So there it is on the table in front of us, the smart training companion from Finnish manufacturer POLAR. The following letters are embossed in silver foil on the elegant packaging: "NOW YOU CAN!" You can find out whether we really "could" or not in the following report.

A brief overview

The Polar M600 is not "just" another sports watch in the Finnish company's portfolio, it combines the usual training functions of a fitness watch with the features of a smartwatch, with all the advantages and disadvantages. The underlying operating system is Android Wear. Further highlights: The watch is water-resistant up to ten meters (and not just splash-proof), it has a new sensor for measuring the pulse on the wrist and it has a local memory for storing music.

Unpacking, charging and strapping on

In addition to the watch, the high-quality box also contains the USB charging cable and a short instruction manual, nothing more. So there's nothing to stop you from switching on the watch straight away. Additional accessories such as an H7 heart rate chest strap can be purchased as required. The magnetic head of the charging cable easily finds the correct position on the watch. As soon as the watch is fully charged, we strap the soft silicone strap around our wrist. The watch, which is not exactly light (63 grams), is very comfortable to wear - you can hardly feel it. In addition to the touch display, it is operated using two buttons: one on the side for switching on and off, back and other programs, as well as a button on the front. This opens the door to the world of Polar functions.

Software

Under the "hood" is the open Android Wear operating system. This allows us to expand the watch with third-party or existing Android Wear apps (note: this only applies to Android phones!). In normal operation, it hardly differs from any other Android Wear watch. However, as soon as you press the front button, you land in the familiar Polar environment with "Training", "My day" and "Synchronize". Good to know: Although the watch is equipped with Bluetooth, no power meters or cadence sensors can be paired with it.

Case

New is the optical heart rate sensor, which "feels" our pulse with six LEDs. Comparable models measure with two to three LEDs, but this is not necessarily worse. Another hardware highlight is the internal memory, which allows us to leave our smartphone at home and listen to our favorite music via Bluetooth. This function is not (yet) available to users of Apple devices. Of the four gigabytes of storage capacity, around 2.6 gigabytes can be used for music. Conversely, the watch can also control the music player on the smartphone. A 500 mAh battery serves as the power source. The operating time is said to be two days when used with Android phones and one day with Apple smartphones. However, we cannot confirm this: With the display not always switched on, we also achieved an operating time of up to 40 hours with the iPhone. In sports mode, with GPS and heart rate measurement switched on, the watch lasts another eight hours, regardless of which device is used to access it. The watch looks elegant, although it is built quite high. Taking off jackets with a tight waistband when riding at full speed therefore becomes a test of skill.

Training

Press the front button, select "Training" on the display, select the desired sport mode and tap, done. For outdoor sports, the watch automatically searches for a GPS signal and heart rate. As soon as these are found, this is indicated by a green circle and you are ready to go. The GPS function is automatically disabled for indoor sports. The sports profiles are configured in advance via the Polar Flow website. There you not only select the profiles that are suitable for you, but also basic settings such as heart rate zones, speed parameters, automatic lap options, training plans and much more. To save battery power, it is best to switch off the screen. It then only appears when you raise your arm and tap the display (gesture function). This actually works quite well, but can sometimes be a bit annoying due to the delay in switching on. If the display is always on, the battery naturally drains much faster. The choice of mode therefore also depends somewhat on the duration of training or the battery charge. With a swipe to the left, you can pause the current training session briefly or end it completely. We would be delighted if Polar were to add an auto-stop function to the watch. At the end of the training session, a summary with the most important values is displayed. The training session can be evaluated in detail later on the Polar Flow website or app.

Accuracy of GPS and heart rate on the wrist

When comparing measurements with another GPS watch on the wrist and a GPS device on the handlebars, we were amazed at how accurately the M600 measures. In addition to the GPS signal, the watch also receives signals from Glonass, the Russian equivalent of GPS. The large GPS device on the handlebars measured our trail ride most accurately, and the differences are clearly visible on the map, especially in areas with poor GPS reception. However, the differences are still within tolerable limits. The satellite signals were always found very quickly by the Polar watch. Gone are the days when you spent (what felt like) half of your training time waiting outside waiting for the signals.

When measuring the heart rate on the wrist, the correct position of the watch is essential. In our case, it measured the most accurate values around three centimetres behind the wrist, just behind the wrist bones, and there were hardly any dropouts in the evaluation diagram. We also recommend tightening the watch strap tightly for the duration of the training, it should not squeeze the blood, but the watch should not wobble under any circumstances. For biking or cycling in general, the heart rate belt is certainly a better alternative than wrist-based measurement. For running training - yes, we do that from time to time - you can safely leave the heart rate monitor in the cupboard. The pulse measurement with the LEDs reacts faster than the belt during short intervals and sprints.

Conclusion

With the M600, Polar has shown a lot of courage and ventured into new territory. It is completely convincing in terms of wearing comfort, GPS reception, heart rate measurement and water resistance. Anyone who is already at home in the "Android family" will be very happy with this watch. It mercilessly outshines other Android smartwatches in terms of performance. We can also recommend the watch to Apple users who can do without installing third-party programs and don't want to have every notification displayed on the watch. Trusting that Apple and Android devices will have the same options with the next updates is somewhat naive. This watch is ideal for anyone who enjoys the many possibilities offered by such a watch and also only wants one measuring device for various sports. Those who ignore the lifestyle factor will be better served by the V800 multisport watch or similar products.

www.polar.com