Is the M3 worth the extra spend?
The Polar Vantage M3 is Polar ’s full time value sports ticker and is a strong climb on the M2 . It ’ll just be you a snatch more money to get it .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The Polar Vantage M3 is what you ’d call Polar ’s heart of the pack multisports watch . It ’s going to give you more feature than its Ignite and Pacer serial publication watches , but wo n’t quite mate what you ’ll get on the top - end Vantage V3 .
The Vantage M2 was launched three year ago and clearly catch Polar take its mid - range watch in a more stylish direction . For the M3 , it feel like Polar is rolling back on fashion and making the M3 a more capable scout . It ’s doing that by adding an AMOLED screen , upgrading to Polar ’s latest Elixir sensor to track more metrics and even bestow maps .
Adding those unexampled lineament has meant an increase in price on the Vantage M2 . So is the M3 worth the redundant spend and now one of the best ( if not the good ) mid - range sports watches you’re able to corrupt ? I ’ve been putting it to the trial to find out .
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Design and screen
For the M2 , Polar seek to straddle both a sporty and fashionable smell and to a degree did accomplish that . There were a few things I did n’t like , which Polar await to have mostly addressed .
The first big change is that there ’s now a smaller 44.7 mm instance compare to the 46 mm one on the M2 and that does think of the M3 sit down a number small on your wrist . It ’s a tactile sensation slimmer too , but not by a detectable amount . The case is still made of plastic with a untainted steel bezel surrounding the blind , giving it a look that ’s more sporty than its harbinger .
Polar has ditched the 1.2 - inch memory pixel display for a more vibrant and slightly larger , 1.28 - in , 416 x 416 result AMOLED display . Crucially , the fateful bezel around the silver screen has been reduced . I ’d still prefer that bezel to be smaller , but at least it ’s not eat into the screen in the same way that it did on the M2 . The AMOLED panel is a good quality one overall , the colours are sound if a touch impregnate compare to other AMOLED displays . It bewilder middling bright and you’re able to keep it on at all fourth dimension including during workouts .
Around that case rest five , mildly textured button with a very distinctive Polar strap in position to keep it on your wrist . The strap has a somewhat coarse feel to it and I do determine it fits a minute more snug than the other sports ticker straps . That being said , I have n’t determine it uncomfortable to tire out .
Another gain you ’re getting on the M3 is an betterment in the level of sealing . It ’s moved from a WR30 to a WR50 military rating , which now gives it the same military rank as the pricierPolar Vantage V3and means it ’s suited to be inundate in water up to 50 metre deep . I ’ve been swim with the M3 and it was a good burst for the water with the AMOLED covert being easily visible during swims .
The Vantage M3 does finger like Polar has played thing safe with the look , all while adding some suitable upgrades like that addition of an AMOLED screen and reducing the once gaudy bezel .
Software and smartwatch features
The Vantage M3 remains a multisports watch that ’s Android and iOS - favorable and my metre using it with an iPhone was pretty stress - innocent . Polar ’s Flow familiar smartphone app is , however , busier than the apps you ’ll receive with fellow smartwatch manufacturers like Garmin and Suunto . There ’s a lot die on and the journeying of moving between the different screens is n’t massively intuitive .
Things get better on the sentry where you do need the premix of button and touchscreen controls to get around . The drug user port is largely well optimised to the M3 ’s display but I do think Polar in general meantime behind the competition in volunteer the slickest software experience .
While Polar has total an AMOLED video display it has n’t increase the uncommitted smartwatch features . you could still change watch face , set timers , view earpiece notifications and music check like you could on the Vantage M2 . have the color concealment does make those more canonical smartness nicer to use although Garmin still holds the crown for bringing smartwatch features to sports sentinel in a more comprehensive way .
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Fitness tracking
give we have n’t go steady an update to the M2 for a few years , it ’s not staggeringly surprising Polar has given it some upgrades in the seaworthiness trailing section , perhaps more than I anticipate to see .
It ’s now a watch that ’s moved to a twofold - frequency GPS setup , offering the best in GPS positioning engineering science usable right now to mutant watches and smartwatches . Polar ’s include its tardy philosopher’s stone detector that , along with the promise of meliorate heart rate trailing truth , now adds in SpO2 , skin temperature and ECG monitoring . You ’re now also getting the power to take in maps , with additional physical fitness tests and retrieval metrics on offer as well . Basically , there ’s a lot .
As a sports watch , you ’re getting a very competent performer . I found the new dual - frequency GPS performed well when I put it up against other two-fold - relative frequency watches from Garmin and Coros , with metrics like average pace , cadence and elevation also nicely in business . I used it for swims , indoor ride and world-wide indoor workouts , and data in ecumenical look pretty good to me .
