Polar Grit X2 Pro is a smartwatch that feels like you just go with the flow

Polar makes high-quality multi-sport watches. They’re just not particularly smart. This wasn’t always a problem because there used to be a clear line. Athletes choose Garmins and Polars. Casual users will choose Apple Watch, Fitbit or Samsung smartwatch. Things are not quite clear yet. Garmin has more casual, stylish products, while Apple and Samsung also have their own products clever Multifunctional Sports Watch – This puts the $749.95 Polar Grit X2 Pro in a dilemma.

The Grit X2 Pro aims to be a premium outdoor watch. it’s an improvement over the previous one Perseverance X Professional Edition Equipped with upgraded sensors (e.g. heart rate, skin temperature, etc.), larger display, dual-frequency GPS, ECG (no atrial fibrillation detection, only More accurate heart rate data), offline maps and USB-C. These types of updates are usually good ones. The thing is, in the last two or three years, everyone else has made greater progress. The Grit X2 Pro feels a bit frozen in time.

As far as fitness tracking goes, this is a powerful watch with great battery life. (I got about 8 to 10 days of use on a single charge.) But for $750, you get a lot of use out of it. cannot Do it on this watch. For example, you get notifications and alerts, but that’s about it. If I want to keep my phone and Playing music through the watch, I can’t. Offline playlists are no longer a problem; you can use Grit X2 Pro as a media controller at most. Let’s say I want to buy a Gatorade after a long trip to the local 7-Eleven. No, there is no contactless payment. If I want to make a phone call, use a voice assistant, or be confident that someone will be notified if I fall, none of that happens.

Five years ago, this wasn’t a problem. But in 2024, I can buy a Garmin Fenix ​​7S Pro Solar (a fancier model than the standard model) for $800 to get almost all the features of the Grit X2 Pro, plus solar charging, offline for Spotify and YouTube Music Playlists, Garmin Pay, security features (although these require your phone), and EKG tracking Do There is an AFib test.

The $800 Apple Watch Ultra 2 gives me a better ecosystem of third-party apps, LTE connectivity, car crash and fall detection, music streaming, EKG, and better integration with my smartphone. When autumn comes this year, watchOS 11 There will be a training load feature that, while not as powerful as what Polar or Garmin offer, will get the job done in an easy-to-understand way. Samsung is rumored to launch the Galaxy Watch Ultra this month, and I bet it will offer a similar experience to Android users. The point is, if you’re looking to buy a quality fitness smartwatch, there are plenty of better value options out there.

You could argue that Polar isn’t trying to fix what’s not broken. It’s known for its in-depth fitness metrics, great GPS, and long battery life—just like Garmin. As long as it does these things well, who cares? It’s a fair point. If these are the only criteria that matter to you, then I have very few complaints about the Grit X2 Pro, other than that it’s pricey and a little bulky for me. In testing, GPS and heart rate accuracy were on par with my Apple Watch Ultra 2, several Garmins, and many other Android smartwatches. Sleep tracking and recovery metrics are roughly on par with my Oura Ring. The most novel metric is “Sleep Boost,” which predicts the time of day you’ll be most awake. (Actually, I find it hard to trust because it’s so haphazard.)

Whatever statement Polar is trying to make with the Grit X2 Pro, it’s just window dressing. You could go with a more premium design and upgrade some of the sensors, but the Grit X2 Pro doesn’t make meaningful improvements to the things that have always been annoying about Polar watches. The Polar Flow app still feels very confusing and stagnant in 2016. On the wrist, the Polar interface is still clunky, requiring finicky swipes and too many button presses to get what you want. It’s a matter of taste, but the Grit X2 Pro’s watch face is mediocre at best, doesn’t take full advantage of the OLED display, and doesn’t convey the elegance that this price tag warrants.

Considering everything else on the market, I think only Polar die-hards would seriously consider the Grit X2 Pro. Even so, I’d still go with $599.95 . It offers about 95% of the features of the Grit X2 Pro, but trades more durable materials and luxurious looks for a lighter, more wear-resistant design. Frankly, I think this is what most athletes (Polar’s ​​target audience) will prefer.

Unfortunately, the different parts of the Grit X2 Pro don’t add up to the quality watch that I think Polar is hoping for. To do that, it has to get smarter, or add something that Polar lacked before. In fact, this is a competent watch. But for $750, just being capable isn’t good enough.