Polar announces their next-generation Vantage V3 sportswatch
The new Polar Vantage V3 is the long-awaited update to their Vantage series line of sportswatches bringing new features like dual-frequency GNSS, an AMOLED display, as well as offline tops maps.
The new Vantage V3 also comes with their new “Polar Elixer” feature which they say combines data from 4 different sensors (HR, SPO2, ECG, Skin Temp) to deliver detailed insights surrounding well-being and recovery.
The Vantage V3 comes with a 1.39” AMOLED touchscreen display with a pixel density of 462 ppi and a maximum brightness of 1050 nits. It’s a clear sign that AMOLED is here to stay when it comes to sports focused watches.
It has a 47mm case with a thickness of 14.5mm with the display protected with Gorilla Glass 3.
Dual-frequency or multi-nand GNSS also makes it’s way to the Vantage V3, designed to deliver higher accuracy while recording outdoor activists in challenging environments such as around heavy tree cover or tall objects such as canyon walls and tall buildings. From my testing, it’s not just about having a dual-frequency satellite chipset that makes a watch more accurate. There’s other factors like antenna design that play a factor. More details to come on the accuracy in my full, in-depth review.
Another feature that brings it more current are offline topo maps. At the moment, these are map images with labels for cities as well as most bodies of water. Points of interest (POIs) may be added in the future but no definitive word on that at the moment. Turn-by-turn navigation is also available via Komoot. It has 32GB of storage for map data but the Vantage V3 does not have music storage or playback capabilities.
They’ve also updated their optical heart rate sensor with a new 4th generation sensor they claim is 25% more accurate. Polar is known for phenomenal accuracy with their ECG-based chest heart rate straps as well as their Verity Sense optical arm-based HR sensors – easily the most accurate external HR sensor that I’ve tested. Their wrist-based optical heart rate sensors I’ve tested don’t seem to translate the accuracy found on their external sensors to the wrist. That’s certainly something that I’ll be covering in the final review.
Battery life is claimed at 50 hours using their highest accuracy dual-frequency mode and rated at up to 8 days for normal use as a smartwatch.
The Vantage V3 helps bring Polar more in line with their competitors and Polar fans should be excited to see this update.
With an asking price of $599, accuracy and feedback will play a factor on how it will compete in the current landscape of sports-focused watches. Stay tuned for my full, in-depth review of the Vantage V3 that’s coming up soon.
