifications nor when I get a phone call, Nah... no thanks on those features. I hate "running" so I'll NEVER use GPS except when I go on casual bike riding with the fam, so that when I'll connect it to my phone along with my H7, even though I know that I don't need the H7 but I still love the H7. Thank you again. (Liked and subscribed)
I wish Polar would release a higher end watch with an AMOLED screen. I understand the advantage of the always on displays, but the AMOLED is so much easier for me to see.
Fully agree. I have this watch and because I was loving the polar system decided to grab a polar grit x that was used. As an older person with eyesight not as strong as my youth I find the unite excellent to read indoors and still OK outside during the day. Of course it's just excellent in the dark for late night walks. But while the grit x is a comfortable watch to wear and has increased functionality with absolutely excellent gps tracking the display is very dim and I can barely read the small text without glasses. But I have none of those issues with the unite. Sure gps would be nice but I also got the unite used for around a third of the new price. Think I will be selling the grit x after a month of ownership as the display is a deal breaker for me. I really enjoy keeping an eye on my pace and having a display that's poor to see is no fun. That said in very bright sunlight the grit x is OK. So I too wish they had the unite display in a grit x body. That would be ideal and I would be happy with a little less battery life for the bright display as I wear the watch continuously and a bright display is great.
Honestly, if they would just make a whoop style wrist / bicep monitor with no display but everything through the Polar Flow app they have a winner. It would eat Whoop's / Oura's lunch.
Thanks so much for your awesome indepth review. I'm torn between this watch and the vantage m2. I'll have to compare both of your reviews to make my decision! 😁
I've only had bad experience with connected GPS on a Fitbit, so never ever again. Sad to see Polar left this out. Other than that it's a great watch/tracker
Hi, how will this watch work with polar H10? As you need your phone to get the GPS signal, so you will be connecting the unite with your phone. Then where does the H10 connect to?
@@facoffee7036 nope, I'm now using a garmin instinct with my polar verity. My polar verity sends signal to both my garmin instinct and the session is recorded on my polar beat app on my mobile phone.
@@imerected1 In the end I got a Polar Unit and the H10. I'm not super fussy about stuff, and this combination seemed pretty good for what I need, also considering the limited cost.
Can anyone please explain to me why Polar keeps it good AMOLED screens for their cheap sports watches? The screen of the Polar Grit X is so difficult to read during exercise that this watch is not an option for me.
The Grit X screen is easier to read in sunlight and triples the battery life. Most athletes won't buy the Vantages if they came with this screen. The Garmin Venu sounds like the watch you looking for.
Trust me you don't want that screen. It looks exactly like ignite which is a really bad screen. Yeah it's bright but that's about it. You can see the individual pixels even on this video and it's even worse when you have it in hands. They had the opportunity to bring out Ignite2 with good (always on) screen, better processor that it doesn't lag and give it 300e/$ price tag. Would have bought it immediately. But nope, they continued to cheap out. I wish Apple would make the move and give Apple watch an Android support... (Not going to happen so I will have to wait until I get an iPhone to get a good smart watch)
Fully agree as I have both the grit x and the unite. I did not have an opportunity to see the display of the grit x otherwise I would not have bought it. I have been using my grit x for a couple of weeks and finally gone back to the unite as the display is just so dim. I need to use reading glasses to read the grit x display for the small text but don't have the need for glasses with the unite as the display is really great. After all who is going to want to wear reading glasses when working out. When training I set the display to be always on and it's great. A real pity as I like the grit x but simply no longer want the hassle.
I have an update. I switched back to the unite but found the grit X more comfortable. I think it's due to the raised sensors as the watch it a lot bigger. I only sort of forgot how annoying the wake up on the unite was even though the display is brighter indoors. I also tried the grit X outdoors again and loved it. Hmm still deciding but maybe I use the unite indoors and the grit X outdoors. Then I get the best if both worlds. After all the unite I paid $70 used and the grit X $310 used so overall investment isn't too bad.
Will Polar ever learn the flat tire look is so last year. Why can't they make a watch face with full screen like Garmin? They may make great heart rate sensors. I use the OH1 but they make rubbish watches. Sticking with my VivoActive 4.
I am a truly Polar fan before the RCX5, now I am wearing Fenix 5x Plus. Is there any good choice in the Polar line fitted in the daily monitor watch category with long battery life?
Did the "new" firmware update yesterday and now my 7 month old Unite has new screens and features like yours came with? I got the watch from Polar on the special sale at the end of last year. WTH???
After some heart work done the hospital cardio rehab issued Polar heart watches to those attending. The cardio fitness guys there confirming what I've read previously that this is Polar's bread and butter - their history and their strength over others. The Polar software algorithms showed to be just about the most accurate out there for heart use. If the hospital here recommended then that's good enough for me. I love old A300 but have now bought the Unite.
