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Jul 3

Polars Unite Fitness Watch: Hands-on Details and First Run – DC Rainmaker

Fitness Comments Off on Polars Unite Fitness Watch: Hands-on Details and First Run – DC Rainmaker

Almost exactly a year after announcing the Polar Ignite GPS watch, the company is back with another wearable the similarly named Unite, which takes all the Polar Ignite features, slashes the internal GPS, and drops the price by $50. Oh, and theyve changed the sensors, bands, screen, and thickness. But wait while it lacks internal GPS, it can still leverage your phones GPS if thats nearby.

And thus, Ive explained the Polar Unite in a single paragraph. Sure, I could end this non-review, but Ive still got 6 hours till this watch launches, so I might as well fill up this page with all sorts of hands-on details on how it works and whether it makes sense for ya. Also, for those playing Branding Bingo at home, drink for every time I manage to mistype Unite as Ignite. And two drinks for when I mistype Unite as Unit or United.

The Polar Unite is theoretically aimed at the same audience as the Fitbit Charge 4, also priced at $149. Except, that one has GPS, but is a band wearable as opposed to a full watch. And while the Fitbit Charge 4 undeniably has fitness features, Polars Unite is in an entirely different league. Its got the same automatic workout coach (called FitSpark) as the higher-priced Polar Ignite, and the same sleep and 247 tracking as Polars $400+ GPS watches. The question is, how does that fit into a scheme where the Apple Watch Series 3 is at $169 these days? Well, thats trickier and will really depend on what you want out of it. For that, Ill first have to explain the nuances (and pitfalls) of this watch.

Or, you can simply hit the play button below to get all the details:

Also, just a quick note that Polar sent over this media loaner to toy with. Once Im done Ill get it back to them (along with this Grit X Im finally done with). Just the way I work leave no tracks and all that. If you found this post useful, simply hit up links at the side, or consider becoming a DCR Supporter.

With that lets dive in!

Now, as I stated earlier, the Polar Unite is essentially a Polar Ignite without built-in GPS. But there are a handful more differences beyond that which make itmaybebetter?

First though, lets quickly cover the main features it has in it. Starting with the hardware side of life heres the specs:

Claimed daily battery time of 4 days, workout battery time of 50hrs with connected GPS (if your phone can last that long) Color touchscreen display, single side button Waterproofed to 30 meters Display is not always-on, only turns on when raising wrist, like Apple Watch (pre-Series 5) or most Fitbits, workout mode *does* have always-on option though Polar Precision Prime optical heart rate sensor on back (same as new Grit X series) Strap design is new to Unite, a blended fabric and silicone strap Swappable wristbands Bluetooth Smart HR sensor support (though not power meters/cycling/footpod sensors) No music/storage on watch, nor NFC/contactless payments

Virtually everything above mirrors that of the Polar Ignite series. Polar doesnt have an app store, so you wont see that. And the only real downside here is the lack of GPS internally and the fact that the display turns off to save battery after a few seconds.

From a major software features standpoint, it mirrors all those functions from the Polar Ignite. Heres the run-down:

Includes FitSpark feature which gives you daily workout options based specifically on history + Nightly Recharge Includes Nightly Recharge feature that looks at breathing rate/heart rate/heart rate variability (ANS data) to figure out if youre recovering at night Includes Sleep Plus Stages which adds in REM/Light/Deep sleep tracking, and sleep score Includes Serene, which are guided breathing exercises (like what Fitbit and others have) Includes structured workout support, so you can create workouts online with specific steps to follow Includes Training Benefit feature

Next, just for completeness, heres a quick list of all the things you expect on a wearable (especially a Polar one), but I figured Id list them here just in case:

Tracks general activity metrics (e.g. steps, distance, calories, etc) 247 Tracks heart rate 247 Tracks sleep (see new sleep features though) Includes VO2Max score (aka Running Index) Includes Fitness Test feature (VO2Max test while lying down) Includes timers (countdown timers & stopwatch) Maximum of 20 sport profiles on the watch itself (far more than Apple, Garmin, Fitbit, or Suunto allow at this price point), some 100 sports on platform to add to watch Can apply both heart rate zones and speed zones (no power zones/nor power meter support) Accelerometer-based speed/distance when no connected GPS is available (or inside on treadmill) Does *NOT* have multisport (aka triathlon) mode

