Polar Grit X Prochat_bubble_outlineFrom real comments

Many reviewers feel most Grit X Pro improvements are software-only additions that Polar later ported to the Grit X and Vantage V2, making the Pro feel like a marketing exercise rather than a real hardware upgrade.

@srihariravi8669

Apart from Sapphire crystal and a fancy looking bezel, most of the features seem like a software addition. \n\nIt is hilarious how polar adds some software features and launches a new watch altogether, ofcourse with a slight increase in the cost. The fact that they are porting these features to V2 proves that the additions are software based (Don't need a special h/w). \n\nI mean, most companies (garmin and coros) do launch a new watch every few years, but none of them are as outrageous as Polar (even Suunto). Does polar honestly expect people to go around for an upgrade with these? I mean, coros packs way more features with each new watch and port most of code to their other watches.launch

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October 6, 2021

@neuschf

Honestly I think they did a pretty good job. They didn't change a ton and that's a little disappointing, but every single update addresses something that I've heard people complaining about. From the screen brightness, changing routes mid-run and zooming, proper trackback, compass outside of activities to the sapphire screen. Might not be enough compared to what Garmin is doing, but it seems like they are listening to feedback and working on the right things. I'm also happy that the V2 gets all the updates this time around.launch

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October 6, 2021

@tetsu001

Fan from Hong Kong. Nice review as always and enjoy watching it everytime. Unfortunately, as a Grit X owner, I am super disappointed with the Polar's way of handling old models. Most new features on these new watches can simply add to the Grit-X by a simple software update but they didn't. Only one major firmware update since the Grit-X launch, which is way behind of the competitors like Sunnto and Garmin. Very likely Grit-X is my last Polar watch.launch

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October 6, 2021

@steveforde7475

I think the last few releases from Polar shows that the company is really struggling to keep up with the opposition. I've had Polar watches going back to an M400, V800 and now the original V Titan. The V Titan was to me a big disappointment, it lacked a number of features that the V800 had, I wrongly assumed Polar would fix that over time via firmware. Instead they closed the model line down and introduced the V2, as far as I can recall development of the original V ended at that point.\n\nThe V2 and Grit X are just a repackaging of the same bits, this is where Polar's problem is, they are a small company, I expect that they've got a ship full of chip sets, bought in bulk to keep the price down. There won't be any substantial upgrades such as Topo Maps, on board music, Pulse Ox, NFC payments etc until they've used up their current supply of chips and order a 'next generation' chip set. That might bring the features mentioned above plus a bigger brighter screen (essential if they want topo maps) for improved day to day wearability. The question is will Polar be around long enough.launch

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October 6, 2021

Commenters repeatedly call the routing/navigation feature far behind Garmin's offline color topo maps, with some calling it 'a joke' by comparison and citing ClimbPro calibration issues.

@Zimou_98

I've waited for this review like a rising moon (a Finnish phrase), since the first look video! I feel like Polar are lacking way behind their competitors, but still most of my friends and people overall use their watches here in Finland. I am familiar with the \"support local\" thinking, but still.. Buying a Vantage M2 two years ago as a brand new release and it getting little to no software updates and switching to Garmin Forerunner 955, which has much more to it and has been getting all the high-end software features from Epix 2 Pro and Fenix 7 Pro via software updates has been an eye-opener for me. \n\nPolar having the same god damn UI look year after year seems really disappointing. That could be a factor that would revitalise their lineup a bit, if nothing else is getting changed. Maps look pretty poor compared to Garmin's ones having all the street names, downhill skiing trails and shadings.\n\nWhen looking at the features of the new Grit X2 Pro, the list had little to nothing more than my Forerunner 955 and I feel like many features that the 955 has are taken to a much higher level.\n\nWould be nice to have a comparison between Grit X2 Pro and Forerunner 965, since they both have AMOLED screens. Price-wise I agree with Ray that Grit X2 Pro is way too pricey:\n\nGarmin Forerunner 965\n-679€\n\nPolar Grit X2 Pro\n-749€\n\nAnyway, now I'll head to watch this masterpiece of a video!launch

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May 14, 2024

@ActiveIdeas

Haha I thought my Grit X was broken? Glad to hear you had some compass calibration issues too ;) A shame to see the issues with the 'ClimbPro'. Awesome review 👏🏼launch

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May 14, 2024

@billmccaffrey1977

If for biking, for that price you might as well look at a Wahoo or Garmin that has full GPS mapping with a color map, larger display and you can see it without stopping. I have had several Polar HR monitors and they are good for that.launch

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October 6, 2021

@jtvrm

Looks nice as a though watch but in terms of features it kinda falls short of my expectations... As someone that recently went from a Vantage M to a Garmin 945 LTE (thanks for the great review and reccomendation Dave), after briefly owning a Grit X which gave me terrible heart rate results, I have to confess this left me dissapointed as I expected that it would at least bring in dual GPS and map guidance to put the heat on Garmin to push the envelope forward with their next iterations of the FR and Fenix series. Guess Polar is somewhat playing it safe and staying faithful to their current recovery core focus.launch

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October 6, 2021

The 1.2in display with large surrounding bezel is a frequent complaint, with users comparing it unfavorably to 1.3-1.4in screens now common on Garmin and Coros watches, calling it dated and hard to read detailed data on.