Ouch. There are some major design and UI flaws. First: the wristband, why would one copy the already bad design by Apple? 2nd: Only 1 hardware button? Are you kidding me? What if I ran in rain, the watch screen is wet and I want to look at another data field? Wet touchscreens are unuseable.
To be fair, the one-button design did work for the Polar Ignite (and numerous other sports tech watches). I'm not a fan of it, but, it's not horrendous.
Dear DC maker thank you for your reviews. I have a question I have some goals and can decide which device will fit my goals: 1) give recovery level/ sleep performance, 2) count steps , 3) hear rate level when I run I gym, even when I am outside phone with me always, 4) callories counter, 5) music control. I didn't enjoy Garmin Instinct Solar so I sold them because they quite not accurate. Moreover I tried whoop 3.0 but subscription don't make me feel comfortable. To sum up I am not a athlete or iron man :). Can you help or give suggestion which device can help me with my goals? Best regards, Dauren
How come when I tap the screen the display does not turn on, when I move my wrist it turns on, when I hit the physical button it turns on. Or is it just the physical button that turns it in and not a tap of the screen? Polars official video doesn’t show the tap function in action but does mention it
If you use this with the h10 chest strap does it default to using that as the heart rate zone measure? I'm trying to make sure I stay in the target zone when on a treadmill but want something as accurate as I can get. or not necessary in your opinion?
any chance you could post how the notifications eg messages, texts and other apps appear on the phone ? cant seem to find a video anywhere showing them. Thanks for the review otherwise, informative
"- Unite is usually impossible to type right 30 times in a row, Ignite is easier" - Ja Ja Ja....in Spanish "Unite" es Unir and "Ignite" es encender...Way easier to differentiate. Cheers.
Would you say this would be a better option then the Charge 4? What other $150 range watch/tracker would you recommend? Ditching my Fossil Q Explorist HR for something better. Thanks!
Preso questo Polar qualche settimana fa, faccio allenamenti di Functional training in palestra ma noto (a differenza del mio vecchio A360) che questo modello non mi da una lettura coerente per quanto concerne il battito cardiaco. Noto che nei momenti in cui faccio sessioni di cardio molto spinte il battito resta pressochè simile senza salire, anche se mi sento il cuore che va molto più velocemente. Col vecchio polar a360 il battito saliva nel cardio per poi scendere nuovamente. Ho anche sostituito il device pensando fosse un problema ai sensori, ma anche col nuovo riscontro lo stesso problema. Eppure tutti dicono sia molto preciso, non capisco cosa sto sbagliando 🥲🥲🥲
I am looking for a basic watch without a 200 page instruction booklet and 450 step programs. The Polar Unite seems to fit the bill. As for the GPS, I always carry my phone, so not a turn off for me. Thanks for the review and helping me decide. I have a question regarding the watch band. Can the watch band be replaced with a traditional band clasp? If so, do you have any preference for brand?
I think i recall reading in the ignite review that sometimes swiping the touch screen was an issue. Is is still an issue for the ignite? Is the unite any better touch screen and swiping navigation wise?
i'm curious as i've just ordered a Polar Unite watch and am also looking to get a basic magnetic indoor rower which has time, stroke count etc on it but no distance feature on it. Is it possible to determine what the distance travelled on the rower will be using this watch at all?? I dont know if that is a crazy question or not but I was hoping that somehow it would let me know this so I dont need to spend double the money just to get this function on an upgraded rower?
I just bought that and hate it. The screen is hard to read and the software sucks. For simple questions, like how to exit a screen that seems stuck or how to change from Celsius to Fahrenheit you have to go ONLINE and search through the website. Virtually no documentation with the watch. Ridiculous.
How is the accurate is the heart rate monitor? i would pay 3x if they would just display the HR on my polar Verity. Just on a little screen on the outside of it. That is all I want. Do they have anything like this?
Is the HR sensor good enough to replace the strap I use during training? Will it pair with my Garmin and tablet with Trainer Road? I'd like to only use a single HR monitor
How does the wrist gesture works to see the time?? Had my unite for a week haven't managed to make that work ones just to turn wrist to tell the time .
You said that the watch doesn’t have gps in it but you can connect it to the gps with your phone, so can I leave my phone at the car or home and the watch still track accurately?i hate having to carry my phone with me right now. I have a Fitbit inspire hr, and that is one of the only things I don’t like about the inspire hr
DC Rainmaker so it will just be an inaccurate track? So you might do 3 miles and it day 2.2 or something? Thanks for responding! Just trying to get it straight
Genuine "non-trolling" question - who buys Polars in 2020? What's their customer demographic? I always imagine a Polar customer to be a dyed in the wool Polar user since dot, over 45 years of age and does 20 mile training runs a couple of times a week. Close or no cigar?
