Review: Polar Vantage V3 and Grit X2 Pro 2 are beautiful, but pricey sports watches | Tweakers

This is a shortened version of a review that appeared on Tweakers.

While the Vantage V3 was developed with athletes in mind, the Grit X2 Pro is aimed more at adventurers. This is clearly visible at first glance. The Vantage V3 has a more modern design, while the Grit X2 Pro has a robust appearance. Apart from the appearance, it is practically the same watch. One watch does not have more or fewer functions than the other. That’s why we combined both into one review. The Grit X2 Pro is the more expensive of the two, with a price of 750 euros. The Vantage V3 costs 600 euros.

Both watches have the same 1.4-inch round screen and an almost identical bottom with sensors. The differences are especially visible in the rest of the housing. While the Vantage V3 has a fairly modest aluminum design, the housing of the Grit X2 Pro is made of stainless steel with the necessary sharp corners. Both watches contain five buttons, but on the Grit X2 Pro they are a lot smaller. In addition, this variant contains a non-rotatable ring around the screen showing the compass directions. Due to the ring, the Grit X2 Pro has a slightly larger diameter than the Vantage V3.

The Grit X2 Pro is also more resistant to scratches than the Gorilla Glass 3.0 of the Vantage V3 due to its sapphire lens. In addition, the more expensive watch meets a higher military standard than the cheaper model. The Grit Both watches are available in black and gray. The Grit X2 Pro is also available in titanium with a leather strap. This version costs 870 euros.

Despite the hefty prices of the Polar Vantage V3 and the Grit X2 Pro, the smartwatch functions on the watches are limited. They can show notifications, control the music player on your smartphone and show a weather report, but that’s where the smartwatch functions quickly end. It is therefore not possible to pay wirelessly or make calls from your wrist. You also cannot use a voice assistant and there is no option to install additional apps.

The Vantage V3 and Grit X2 Pro both focus mainly on sports and health. Fortunately, the watches have a lot to offer in that regard, with profiles for more than 150 sports and the option to determine which data the watch shows per activity. The devices also have automatic lap registration and adjusted heart rate zones. They can provide feedback in the form of sound and vibrations. Both watches can also show the vertical speed versus the distance traveled, which is particularly interesting for cyclists. It is also possible to link the watches to your Strava account.

Furthermore, Polar is adding offline maps to the Vantage and Grit watches for the first time, but unfortunately there is no option to create a route on the watch itself. It is possible to connect to Komoot, a service that focuses on creating routes for various activities such as walking and cycling. The watches both support dual-band GPS and provide accurate GPS tracking, even between tall buildings and under trees.

The Polar Flow app gives you extensive insights into your training progress. For example, you can see how your VO2 max develops over time. A higher value indicates that your body is better able to extract oxygen from the air. The more oxygen your muscles can use, the more efficiently your body uses your energy during intensive efforts. The watches also give you insights into your sleep and activity, and collect other data points to track your overall fitness.

The Vantage V3 and Grit X2 Pro have a built-in ECG for the first time, a function that you also see on smartwatches from Apple and Samsung, among others. On those smartwatches, the feature can help you detect an irregular heartbeat, which could indicate a heart rhythm disorder, but Polar’s watches do not currently warn of any abnormalities. This is probably because the company does not (yet) have medical approval for this from relevant authorities.

Thanks to the new Elixer sensors it is also possible to measure skin temperature, but this only works while you sleep. It is also possible to measure the oxygen saturation of your blood (SpO2) and count your steps. The pedometer is sometimes quite enthusiastic, for example by also counting steps while cycling. You can also connect external sensors, such as a heart rate or body temperature sensor. There is also a built-in heart rate sensor. Although it seems more accurate than previous generations, its accuracy is still behind that of Apple, Garmin and Huawei.

Polar has switched to AMOLED screens with the Vantage V3 and Grit X2 Pro. Yet the manufacturer has managed to maintain the long battery life that you have come to expect from this brand. Both watches have the same battery, which in practice lasts about 7 to 9 days if you exercise an average of one hour per day. The watches were mainly tested without always-on active. With this function enabled, battery life quickly decreases by a third.

Polar has made clear improvements compared to their predecessors with its Vantage V3 and Grit X2 Pro. They offer improved sensors, a faster processor, an AMOLED screen and built-in maps. However, the really major innovations are not forthcoming and the watches still disappoint in terms of smartwatch functions. The built-in optical heart rate monitor is also not what you would expect in such expensive sports watches. While the Vantage V3 and Grit X2 Pro are an upgrade from their predecessors, both watches are quite expensive compared to market leader Garmin. The Grit

Want to know more about the Polar Vantage V3 and Grit X2 Pro, such as specifications, user experiences and the stores with the best prices? Then view the overview in the Tweakers Pricewatch.