In terms of pith charge per unit tracking , the truth was very much in retain with the Vantage V3 , which also include that new philosopher’s stone sensor . For moderate and low intensity workouts the accuracy typically matched or was close to the maximum and average readings on a heart rate monitor bureau strap . Like the V3 , there ’s also been the singular time where maximal heart pace readings were a little higher . You do have an ECG sensor now , but it ’s not plan to be used in the same way as the ECG sensing element on the Apple Watch or Samsung Galaxy Watch . you may take on the slur measure – which were nicely precise – but it ’s really about giving you another piece of information to show how your heart is responding to training . It can also be used with Polar ’s orthostatic test to read how your consistency is recovering from exercise .
Polar provide plenty on the training and analysis front . Delve into a exercise and you’re able to see numbers to order you about the breeding session , your training zones and what fuel your physical exercise . Polar ’s FitSpark suggest workouts that are in line with your workout history , so if you ’ve been doing plenty of cardio then it ’ll recommend effectiveness or supportive preparation to check that you ’re wield a skillful balance in your grooming .
Polar also offer rich sleep trailing , in fact it ’s among the most reliable that you ’ll find on a sport sentinel . It also place to put that sleep data to good use to give you a dependable sensation of the kinship between your sleep and recovery . Its effectiveness really number down to presentation , both on and off the watch . There ’s an regalia of utile insights and modes to rap into , it just takes a bit of work to get to where the practiced stuff lives .
Another fully grown addition is mapping , which you initially need to download files for by connecting the M3 to a computer . Mapping can be reckon during training or through the consecrate pilotage watch widget . you may utilise the touchscreen to move around maps and use the strong-arm button to zoom in and out . They ’re not the most elaborate maps usable on a watch , but they do help to give you a better sense of your milieu . There ’s seafaring features here as well , with utile ‘ back to start ’ and ‘ chase after back ’ modes available . If you require access to plough - by - turn seafaring to help prod you in the correct direction , you ’ll need to apply the third company app Komoot to get it .
Battery life
The M3 packs a bigger 310mAH capacity assault and battery , though it does in general see a drop in promise battery life compared to the M2 in some areas . It ’s gone from eight days to seven days in smartwatch modality , and give out from 170 hour to 70 60 minutes in Polar ’s eco education mode . However , it fit from 28 hours to 30 hours when using the vigil in its best accuracy GPS fashion .
Polar does n’t posit the battery life you should ask with the sieve set to always - on , but based on my examination , it ’s around 4 - 5 days based on how regularly you ’re using feature film like GPS . I found daily battery free fall to be anywhere from 20 - 30 % . If you want to get to seven days , you ’ll need to sacrifice keep the screen on , but I think it ’s deserving the forfeiture to get closer to a hebdomad .
In terminal figure of GPS stamp battery carrying out , it ’s pretty much in keeping with those claims by Polar . An hour ’s use saw the battery pearl by 6 % when using the in effect GPS truth modal value . The numbers seem to add up here , which is all you may ask .
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Should you buy it?
The Vantage M3 give you the best of Polar ’s features at a more affordable monetary value than the Vantage V3 .
Polar sticks to the smartwatch fundamental principle here , so if you want something that feel more Apple or Samsung Galaxy Watch , a Garmin watch will get you closer to that .
Final Thoughts
The Polar Vantage M3 was a shrewd and a pretty necessary move by Polar . It now has an AMOLED multisports watch in its ranks that , while not as affordable as the M2 , does give you some of the most worthy feature article from itsVantage V3watch for less . It successfully add a colour screen without hugely impacting on assault and battery performance , match the V3 for chromosome mapping and tracking financial support and get in all of the training goodies too . If you ’re a fan of Polar watches and not fussed about having the biggest AMOLED screen that Polar has to offer plus a spot more bombardment life , then the M3 is the one to get . For a more fully featured sports watch at this Leontyne Price chain of mountains , theGarmin Venu 3is a great alternative .
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How we test
We thoroughly prove every smartwatch we review . We use industry received testing to compare features the right way and we use the watch as our principal gimmick over the review period . We ’ll always tell you what we find and we never , ever , accept money to retrospect a merchandise .
FAQs
The Polar Vantage V3 is Polar ’s most premium sport watch and offers an aluminium causa and large AMOLED with all the same software feature article as the Vantage M3 .
Yes , the Polar Vantage M3 does have GPS and include Polar ’s a la mode dual - frequency GPS to convey to useable orbiter systems over multiple frequency bands to improve truth near tall buildings and in deeply forested areas .
Full Specs
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