@andrer4221

Idon't need Most of the Features but it's a great watch and I guess I'll take it. \nIt's a pity that it can't measure the oxygen saturation pressure of the blood. \n\nAnd it's very thick and has a little too big diameter I have small wrists.launch

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June 23, 2022

@cemakyol2395

sorry, another important problem is the small screen, after many years of experience in this field, you need to follow the developments in this wearable tech, polar is the most positive aspect for me, the design are definitely nice, but the small screen is seriously disappointing. I hope you will take this matter into consideration in the next process.launch

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November 1, 2021

@ivevandevelde6826

Love the looks of it and I even would consider buying one, BUT the 1,2inch screen is a dealbreaker for me?\r\n\r\nWhy can't they fit in a proper screen? The gap between the bezel of the screen is too big for me, it's like having a TV from the 90's ...\r\n\r\nI know the will drain more battery but give the option to go for a bigger screen (screen to body ratio). Every respected smatch watch supplier now offers a 1,4inch screen.launch

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October 14, 2021

@Nsbguy

The huge empty black space around the screen seems excessive. What are they thinking. Let’s make a man sized watch and use our tiny little screen. Outstanding…. I will say the $500 price tag with the Sapphire glass definitely helps it’s case. Hopefully it’s a little brighter of a screen indoors. This is why Garmin charges their crazy prices bc no one makes a solid competitor to me. The tactix delta although expensive is better looking. Bring me the garmin 7 tactix. That’s what I want.launch

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October 13, 2021

Users point to the lack of ANT+ connectivity, onboard music, offline maps, vertical speed metric, blood oxygen measurement, and flexible GPS sampling intervals as gaps compared to Garmin and Coros at similar prices.

@andrer4221

Idon't need Most of the Features but it's a great watch and I guess I'll take it. \nIt's a pity that it can't measure the oxygen saturation pressure of the blood. \n\nAnd it's very thick and has a little too big diameter I have small wrists.launch

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June 23, 2022

@largo741

great review, thank for the info. something i guess polar have not fixed, GPS accuracy, only switchable between 1sec and 1 minute... would be great to have 3/5/10sec accuracy or so. 1 minute is totally unuseful. and yes, some of the pro features, would have been developed for the original grit!launch

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October 14, 2021

@bep9286

What is keeping me from buying the polar Grit X is the lack of vertical speed as metric. I'm used to combining vertical speed with heart rate on my mountain climbs (I live in the Alps)... I absolutely don't understand why the grit X lacks vertical speed.... It is an important lacklaunch

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October 11, 2021

@lensofthenorth42

Thanks for the review! Nice and informative as always. The outdoors watch segment is starting to get interesting! I won't be replacing my fenix 6X sapphire anytime soon, but it'll be interesting to see how long polar and coros take to match the level of 3rd party app/watch face support. Also polar continues to cripple their appeal by not offering offline music.launch

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October 8, 2021

Several users report the optical HR sensor cannot reliably read through tattoos, and others note it takes 20-30 seconds to reacquire an accurate reading after signal loss, with accuracy described as inconsistent.

@astasuleo

Great Review once again. Really appreciate your time! \n\nI have the watch and i can say that the heart rate is not that good but not bad either. I can trust it in most of the times, but i agree with you that when it looses the heart rate it does more than 20-30 seconds to display the right value. \n\n I was expecting from Polar to introduce a watch like this for outdoor activities but not with an Amoled. It is not only me personal preference but i still believe that the MIP is the way to go for a watch that is specifically designed and proposed to the market as the Ultimate outdoor sports watch. I have 2 Amoled Watches and 2 MIP. Trust me everyone's i have shown the watches when we were outside hiking or running, or swimming, they prefered the MIP even the colors were not so vibrant but the clear and visibility on MIP were exceptional.launch

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May 14, 2024

@Asthbendriel

I love the way it looks and the feature set, but the lack of full mapping is somewhat disappointing for some outdoor sports like MTB. Maybe the zoom in/out that's now included makes it more usable, but I'll wait for your review to confirm that in case you can check MTB like you've done in the past 😁\n\nIt's weird the Grit lineup always had that kind of problem with the HRM, I have a Vantage M2 and I find it quite accurate (for being a wrist-based HRM) sometimes when the watch was new and I was testing the HR and I found sometimes the HR too high for the moment I literally stopped, measured manually (had a bike computer with a timer at first hand) and turned out to be around 3-5 bpm difference, which can actually be a missed beat from my manual reading.launch

