Polar Unite - First Run
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- Опубліковано 14 жов 2024
- The Polar Unite is a $150 running watch with a beautiful screen and great battery life that provides an affordable introduction to running watches, Polar, and Polar’s Flow ecosystem of training and activity metrics. To keep the price point low, it relies on GPS from your phone, but it still gives you access to Polar’s sleep tracking, run tracking, and training advice.
Disclosures: this is a watch that was sent to me for the purpose of review. No one is paying me to make this video or to use this watch. I am not sponsored by Polar. No one will get a chance to review my data or my footage before this video goes up on youtube,
Polar Unite: www.polar.com/...
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Running footage shot on:
GoPro Hero 8 Black (paid link)
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I'll be honest...when you said no GPS I tunned out. Thanks for all the work you do
It’s not for everyone
I have been Stunned by the scenic views from Iowa. Thank you.
I’m doing my part to put this part of the country on the running map
Seems very similar to the Polar Ignite - just without inbuilt GPS. I went from the Garmin 735XT to the Polar Ignite - and I am loving Polar Flow when it comes to Cardio Load Status and Cardio Load buildup/training report vs recovery (aka sleep). Really happy - I do use a the Polar HR9 as I don't massively trust the optical HR during more intensive activities. If I didnt find it annoying to carry my phone around when running (still not found a good way to bring it with me - iPhone XR is heavy(I use the mighty Spotify/amazong music player which is pretty nifty) and if I didnt already have the Ignite - this would be a good option for sure as it has everything I would need - just no GPS.
Polar Flow is the reason to go with Polar. I'll never switch!
Yo what’s going on! Awesome video Kofuzi and God Bless.
Thanks for watching!
I’m still using Polar m200 which I think it used to be polars entry level watch. I got it for 30 bucks used and it has gps, water proof for swimming, able to mark a lap, multiple buttons, heart rate. Tbh this new watch sounds like a downgrade except for battery life but I got around that by putting my watch in flight mode all the time, gives it an extra 1.5 hrs.
if only everyone could get a used m200 for 30 bucks
kofuzi it might also have to do with where u live. Polar seems more popular in certain areas. The m200 has been out for years so used are probably out there somewhere. It’s definitely not a pretty watch but it’s functional so I can see people selling it to upgrade to something better.
Mr Kofuzi, while in Iowa. Would you be reviewing the new Nike Pegasus Trail 2 ???
Your hat is awesome. Is it a one of a kind or do you have info on it? Thanks
It was a hat Polar made for the Atlanta Marathon Olympic Trials
@@kofuzi Nice. I figured it was special. 👍
Does Polar listen to feedback? I think most runners would agree that physical buttons are far superior to touch-screens. Perhaps every review I've seen or read mentions that Polar's auto-off/on screens with the twist of the wrist doesn't work very well (not that I've had a chance to try it myself). And probably the #1 reason most people (especially the market this watch is aimed at) buy/use a running watch is for GPS, and a dedicated watch GPS unit is far superior in capability, and speed to lock-on, than mobile phone GPS.
There's an option to keep the back light on while training so you don't have to flick your wrist.
Did you ever use that old Nike watch where you could just slap the watch and it would start and stop the watch? Polar could do something like that for splits . . . that'd be cool 🤔
I feel like if I saw that advertised as a feature, I would think it was an April Fool’s Day joke
@@kofuzi - It was actually awesome! Imagine starting track work and you just slap your wrist instead of pressing a button. It was fantastic. Lost to the archives of time I suppose. www.dcrainmaker.com/2011/04/brief-look-at-nike-sportwatch-gps.html
Great looking watch for sure. But I just really need GPS built in. I don't always bring my phone with me on runs (I know not safe). Too bad it seems cool. Excellent music as always. Thanks!
Polar does have the Ignite as an option. A (very) similar watch but with GPS
@@kofuzi Thanks Kofuzi. Very good to know. My Fenix 3 HR has seen better days.
I never bring my phone either. What's the point.
I don't remember the name of my first polar watch. I remember I was trying to lose weight and was prioritizing calories. Having said that....the polar unit is a great choice for those person who are trying to lose weight. Once you are over that phase...you will need a more sophisticated watch. You will try to understand how distance, cadence, etc. Impacts your training plan. I think is unfair comparing an entry watch an expect to perform at the level of more high end watches.
Which other watches do you consider in this category/price range? I can only think of the Fitbit Charge but the latest model actually has GPS.
Forerunner 45. Apple Watch 3. Polar Ignite.
Fitbit makes it hard to ever recommend them as they refuse to allow external HR monitors.
A running watch without GPS.
The interest to this watch ended at that point.
Thanks you for the info and a the great video!!
It’s not for everyone. I hope you find what you’re looking for
I recently got Garmin Forerunner 945, prior to this I was using phone for tracking for both running and cycling. I am finding a big difference in terms of tracking between Garmin and my iPhone XR. Garmin's track is more accurate, i think it's maybe due to Garmin using both GPS+Glonass. Other thing could be my Garmin being on wrist have much clear sight of GPS satellite than my phone which is in my waist belt.
I suspect that iPhones "borrow" location data from wifi hotspots or cell towers. I think that's why my tracings get weirder when i approach population centers. I have not looked into it deeply enough to verify or disprove.
