Review on 🏃 Polar Vantage M - Enhanced Running & Performance Monitoring by Aaron Bannister

First off, let me say that I've used Fitbit, Garmin, and Apple devices in the past. Most recently, I switched from the Apple Watch Series 5 to the Polar Vantage M. Overall I think this is a great sports watch. Apple is taking over smartwatches. But I needed a watch with a multi-day battery that would hold up better outdoors, especially when hiking, skiing, and hiking. Polar did a great job. A single charge lasts for 5-6 days of use, including sleep tracking, continuous heart rate monitoring and use in GPS mode for 1 hour daily. The sleep tracking is very insightful and I missed a lot because the Apple Watch's battery couldn't keep up with the sleep tracking. I think the Vantage M looks very classy and I chose white instead of my usual black. It's a little more noticeable but looks good enough to wear on my clients' Zoom calls and looks great with any gym attire. I've heard a lot of people complain about the size of the watch. It's a big watch but I have rather small hands/wrists, but I don't see that as a big issue. They can* get in the way if I'm wearing tight, long-sleeved clothing or a handcuffed jacket, but I only ever pull out the watch. The silicone strap is really comfortable and I hardly notice it. In addition, the white color is very resistant to stains or discoloration! I'm not the most delicate of people and the watch itself is also in perfect condition with no dents or scratches. The tracking features are great and there are so many different sports options. My biggest annoyance is navigating the Polar Flow app, but it's still great. It's just that the app isn't as intuitive as Garmin's or Apple's, but once you get the hang of it, you'll be fine. There's also something to learn about the buttons on the watch and finding specific functions by pressing the buttons, and again it's not as intuitive as the Apple Watch. I've also heard people complain about the screen brightness. Again, I don't see this as a problem. I find it bright enough indoors and out, but if not, there's a button to turn on the backlight for a few seconds to help you out. I think the heart rate reading is pretty accurate, but I don't have a chest strap to compare it to. This is primarily a fitness/sports watch, so smartwatch features are somewhat lacking. It can be quite delayed when you get a phone notification on the watch. I feel the watch vibrate and then rotate my wrist to check the notification, and it takes a second or two for it to actually appear on the watch's screen. There is also no way (at least I found) to enable sounds for the clock. I wish it had this function because sometimes the vibration is not enough. If you miss a notification, the only way to see it on the watch is to tap the buttons multiple times and bring up the notifications page, which is a lot more complicated than the Apple Watch's simple touchscreen drop-down bar. But like I said, this is a sports watch first and a smartwatch second, so I had to sacrifice convenience. The integration with my phone is not perfect. For example, when I put my phone on Do Not Disturb, my phone no longer pings, but notifications continue to appear on my watch. I would also have to set the clock to Do Not Disturb to turn off these notifications. Finally, I don't like that Polar doesn't constantly sync with the Polar Flow app. It automatically syncs multiple times a day, but when you log into the app you still won't have real-time data unless you sync it manually. So first thing in the morning, I manually sync my watch to the app to see the sleep tracking. Garmin, Apple and Fitbit had continuous sync. And one last thing on the price, I think you get a lot from this watch. The battery life really sets it apart and is amazing. I actually prefer buttons (despite the lack of a touchscreen, which annoys me a bit) as they're easier to use when doing things outdoors or with gloves on. The watch and app aren't as intuitive as Apple or Garmin, but the learning curve is still relatively small. This is a powerful watch that can do a lot! It has performed well in all my adventures and I have been using it happily for several years.