Polar has launched a fully revamped version of its Vantage sports watch, with a new biometric sensor package (Polar Elixir), AMOLED display, and upgraded navigation.
Thanks to Polar Elixir, the new Polar Vantage V3 can monitor factors including heart rate, overnight body temperature, and blood oxygen saturation, and use them to give you deeper insight into your health and the effects of your training. There's also a new wrist-based ECG app to detect potentially abnormal heart rhythms.
For hikers, trail runners and mountain bikers, this is the first Polar Vantage device to support offline maps for navigating without a Bluetooth connection to your phone. It's compatible with major apps like Komoot, so you can easily import routes in GPX format, with turn-by-turn directions.
Maps are bright and detailed thanks to the AMOLED display (another first for the Polar Vantage series) topped with a curved Gorilla Glass lens. Dual-frequency GPS should ensure better accuracy, even in tricky areas under dense tree cover and close to cliffs.
In addition to touchscreen controls, the Vantage V3 also has a set of textured buttons that are easy to operate with wet, cold, or gloved hands. This is a feature we're seeing more and more frequently (as with the Apple Watch Ultra's knurled Digital Crown) and it's always a welcome addition for adventure sports.
The Polar Vantage V3 has a battery life of up to 61 hours with standard GPS and wrist-based heart rate enabled, up to 47 hours with dual-frequency GPS and heart rate, and up to eight days in smartwatch mode with continuous heart rate tracking. There are also various power-saving options that let you extend battery life to up to 150 hours in training mode.
The Polar Vantage V3 is available to pre-order now direct from Polar for $599,90 in three colors: Night Black, Sky Blue, and Sunrise Apricot. It's expected to start shipping on October 25.
- The best GPS watches: our top recommendations to help you train smarter
