Polar GPS Running Watch Review: A Runner’s Deep Dive into Performance and Value

I remember the exact moment I lost faith in my all-singing, all-dancing smartwatch. I was 15 kilometres into a long Sunday run, feeling strong, and pushing for a personal best. I glanced down at my wrist for a pace check, only to be greeted by a blank, black screen. The battery had died, again. In that moment, all my data—pace, heart rate, distance, the very proof of my effort—vanished. The frustration was immense. It’s a common story for many athletes who get lured in by fancy touchscreens and app notifications, only to find their device is a jack-of-all-trades but a master of none, especially when it comes to the endurance required for dedicated training. The search for a true running companion, one that prioritizes accuracy, battery life, and essential metrics above all else, is what leads many of us to a specialized device like the Polar GPS Running Watch.

What to Consider Before Buying a GPS Running Watch

A GPS running watch is more than just an item; it’s a key solution for any athlete looking to move from guesswork to data-driven training. It solves the fundamental problems of inaccurate distance tracking (like that from a phone in your pocket), inconsistent heart rate monitoring, and, most critically, poor battery life that can’t keep up with your goals. The main benefits are empowerment and insight. With reliable data on your pace, distance, heart rate zones, and recovery, you can train smarter, avoid overtraining, and watch your performance improve in a measurable way. It transforms your daily run into a productive training session.

The ideal customer for this type of product is someone who is serious about improving their running, cycling, or swimming performance. This could be a beginner aiming for their first 5k or a seasoned marathoner looking to fine-tune their training load. They value function over frills and data over distractions. Conversely, this might not be the right choice for someone who primarily wants a wrist-based extension of their smartphone—for answering texts, making payments, and using a wide variety of apps. For those users, a full-featured smartwatch from Apple or Samsung might be more suitable. If you just want to count your daily steps, a simpler fitness band would also suffice.

Before investing, consider these crucial points in detail:

• Dimensions & Weight: When you’re running for hours, every gram matters. A heavy, bulky watch can become a genuine annoyance. Look for a lightweight design, like the 40g profile of the Polar GPS Running Watch, that feels almost unnoticeable on the wrist. The comfort of the strap and the overall ergonomics are critical for long-term wear, both during workouts and for 24/7 sleep and recovery tracking.
• Performance & Battery Life: This is arguably the most important factor. Check the manufacturer’s stated battery life specifically for full GPS and heart rate tracking mode. Anything over 20 hours is solid; the 35 hours offered here is exceptional and means you can get through a full week of heavy training without range anxiety. A fast processor also ensures a smooth, lag-free experience when navigating menus or starting a workout.
• Materials & Durability: Your watch will be exposed to sweat, rain, and the occasional knock. Look for durable materials like a reinforced polymer case and a comfortable, sweat-resistant silicone strap. The interface is also key; while touchscreens are common, many athletes prefer the reliability of physical buttons, which work flawlessly with sweaty fingers or gloves.
• Ease of Use & Software Ecosystem: A great watch is useless without intuitive software. Consider how easy it is to start a workout, view your data on the fly, and navigate menus. More importantly, evaluate the companion app (like Polar Flow). It should present your data—from sleep quality to cardio load—in a clear, actionable way that helps you understand your body and make better training decisions.

While the Polar GPS Running Watch is an excellent choice, it’s always wise to see how it stacks up against the competition. For a broader look at all the top models, we highly recommend checking out our complete, in-depth guide:

First Impressions: A Featherlight Tool Built for Purpose

Unboxing the Polar GPS Running Watch is a refreshingly simple affair. The packaging is minimal and straightforward, containing the watch itself, a proprietary USB charging cable, and an extra strap piece to accommodate different wrist sizes. My first reaction upon picking it up was, “Wow, this is light.” At a mere 40 grams, it’s significantly lighter than most smartwatches I’ve tested, which are often weighed down by heavy steel cases and complex internals. It feels less like a piece of tech and more like a piece of athletic equipment.

The design is clean and functional. The case is a durable polymer, and the five “super grip” buttons that surround the screen are tactile and responsive, providing a satisfying click. This is a deliberate choice by Polar, favouring the reliability of physical controls over a potentially fussy touchscreen, a decision any runner who’s tried to operate a screen in the rain will appreciate. The MIP (Memory-in-Pixel) colour display is another key feature that stands out immediately. It’s not as vibrant as an OLED screen, but its purpose is clarity in all conditions, especially direct sunlight, where it truly excels. Setting it up via the Polar Flow app was seamless, taking just a few minutes to pair with my phone and sync my personal data. It was immediately clear that this watch was built from the ground up for one thing: serious performance tracking.

