The Finnish brand Polar makes fitness watches, aimed at the athlete who likes to collect as much data as possible about his activities. Thanks to this data, the Polar Unite with the accompanying app can provide insight into your condition and help you become even fitter and more active.
Polar Unite
price € 149, –
Colors Black, White, Pink, Blue
Screen 1.7 inch TFT
Weight 32 grams
Dimensions 4.3 x 4.3 x 1 cm
Battery 174 mAh
Connectivity Bluetooth
App Android, iOS
Other Waterproof, interchangeable straps
Website www.polar.com/en
6 Score 60 
- Pros
- Accurate measurement
- Clear app
- Negatives
- Very outdated design
- No GPS
- Limited functionality
The Unite is one of Polar’s most accessible sports watches. The watch costs about 150 euros, which means it falls in the price range of the Fitbit Versa 2. The watches are not really comparable, because Fitbit equips the sports watches with some extra functionalities and extras such as a beautiful color screen. The Polar Unite is much more basic: wearing and collecting data. There is not much more.
And there it is actually the elephant in the room, which I want to name early on. A sports watch that collects so much data to help you better is actually a kind of coach on your wrist. But when I see the watch I get less motivated. The rubber bracelet would be unworthy of a ‘Made in China’ stamp and the round screen has a flat tire display (a round screen whose bottom is flat to store the electronics), something that was already the case with last year’s Polar Ignite. couldn’t anymore. In 2020 you really can no longer arrive with such a screen. The image also has thick screen edges where you can almost store your water bottle. As you can see in the photos, the screen quality is also not good. The brightness is low, making the screen difficult to read in sunlight.
Also the interface of the screen and the app, it feels like time has stood still for years. That while the competition is not standing still. Apple, for example, passed years ago with Polar heart rate measurement, while Polar seems to be standing still in that area. Fitbit actually knows how to put all the functionality and more in a nice bracelet with the Fitbit Charge 4. Polar seems to make little effort to seduce or stimulate athletes. Although Polar certainly has a lot to offer in the field of data collection. The Polar Unite therefore knows how to motivate me to get more out of myself as an extensive Excel sheet. Although Excel knows how to affect everyone in a different way, in my case that does not affect me remarkably.
When I see the watch, I become less motivated
Play sports!
The sports watch is like a kind of coach in almost all sports you do, except for contact sports. But that is not due to the watch. Swimming, running, cycling, strength training, the watch is ready. If you want to record your route with GPS, you can. Only the watch uses the GPS of your smartphone for this, which you must also carry with you during the activity. It also pays to wear the watch while exercising, for example for the pedometer and sleep measurement. After all, good rest also helps to recover better and perform better afterwards. The strap may not look good, but it is comfortable during exercise without irritating my skin. Sleeping with the Polar Unite is less comfortable.
You can view the collected data on the watch itself or in the app. In the Polar Flow app you can of course see the long-term data much better. It is also nice that you link other services to Polar, your data is not stuck in the Polar app as is the case with Fitbit.
The watch can last for four days with a charged battery. Charging is done via a somewhat clumsy and breakable plastic bracket that you plug into the USB port of a plug.
Alternatives to Polar Unite
When you choose a Polar fitness watch, you get a lot of data that you can use to see progress or to help you get better exercises and better rest. It is also nice that you can use this data for other sports and health apps. If this is what you are looking for, then you can’t go wrong with the Polar Unite. For the price of 150 euros, the watch is also reasonably accessible. However, I have the feeling that Polar is standing still, where others are making progress. Functional, but especially in terms of design. It is advanced measurement technology in a watch that gives the feeling of being away from the Action. Polar seems to be losing out to direct competitors such as Garmin, Fitbit and the sports and health functions of the Apple Watch or Samsung smartwatches.
Conclusion: Buy Polar Unite?
Data, data, data. Who wants to see exactly what the progress is and how you push yourself to get better during exercise and afterwards. Then the Polar Ignite is a reasonably accessible watch. Still, Polar loses out to the competition, functionally. But especially in terms of design, you have the feeling that you have a watch worth a few tens on your wrist. This makes alternatives from Fitbit and Garmin quickly more interesting.
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