While we’re used to seeing Polar’s chest-mounted heart-rate monitors and triathlon-ready wearables at the higher end of the market, seldom do we see a Polar watch with a price as low as this. The Unite is a decidedly unobtrusive-looking tracker (weighing in at 32 grams) that focuses on distilling Polar’s established technologies into a single product that doesn’t break the bank. In the company’s own words, it’s designed to offer “everything that they [users] need, but nothing that they don’t.” As such, you won’t find integrated GPS here – that’s arguably the Unite’s most notable omission compared to the likes of the Polar Ignite and the company’s other more capable watches (connected GPS via a smartphone is still supported), but many of the same software features remain.
FitSpark is on-hand to coach you through a variety of personalised workouts that take into account factors like sleep, current fitness level and training history. Speaking of sleep, many of Polar’s watches take monitor something called autonomic nervous system (ANS) recovery – the rate at which your nervous system recovers when you sleep. The Unite can then use this data to dish out tips to improve the quality of your sleep and, by association, how well your body recovers after working out. The Unite’s heart rate monitor can track factors like how much strain your training may be putting on your cardiovascular system, as well as more common metrics like calories burned. As for the hardware, the Unite features a circular colour touchscreen that supports customisable watch faces, while its interchangeable straps can be had in a myriad of materials, including silicone, leather and woven PET. Battery-wise, Polar promises up to four days longevity when used with continuous heart rate tracking enabled and up to 50 hours when using training mode with connected GPS. With a feature-set that looks to replace the likes of 2017’s Polar A370 and a design that’s more in-keeping with the rest of the company’s current wrist-worn lineup – thanks to a more watch-like design – the Polar Unite seems ideal for those who are already fans of the brand and its technologies or are enticed by the watch’s holistic approach to maintaining a fitness regime.
How much is the Polar Unite?
The Unite is on sale now, direct from Polar’s online store (although it’ll be on sale from other retailers starting 1 July). It comes in black, white, pink or blue and costs £134.50/US$149.95/€149.90. Additional straps in additional colours cost £20.50 apiece. Read next: Best fitness tracker 2020
