Polar Vantage M3 Review (Why Spend More?)

[@chrisar2252]

I'd buy this if I needed another watch. I've actually got the Vantage V3 but I'm not sure why i'd buy it now rather than the new M3. I've been running about 10 years and spent 1 year on Coros (Apex) and 3 on Garmin (235). On a race, or just any run, cycle, whatever outside, I want the easiest, quickest interface on the watch (it can get pretty wet and windy here and I don't want to stand around). So, 5 buttons is essential and I find Polars better for me. I also found Polars app much more useful, I guess that depends on what's important to you. The only bit of extra Garmin tech that I might like is being able to plan routes on the watch, though that' only for when my phone doesn't have a decent signal. I did my first ultra this year and polar's hill splitter was key to training (it's really easy to cut and past the details nto a spreadsheet and compare runs, which I found very useful and great for my confidence). What I did notice, as a bit of a negative was that when I did the ultra every one with a garmin recorded about 7,500ft of climb, but my V3 recorded about 6,500ft. I just checked and here Polar are selling the M3 for £349, and the Suuto race S is £325, so I'd say that's worth it. It also only too about 10 second on google to find a 15% discount, but maybe you could get the same on the suunto.

[@Asthbendriel]

I have been using the Polar Grit X Pro for a year and a half now. I do a lot of MTB and multi day rides, hiking and some strength training. It has been a reliable watch and a durable one as well. I am not completely sold on AMOLED, but it is good to see the battery life seems to be better and POI and find my phone has been things that are nice to have, and I missed for a while. The main reason to pick the GXP 2 over this is mainly durability, but I can totally see many people very happy with the M3.

[@Ajajambo]

The bezel and lugs looks identical to my Suunto traverse Alpha. I really like the size and shape they opted for ❤ Nice review Dave

[@hardmtnbiker]

I have loved Polar watches since my S710 that came with Polar Personal Training software with a IR interface. Then multiple other watches and the Flow APP. I also really like their HRM straps from the old H3 to the current H10. My recent dropping off my long term Polar loyalty stemmed from the glitches of my M2. I have to admit I had glitches with all my Polar watches but loved the deep dive with the data. After trying to capture cycle test paired with my Rally XC pedals and H10 and just continued to be frustrated, I divorced Polar watches and Flow and switched over to Garmin Connect and Forerunner. I would like to see the Polar OS 3 and perhaps get the M3 just for the cycling fitness test and other tests that I think add value and benefits.

[@RallihSarl]

I would go M3 instead of Suunto Race/Race S mostly because of the buttons and the overall design. I really like both Polar and Suuntos designs but Polar still is a bit more in my taste. Stand-by battery is way better on Suunto, but overall 30-70 h on the Polar is more than enough for many of us.

[@raloyabb]

suunto ocean is beautiful

[@RallihSarl]

@@raloyabb I wrote that text, and I've went out and bought a Suunto Race S in the weekend. TBH I don't know why I did choose Race S over Polar M3. Something inside of me said so.

[@661larry]

Had the M2 hence the reason I switched over to Garmin I use it more for motocross than running. Happily switched to Garmin and literally wear it 24/7 since I started wearing Garmins

[@sniuk]

The difference also is about the data privacy. Polar is European company and data privacy is more strict than other US (Garmin/Apple) or Chinese (almost all the rest..? Suunto, coros, amazfit...) for me data privacy is important so will go for either v3 or M3 :) I think they have enough features for non Pro athletes

[@ChaseTheSummit]

I've gone on a deep dive regarding privacy policies lately... might even make a video about it. But most brands (even chinese) are working in compliance with the GDPR these days. Particularly in the EU. I would agree that Polar is handling it really well though.

[@sniuk]

@ChaseTheSummit thanks for your reply. Would be an interesting video if you decide to do one. I have read some articles about it. Also reading data privacy from Coros app for instance the information they gather either from phone or PC i think is too much

[@OneTouch1980]

The sunnto race is hard to beat in this category. I'm still rocking the polar m1 so an upgrade is worthy and the race is the main contender.

[@RallihSarl]

The Race costs a tiny bit more and I since Polar have better results on wrist heart rate that will be important for many. But the battery.. There race is way ahead. The app is also to Suuntos advantage. I would say it's matter of taste and details just. Race S as Chase mentioned is tougher to beat.

[@scriptosaurusrex]

It looks decent. Polar wasn't for me, but some people love it. I see no downside to having this option. The race s may be cheaper (dare I say better too?), but for some people familiarity and data continuity is paramount. I don't think the v3 did that well, but with the software upgrade and your initial review, I think the m3 may just sell well and be an excellent choice for a lot of people.

[@yagamee]

M2 user migrated to G165 and not looking back even after M3 launch.. just needed something simple to record all my workouts..