They are worn by endurance athletes, lots of xc-skiiers. Basicly basicly an athlete who wants to have reliable tracker without extra hassle and a bit cheaper than for example garmin can offer. Usually someone who wants a good heart rate sensor from the wrist buys polar.
Seb1982 ME! This was the only watch that gave me current heart rate at a glance. Even the Apple Watch requires you to hit the little heart button and wait a sec. All I wanted was on demand heart rate and I got it for $149. Couldn’t find anything cheaper that was as reliable
Unrelated question - I dug out my old Polar RS800SD watch but have no idea how to sync it (it used infared & windows software back in 2007). Any idea how to sync it to any software / OS X? I asked Polar social media but there was no response
@@Dcrainmaker Yeah - retro wireless. I was beta testing it to help calibrate it with a group of other runners, so it was payment for my efforts. It's in great condition & I want to donate it to a low income or in need runner but have to get it working first
The fact that Apple Watch doesn't pair with android devices will keep Polar, and every other brands watches relevant. Once they open that up... It's probably a different discussion.
@@sammfaria certainly! I just mean when it comes to these "smartwatch" oriented cheaper devices like this Polar Unite, the Ignite, Fitbit Charge 4, etc... Ray mentions the AW3 being a better option for the money... That's only if you use an Apple Phone.
Nope, not common for wearable companies to give. And honestly, aside from storage space (for music, which this doesn't have), there's no real value in things like CPU or RAM. They don't say anything because each company runs their own OS's, which means performance isn't comparable.
:(. Same ugly "watchfaces", no GPS. It doesn't help a dinosaur to always do something the way it's been done for the last 100 years....plus the flat tire design. REALY??? LOL
I don't have USB port like that - everything is USB-C. It's a minor annoyance finding the adapter for my garmin cable. I wish brands would at least sell as USB-C cable option if not bundle it with the legacy USB connector
Because I need to shoot the darn video for it. :) Seriously, it's the only reason I'm still wearing it. Every day I plan to shoot the video, then something else lands on my lap and it gets pushed.
That strap is utterly useless and i had to buy (at great expense) A polar normal strap which works fine. I think Polar need to rethink that pop on starp
I wish you wouldn't use the Apple Watch as the main reference point. While the watch itself may be great, it's not possible (as far as I know) to use the watch without also having an Apple phone. Given Apple only have a 13% global market share relative to Android then that is going to be a HUGE sticking point for many, many people, and any arguments about cost go completely out the window when you then factor in the cost of a new phone too. So in the end you're making a comparison to a watch that simply isn't an option for most people, whether that be due to cost, or a fundamental aversion to being locked into the Apple ecosystem
If you look at the target market for the demographic that’s typically buying a Polar wearable, it’s 55-65% iOS/iPhone owner, 35-45% Android, so in that case, the majority of potential purchasers have an iPhone.
@@Dcrainmaker That's still half of your audience which now has no reference point because you're using an Apple only product for comparison though. It's certainly not insignificant. I understand your comparison when talking about the strap because in this case the inspiration is the Apple watch itself so it makes sense, but I'm just suggesting that when making comparisons in order to provide a recommendation, or lack of, then the alternative should be something that's available to everyone, where possible
What happened to old version . I wasn't very good at using it. I was more used ironman Timex sport stop watch. Polar cost too much. Witch one better. Not everyone has that kind money. Battery don't last. Every long.
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Dude enough of 🍎. This is a fitness watch. Polar has been sending you text, email, phone messages even before apple. This product is A to B doesn't want to be all you can be. Plus is good to just workout and don't be annoyed by tweets, Instagram and all other social deals
Apple makes the most popular fitness watch in the world, period. Polar's sales aren't even a rounding error for Apple - they don't even crack the top 10 of wearable companies.. And the overlap between this watch and the target market of that watch are massive. People are absolutely comparing them. Also - when you workout with any of these watches you can turn off notifications in workout mode. To not at least mention them would be nuts - and is the kind of blinders that got Polar into the situation they got themselves into when they pretended GPS wasn't a thing. Polar's doing good stuff in general recently. But a company can't become complacent. And as for comparing the strap to the Apple Watch - seriously, it's identical. It's a close to a knock-off as you can possibly get. That's fine - own it though. Also - fun history fact: The original Apple Watch and notifications for the Polar V800 (the first watch to get it) were released the exact same week in 2015.