So, about now youre asking yourself hows it different than the Polar Ignite? Easy-peasy, heres the quick and dirty list:

No built-in GPS on Polar Unite (it will leverage your phones GPS though) Band design is different, similar to Apple Watch better in some ways, less so in others Unite has color-themed watch face customization, Ignite does not This is 32g, versus the Ignite is 35g, so you can now eat one extra bit of ice cream Unite daily battery life is 4 days versus 5 days for Ignite Unite workout with GPS battery life & optical HR sensor enabled is 50 hours versus 17 hours for Ignite (and internal GPS) Unite uses the new Polar Grit X optical HR sensor with different LED colors Unite optical HR sensor is flush with the back of watch, Ignite has a sensor bump/pop-out Unite has a slightly brighter display than Ignite Unite is $149, while Ignite is $199 Unite is usually impossible to type right 30 times in a row, Ignite is easier

And with that, weve wrapped up all the differences between them. Plus, Im out of bullet points I definitely used them all by now. Ok, lets walk through the main features.

Once you crack open the box youll find the watch inside. Also of note Polar changed their box design to this swanky new one. Its kinda clever.

Also of note is that Polar changed their charging clip here (unfortunately) to this cable-less variant.

Theyre a pain in the butt in most cases to use with laptops/desktops/anywhere without a weird USB port spot.

The first thing youll probably notice on the Unite is the removable band. It looks like this mysterious blend of fabric and silicone. Seriously, its kinda cool. But in reality, its just laser-etched into the band. Still, it feels nice.

It is however also a direct softer duplication of the Apple Watch band design where the strap inserts back into itself. The only problem is that Polars manufacturing design or tolerances isnt quite good enough to pull it off. So for first-time usage Ive found getting the pole into the hole is really challenging. Its just a super tight fit and requires a substantial amount of force and fiddling around.

Polar says over time and with more practice/usage itll loosen up a bit and be easier to get in.

Ill have to take their word on that at this point and will circle back later after a few weeks. Still, I do really like the fabric/silicone blend. Its mysteriously alluring.

Next, theres the touchscreen display and single button. The screen appears slightly brighter than the Ignite, and Polar says it is actually very slightly brighter than the Polar Ignite. As noted, youll largely interact with the screen via touch, though theres also a dedicated button on the left. Ive found the touch control so-so. For swipes left to right its fine, but I find that either I or the watch have often missed on up/down swipes (like in some of the menus). Its not a big deal, and I suspect over time Id get better at the nuances of it.

On the back of the unit youll find the new optical HR sensor. This is the same sensor as the Polar Grit X which came out back in April. That sensor is slightly different than the Polar Ignite or Vantage series in that it changes the LED coloring. This sensor will monitor your heart rate 247, as well as during workouts:

Flipping the unit back over lets dive into menus. First up is the watch face, showing me the time. Theres only two watch faces, digital or analog. And then within that, you can pick from half a dozen or so colors to accent them (to match the wrist straps available):

I can swipe left or right to iterate through the other widget screens. In fact, above it actually shows my steps atop the time (using the blue band around the edge). When tapping that, I can get more details about steps:

Same is true for heart rate:

Theres also one for sleep. While it takes 3 consecutive days of wearing the Unite to get more advanced sleep information, youll get preliminary information immediately.

From a sports standpoint, the widget will show your last workout, and then you can tap it to get more details about that workout or previous ones:

Theres also a FitSpark widget screen, which will give you a workout suggestion for the day. But more on that in the next section:

If you press the lower left button youll be able to access the menu to start training, but its also where you can swipe down once to access Serene:

Serene is where itll walk you through guided breathing exercises:

In this same area is where youll find timers (stopwatch and such), as well as the Fitness test:

Its also where you can dive into the settings and pair your phone, sensors, and change things like how it displays certain details such as distance or the time of day.

