Polar Vantage M3 Review: Form Without Substance ?

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Sports watches share one thing in common: they get to the point. The idea is not to make a beautiful product, but rather something resistant, durable, capable of training on foot, in the mountains, on a bike, or in the water.

With ever more numerous and more precise sensors, aesthetics often take second place (or even third). So when Polar presented its Vantage M3 this fall, it was a very pleasant surprise. The watch is beautiful to look at. Once on the wrist, we appreciate this sparkling case, much less austere than the plastic frames we are used to.

This sophisticated design is further enhanced by a superb AMOLED display protected by a Gorilla Glass panel. The screen is very bright, even in direct sunlight. The display is clear and the resolution of 416 × 416 pixels makes it easy to read, even for notifications.

A lot (too many) buttons

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The work on aesthetics has been pushed to its paroxysm. Polar has even made sure that the buttons, present in the number of 5 around the watch, are embedded in the case. They are very physical (and work with gloves), but the pusher does not come out of the case. It is more elegant but less practical.

Polar actually offers to do everything with these buttons. Faced with the mountain of possibilities (each button has an associated functionality for a short press and a long press) we tend to get lost.

If over time reflexes begin to emerge, the lack of standardization between brands does not help. The benchmarks that you might have with another connected watch are no longer the same at all. The role assigned to these buttons does not seem very well thought out to us either.

Poorly thought out buttons

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For example, if you use your watch to control a physical activity (after all, it was built for that), you can start your session with the central right button. To pause it, you will have to press the button at the bottom left of the watch. A small mental mechanic, but nothing insurmountable.

It is to resume training that things get complicated. Indeed, the button at the bottom left (which has just paused) does not allow you to restart the activity, you have to click on the central right button. In the middle of physical effort, this lack of logic is really disturbing.

A complex interface

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The problems don’t stop there. Because once your physical activity is finished, you can view it in detail on Polar Flow, the watch’s companion app. While the aesthetics of the watch are to be commended, that of this app is… questionable.

The Polar Flow app, which provides access to watch data © Presse-citron

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Since tastes and colors belong to each person, let's focus on the substance, that is to say the functionalities of this application. In this case, Polar has thought of everything. In particular, we have access to very interesting data on sleep monitoring, with a “Nightly Recharge” score which measures our ANS (autonomic nervous system).

All this information allows you to monitor your health on a daily basis. In addition, it is easily accessible on the application menu and arranged in chronological order.

Questionable reliability

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Once we've gone through the application, let's go back to the screen of our Polar Vantage M3 which gives us a lot of information.The watch can calculate our heart rate, but also our body temperature or measure our activity.

However, we noticed a few “air holes” during our test. The heart rate sensor seems to display some inconsistencies (95 bpm when falling asleep instead of 55 or 60 normally). These failures are rare.

As for the rest of the sensors, the data was more than correct. The GPS is very precise, as is the sleep tracking. During our sports activities, we really liked the feedback provided by Polar, particularly on the consumption of carbohydrates, fats and lipids. This information is rarely given by watches, so Polar scores a point against the competition. Only the calculation of the step rate was completely wrong on one of our outings, announcing 90 steps per minute against 170 to 180 in reality.

Autonomy and recharge

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Finally, let us highlight the excellent autonomy of this Polar Vantage M3 which we could describe as inexhaustible. The watch is capable of operating for the 7 days announced by Polar.

As a bonus, the 310 mAh battery can be recharged quickly. For our part, it took us a little more hours of charging to get a battery back to 100% and be ready for a new week of sport.

Only concern, shared with all smartwatches sports, we have to use a proprietary port. So we must not lose the cable.

Our opinion on the Polar Vantage M3

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Ultimately, this Polar Vantage M3 doesn't do too badly. While the watch is clearly not easy to get to grips with (especially if you've never I have polar products), it works very well and its look is a real plus. , it is the direct competitor of the Coros Pace Pro, at the same price.

Aesthetically the two watches have nothing in common, and with 2 buttons Coros is banking on the simplicity and efficiency. Polar offers a product at the crossroads of two worlds, both designed for beginner athletes and at the same time comprehensive enough to support all athletes, even the most successful.

If you already have a Polar watch and want to change for the holidays, the Polar Vantage M3 will fit you like a glove. If, on the other hand, you have never entered this ecosystem, take the time to read the user manual to understand Polar's philosophy with this watch and the functions of the different buttons. Once tamed, the Polar Vantage M3 is an excellent connected watch, for less than 400 euros.

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