Polar launched its Vantage series back in 2018 receiving mostly positive reviews with the Vantage V offering an industry-first running power from the wrist.

Now Polar is back, with the Grit X, it is not so much a successor to the Vantage but a new high-end watch much the same as the Vantage series but with a bit more of an endurance and rugged edge to it.

Polar Grit X vs Vantage V vs Vantage M

Polar Vantage V Multisport Watch, Black, Medium/Large

£307.99

Buy on Amazon

Cleverly, or annoyingly, Polar have differentiated the models so that the Grit X is not a complete upgrade to Vantage V.

While they have added features compared to the Vantage V, they have omitted Recovery Pro and the Orthostatic Test.

However, it is then an overall upgrade to the lower specced Vantage M.

Added Features

• Hill Splitter: Counts your hill ascents/descents automatically mid-workout and in app afterwards
• FuelWise: Gives nutrition alerts mid-workout for carbs and hydration (separately)
• Energy Sources: Shows breakdown of carbs/fats/protein usage post-workout on watch/app
• Weather: This is a widget of sorts that shows current weather on the watch
• 100-hour GPS tracking mode: This power-saving mode reduces track points to increase activity length (as well as via a new ‘Screensaver’ feature)
• Komoot route integration – essentially turn by turn navigation
• New metal buttons
• New optical HR sensor with coloured LEDs
• Uses standard 22m wrist strap: The Vantage V was custom, but the Vantage M used a 22m standard strap
• Increased waterproofing from 30/50m to 100m
• Compass – a new magnetic compass sensor and a compass display that’s only available during exercise.

Removed Features

• Recovery Pro – Only on the Vantage V
• Orthostatic Test – One both Vantage V and M

What else has changed?

The above covers most of it, but there are some aesthetic changes. This also includes a new weight of 64g whereas the Vantage V is 59g and the Vantage M is 45g.

What about the Garmin Fenix 6?

I can’t really write about a multi-sport watch without mentioning Garmin. Garmin has a lot of watch models so the Fenix 6 isn’t necessarily the only choice, but it is certainly a popular one.

The Garmin Instinct would be the obvious other alternatives, but that is a little different.

The Garmin Fenix 6 is undoubtedly a more feature-rich watch, and an excellent choice if you want something offering more smartwatch feature as you have options for Music and Garmin Pay too.

Apart from the smartwatch features, Garmin has a big advantage with the Ant+ support, giving you a bit more flexibility with accessories, especially indoor trainers.

With the metal bezel and buttons the Polar Grit X is reminiscent of my old Fenix 5S – which is not a bad thing, they both look great.

The Polar Grit X weighs in at 64g, making it around 30% lighter than the Garmin Fenix 6 (83g).

It also has a touch screen as well as its 5 buttons whereas Garmin is just buttons.

Garmin has PacePro which offers dynamic, grade-adjusted pace guidance throughout your activity, based on elevation and your personal pacing preferences. This helps you plan the ideal pacing strategy for your activity — and maximize your performance.

But Polar has Hill Splitter, FuelWise and Energy Sources. It also has weather forecasts, and Running Power is built into the watch, just like the Vantage V.

The Fenix 6 Pro has up to 36 hours GPS, but the new battery saving modes allow you to push that to 72 hours with max battery GPS mode, or expedition GPS is 28 days (it takes a recording every 60 mins). Smartwatch mode is stated at up to 14-days (I get less than 5, including sports tracking).

Polar claim a 40h battery life for training, which I assume is the default GPS mode. It then gets 7-days watch mode plus a claimed 100-hour GPS tracking mode.

The cheapest Fenix 6 is the S model without maps or music for £483.12. If you want the Pro models, it is £529 for the 6S or £549 for the mid-sized 6 Pro.

If you are strictly looking for multi-sport tracking, rather than a do-it-all watch, the Polar Grit X does look very appealing compared to the Fenix range.

Price

Interestingly, Polar has positioned this beneath the Vantage V with an RRP of £379 vs £439 then the Vantage M has an RRP of £249.

In reality, the reason for that is likely due to the reduced prices you can get the Vantage models for.

The Vantage V is available for just £307 on Amazon, which is a great buy. Then the Vantage M is available for £205.

Currently you can only order the Polar Grit X from Polar for £379

That does make your choice a bit difficult, with the Vantage V being £70 cheaper when the Grit X becomes available.