I got messages with my old M400 Got fitness stats in my PC with my old coded 700 polar via bit sound transfer to the pc. Odd but cool nonetheless. Regardless, the point is Simple Apple, Apple, gets boring yes the apple unit is full of software blah blah. I care about fitness. You open a polar, Garmin, sunto even Fitbit. You strap it to your wrist and you are set to go. Plus 4 day to 45 days battery ( my GF6 solar) no gimmick watches allowed. Thanks for the response and the review. Also this new polar is for the majority of people who care about their ZUMBA, treadmill, weight training. As well as their occasional hike or bike ride. They mailed that subject.
@@Dcrainmaker To be fair, popularity of the Apple Watch vs other fitness watches isn't really a fair comparison. It's sold as a smart watch + fitness, not a pure fitness watch, so the audience is going to be larger than the audience of people who just want a fitness watch. They also have an outstanding ability to market to those who are already within the Apple ecosystem, so among Apple users, they have a relative monopoly on the smart watch market. Fundamentally though, it's the wrong way to look at it because they only have a 13% market share among all smart phone users, and you need an Apple phone to use the Apple watch. So assuming the set of people looking for a fitness watch is an representative sample of the general population then an Apple watch is only going to be an option for 13% of those people, for the remaining 87% it won't even be a viable option, regardless of how good it is. That remaining 87% of the market is going to be fragmented among different watch manufactures which partly accounts for why no other manufacturer has the same level of market share that Apple does, they just don't have the same monopoly among Android users.
I think most people just want a sport/smart watch like this: accurate heart rate monitoring, accurate GPS, relatively long battery life, thats all.
Yes, yes & yes
And tracking workouts
+mp3 player
@@tomislav5689 MP3. wtf XD
mp3 is a disastrous format...I would prefer SONY's LDAC
@@rafaelrodriguez9798 I'm 33 years old, for me "mp3" is just synonym for digital music, and i won't just convert thousands of mp3's to something else.
I’ve had 3 x smartbands yet. Polar M400- Apple Watch 3 and now Polar Unite. I am very happy with my choice. AW had a lot useless options for me. First I wanted to buy AW5 but spending about 500 $ on watch was a little bit not worthy to me. Also I don’t like square design- It was not comfortable for me (idk why, but I have the same problem with AirPods - they are very uncomfortable too (I know, I’m weird)). I have a trust in Polar, because I swam with my m400 in sea, I took it everywhere and there are NO scratches at all! BTW, I bumped (very light) my AW3 into door frame. I got an ugly scratch.
But back to Polar Unite- there are some things that could be better in this watch, but I like it a lot.
Have this watch and love it. Only wanted it for constant heart rate and fitness. Retail at $149 is a steal!
Can you confirm of it has swimmtracking? Really want this but if it tracks swim lengths etc
"The pole should go in the hole a bit easier...?"😂
Thank you, I just bought Unite using your link and a 3 yr warranty. I love Polar products with Flows Tracking Software and its feature. I"ve had my Polar Loop for 8 yrs now and after wear and tear, it was time to replace it. Sad to see it go but thanks to your review I found my next fitness tracker that is "simple and basic" and not all that hype everyone "wants". I'm not a slave to my phone so I don't want my fitness tracker to alert me when a text message shows up, or social media notifications nor when I get a phone call, Nah... no thanks on those features. I hate "running" so I'll NEVER use GPS except when I go on casual bike riding with the fam, so that when I'll connect it to my phone along with my H7, even though I know that I don't need the H7 but I still love the H7. Thank you again. (Liked and subscribed)
So basically you were happy going from the loop to unite
The man with more watch strap tans than anyone else on the planet.
Thanks to you, I found out after hours of looking for how to put the backlight always on ! Thank you very much !
I wish Polar would release a higher end watch with an AMOLED screen. I understand the advantage of the always on displays, but the AMOLED is so much easier for me to see.
callmemarc Right but wouldn’t that use more battery life. I have this watch I get 3 days on a charge
@@Pak-ll1gr Yes it would most likely but that's the trade off.
Fully agree. I have this watch and because I was loving the polar system decided to grab a polar grit x that was used. As an older person with eyesight not as strong as my youth I find the unite excellent to read indoors and still OK outside during the day. Of course it's just excellent in the dark for late night walks. But while the grit x is a comfortable watch to wear and has increased functionality with absolutely excellent gps tracking the display is very dim and I can barely read the small text without glasses. But I have none of those issues with the unite. Sure gps would be nice but I also got the unite used for around a third of the new price. Think I will be selling the grit x after a month of ownership as the display is a deal breaker for me. I really enjoy keeping an eye on my pace and having a display that's poor to see is no fun. That said in very bright sunlight the grit x is OK. So I too wish they had the unite display in a grit x body. That would be ideal and I would be happy with a little less battery life for the bright display as I wear the watch continuously and a bright display is great.
reflective LCD from Vantage M is good.. yes OLED looks better, but im not sure if it have less consumption like LCD without backlight.
