The pandemic caused a boom in running, with a study finding that approximately 28% of current runners started during quarantine. To cater to this new crowd, Polar announced today that it is launching two new GPS watches designed to help runners get better at the sport. Pacer for $ 199.90 is aimed at beginners, while Pacer Pro for $ 299.90 is designed to help serious runners-up in its game.
Polar says both smartwatches will have faster processors than their predecessors, with 5MB of RAM. This is an upgrade that aims to improve productivity and provide a better user experience. This was essential in Polar watches, which sometimes lag behind in sync and sometimes struggle with menu transitions. Both watches also feature Polar’s Precision Prime heart rate technology.
In terms of design and features, watches have a lot of overlap. Pacer and Pacer Pro share the same minimalist design, physical buttons and color pixel memory displays for better outdoor visibility. Battery life is also the same, with approximately seven days on a single charge and up to 35 hours of GPS training with heart rate monitoring. Finally, both watches support push notifications, time, music controls and third-party integrations with running applications.
The main differences in design between the two come down to weight, straps and colors. The Pacer is slightly lighter by 40 grams, while the Pro weighs 41 grams. Both watches have 20mm straps, but Pacer requires ones with springs for quick release. The Pro is the only one that has an adapter that allows all kinds standard strap 20 mm. In terms of colors, Pacer is available in white, black, blue-green and purple. Pro is available in gray, white, blue, maroon and green.
Despite the similarities between the watches, Polar says they are aimed at runners with different skill levels. Pacer is designed with beginners in mind. For example, he introduces a new walking test that can assess aerobic fitness after a 15-minute walk on a flat surface. Although you can also take the Pro walking test, the company says the test is designed for beginners who may not have the ability to complete the more strenuous Polar running performance test.
Pro, on the other hand, is for professionals. In addition to turn-by-turn navigation, it adds a barometer to measure the runner’s “power values” in watts. Simply put, the idea is to monitor how much effort a runner puts in while running so that he can run at the right level of intensity. We’ll have to see how it works in practice, but it sounds similar to Garmin’s endurance.
Otherwise, both watches use Polar’s long-standing running and recovery tools, such as heart rate training for directional running, training load, sleep tracking, and running index (Polar metric for measuring progress over time).
The Polar Pacer Pro is available today for $ 299.90 on the Polar website and in retail stores. The $ 199.90 Pacer is available for pre-order on the Polar website and is expected to be delivered in May.