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October 6, 2021

@handoromper7987

The problem all watched share is the ability for the sensor to see through tattoos. \nPolar admit that there sensors will not see through tattoos. \nI would love to buy the Titan version Grit X Pro watch as I currently have the Polar V Titan which is the only watch I’ve every had that can read through my tattoos to some degree. \nI had the Polar V2 but returned it as it just couldn’t see through the tattoos. \nI also own Garmin Fenix 6 Pro and Instinct. \nGood review.launch

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October 6, 2021

@handoromper7987

Thanks for the review. Do you know if the sensor can read through heavy tattooing? \nI have only ever had one watch that can read through my wrist tattoo and that’s the Polar Titan V and I love it. \nBut the fact the grit now comes in a Titan version I want it.launch

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October 6, 2021

Multiple long-time users say the on-watch interface looks nearly identical to watches from 2019, calling it ugly and dated compared to Garmin's cleaner, more modern interface.

@Zimou_98

I've waited for this review like a rising moon (a Finnish phrase), since the first look video! I feel like Polar are lacking way behind their competitors, but still most of my friends and people overall use their watches here in Finland. I am familiar with the \"support local\" thinking, but still.. Buying a Vantage M2 two years ago as a brand new release and it getting little to no software updates and switching to Garmin Forerunner 955, which has much more to it and has been getting all the high-end software features from Epix 2 Pro and Fenix 7 Pro via software updates has been an eye-opener for me. \n\nPolar having the same god damn UI look year after year seems really disappointing. That could be a factor that would revitalise their lineup a bit, if nothing else is getting changed. Maps look pretty poor compared to Garmin's ones having all the street names, downhill skiing trails and shadings.\n\nWhen looking at the features of the new Grit X2 Pro, the list had little to nothing more than my Forerunner 955 and I feel like many features that the 955 has are taken to a much higher level.\n\nWould be nice to have a comparison between Grit X2 Pro and Forerunner 965, since they both have AMOLED screens. Price-wise I agree with Ray that Grit X2 Pro is way too pricey:\n\nGarmin Forerunner 965\n-679€\n\nPolar Grit X2 Pro\n-749€\n\nAnyway, now I'll head to watch this masterpiece of a video!launch

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May 14, 2024

@Pustul

Polar is so far behind its competitors… The interface from this watch is the same as my 200$ Polar Ignite from 2019 and it was already ugly and dated back then. I switched to Garmin and their watch interface is so much prettier, cleaner, they have many more functionalities and the connection between the watch and phone is 10 times better.launch

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May 14, 2024

@KC-UT4rmAZ

One thing with Polar and I don't know why, but their swim metrics have always been off. On any Polar watch i've had (all of them minus the grit x pro) the lap count has always been way off. One thing polar just can't seem to get right for some reason. IDK. Suunto, Garmin, Coros, are all on par and accurate in that field. I also feel like Polar's UI just has a yesterday/out-dated look and feel to it. Maybe it's just me, who knows. By far the best thing Polar has going for it is their watch designs/look.launch

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January 17, 2022

Owners of the original Grit X and Vantage models express frustration that Polar rarely updates older watches with new features, pushing them to buy a new model instead, which several say drove them to switch brands entirely.

@tetsu001

Fan from Hong Kong. Nice review as always and enjoy watching it everytime. Unfortunately, as a Grit X owner, I am super disappointed with the Polar's way of handling old models. Most new features on these new watches can simply add to the Grit-X by a simple software update but they didn't. Only one major firmware update since the Grit-X launch, which is way behind of the competitors like Sunnto and Garmin. Very likely Grit-X is my last Polar watch.launch

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October 6, 2021

@JH-gh7gl

Thank you for great review! But Polar disappoints me more and more. Since introduction of Vantage M and V all Polar watches have almost identical hardware and slightly improved software. The appearance of backlight adjustment in 2021 is a great achievement. No maps, no music and old low resolution display. All new features can be easily added as a software update to Vantage V and M. But Polar refused to continue updating these models for at least year and a half.launch

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October 6, 2021

@MyShadok

sad to see that polar is only making pointless updates on watches instead of focusing on improving their existing ecosystem. Vantage V2 already has all the relevant functions of this grit X update. autonomy improvement is a joke compared to other brands that also come with real features for outdoor activities (offline maps) and more fancy ones such as offline music (and I'm not even talking of the bigger screen).\nthey'd rather produce a watch that is able to match competition or focus on improving their flow platform, wich is great but completely closed to import from other platforms (external plans for instance, which is available in Garmin or coros when you define your plan in trainingpeaks).launch

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October 6, 2021