Polar Vantage V Multisport Watch, Black, Medium/Large

£307.99

Buy on Amazon

Polar Vantage M Multisport Watch, Black, Medium/Large

£194.40

Buy on Amazon

Sale

Garmin fēnix 6 Pro, Ultimate Multisport GPS Watch, Features Mapping, Music, Grade-Adjusted Pace Monitoring and Pulse Ox Sensors, Black with Black Band

£549.00

Buy on Amazon

Polar Gritx X vs Vantage V vs Vantage M Specification Comparison Table

	Polar Grit X	Polar Vantage V	Polar Vantage m
Price	£379	£307 (currently)	£194.4 (currently)
Serene breathing exercise	•	•	•
Nightly Recharge recovery measurement	•	•	•
Continuous heart rate	•	•	•
Sleep tracking	Sleep Plus Stages	Sleep Plus Stages	Sleep Plus Stages
24/7 Activity Tracking	•	•	•
Activity Goal	•	•	•
Active Time	•	•	•
Steps and Distance	•	•	•
Activity Summary	•	•	•
Activity Benefit	•	•	•
Inactivity Alert	•	•	•
–TRAINING
FitSpark training guide	•	•	•
Hill Splitter	•
FuelWise smart fuelling assistant	•
Training Load Pro	•	•	•
Cardio load	•	•	•
Muscle load	•	•	via 3rd party sensor
Perceived load	•	•	•
Running Program	•	•	•
Recovery Pro		•
H9/H10 heart rate sensor required		•
Running power from wrist	•	•
via 3rd party sensor	•	•	•
Speed and distance from the wrist	•	•	•
Running cadence from the wrist	•	•	•
Route import	•	•
Wrist-based heart rate measurement	•	•	•
Heart rate	•	•	•
HRmax	•	•	•
Heart Rate zones	•	•	•
Speed/Pace zones	•	•	•
Power zones	•	•	•
ZoneLock	•	•	•
ZonePointer	•	•	•
Strava Live Segments	•	•
Orthostatic Test		•
H9/H10 heart rate sensor required		•
Polar Fitness Test	•	•	•
Polar Fitness Test with wrist-based heart rate	•	•	•
Running Index	•	•	•
Smart Calories	•	•	•
Training Benefit	•	•	•
Back to Start	•	•	•
Distance	•	•	•
Altitude, ascent/descent	•	•	•
Sport profiles	•	•	•
User-adjustable training displays	•	•	•
Multisport training	•	•	•
GLONASS	•	•	•
Galileo	•	•	•
QZSS	•	•	•
GPS	•	•	•
A-GPS	•	•	•
Race pace	•	•	•
Route guidance	•	•
Speed/Pace	•	•	•
Training targets	•	•	•
Training history	•	•	•
Training diary	•	•	•
Interval Timers	•	•	•
Laps, manual	•	•	•
Laps, automatic	•	•	•
Swimming Metrics	•	•	•
Tap gestures	•	•
Autostop/start	•	•	•
Stopwatch	•	•	•
Countdown Timer	•	•	•
Barometer	•	•
–CADENCE SENSOR BLUETOOTH® SMART FEATURES
Cadence	•	•	•
–SPEED SENSOR BLUETOOTH® SMART FEATURES
Speed	•	•	•
Distance	•	•	•
–STRIDE SENSOR BLUETOOTH® SMART FEATURES
Cadence	•	•	•
Distance	•	•	•
Average stride length	•	•	•
Speed/Pace	•	•	•
–DEVICE
Setup via mobile	•	•	•
Battery life
Training time	40h	40h	30h
Measurement
Weight	64g	66g	45g
Display	•	•	•
Colour display	•	•	•
Colour touch display	•	•
Resolution	240X240	240X240	240X240
Water resistance	WR100	WR50	WR30
Rechargeable battery	•	•	•
USB cable	Custom	Custom	Custom
Bluetooth Smart	•	•	•
Phone Notifications	•	•	•
Audio alerts	•	•
Vibration alerts	•	•	•
Alarm	•	•	•
Button lock	•	•	•
Backlight	•	•	•
Date and weekday indicator	•	•	•
Time of day (12/24h)	•	•	•
Bike settings for three bicycles	•	•	•
Firmware update	•	•	•
–FLOW
Season planner	•	•	•
Running Index analysis	•	•	•
Diary	•	•	•
Map view	•	•	•
Relive	•	•	•
Explore	•	•	•
Social feed	•	•	•
Instant activity and training analysis	•	•	•
Advanced activity and training analysis	•	•	•
Training planning	•	•	•
Sport profile settings	•	•	•
Progress follow-up	•	•	•
–POLAR CLUB
HR broadcasting	•	•	•