0:03 "...Polar Unite GPS watch"... I'd assume GPS watch has GPS onboard. This one is sports watch/activity watch with optional GPS (from phone)
Great video. I have the Ignite. I would still buy the Ignite as GPS was main reason for buying it. Strange Polar designed a new non gps watch.
Honestly, if they would just make a whoop style wrist / bicep monitor with no display but everything through the Polar Flow app they have a winner. It would eat Whoop's / Oura's lunch.
Thanks so much for your awesome indepth review. I'm torn between this watch and the vantage m2. I'll have to compare both of your reviews to make my decision! 😁
They lost me at no gps...
Won me with no gps. Have my phone all the time anyways.
feeble deeble Right and that’s why the retail is only $149.
@@asearcher520 I don't get that either.. My phone does all that..
Wireless charging - so simple...
Great vid Ray - always enjoy your content so keep on doing what you do :)
I've only had bad experience with connected GPS on a Fitbit, so never ever again. Sad to see Polar left this out. Other than that it's a great watch/tracker
If it had gps it would be basicly the same watch as ignite.
Hi, how will this watch work with polar H10? As you need your phone to get the GPS signal, so you will be connecting the unite with your phone. Then where does the H10 connect to?
The H10 will communicate with the device via bluetooth
Good question. I too was considering purchasing both. Did you do it, in the end?
@@facoffee7036 nope, I'm now using a garmin instinct with my polar verity. My polar verity sends signal to both my garmin instinct and the session is recorded on my polar beat app on my mobile phone.
@@imerected1 In the end I got a Polar Unit and the H10. I'm not super fussy about stuff, and this combination seemed pretty good for what I need, also considering the limited cost.
Howdy! How do you like your whoop in comparison to some of your other preferred activity trackers that you've reviewed?
Thanks Sam. And yup - Whoop video review coming soon (hopefully, so I can stop wearing it!).
The same question can decide which device can help with recovery and while I am in gym better then Whoop. Can your help?
Thank you, yeah the Charger cradle is a no-go for me. Cheers.
How accurate is the pulse measurement?
You’re min max heart rate are looking good for the day. All of those trainer road workouts are seem to be working. 👌
Thanks!! I just keep on TrainerRoad Base'ing like nobody has based before!
how does the Unite compare to the Garmin 45? Currently can pick up a Unite for $100. Garmin 45 is about $130
Can anyone please explain to me why Polar keeps it good AMOLED screens for their cheap sports watches?
The screen of the Polar Grit X is so difficult to read during exercise that this watch is not an option for me.
The Grit X screen is easier to read in sunlight and triples the battery life. Most athletes won't buy the Vantages if they came with this screen. The Garmin Venu sounds like the watch you looking for.
Trust me you don't want that screen. It looks exactly like ignite which is a really bad screen. Yeah it's bright but that's about it. You can see the individual pixels even on this video and it's even worse when you have it in hands.
They had the opportunity to bring out Ignite2 with good (always on) screen, better processor that it doesn't lag and give it 300e/$ price tag. Would have bought it immediately. But nope, they continued to cheap out.
I wish Apple would make the move and give Apple watch an Android support... (Not going to happen so I will have to wait until I get an iPhone to get a good smart watch)
Fully agree as I have both the grit x and the unite. I did not have an opportunity to see the display of the grit x otherwise I would not have bought it. I have been using my grit x for a couple of weeks and finally gone back to the unite as the display is just so dim. I need to use reading glasses to read the grit x display for the small text but don't have the need for glasses with the unite as the display is really great. After all who is going to want to wear reading glasses when working out. When training I set the display to be always on and it's great. A real pity as I like the grit x but simply no longer want the hassle.
I have an update. I switched back to the unite but found the grit X more comfortable. I think it's due to the raised sensors as the watch it a lot bigger. I only sort of forgot how annoying the wake up on the unite was even though the display is brighter indoors. I also tried the grit X outdoors again and loved it. Hmm still deciding but maybe I use the unite indoors and the grit X outdoors. Then I get the best if both worlds. After all the unite I paid $70 used and the grit X $310 used so overall investment isn't too bad.
Can you use a Bluetooth chest strap heart rate monitor instead of the optical sensor?
Will Polar ever learn the flat tire look is so last year. Why can't they make a watch face with full screen like Garmin? They may make great heart rate sensors. I use the OH1 but they make rubbish watches. Sticking with my VivoActive 4.
And they need support custom watch faces.
Just "last year"? The Moto 360 Android Wear Smartwatch had it first in 2015 or so.
I was wondering how that one compares to vivoactive 3 and forerunner 45
I am a truly Polar fan before the RCX5, now I am wearing Fenix 5x Plus. Is there any good choice in the Polar line fitted in the daily monitor watch category with long battery life?
