Not Enough People Are Talking About This Garmin Competitor That Wins In Unique Ways

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The Polar Grit X2 is disposable successful Night Black for $800
• The rugged MIL-spec build, vibrant AMOLED display, meticulous location tracking, and precocious training devices make this a awesome watch for outdoor adventures
• Smartphone syncing is simply a manual process, nan smartphone app is somewhat stagnant, and nan watch is expensive.

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Polar has immoderate of nan astir powerful and tin training devices successful its Polar Flow package that is disposable online and successful smartphone apps. Its newest watch, nan Polar Grit X2, provides a robust wearable that captures each of your cardinal wellness and fittingness information to provender into nan Polar Flow ecosystem truthful that you tin measurement your capacity and way trends to thief you execute your goals.

Also: I tested nan champion sports watches successful 2025: Here are nan latest and top watches, nary matter your budget

Whereas Garmin has been expanding into nan smartwatch abstraction pinch features specified arsenic speakers, microphones, costs systems, subscription euphony support, and outer services, Polar (like Coros and Suunto), continues to attraction chiefly connected wellness and wellness. Polar's rugged watches are built to withstand nan rigors of an progressive manner while providing immoderate basal smartwatch functionality, specified arsenic app notifications.

I tried retired nan Polar Grit X2 Pro successful 2024. The Grit X2 provides nan aforesaid experiences, but successful a somewhat smaller and sleeker package, priced $200 less. (The Grit X2 Pro accrued successful value by $250 to $1,000 since my 2024 review.) The $800 value constituent of nan Grit X2 remains alternatively costly for a GPS sports watch pinch constricted smartwatch capabilities. 

Garmin's Venu X1 is usually priced astatine nan aforesaid $800 level arsenic nan Forerunner 970 $50 less, and some of these watches connection overmuch much than Polar does pinch nan Grit X2. Suunto's caller models, nan Vertical 2 and Race 2, are much intimately aligned pinch nan Grit X2 successful position of features, but are priced astatine $600 and $500, respectively.

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The superb 1.28-inch AMOLED show has a sapphire crystal solid worldly and nan watch weighs successful astatine conscionable 2.2 ounces. Given nan smaller size and lighter weight, nan artillery besides has a smaller capacity and provides up to 30 hours successful GPS search mode and astir 7 days successful emblematic smartwatch mode. Charging up a sports watch erstwhile a week is fine, particularly fixed nan AMOLED show that has vibrant colors and a stark achromatic background.

Matthew Miller/ZDNET

The GPS search pinch nan Grit X2 was accurate, and its bosom complaint measurements intimately matched those of different watches successful my testing arsenic well. The maps and routing performed well. If you're looking for a rugged watch for hiking aliases way running, see this model, particularly if you tin find it astatine a little value constituent connected sale. The 5 hardware buttons make it easy to usage successful nan rain, which is nan information I spent astir of my clip successful while testing.

Also: I walked complete 10,000 steps pinch 3 sports watches - this 1 was nan astir meticulous by far

The Grit X2 launches pinch nan Polar OS 4.0 UI; different watches received this update, which includes features specified arsenic Find My Phone, PIN codification information option, updated workout summaries, points of liking connected maps, and more. The Polar Flow smartphone exertion provides entree to nan information collected by nan Grit X2, but it's increasing a spot old and isn't nan astir intuitive app to use. 

I'm besides not a instrumentality of having to property and clasp nan fastener to initiate syncing of nan watch pinch nan Polar Flow app, and I for illustration automatic syncing of nan watch and phone. I would emotion to spot an update to Polar Flow, particularly erstwhile we spot awesome personification experiences specified arsenic Fitbit Premium connected nan Pixel Watch 4 and different AI-based guidance and coaching connected different sports watches.

Matthew Miller/ZDNET

Polar nails slumber tracking, training load measurements, moving metrics, and different precocious fittingness monitoring. You tin afloat customize nan on-screen metrics that look connected nan watch for much than 170 sports and activities, truthful walk nan clip and make nan watch execute arsenic you desire. The Grit X2 is designed to fresh smaller wrists than nan X2 Pro.

ZDNET's buying advice

Polar's caller Grit X2 offers a rugged sports watch successful a smaller and lighter shape facet than nan Grit X2 Pro pinch a attraction connected mapping, navigation, and capacity tracking. The watch performed good successful position of location search and bosom complaint measurements, but nan personification interface and smartphone app look somewhat dated, and nan watch is priced comparatively precocious compared to competitors for illustration Suunto, Coros, and Garmin. 

If you are a instrumentality of Polar's ecosystem, this whitethorn beryllium a watch worthy considering. The Vantage V3 is priced somewhat lower, offers longer artillery life, and provides astir each nan aforesaid functionality.