Polar Vs Garmin Smartwatches – Comparing 20 Exclusive Qualities 

Have you ever wondered which company’s smartwatch is suitable for you? There are many fitness watches around us. Selecting the best from them is quite severe. 

In terms of fitness featuring smartwatches, Polar and Garmin are the most popular ones right now. People always get curious about the Polar vs Garmin rivalry. 

Here we are going to hold a candle on this topic in an attempt to resolve your conflict. Most of the watches have some standard functions. But we will focus on the 20 unique features each product having ten elements.

Polar Vs Garmin: Which One Do You Prefer?

In today’s world, Polar and Garmin are two of the leading smartwatch producing companies. Polar was founded in Finland In 1977, whereas Garmin emerged in the USA,1989.

Polar manufactures its watches in Finland.  On the other hand, Garmin produces its watches from Taiwan.

Both of them have some external differences in terms of weight/case materials/ Screen.

Polar

Garmin

Weight
Lighter Heavier
Display
Touch Screen Sunlight visibility
Screen
Has reflective glare error Has a transflective color display
Case Material
Stainless Steel   Fiber-reinforced polymer and metal rear cover
Battery Life
 Up to 40 h (7 days in watch mode) Up to 36 h (14 days in watch mode)
Popular Picks
  1. Polar IgniteMost Popular
  2. Polar VantageOverall Best

  1. Garmin VivoactiveBudget Picks

  2. Garmin VenuMost Popular

10 Unique Qualities of Polar Including Pros & Cons

Polar is more of a fitness watch with smart features. It is one of the most popular wearable techs.  You must be surprised to know some of its rare aspects.

1. Unique Activities

Polar is vastly known for its support to unusual physical activities like CrossFit, circuit training. It is a perfect match for CrossFit exercise. As the Polar watches use daily goals rather than only just counting steps like Garmin.

It also enables you to do running, cycling, swimming and walking. You can go hiking, climbing, kayaking, and skiing also.

2. LED Sensor

Polar uses nine LED sensor lights using four different colors. That is three times more than the other watches. These lights go into the varying depth of your skin level to sensor your heart rate. 

3. Optical Sensor

Polar uses optical sensors in its smartwatches.

4. Training Load

Polar introduces the Training load and Recovery features. The training load observes your training, maintenance, and strain bearing capabilities.

5. Recovery features

The recovery feature calculates your training time by dividing it into three categories (Cardio, Muscular, and perceived effort) and generates your recovery time.

6. Audible Alarm

One of the unique features of the Polar watch is, it uses this alarm. 

7. Accurate Power Number

The Polar watches give exact running power numbers. But they don’t use any third-party applications like accelerometers or barometric Altimeter.

8. Voice Feedback

One of the exclusive features of Polar is the voice feedback.

9. Windows and Mac Compatibility

The polar is compatible with both Windows and Mac. 

10. App Creation

The Polar watch users can create their applications for CrossFit and strength training.

Pros:

  • The Polar doesn’t only count steps. Tha’s why you can count calory burn accurately while doing CrossFit.
  • It is slightly cheaper than the Garmin.
  • It doesn’t need any extra sensors to measure running pace.
  • It has water and sweat resistant properties.
  • It uses three-levels of activity goals.

Cons:

  • Polar watches don’t have music storage in them.

Discover Top Polar Watches On Amazon

10 Unique Traits of Garmin Including Pros & Cons


The main focus of Garmin is producing a sincere fitness watch. Only superior quality is maintained here.

1. Screen

Garmin uses all color display that is also visible under sunlight.  Their layout is transflective. It can be customized as well. Whereas Polar uses only six fixed screens.

2. Call Controls

Garmin watches allow phone call controls. Also, you can receive text, calendar reminders, weather alerts, and emails.

3. Payment Method

You can pay for products from your Garmin Watch using Garmin pay. It is NFC capable.

4. Silent Alarm

Garmin uses a silent alarm. It is instrumental if you have a kid or patient around, and you don’t want to wake them up.

5. Music Player

Garmin has a deal with Spotify, Deezer, and i-Heart radio. You can also store up to 500 songs on the watch. And play music while working out.

6. Has Barometer

Garmin uses a barometer. It tells you if there is any change in the pressure of the air. And thus, it predicts weather changes.

7. Multi-sport Mode

You can enable multi-sport mode here. It helps the watch to adapt to a different activity quickly during a triathlon.

8. Trackback Mode

It has a feature named Trackback mode. It helps the user to track his path and go back to the place where he started.

9. Can Upload Maps

Garmin watches can upload maps and search for routes. It also has an App for Golf course maps. There is a compass, as well.

10. IQ Store

Garmin uses the IQ store. Thus the watch can stream music and handle loads of apps & widgets.

Also, there are some similar functions between them.

Pros:

  • You can switch on the Silent mode on the Alarm of Garmin watch.
  • It has a wireless auto synchronizing ability with IOS and Androids.
  • You can purchase products through Garmin Pay.
  • Through the Garmin coach, you can contact professional trainers.
  • It can upload new maps as well.

Cons:

  • The UltraTrack mode makes some sacrifices in terms of GPS accuracy.

Discover Top Garmin Watches On Amazon

Final Words

The Polar vs Garmin smartwatches conflict is ages old.  Here we tried to show you some interesting angles to it.  

In terms of comfort, the Polar is comparatively smaller and lighter. It is more useful during intense workouts than Garmin. On the other hand, the Garmin is more effective in a foreign environment as it uses a Barometer to predict weather and the Trackback Mode to trace yourself back.

We expect this article will be helpful to resolve your dilemma.

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