The Grit X, but honestly, it won't compare in any way to your Fenix 5X Plus.
I argue the polar m430 is the best pound for pound watch ever made. Bullet proof and great GPS.
Did the "new" firmware update yesterday and now my 7 month old Unite has new screens and features like yours came with? I got the watch from Polar on the special sale at the end of last year. WTH???
What would you like to chose? Suunto 5, this Polar or FR935?
How accurate is the heart rate sensor for gym based exercise?
Mo Jo I’ve been using it for a week and it’s pretty accurate in my opinion. Polar has been tracking heart for decades.
After some heart work done the hospital cardio rehab issued Polar heart watches to those attending. The cardio fitness guys there confirming what I've read previously that this is Polar's bread and butter - their history and their strength over others. The Polar software algorithms showed to be just about the most accurate out there for heart use. If the hospital here recommended then that's good enough for me. I love old A300 but have now bought the Unite.
Ouch. There are some major design and UI flaws. First: the wristband, why would one copy the already bad design by Apple? 2nd: Only 1 hardware button? Are you kidding me? What if I ran in rain, the watch screen is wet and I want to look at another data field? Wet touchscreens are unuseable.
To be fair, the one-button design did work for the Polar Ignite (and numerous other sports tech watches). I'm not a fan of it, but, it's not horrendous.
MAJOR design flaw? Come on now, there’s a reason Apple has it for 5 years. It works. I have this watch and it’s great for what it does
Dear DC maker thank you for your reviews. I have a question I have some goals and can decide which device will fit my goals: 1) give recovery level/ sleep performance, 2) count steps , 3) hear rate level when I run I gym, even when I am outside phone with me always, 4) callories counter, 5) music control. I didn't enjoy Garmin Instinct Solar so I sold them because they quite not accurate. Moreover I tried whoop 3.0 but subscription don't make me feel comfortable. To sum up I am not a athlete or iron man :). Can you help or give suggestion which device can help me with my goals?
Best regards,
Dauren
How come when I tap the screen the display does not turn on, when I move my wrist it turns on, when I hit the physical button it turns on. Or is it just the physical button that turns it in and not a tap of the screen? Polars official video doesn’t show the tap function in action but does mention it
If you use this with the h10 chest strap does it default to using that as the heart rate zone measure? I'm trying to make sure I stay in the target zone when on a treadmill but want something as accurate as I can get. or not necessary in your opinion?
That's my question too. I don't get how it handles two different sensors feeding it information.
any chance you could post how the notifications eg messages, texts and other apps appear on the phone ? cant seem to find a video anywhere showing them. Thanks for the review otherwise, informative
"- Unite is usually impossible to type right 30 times in a row, Ignite is easier" - Ja Ja Ja....in Spanish "Unite" es Unir and "Ignite" es encender...Way easier to differentiate. Cheers.
I can't believe he didn't cover that in the vid.
Does this watch work with the h10 chest strap? Great review! 👍
Yup, it will pair just fine. Enjoy!
do you need to wear the band around your chest for heart rate or?
Does anyone know if Polar is planning on adding music capability (ideally offline Spotify) to any future watches?
Would you say this would be a better option then the Charge 4? What other $150 range watch/tracker would you recommend? Ditching my Fossil Q Explorist HR for something better. Thanks!
Preso questo Polar qualche settimana fa, faccio allenamenti di Functional training in palestra ma noto (a differenza del mio vecchio A360) che questo modello non mi da una lettura coerente per quanto concerne il battito cardiaco. Noto che nei momenti in cui faccio sessioni di cardio molto spinte il battito resta pressochè simile senza salire, anche se mi sento il cuore che va molto più velocemente. Col vecchio polar a360 il battito saliva nel cardio per poi scendere nuovamente. Ho anche sostituito il device pensando fosse un problema ai sensori, ma anche col nuovo riscontro lo stesso problema. Eppure tutti dicono sia molto preciso, non capisco cosa sto sbagliando 🥲🥲🥲
Is it a good product to track body weight training activities?
I am looking for a basic watch without a 200 page instruction booklet and 450 step programs. The Polar Unite seems to fit the bill. As for the GPS, I always carry my phone, so not a turn off for me. Thanks for the review and helping me decide. I have a question regarding the watch band. Can the watch band be replaced with a traditional band clasp? If so, do you have any preference for brand?
Thank you
Good info
Hi champ, which brand is the watch you are wearing on your right hand.. thanks
do you know if the watch counts your steps?
Yes, it does.
I think i recall reading in the ignite review that sometimes swiping the touch screen was an issue. Is is still an issue for the ignite? Is the unite any better touch screen and swiping navigation wise?