Deep Dive: A Week of Testing the Polar GPS Running Watch

A spec sheet can only tell you so much. To truly understand a running watch, you have to live with it—run with it, sweat with it, and even sleep with it. We put the Polar GPS Running Watch through its paces for over a week, incorporating everything from short interval sessions to long, slow weekend runs, and here’s our in-depth breakdown of how it performed.

Unwavering Stamina: The Battery That Simply Won’t Quit

Let’s start with the feature that impressed us the most: the battery life. Polar claims up to 35 hours of training time with full GPS and heart rate tracking, a number that sounds almost too good to be true in a market where many watches barely last a day. I’m thrilled to report that this claim is not an exaggeration. Over an eight-day testing period, I logged five runs totalling about 4.5 hours with full GPS, wore the watch 24/7 for sleep and activity tracking, and received a moderate amount of phone notifications. At the end of that period, I still had over 20% battery remaining. This is a complete game-changer. It removes the daily anxiety of charging and means you can confidently head out for an impromptu long run or even a weekend hiking trip without packing the charger. As one long-time Polar user confirmed, the fact it doesn’t need to be charged “that often is fantastic! It is about once a week.” This endurance is the foundation upon which all its other great features are built. The enhanced processor is also noticeable in daily use; navigating through menus and starting activities is snappy and responsive, with none of the lag that can plague less-optimized devices. For any athlete who has ever had a watch die on them, this level of reliability is the ultimate feature.

The Runner’s Essential Toolkit: GPS and Heart Rate Accuracy

A running watch lives and dies by the quality of its core data. We found the GPS performance of the Polar GPS Running Watch to be top-tier. Thanks to its new integrated antenna design, it achieved a satellite lock remarkably quickly, usually in under 15-20 seconds, even in a moderately dense urban environment. On open roads and trails, the distance tracking was spot-on when compared against a known course and another trusted GPS device, with clean, accurate lines on the post-run map in the Polar Flow app. This reliability gives you the confidence to trust your pace and distance data completely, whether you’re hitting splits on the track or exploring a new trail.

The optical heart rate monitoring is where the conversation becomes more nuanced. For most of our testing, particularly during steady-state runs and daily wear, the heart rate data was accurate and consistent, aligning closely with our own perceived effort and data from other devices. It’s a fantastic tool for training in heart rate zones. However, we must acknowledge the feedback from a minority of users who have experienced erratic readings. One user reported their resting heart rate dropping to unbelievably low numbers, making them doubt the data. Another noted that after a few months, the sensor stopped working entirely. In our experience, these issues can sometimes arise from watch placement or fit, but it’s a critical point to be aware of. While our unit performed well, potential buyers should know that optical HR technology can occasionally be inconsistent, especially during high-intensity interval training where rapid changes in heart rate occur. Despite this, the data it does collect feeds into Polar’s excellent Training Load Pro and Nightly Recharge features, which provide genuinely useful insights into your strain and recovery. It’s a powerful ecosystem, provided you get a unit with a consistent sensor, and you can see its full feature set and user reviews online.

Designed for the Elements: Function Over Frills

In a world of dazzling AMOLED displays, Polar’s choice of a Memory-in-Pixel (MIP) screen is a deliberate and brilliant move for a dedicated sports watch. While it won’t win any beauty contests against a lifestyle smartwatch, its practical benefit is enormous. We found it perfectly readable in every lighting condition, from a dimly lit room to the harshest midday sun, where it actually becomes clearer. As one reviewer aptly noted, you can “see the time all the time” without a backlight, which then activates with a flick of the wrist for brighter viewing. This is a massive advantage over screens that are either off or too dim to read without an exaggerated gesture.

The physical buttons are another triumph of function. They are firm, grippy, and easy to locate and press without looking, even with sweaty hands. Starting, pausing, or marking a lap is instantaneous and certain, which is exactly what you need in the middle of a hard effort. This practical design philosophy extends to the watch’s featherlight 40g weight. It’s so comfortable that it’s easy to forget you’re wearing it, which is the highest compliment you can pay a running watch. It’s a tool that gets out of your way and just lets you run. While the overall build feels solid, we did note several user reviews mentioning a significant quality control issue: the small protective cover over the optical heart rate sensor detaching. One user reported it came off after just a month of careful use, suggesting a potential weakness in the adhesive used. This is a disappointing flaw on an otherwise well-constructed device and something prospective buyers should be aware of when considering their purchase.

