Overdue for a refresh — no successor announced yet. Prices should be at their lowest
Best for: Trail runners, hikers, and outdoor athletes who want Polar's analytics with significantly longer battery life than the Vantage V3. The titanium case and sapphire glass make it suitable for technical terrain where watch durability matters.
Full details →Overdue for a refresh — no successor announced yet. Prices should be at their lowest
Best for: Users who want Garmin's best health analytics and sports tracking on a stylish AMOLED watch that doesn't look like a hiking GPS. Works equally well for Android and iPhone. The best Garmin option for someone who prioritises everyday wellness over extreme outdoor sports.
Full details →| Polar Grit X | Garmin Venu | |
|---|---|---|
| Tier | Sports GPS | Smartwatch |
| Platform | iOS & Android | iOS & Android |
| Battery | 40 days | 14 days |
| Always-on display | ❌ | ✅ |
| GPS | ✅ | ✅ |
| Cellular | ❌ | ❌ |
| Health sensors | hr, spo2, hrv, running power | hr, spo2, hrv, stress, body battery, nap detection |
| Released | Mar 14, 2023 | Sep 7, 2023 |
| Cycle length | 873 days | 868 days |
| Cycle advice | bad | bad |
| Deals advice | good | good |
| Next model | — | — |
Five times the battery of the Vantage V3 — enough for week-long mountain stages or ultramarathons without charging access.
Automatically segments your run by uphill and downhill sections, calculating pace and power for each — essential for mountain race training.
Running power without a chest strap or foot pod — Polar's key differentiator versus Garmin at this price tier.
Garmin's signature energy monitoring tracks stress, sleep, and heart rate variability to give you a daily 0–100 energy score — more nuanced than raw step counts.
The Venu 3 automatically detects when you nap during the day and logs it accurately in your sleep data — a unique wellness feature among smartwatches.
Most AMOLED smartwatches last 1–2 days. Garmin's efficient software architecture stretches the Venu 3 to 14 days — a huge practical advantage.