Will do this watch give me heart rate and stopwatch feature on one screen for my 1km repeats?
i'm curious as i've just ordered a Polar Unite watch and am also looking to get a basic magnetic indoor rower which has time, stroke count etc on it but no distance feature on it. Is it possible to determine what the distance travelled on the rower will be using this watch at all?? I dont know if that is a crazy question or not but I was hoping that somehow it would let me know this so I dont need to spend double the money just to get this function on an upgraded rower?
My Amazfit bip S has always on display and better GPS time.$75. Polar needs to get their act together.
I just bought that and hate it. The screen is hard to read and the software sucks. For simple questions, like how to exit a screen that seems stuck or how to change from Celsius to Fahrenheit you have to go ONLINE and search through the website. Virtually no documentation with the watch. Ridiculous.
But shitty HR sensor/algorithm and sleep/recovery tracking.
How is the accurate is the heart rate monitor? i would pay 3x if they would just display the HR on my polar Verity. Just on a little screen on the outside of it. That is all I want. Do they have anything like this?
Does the apple watch work with android phones? If not, what is the best alternative?
Hey I know it's not new or whatever but it also got a lot of updates can you check huawei watch gt 2/honor magicwatch 2 in terms of fitness?
Compatible with third party hrm ant+ or ble chest strap? Thank'u
Does it not have tree detection?
Rumors are its in development.
Lol.
How can i make the HR big on the watch screen? I have poor eyesight.
whats the best fitness watch?
The unite latch charger is a no go for me. Ignite is the better watch.
Is the HR sensor good enough to replace the strap I use during training? Will it pair with my Garmin and tablet with Trainer Road? I'd like to only use a single HR monitor
The chest strap measuring electrical activity is way more accurate than the optical on wristbands.
How does the wrist gesture works to see the time??
Had my unite for a week haven't managed to make that work ones just to turn wrist to tell the time .
Mixed. Not awesome, but so-so.
Do these count steps?
You said that the watch doesn’t have gps in it but you can connect it to the gps with your phone, so can I leave my phone at the car or home and the watch still track accurately?i hate having to carry my phone with me right now. I have a Fitbit inspire hr, and that is one of the only things I don’t like about the inspire hr
No, if you leave phone you’ll only get distance/pace while running, but not an actual track.
DC Rainmaker so it will just be an inaccurate track? So you might do 3 miles and it day 2.2 or something? Thanks for responding! Just trying to get it straight
Does it overestimate calories as the ignite does?
what is your tracker?
Genuine "non-trolling" question - who buys Polars in 2020? What's their customer demographic? I always imagine a Polar customer to be a dyed in the wool Polar user since dot, over 45 years of age and does 20 mile training runs a couple of times a week. Close or no cigar?
They are worn by endurance athletes, lots of xc-skiiers. Basicly basicly an athlete who wants to have reliable tracker without extra hassle and a bit cheaper than for example garmin can offer. Usually someone who wants a good heart rate sensor from the wrist buys polar.
Late Virtanen Thanks for the reply 👍
Or someone looking for better bang for buck in looks and tech
Seb1982 ME! This was the only watch that gave me current heart rate at a glance. Even the Apple Watch requires you to hit the little heart button and wait a sec. All I wanted was on demand heart rate and I got it for $149. Couldn’t find anything cheaper that was as reliable
Is the watch suitable for sauna/steam room?
Apple watch OBSOLETE FOR ME just for one little thing: it is as heavy as a truck, so im all about polar unite or M
Unrelated question - I dug out my old Polar RS800SD watch but have no idea how to sync it (it used infared & windows software back in 2007). Any idea how to sync it to any software / OS X? I asked Polar social media but there was no response
Eeks, I haven’t used that in about a decade!
@@Dcrainmaker Yeah - retro wireless. I was beta testing it to help calibrate it with a group of other runners, so it was payment for my efforts. It's in great condition & I want to donate it to a low income or in need runner but have to get it working first
The fact that Apple Watch doesn't pair with android devices will keep Polar, and every other brands watches relevant. Once they open that up... It's probably a different discussion.
I don't know about that. AW is a great smart watch but it's a pretty poor running watch. Garmin and Polar are way ahead of Apple in this department.
@@sammfaria certainly! I just mean when it comes to these "smartwatch" oriented cheaper devices like this Polar Unite, the Ignite, Fitbit Charge 4, etc... Ray mentions the AW3 being a better option for the money... That's only if you use an Apple Phone.
Apple keeps edging closer and closer to that concept (phone-less Apple Watch). Just a matter of time before they adopt it, like their other platforms.
