Sports watch: Polar introduces lightweight and affordable Unite

The Finnish sports watch manufacturer Polar has been gradually releasing its completely renewed models for around a year. Now the portfolio is rounded down: The newly announced Unite looks similar to the Grit X, which specializes in outdoor, but there are big differences in the interior. The most important: There is no GPS module installed on the Unite.

If you still want to record the position data when running or hiking, you must have a mobile phone connected via Bluetooth LE with you. In this configuration, the Polar Unite should at least be able to record activities with a duration of 50 hours – but without a power bank, no regular smartphone can do this.

According to the manufacturer, the wearable should last around four days in a row in everyday life, i.e. when recording steps and heart rate. The Unite can analyze sleep and estimate the VO2max and calorie consumption, and you can also view notifications from your smartphone.

Artwork of the Polar Unite (Image: Polar)

20 sports profiles for recording running units, bike tours and hikes are stored directly on the watch. More can be found on the Polar Flow portal. In addition, an app called Fitspark is installed on the wearable, which creates simple training plans tailored to the wearer from endurance sports and pull-ups or box jumps.

The Polar Unite has a color touch display with a resolution of 240 x 204 pixels. This is not always-on, but is activated by gestures. When training, you should be able to leave it on permanently. The housing has a diameter of around 43 millimeters and a height of around 10 millimeters. The weight is a very low 32 grams.

The sports watch is now available in several color versions for around 150 euros. According to Polar, the Unite is waterproof to a depth of 30 m (ISO 22810) and is therefore also suitable for swimming. Polar external heart rate sensors can be paired via Bluetooth, but other accessories cannot.

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