Polar’s at all times been a model for the extra hardcore health buffs amongst us. Case in level: When everybody was hunkering down at house final 12 months, the corporate launched three new health smartwatches. Truly inspirational. Now, in 2021, Polar is doubling down on the truth that we’re sick of staying at house by launching yet one more premium out of doors GPS watch, the Polar Grit X Pro, in addition to up to date options for its Vantage V2 and Unite smartwatches.

As the identify suggests, the $500 Polar Grit X Pro is a beefier model of final 12 months’s Grit X. It has all of the options of the Grit X, together with Polar’s famously detailed exercise metrics, efficiency assessments, sleep monitoring, turn-by-turn navigation, and restoration information. On high of that, it additionally provides a sapphire glass lens for further sturdiness and two new dashboards for the always-on show. The first is a location dashboard meant to assist folks “discover” new areas. It consists of data from a barometric-based altimeter, location coordinates, and a compass. The second is a dawn and sundown dashboard—which is just about what it appears like. There are additionally new navigation options, together with the flexibility to show route and elevation profiles. However, one factor you’re not getting extra of is battery life. The Grit X Pro has the identical estimated 40 hours of GPS coaching as the unique Grit X.

The Grit X Pro will are available three colours: Nordic Copper, Black DLC, and Arctic Gold. There’s additionally a Grit X Pro Titan mannequin. For an additional $100, you get a case fabricated from “ultra-strength, aerospace titanium.” Basically, it’s acquired a 12% lighter case and in addition comes with an additional perforated leather-based band.

These are pretty incremental updates, although expanded always-on show choices are at all times a plus for out of doors endurance sports activities. A extra attention-grabbing transfer is that Polar is bringing Grit X Pro’s out of doors options to the Vantage V2 through software program replace. Included within the replace are the always-on shows with the altimeter, location coordinates, and dawn/sundown instances. It additionally provides the Grit X’s Track Back characteristic, which permits customers to plan their routes utilizing new profiles. Lastly, it provides the flexibility for customers to make use of the Vantage V2 as a coronary heart price sensor on fitness center gear or different cell apps.

Design-wise, Polar is releasing a “Shift” version of the Vantage V2. This is a flowery means of claiming you may swap out bands extra simply because of its new quick-release lugs. It prices a whopping $550—which is $50 greater than the common V2. Existing V2 house owners can even purchase a $50 “Shift Edition Bundle” which lets them “upgrade” their watches. One may argue the quick-release bars ought to’ve been a characteristic of the V2 to start with, however right here we’re. There’s additionally a pink model of the V2 as a result of, certain, the extra colours the merrier.

Polar can also be rolling out two new shade choices for its Unite smartwatch—teal and pink. It’ll additionally get software program updates that allow you to see a weekly abstract, breakdown of vitality sources used throughout a exercise, and the flexibility to make use of it as a coronary heart price sensor on the fitness center.

As for why Polar appears so gung ho on selling out of doors exercise? The official line is that there are “health benefits” to exploring new areas, similar to 13% higher sleep and decrease coronary heart price averages throughout operating. It’s extra possible that that is an space the place Polar can stand out in an more and more crowded wearables market. Apple Watches and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 are modern, extremely superior units, however they’re insufficient for endurance athletes that want a watch to maintain up with them for a number of hours in areas with a not-so-great sign. But as these flagships get smarter and lock down extra informal customers, it wouldn’t be shocking for fitness-first manufacturers like Garmin, Suunto, and Polar to triple down on their core area of interest—triathletes who love finding out their information.