POLAR Vantage M3 – Multi-Sport Smartwatch with AMOLED Display, Dual-Frequency GPS, Turn-by-Turn Navigation, Up to 7-Day Battery Life

Great watch from polar.

I used a vantage m2 for ~3 years, though I was underwhelmed my the heart rate sensor. Told myself I'd buy a garmin next time around, but the venu 4 tech is 1.5 years old, so I figured I'd give the m3 and polar one more try since they were bragging about their new sensor tech. It arrived yesterday and I'm already returning it because the heart rate sensor is so inaccurate. Examples from my 30 hours:-did a 1 hour weight lifting session at the gym earlier today. After a really hard set (gasping for air, struggling to lock out the weight, all that), the vantage m3 reported that my heart rate climbed from 105 to ~125 before quickly dropping back down to 110. Touching my neck, there's no way my pulse didn't stay above 150 for at least 3 minutes. My heart was jackhammering.-I took a walk with my family this evening. At the top of a steep hill, it said my heart rate was 75. A few minutes later it jumped to 115. I hadn't moved the device on my wrist.-after I got home from the walk and sat down, I watched my heart rate drop from ~80 down to 50, remain at 50 for maybe 45 seconds, and then climb back up to 80 (all over the course of 2-3 minutes during which I didn't move the device or myself)I don't know what this thing is doing. I place it flat along my arm (not on my wrist bone or anything), but it just doesn't work. It jumps around randomly for no reason.

Fairly comfortable watch, though feels slightly large to me. Good if you like a little chunkier watch. Tons of features so there's a bit of a learning curve but there's an equal amount of functionality once you start digging into it. Haven't had any issues wearing it regularly under normal conditions. It's definitely a pricey watch and more focused on what it does than other options, but if being outside and exercising are your overwhelming uses for it then this is a viable option.

I have owned som very nice watches in my life, a few specialty watches and couple of Apple Watches.Each watch I’ve owned has had a specific use - dressing up/fancy, every day carry, working out, etc. The Apple Watches are fantastic because they meet almost every need, but there a is one major limitation… it’s an Apple Watch. Functionality and quality are fantastic, but it looks like an Apple Watch.This is where the Polar watch excels. It looks great. Aesthetically, it’s definitely more masculine looking, which I appreciate.It doesn’t really have apps, it has a bunch of functions - and really the ones that are important to me. I don’t need to check my Delta app on my watch. I don’t need to order / buy anything on my watch. What I need is to see the time and get text notifications on my watch (for checking texts on the sly during meetings). I would like to get some insights on my health and sleep. And I’d love to have offline maps on my watch with GPS. The Polar watch does all of this, simply and well. The functions are flawless. It tracks my workouts, sleep and health perfectly. The GPS and maps work great, even in NY subways. And the notifications are great. They are delivered at the exact same time as my phone. In addition, the battery life is fantastic. I don’t even charge this every week - I get about about 10 days on a single charge.Now I will say that there a few slight shortcomings for this watch. For one thing, the buttons take some getting used to, so there is a little bit of a learning curve. Once you get it, you’ll realize it’s actually really simple. The touch screen works great and is very responsive. And to bring it all together, the accompanying app is solid. It connects to the watch well, and there are lots of customization options and information available. Sometimes, I’ve noticed that the watch will lose, and not automatically regain, connection to my phone. I have to reconnect it every so often. Only takes 5 seconds, though.The charger is unique, so a replacement would not be available from anywhere else except Polaroran aftermarket version from Amazon (currently under $10.)I’m super impressed and happy with everything this watch does for me. It looks and functions well, and it seems built like a tiny tank.