What about hardware chipset sensors RAM, CPU, SCREEN from which companies
Nope, not common for wearable companies to give. And honestly, aside from storage space (for music, which this doesn't have), there's no real value in things like CPU or RAM. They don't say anything because each company runs their own OS's, which means performance isn't comparable.
:(. Same ugly "watchfaces", no GPS. It doesn't help a dinosaur to always do something the way it's been done for the last 100 years....plus the flat tire design. REALY??? LOL
I don't have USB port like that - everything is USB-C. It's a minor annoyance finding the adapter for my garmin cable. I wish brands would at least sell as USB-C cable option if not bundle it with the legacy USB connector
Why are you still wearing the whoop ?
Because I need to shoot the darn video for it. :) Seriously, it's the only reason I'm still wearing it. Every day I plan to shoot the video, then something else lands on my lap and it gets pushed.
That strap is utterly useless and i had to buy (at great expense) A polar normal strap which works fine. I think Polar need to rethink that pop on starp
hy is it made in china?
I wish you wouldn't use the Apple Watch as the main reference point. While the watch itself may be great, it's not possible (as far as I know) to use the watch without also having an Apple phone. Given Apple only have a 13% global market share relative to Android then that is going to be a HUGE sticking point for many, many people, and any arguments about cost go completely out the window when you then factor in the cost of a new phone too. So in the end you're making a comparison to a watch that simply isn't an option for most people, whether that be due to cost, or a fundamental aversion to being locked into the Apple ecosystem
If you look at the target market for the demographic that’s typically buying a Polar wearable, it’s 55-65% iOS/iPhone owner, 35-45% Android, so in that case, the majority of potential purchasers have an iPhone.
@@Dcrainmaker That's still half of your audience which now has no reference point because you're using an Apple only product for comparison though. It's certainly not insignificant. I understand your comparison when talking about the strap because in this case the inspiration is the Apple watch itself so it makes sense, but I'm just suggesting that when making comparisons in order to provide a recommendation, or lack of, then the alternative should be something that's available to everyone, where possible
What happened to old version . I wasn't very good at using it. I was more used ironman Timex sport stop watch. Polar cost too much. Witch one better. Not everyone has that kind money. Battery don't last. Every long.
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150 with no gps gtfo.
I strongly feel Polar is losing their magic touch. 👎 polar is no longer the same after polar V800.
Dude enough of 🍎. This is a fitness watch. Polar has been sending you text, email, phone messages even before apple. This product is A to B doesn't want to be all you can be.
Plus is good to just workout and don't be annoyed by tweets, Instagram and all other social deals
Word!
Apple makes the most popular fitness watch in the world, period. Polar's sales aren't even a rounding error for Apple - they don't even crack the top 10 of wearable companies.. And the overlap between this watch and the target market of that watch are massive. People are absolutely comparing them. Also - when you workout with any of these watches you can turn off notifications in workout mode.
To not at least mention them would be nuts - and is the kind of blinders that got Polar into the situation they got themselves into when they pretended GPS wasn't a thing. Polar's doing good stuff in general recently. But a company can't become complacent. And as for comparing the strap to the Apple Watch - seriously, it's identical. It's a close to a knock-off as you can possibly get. That's fine - own it though.
Also - fun history fact: The original Apple Watch and notifications for the Polar V800 (the first watch to get it) were released the exact same week in 2015.
I got messages with my old M400 Got fitness stats in my PC with my old coded 700 polar via bit sound transfer to the pc. Odd but cool nonetheless.
Regardless, the point is Simple Apple, Apple, gets boring yes the apple unit is full of software blah blah. I care about fitness. You open a polar, Garmin, sunto even Fitbit. You strap it to your wrist and you are set to go.
Plus 4 day to 45 days battery ( my GF6 solar) no gimmick watches allowed.
Thanks for the response and the review.
Also this new polar is for the majority of people who care about their ZUMBA, treadmill, weight training. As well as their occasional hike or bike ride. They mailed that subject.
@@Dcrainmaker To be fair, popularity of the Apple Watch vs other fitness watches isn't really a fair comparison. It's sold as a smart watch + fitness, not a pure fitness watch, so the audience is going to be larger than the audience of people who just want a fitness watch. They also have an outstanding ability to market to those who are already within the Apple ecosystem, so among Apple users, they have a relative monopoly on the smart watch market. Fundamentally though, it's the wrong way to look at it because they only have a 13% market share among all smart phone users, and you need an Apple phone to use the Apple watch. So assuming the set of people looking for a fitness watch is an representative sample of the general population then an Apple watch is only going to be an option for 13% of those people, for the remaining 87% it won't even be a viable option, regardless of how good it is. That remaining 87% of the market is going to be fragmented among different watch manufactures which partly accounts for why no other manufacturer has the same level of market share that Apple does, they just don't have the same monopoly among Android users.