@@kofuzi Yes you are right. Over the years i have used Strava, Polar and Stryd app on iPhone to record my runs. I live in an urban area with lot of buildings. On my Garmin I have to wait few seconds for it too lock GPS. On my iPhone my run starts when I press start there is no wait period, iPhone uses a combination of GPS, wifi and cell tower to get approximate location and then uses accelerometer until it gets lock on satellite, so not as accurate as Garmin.
Can I use this and the vantage m? Like run with the vantage and use this as the daily driver? Loving polar flow!
Yeah no connected GPS is a deal breaker. Nit picking here, but you called this a running watch. I don't think a watch without built in GPS is a true running watch by the 2020 definition. Another great review Kofuzi.
A good point. I’m thinking Polar is trying to reach athletes who would be perhaps reluctant to call themselves runners, even though they run regularly
Is the Polar Unite more accurate than the Galaxy Watch Active 2 counting calories burned during excersise?
I think an entry level GPS watch like the Forerunner 45 makes more sense than having to take your phone with you on every single run.
it does to a lot of people, but it's a bit more expensive than the Unite. I get the sense that this segment of the market is extremely price sensitive.
With the Fitbit Charge 4 having built in GPS and is the same price, would that be a better route to go?
Having a hard time to choose which to buy. The garmin fr245 or the polar unite. This would be my first fitness smart watch. Can you advise which is the one suitable for me? I cycle daily prob for an hour or more and always track my ride (would be nice to look at some data). I am not a hardcore guy. I dont run, mainly road cycling during night time, mtb trail riding once a month day time and definitely don’t listen to music during exercising and always carries my phone with me. I am looking for a good fitness watch with reliable/ accurate data, mainly the hr monitoring, activity tracking, gps, sleep quality, etc. I don’t mind spending the extra bucks to invest on the garmin fr245 if it’s is a better choice. Would love to hear your opinion. Many thanks.
i think they're both great options. the good news is that you're not going to go wrong with either.
i think it comes down to where you do the bulk of your activities. you mentioned that you ride on trails once a month, but i don't know where your other cycling is. if it's in a suburban or rural area, I'd recommend the Unite. it saves you some bucks, but more importantly, it gets you access to Polar Flow, which I prefer to Garmin's data analytics. But, if your cycling is in an urban area or even suburban residential, then I might go with the Garmin and it's built in GPS.
A third option, if you want to try Polar but also have built in GPS is to look at the Polar Ignite.
awesome. Thanks a lot for your reply. my rides are mainly residential areas at the suburbs. Actually it’s fine for me without the gps built in as I always carry my phone with me. Anyway I will look into polar ignite too! Once again very much appreciate your advice.
when I saw your shirt first I read Fastboy instead of Eastbay :D
Hi, how will this watch work with polar H10? As you need your phone to get the GPS signal, so you will be connecting the unite with your phone. Then where does the H10 connect to?
Interesting. Polar has not updated it's "entry level" option in a long time
It has a lot of similarity to the Polar Ignite that I looked at a while ago, but the Ignite has GPS (and costs quite a bit more)
No GPS, No manual lap, Why tho? For a running smartwatch it seems to be missing two basic features even for an entry level watch. Polar has some great watches, but this seems more like of entry point into Polar's data ecosystem, but not a way to improve your running. Even for an entry level runner this should be a hard pass. Appreciate the thoroughness of the review including the data comparison.
my running buddy got his first running watch as a father's day gift. it was a fitbit that tethered GPS and was around this same pricepoint. i'm thinking that the pricepoint is pretty important and is a way to get someone into the ecosystem when it comes time to upgrade.
kofuzi didn’t think about it that way. That’s a great insight especially for the gift giving perspective. I’m so specific about my tech that I wouldn’t even think about someone buying me a tech gift. Appreciate that 👍🏽
Is that a standard band on the watch? I can’t see that band on the polar site
this is the band that mine came with. Mine came with this small size one and a M/L size one. the same material for both.
Did you have trouble connecting your polar unite with polar flow?
I did have some difficulties at first. I had to set Flow app to always allow location data and then I think I had to also turn on notifications.
kofuzi thanks. I tried all yesterday and this morning and didn’t work. Will try again later
Can it track daytime sleeping? (i sometimes work full night and sleep daytime)
hmmm. great question. i do sometimes take naps, and while i suspect it knows that i am sleeping, i'm not certain it shows up in my sleep metrics section.
but if i recall correctly, i think you tell the watch/app when you typically sleep
How is battery and screen responsiveness when compared to polar ignite?
I don’t have access to my Ignite at the moment. But speaking from memory, they seem quite similar
One last thing, can you pair a polar chest strap or oh1 to it?
Looks sweet, but gps is a must for me.
it is for a lot of people. but Polar must be thinking that there is a potential consumer base interested in testing the activity tracker market
@@kofuzi Sure. But most of those people already use their phone. Why have a watch when you bring your phone, which can do 90% of the stuff the watch do. Looks really good though! Wish my Vantage M looked as good...
How can I set the screen to stay on during training?
When you start training if you swipe down on the screen it will give you an option to keep the watch face lit up so you won't have to flick your wrist.
Can measure vo2max ?
cool singlet
thanks!
Running using a fitness Watch without GPS in 2020? Better to use a “xing ling” tracker!
There are different shoes for every runner. Different watches too.
Typically, the critical comment I get on running watch videos is how I am making running unnecessarily complicated because one doesn’t even really NEED a watch to run.
Just pay a bit more. Forerunner 45.
Or the Polar Ignite. All the great things I said about the Unite and the Polar ecosystem. Plus GPS.