[@ActiveIdeas]

It's a tough sell for the price with the Suunto Race S still being cheaper 😬

[@StephenWithaPH2756]

In Australia we've got them for the same price! $599 AUD

[@ActiveIdeas]

@@StephenWithaPH2756 Australia has always been pretty mad with prices 🙈 I loved living there but don't miss JB HI-FI & Rebel prices 😝For the same price I'd still be tempted by Suunto due to the superior app (routable navigation on Polar is still a nightmare)

[@ActiveIdeas]

@@StephenWithaPH2756 you ozzies got it tough out there!! Bloody JB Hi-Fi 🤣

[@StephenWithaPH2756]

@@ActiveIdeas Haha exactly! 😂 I'm surprised it's available here already to be honest! We're usually so slow to get new releases!

[@ActiveIdeas]

@@StephenWithaPH2756 haha! I did LOVE living in Australia but I don’t miss that 🙈 When the Fenix 3 HR come out they were still selling the 920XT in HB-Hi-Fi for like $800 .. the rest of the world had access to the Fenix 5 at the time 😉

[@ivonikolov8709]

Great Review😊 I am currently looking at the Huawei GT5 Pro which has ECG and Arterial Stiffness Measurements. So wanted to ask which of the two is the better watch? Asking because You can get the GT5 Pro for £330 and the Vantage M3 for £350 here in The UK

[@raloyabb]

polar is sportwatch huawei is smartwatch

[@ivonikolov8709]

@@raloyabb Thanks for the Replay but can You Elaborate a bit more please.

[@MementoMax]

I got a Polar discount code so could buy the M3 for 280 euro. I currently have Polar M1 and am used to the Polar ecosystem, but am also looking at the Suunto Race S. But with my discount, it's 70 euro more expensive (and I'm not a huge fam of my data being kept in China). Think that at 280 euro, the Vantage M3 looks like good deal

[@manhajkitabwasunnah740]

Having used polar ignite and gritX pro, I shifted to Amazfit trex3 and found it to have more features like muscle detection during strength workouts, also it automatically detect a rest interval time between reps something which polar misses. Real time performance to me is also a blow plus lot's of other features just mentioned afew. I wish polar could upgrade to some of these features. Polar was my first love since I became aware of sport watches and still love my grit X pro which the M3 looks like its identical twins in design

[@blueandwhiteeighttwo]

Let's see what Coros has to offer later this month...Very curious

[@ChaseTheSummit]

👀

[@pasivarho6451]

Well, the mapping is a feature that doesn't exist in Garmin same price products, so that is one reason to get this. And also the sleep tracking and cardio load statics is way more "user friendly" than in Suunto. (I had suunto race, and all the TSS, CTL, ATL, TSB, ABC... was way too vague). I also had Garmin instinct 2x and that is also awsome, but lacking in the screen capability. Now I have the polar grit x2 pro, which is really overpriced, but I'm from Finland so there is little home "fanboy" in me :) But for 400€/$ and the upcoming updates this is really interesting move from Polar and for the people that just want to run, swim, cycle and excercise just for fun and keep in track of your fitness, this is very cool product.

[@ChaseTheSummit]

It doesn't exist in the Garmin lineup at this price but it does exist in the COROS and Suunto lineup. The Suunto Race S is $50 cheaper with very similar mapping and it also features a native course creator in the Suunto App where Polar requires third party services for that. But I agree, there are some advantages to the M3!

[@davidcampos5878]

@@ChaseTheSummit at least it has the Broadcast HR feature which for unknown reasons Suunto refuses to put in their watches

[@anthonyrampino7734]

Will you be doing a video on the updates that Garmin has done for the fenix 8?

[@ChaseTheSummit]

Yup coming very soon

[@anthonyrampino7734]

@@ChaseTheSummit that would be great! I’ll be watching!

[@WQLF17]

Please try out the new TicWatch Atlas!

[@marcinp3343]

Guys, M3 vs 965? I know, not the same price point. BUT comparing running/cycling/swimming/sleeping/normal daily activity features? Don't care bout the notifications, music all that aux stuff. As an amateur runner/cyclist/swimmer, what would you choose? Is there something like: "965 has feature(s) X,Y,Z so great you should go with more money".

[@ChaseTheSummit]

965 will get you a lot more insightful wellness/health data in my opinion. Things like body Battery, HRV Status, Stress trakcing, etc... and on the training side Training Readiness is very useful as well. 965 also has far superior mapping and navigation with fully routeable maps.

[@marcinp3343]

@@ChaseTheSummit Gotcha! I started wondering when you said stress level is not available in Polar. And in my opinion this is very well designed feature. It's like 'flu-indicator' in my case.

[@kristof9497]

Thank you.

[@seweratas]

FR265 or this for running? was thinking Garmin for the music support but this looks better

[@ChaseTheSummit]

The 265 has more features for runners and arguably more useful training tools like Body Battery / Training Readiness. The Polar M3 has better build quality and some unique recovery features like Nightly Recharge. The Polar M3 also has real mapping while the 265 has breadcrumb mapping. Which features are more important to you?

[@bz1190]

If watches like the Polar Vantage M3 and the Suunto Race S get real mapping at this price point, does this mean that breadcrumb tracking will be dead in a few watchcycles? Why buy a coros pace 3 if you could buy the suunto Race S?!

