Polar Unite Review: Is the budget fitness watch a good option for runners?
Вставка
- Опубліковано 13 жов 2024
- The Unite is Polar's latest budget fitness smartwatch but is it any good for runners, how does it stack up against the Polar Ignite and the competition? We've put it to the run test and here's our verdict in the running-specific Polar Unite review.
JUMP STRAIGHT IN:
@00:41 - What you need to know about the Polar Unite
@1:16 - Design
@4:41 - Features and tracking
@8:19 - Heart rate and GPS accuracy
@10:08 - Battery life
@10:58 - Polar Unite verdict
Check out these running reviews videos next:
Best running watches 2020: • Expert Guide to the Be...
The expert guide to the best running shoes: www.youtube.co....
The best headphones for runners: www.youtube.co....
The best running jackets for all conditions: www.youtube.co....
--------------------
Unlike a lot of channels, we don't use affiliate links or earn any commission for the content we create. We just enjoy geeking out about running stuff and love helping you find the best products to support your running.
Hey! Thank you for the concise and down-to-earth review. I actually just got this watch today, after tons of time going over all the various options and watching a ridiculous number of reviews. 😅😭
My rationale for biting the bullet on this one: the primary reason I want a “fitness” watch is because I have terrible insomnia and mental health (anxiety) issues that would be really benefited by being able to track my sleep quality and continuous HR on a regular basis - Polar seemed to really stand out in those areas. I do a little bit of running and general gym workouts (when the gyms are open, and also I’ve just had surgery so I’m out of commission for 6 weeks at least ☹️) but tracking those was a lower priority for me than the HR and sleep.
Also, while I COULD conceivably stretch my budget for a fancier watch, I feel that it would be a bit of a waste for me right now. I plan to use this one for as long as I’m feeling I get use out of it, maybe a year? - and then upgrade. At the price point, it seemed logical to me as a stepping stone.
Once again it’s only been a day, so far I love the look and feel of the watch; the touch screen is, as you said, kinda meh, but I can deal; and I’m really excited to start messing around with all the data on the app and competing with myself to improve my sleep and heart health!!
Hi Marcia, thanks for the message and glad we could be of help. Sounds like a really sensible approach you've taken there. Keep us posted on how you get on with it. And all the best with your recovery and training.
So how was it? Did you get the sleep data you where looking for etc? Please do tell us :)
What do I want from a running watch - And what most people I talk to want, also -
- accurate GPS distance (with no reliance on a phone)
- chrono
- HRM/strap compatibility
- a robust strap that I don't have to keep replacing with cheap knock-offs to make financially viable
- VO estimates are pretty handy - at least they give you a rough idea of 'where you are', and in what direction you're heading
- Long battery life in GPS mode
-------- Quite happy to do without all the fluff and gimmicks - it just pushes the price up, and rarely gets used in any case!
Will Polar, Garmin and co. ever learn?
Sadly, I doubt it.
The G 30, 35 were pretty near the mark - cheap once they weren't the latest thing, but the strap design was
ridiculously poor.
Very good review. I am looking for a fitness tracker myself. Mainly for the gym. I think the display is important. The numbers have to be readable. Good smartwatches are expensive. Apple watch looks very good, but because the price I looked at the cheaper options. However, sometimes cheaper means it becomes more expensive when the watch isn't what you expected. I can not decide.
Excellent review, thank you.
As I learned with my OH1 heart rate monitor, it was designed to be plugged into a laptop, and that’s the impression I get with the Unite charger. Polar also label the Ignite as a fitness watch as well. Someone into CrossFit might find the Unite a better watch.
Hi, could you please do a comparison between Polar Unite and Polar Pacer Pro?
I've been looking at so many reviews about the Unite and coming from a Fossil Gen 5 smartwatch, I'm mixed on how you're supposed to use the Polar Unite.
Would you switch out a day watch for the Unite or only use the Unite during exercise?
I ask since the touchscreen is relatively slower compared to smart(focus)watches and you'd be interacting with that most of the day.
That said, I'm looking at the Unite for all the wonderful insights it'll provide from exercises and sleep.
Hi, the Unite is very much a fitness watch and not a smartwatch so if you need the other daily features a smartwatch might bring such as music, payments, apps etc then you'd probably need to be swapping it in and out for your workouts. However, there are some heart rate-powered features on the Unite that rely on day-long wear so you'd lose the effectiveness of those. So it's definitely a trade off here between prioritising everyday smartwatch tools and the fitness tracking.
You ran for 42 miles? I recently returned my Ignite. I was having a lot of problems seeing the screen in sunlight, even with the backlight on during an activity. The battery life would plummet with the GPS and backlight on as well. I’m back to my Garmin VA3 for now.
Hi John, (Kieran here), Ran the Avon Valley Path in the UK which was closer to 37 miles but the Unite over clocked by some distance. We had similar battery drain issues with a couple of Polar models a few months back and a full factory reset seemed to fix it. But seems it was a common problem. In terms of the screen, it would be good to be able to invert but on the whole we had no troubles with the legibility in sunlight.
The Run Testers I could barely see mine in sunlight, especially compared to the Garmin. Thanks for the feedback.
Touch screen on a running watch always seems like a bad idea to me - does anybody want the faff of
unreliable control mid run, especially if you happen to be on course for a decent time, or on
tricky terrain .... BUTTONS please! They work. They're simple. They usually last a very long time.
It costs less for buyers, and less in manufacturing.
I didn't really notice those touch screen lags in the video... 😳
They don't happen all then time. And it's more noticeable when you're using it side by side with other watches.
@@TheRunTesters Thanks, so we could say, 'relatively' lagging/sluggish - seriously, for budget reasons I'm considering the purchase of either Unite or Ignite but I hate when I need to tap or swipe several times to make it work. Plus the hand raising lag - it would be also annoying. The question is whether these are really annoying in everyday use 🤔 I'd be using it as a smartwatch, not just a fitness tracker device. For sleep tracking, phone notifications, etc. I have a Honor Band 6 to be replaced. I'd prefer to be able to look at my heart rate on the watch instead of my phone during activity, that's all. I'm no professional runner just want general health and fitness at 51. GPS doesn't matter either as I carry my phone anyway. What yould you recommend, having considered all the above?
Hola, mi inglés no es muy bueno, podrías pensar en poner subtitulos en español.
We would love to but we are a small team making this channel on top of our day jobs and our time/budgets don't stretch to that.