Polar Grit X2 Pro (and comparison with Vantage V3)

Author: Silaghi Darius (National Champion long-distance runner of the Margitsziget AC national team)

Thanks to Polar's official Hungarian distributor, Ergóméter Kft., we were able to test one of the Finnish manufacturer's latest models, the latest flagship. Whether it is worthy of this title will be revealed in the article!

External

We received the Grit X2 Pro watch in black. The buttons work very well, and the exterior is designed to provide a large surface area. It is a very solid, chunky watch, reminiscent of military and off-road models from other manufacturers.

The menu system and smartness

The first noticeable change: it's very fast, which makes it more usable than the previous Grit X Pro. I really like the home screen, which can have up to 4 (and more than 8 with the latest update!) widgets, practically these are "direct accesses/shortcuts" - for example, if you add the heart rate monitor widget, tap it and it will take you to the heart rate monitor screen, like on a phone. Previously, this was tricky: you had to go into submenus and scroll down...

During sports

Sports activities work very well, although I think we're used to this at Polar.

The new display

The new display is extraordinary: the black is deep, almost as if the letters and numbers are floating on the display. The colors are beautiful. It does not emit blue light and is very readable even at the lowest brightness, it does not bother the eyes at night. Its touch sensitivity is excellent for a sports watch, like that of a phone. There is no delay, stutter, it responds very quickly to touches.

What has changed compared to previous lessons?

The definition of “new” depends on which previous watch you’re comparing it to. If you logically compare it to the Polar Grit X Pro (2021), you’ll see the significant changes detailed below. However, if you compare it to the Polar Vantage V3, which was released in the fall of 2023, my current watch, there’s exactly zero functional difference. I’ll explain that in detail below as well.

Without further ado, what's new compared to the Polar Grit X Pro?

• Display
  • 1.39” AMOLED display
  • Sapphire glass
  • 15% larger display size
    
• Hardware
  • 129% increase in processor speed (275Mhz processor)
  • Dual-frequency/multiband GNSS/GPS
  • The first Polar watch to meet the 810H military durability standard, whatever that means
  • New GNSS/GPS antenna
  • 32GB storage (mainly for maps)
    
  • USB-C charging
  • Strava Routes sync
  • Battery life increased to nearly 50 hours in GPS mode, up to 140 hours in power saving mode
• Route planning and maps
  • Displaying the route traveled during navigation
  • Vertical speed and VAM (Average Rate of Climb)
  • 3D speed
• Pulse
  • Polar's 4th generation optical heart rate sensor + ELIXIR technology
  • Heart rate monitor ECG function
  • Nighttime skin temperature measurement
    
  • New optical heart rate monitor error correction function (corrects incorrect data in real time)
• Smartwatch features
  • New screens
  • Flashlight

What's new compared to Polar Vantage V3?

In short: just the design of the outer casing of the watch. That's it. Both watches run the same software, have the same optical heart rate sensor, the same GPS chipset and the same battery. In fact, the Polar Vantage V3 received the same software update (v2.0) on the same day that the Polar Grit X2 Pro shipped, so their functions are completely identical. The v3.0 software package was released recently with many innovations, an article about that will be coming soon.

• The Grit X2 Pro has a different exterior design
• The Grit X2 Pro is water resistant to 100m, while the Vantage V3 is only 50m.
  

The antenna design is different between the Vantage and the Grit X, as the housing uses different materials. These days, the GPS antenna is the most important component for accuracy. In recent years, we have seen many examples of two different watches using the same GPS chipset but with different antenna designs. As seen in The Metric Club S002E007 As mentioned, there may be significant differences between two hours.

Summary

The Polar Grit X2 Pro brings significant improvements over the Grit X Pro in almost every aspect, making it an ideal choice for those looking for premium features, a durable design, and excellent sports tracking.

When compared to the Polar Vantage V3, the differences lie more in the use of materials and external design, while their functions are essentially the same.

For those thinking in the Polar ecosystem, the Grit X2 Pro is an innovative, durable and feature-rich sports watch that is guaranteed not to disappoint!

Is it worth switching?

• If you need long-term off-road use, extreme conditions and 100-meter water resistance, the Grit X2 Pro is clearly the right choice.
• If you have a Polar watch older than 2023, it's definitely worth upgrading.
  
• If you have a thicker wrist and want a masculine yet classic-looking watch, look no further.
• If you're looking to switch to the Polar family from another manufacturer, the new Grit X 2 Pro could be the perfect choice.