[@ChaseTheSummit]

I think we'll see mapping become more accessible at lower price points with brands like Suunto, Polar, and even Amazfit putting mapping in watches at nearly $200. There's still a substantial price gap between Pace 3 and Race S though at over $100.

[@lukec7846]

Hello, which one will be better in your opinion? Suunto race S or Polar Vantage M3 ??

[@ChaseTheSummit]

They’re very similar. The Suunto is $50 cheaper and arguably has a better build quality and slightly more modern feeling user interface.

[@lukec7846]

@@ChaseTheSummit Thank you for your reply 👍

[@ElectroMac74]

Question : Do multi band Gps improve Pace accuracy? Thanks

[@ChaseTheSummit]

Doesn’t really make a noteable difference in practice.

[@jmarket13]

What’s your left forearm tattoo, Dave? I’ve always been curious..

[@ChaseTheSummit]

I get asked a lot so I actually made a video about it a while back: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eoHKZZuOjLmlaZYsi=woZiSvCNe4mIEihx Long story short: The tattoo is in memory of my mom who passed away when I was a teenager. She was greek, hence the greek translation of "I Miss You". I don't speak the language but I liked the way the text looked.

[@jmarket13]

@@ChaseTheSummit Thank you for sharing this with me!

[@alexandrosel1131]

Without MIP display no buy for me. I want my watch display to stay always on without fancy gesturers to enable it the time i run. Yes, amoled is look impressive, but a watch intended for sports use is meant to show you some stats, not movies.

[@scriptosaurusrex]

My preference too. Sadly that's going away and shitty amoled is becoming the norm. In another generation or two, we will be paying a premium for a simpler, longer lasting display. It's a watch, not a phone. It needs to last long with constant charging and be easy to use/read. Sure a little customisation of watch faces is great, but it doesn't need to be such a waste of power.

[@ChaseTheSummit]

In this case the AMOLED is a welcome change in my opinion since the M2 had one of the worst MIP's on the market! But yes, MIP still has a place just not in the Polar lineup anymore sadly.

[@nostoneunturned6291]

I still can’t get over how the Polar Grit X Pro 2 now looks like the budget option compared to Fenix 8. Garmin had the market at that $800 price point, but now they are in their own league. Thankfully, they still have the Epix Pro series for sale which in and of itself blows the Grit X 2 out of the water.

[@wavesoffun]

Can it be easily set for always on display? In your video the screen seems to only stay on for about 2 seconds at a time. I want to be able to glance at the watch to see time without having to flick my wrist all the time. Currently using the old Polar vantage V and love it, but the mapping definitely needs to be updated. I love that the display is always on and tha is a key feature for me... I want a watch to see the time, not a black screen

[@ChaseTheSummit]

Always on is a setting but it will hurt battery life and also the screen still dims to preserve battery but doesn’t fully turn off in that mode.

[@jswong8200]

Have you encountered any software problems like the ones the V3 had at launch? E.g. hanging, rebooting, losing the activity data, etc? Suunto Race S is a great watch for its price but based on the posts in the Suunto reddit, it seems to be occasionally buggy. Users had to reset the watch every now and then, and for some users, the AMOLED screen starts getting wonky after a few months.

[@ChaseTheSummit]

Nope, in fact the VV3 and Grit X2 Pro are pretty reliable now too after recent firmware updates.

[@maccotamerset]

I'm wondering when they are going to do new Pacer

[@ChaseTheSummit]

I wonder if they'll even update that line or just leave it at M3, V3, and Grit X2 Pro as the options?

[@АлексейКоваленко-ш4з]

Are you going to test Huawei watch gt5 pro comparing with Suunto, Garmin or Polar? Or may be with Amazfit t-rex3?

[@sebastiento9695]

Glad I got myself a Suunto Race S haha, larger screen, stainless steel bezel and back plate, arguably better design, smoother map and $50 cheaper. Firmware 3.0 might make Suunto sweat though, the POI on maps look neat!

[@domenicoc9292]

I seem to have understood that Polar M3, V3 and Grit 2 Pro are three sportwatches that have the same software functions and differ only in the case, dimensions and battery

[@ChaseTheSummit]

Yup

[@MyViewon_Life]

Polar has been in the game for so long and they have always delivered crap watches at a ridiculous price, with that budget I'd definitely go with a suunto race S

[@robhunt8378]

"Display is super easy to read".... then it dims. Then it goes black. MicroLED, please hurry up.

[@ChaseTheSummit]

@@robhunt8378 eh, you get used to it and there is an always on mode.

[@Jadelover123]

Woohoo first

[@VolkanOzdamar]

Same boring design with the new name

[@ChaseTheSummit]

I don't think I've seen this design before. Maybe similar to the original Grit X with an AMOLED display but much different than the M2.

[@HeatherCasparisM.D]

It looks alot like a Fenix.

[@AdrastosSAS]

Woohoo second lol

[@trailzrock2]

I’m still not an AMOLED display fan. Maybe some day. But for now I’m avoiding any watch that has an AMOLED display. Why? Because I like to wear my watch all the time and it feels like having a phone on my wrist. Just don’t want that extremely bright display on my wrist. 😮