What Other Users Are Saying

Across the board, the sentiment for the Polar GPS Running Watch is largely positive, especially from users who identify as dedicated runners or athletes. Many, like one happy customer who called it their fourth Polar watch, praise its back-to-basics approach. The most frequently lauded features are the “fantastic” battery life, often lasting a week or more with regular training, and the always-on MIP display that is perfectly visible in daylight. Another user highlighted its versatility, using it to track HIIT, indoor cycling, and swimming with ease via the comprehensive Polar Flow app.

However, the feedback isn’t universally glowing, and two key criticisms emerge. The most significant is a potential build quality issue. Several users from different regions reported that the thin protective lens covering the heart rate sensor on the back of the watch fell off, sometimes within weeks of purchase. One described it as being “only aufgeklebt” (just glued on) and feeling cheap. The second point of contention, though less common, is the accuracy of the heart rate monitor itself. A user provided a detailed account, complete with video, showing erratic and unnaturally low heart rate readings during workouts, which made them question the reliability of all the health data. These reports highlight a potential gap in quality control that could turn a great experience into a frustrating one.

How Does the Polar GPS Running Watch Compare to the Alternatives?

The market for GPS units is vast, with devices tailored for every possible activity. While the Polar GPS Running Watch carves out a specific niche, it’s helpful to see how it stacks up against other popular options, even those designed for different purposes.

1. Garmin fēnix 7S Smartwatch Multisport

The Garmin fēnix 7S represents the premium, do-it-all end of the spectrum. It’s a multisport powerhouse packed with features the Polar lacks, such as a full-colour touchscreen, onboard maps for navigation, music storage, and Garmin Pay. It’s built with more premium materials like stainless steel and is designed for serious adventurers who need advanced metrics for everything from trail running to skiing. However, this comes at a significantly higher price and with a shorter battery life in full GPS mode. An athlete should choose the fēnix 7S if they are a multisport enthusiast with a large budget who wants a single device for extreme adventures and daily smartwatch use. The Polar GPS Running Watch is the better choice for the focused runner who prioritizes core metrics, simplicity, and superior battery life over everything else.

2. Garmin eTrex 32x Outdoor GPS Handheld

Comparing the Polar watch to the Garmin eTrex 32x is like comparing a race car to a tractor; they are both forms of transport but designed for wildly different tasks. The eTrex 32x is a rugged, handheld GPS unit built for hiking, geocaching, and serious backcountry navigation. Its strengths are its durability, long battery life on AA batteries, and preloaded TopoActive maps. It is not a wearable and does not track any biometric data like heart rate or sleep. A user would choose the eTrex 32x for multi-day treks where detailed mapping and robust navigation are paramount. The Polar GPS Running Watch, on the other hand, is the clear choice for anyone tracking personal fitness and performance in activities like running, cycling, and swimming, where biometric data and a wearable form factor are essential.

3. Garmin Approach S10 GPS Golf Watch

The Garmin Approach S10 highlights the trend of hyper-specialized sports technology. Like the Polar, it is a streamlined, purpose-built watch, but its purpose is golf. It comes preloaded with over 41,000 golf courses worldwide and provides players with precise yardages to the front, back, and middle of the green, as well as information on hazards and doglegs. It tracks your score but offers very little in the way of running or general fitness features. A golfer would choose the Approach S10 without hesitation for its specialized, on-course utility. For anyone whose primary sport involves running, cycling, or swimming, the Polar GPS Running Watch is infinitely more capable and provides the rich training data needed to improve performance in those disciplines.

Final Verdict: Is the Polar GPS Running Watch Worth It?

After extensive testing, our conclusion is a clear and confident yes, with a small caveat. The Polar GPS Running Watch is an exceptional tool for the dedicated runner. It purposefully sheds the distracting, battery-draining features of a typical smartwatch to double down on what truly matters: a phenomenal, week-long battery life, a brilliantly clear and always-on screen, and a lightweight design that you’ll barely notice on your wrist. The Polar Flow app provides a wealth of actionable data that can genuinely help you train smarter and recover better. It is, without a doubt, one of the best-value pure running watches on the market today.

The only hesitation comes from the user-reported quality control concerns, specifically regarding the heart rate sensor’s cover and occasional data inconsistencies. While our test unit performed admirably, this is a factor to be aware of. We recommend this watch to any new or intermediate runner looking for their first serious training tool, or to any experienced athlete who craves a return to simplicity and reliability. If you value function over frills and endurance over everything, this watch was made for you. To see if it’s the right fit for your training, you can check the latest price and availability right here.