Latest news with #GritX2Pro
Forbes
2 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Polar Grit X2: Cheaper Than Garmin, Classier Than Coros?
Polar Grit X2 Polar Polar has expanded its watch line-up with the Polar Grit X2, which fills out the company's line-up and provides a reasonably affordable option for fitness watch shoppers. The Polar Grit X2 now sits below the Grit X2 Pro, which was announced in March 2024. This new watch's screen is smaller, water resistance isn't as strong (5ATM) and battery life is shorter. But a huge drop in cost, from 749 Euro to 479 Euro, arguably more than makes up for it. U.S. pricing is yet to be confirmed. While the Polar Grit X2 has launched in the UK and Europe the "US launch [is] Pricing elsewhere places the Polar Grit X2 in the ballpark of the Garmin Forerunner 265, while it provides higher-end build and some additional features. For example, the Grit X2 has a highly scratch resistant Sapphire crystal screen covering, and a stainless steel watch surround. The Polar Grit X2 also provides offline maps, a feature not available in Garmin's range until you reach the higher level of something like the Forerunner 970. And the watch has a healthy 32GB on-board storage for mapping info. Other key features include an AMOLED display, measuring 1.28 inches across, dual-band GPS and support for more advanced readings like ECG heart monitoring and skin temperature. Polar rates its stamina at around seven days of use, down from 10 days in the larger Polar Grit X2 Pro. While on paper it's tempting to pit the Polar Grit X2 solely against Garmin rivals, as it clearly has a few more aggressive, impressive elements, it's rivals like Coros that are perhaps more pertinent. At this price you could pick up a Coros Pace Pro, which has a similar AMOLED screen and (mostly) comparable core features, but does not have the Polar Grit 2's high-end glass and bezel material. Polar's Grit X2 is a compelling proposition, and certainly more so than last year's Grit X2 Pro, which many concluded was just a little too pricey to stand out in a positive way. As per testing from DC Rainmaker, though, the Polar Grit X2 may not get you quite as good heart rate tracking accuracy as a Garmin Forerunner 570, which is consistent with my own previous experience with Polar watches. I'll be keeping an eye out for news of a U.S. release of the Polar Grit X2, which has — as seen among many tech manufacturers — been derailed by market instability. 'We have made the decision to postpone the US launch because of the current macroeconomic situation, causing uncertainty,' reads Polar's statement. "This includes rising prices, higher interest rates, and new international trade tariffs, all of which are creating uncertainty currently for many companies. For us specifically, this means for instance reassessing the timing of product launches to better align with the evolving market conditions.' It's not yet clear when enough stability will return to let companies such as Polar more safely launch products like the Polar Grit X2.
Tom's Guide
3 days ago
- Business
- Tom's Guide
Polar launches the Grit X2 sports watch — an affordable Garmin Fenix rival that's built for adventure
Polar has launched the Grit X2 sports watch, which is a smaller and more affordable alternative to the Polar Grit X2 Pro. According to Polar the Grit X2 will address a gap in the market, in that almost all of the best sports watches designed for adventurous activities are very large and bulky. The Grit X2 will work better for those with smaller wrists, and the fact it packs impressive features like offline maps into its smaller design means it could be an interesting rival to top models like the Garmin Fenix 8, despite costing half as much. The Polar Grit X2 will be available in the U.K. and Europe on 4 June 2025 and it costs £399 / €479.90. A U.S. launched is planned for later in the year, but the date and price have not been confirmed yet. It will be available in two colors at launch — night black and brown copper — and comes with a silicone band, which can be swapped out for any standard 22mm watch strap. The Grit X2 is significantly cheaper than the Grit X2 Pro, which is $749 / £649, and costs less than half as much as the Garmin Fenix 8, which starts at $999 / £879. The Polar Grit X2 has a durable design with a steel bezel that's built to meet the latest military 810H standard, so it can withstand extreme temperatures and shocks, and is waterproof (WR50). Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. It has a 1.28in AMOLED display protected by sapphire crystal, and the Grit X2 comes preloaded with color topographic maps that you can use offline. Although the battery life is shorter than on larger models like the Grit X2 Pro, the Grit X2 can track 90 hours of activity in Eco mode, which is ideal for hiking, or 30 hours in performance mode, which offers the best accuracy for runs and bike rides. It will also last up to a week in smartwatch mode, though in my testing of other Polar AMOLED watches like the Polar Vantage M3 and Grit X2 Pro I find they usually fall a little short of Polar's estimates. It's certainly true to say that most adventure watches opt for chunky designs, so a rugged adventure watch that can fit slimmer wrists is a good idea. Garmin has smaller models of the Fenix 8 and Garmin Instinct 3 watches, but the Grit X2 might be a good affordable alternative for those who want a smaller device. 'Outdoor sports are thriving like never before – and it's women who are leading that growth," says Sander Werring, CEO of Polar Electro. "Yet the market still lacks well-designed outdoor watches that truly cater to those seeking a more compact fit. Too often, designs are bulky or lack essential features." The Grit X2 aims to address that gap by putting top-of-the-range features like maps into a smaller device that 12mm thick and weighs 62g, and it also runs the same software as the Grit X2 Pro, so it should get the same access to updates in the future. It all looks promising on paper, but we'll be putting the Polar Grit X2 to the test soon for our full review to see if it lives up to that promise.