Finally, you can swipe up from the bottom of the screen to access smartphone notifications. Like with the Polar Grit X a few months ago, Im having problems here as well on timeliness of these notifications. My other devices get them instantly, but in some cases Im seeing delays of up to 30 minutes before a notification appears. Its unclear to me if this is just a DCR Issue, or something wider.

And then you can swipe down from the top to access the screen lock, do not disturb mode, and alarms.

With that, lets talk sports.

If youre buying the Polar Unite, its likely for sport or fitness usage. And in that realm, it does quite a bit. As I noted earlier, its not much different than the Polar Vantage or Grit X series in terms of the main sports features. Where it differs is lacking some of the more advanced aspects. For example, you wont find Recovery Pro or Training Load Pro here, nor will you find the new Hillsplitter feature.

But it does have FitSpark for automated workout suggestions, as well as the ability to download structured workouts to it. And of course, while it lacks internal GPS, you can still leverage your phone which probably works for many people.

Well start with FitSpark, since thats one of the big features of the Unite. From the main widget page youll see this screen. Its telling me that my workout for today should be a cardio one:

And when I tap it, it gives a bit more details. First, it should be a Cardio Medium effort of 1 hour and 4 minutes, staying in heart rate zones 1-3. Which is oddly perfect, since thats exactly what I planned for today (60 minutes technically, but close enough). On the upper edge you see it also says Strength and Supportive, which are the other two workout types itll recommend.

When I hit that More button, itll give me other workout options, in this case doing a Core Regular workout for 25 minutes, or a Mobility Dynamic workout for 23 minutes. Theres also a flyer of an option for Cardio Long, at 1hr 48mins.

If I tap that Core Regular workout, it gives you a bunch of explainer text, but lower down youll see the exact core moves it wants you to do, complete with little moving animated peoples:

It also shows the set numbers next to it. The same is true for the Mobility Dynamic workout:

Going back to my actual Cardio Medium workout for today, it shows some intensity phases to stay within. However, these blocks of time dont match the actual lengths. For example, in reality this workout would have me do 10 minutes warmup (blue below), then 49 mins work (green below), and then 5 mins cool-down (blue below). Obviously, thats not three equal parts like represented below.

Once Im ready, Ill tap the Start button, which then brings me to choose the exact sport.

See, for Polar FitSpark it doesnt care or specify about sports for these cardio workouts. Instead, its focused on your heart rate. So in this case, its an indoor ride. So Ill select that and also get on my bike.:

After that, I simply press start and get to it. Itll show me a banner as I start each section with the heart rate zone and duration, and then show me a gauge at the top with the target and my current spot in zone, as well as time remaining.

The coloring changes based on the zones, for example my cool-down:

Afterwards, Ill get a summary (more details on those in a moment):

Now, what about GPS workouts? Fear not lets talk there based on a workout last night. Now all but one of Polars other wearables have built-in GPS, whereas the Polar Unite will depend on your phone for that. However, this isnt Polars first BBQ when it comes to leveraging your phone for GPS. In fact, the band-based Polar A360 and A370 had the same technology as well.

When you first set up the Polar Flow app on your smartphone, itll prompt you to confirm the GPS permissions (and just after that, permissions for smartphone notifications):

Then, youll go into the sport menu like normal to start a workout. To do that simply tap the lower left button, and choose to Start Training. Itll give you a swippable list of workout types, just like with FitSpark. You can customize all these, including the exact data screens and data fields youve got configured:

If you select an outdoor workout type that leverages GPS (like Road Running), youll then see an icon for phone connectivity. This shows whether its connected to the phone or not, then if it has GPS lock. At first itll be red:

Then once connected to the phone it turns orange:

And then finally green once its got GPS lock:

Meanwhile, on the heart rate side, itll show optical HR lock once ready. Or, if youve got a Bluetooth Smart chest strap paired, itll show that too.

With that, youre ready to run. Now since it depends on your phones GPS for the GPS track and distance, youll obviously need to carry that with you. The most ideal spot for GPS signal is an armband. But I didnt have one of those that actually fits my phone, so I just tossed it in my running shorts pocket and off I went:

Read the original here:
Polars Unite Fitness Watch: Hands-on Details and First Run - DC Rainmaker

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