Polar Grit X vs Vantage vs Garmin Fenix 6

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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

Preview Product Rating Price
Polar Vantage V Sports Watch for Running, Cycling, Swimming,... Polar Vantage V Sports Watch for Running, Cycling, Swimming,... No ratings yet £398.90

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.

Preview Product Rating Price
Polar Vantage V Sports Watch for Running, Cycling, Swimming,... Polar Vantage V Sports Watch for Running, Cycling, Swimming,... No ratings yet £398.90
Preview Product Rating Price
Polar Vantage M - Advanced GPS HRM Sports Watch for Men and... Polar Vantage M - Advanced GPS HRM Sports Watch for Men and... No ratings yet £249.00Amazon Prime
Preview Product Rating Price
Garmin fēnix 6 PRO, Multisport GPS Smartwatch, Advanced... Garmin fēnix 6 PRO, Multisport GPS Smartwatch, Advanced... No ratings yet £399.99Amazon Prime

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

Polar Grit XPolar Vantage VPolar Vantage m
Price£379£307 (currently)£194.4 (currently)
Serene™ breathing exercise
Nightly Recharge™ recovery measurement
Continuous heart rate
Sleep trackingSleep 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 loadvia 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 time40h40h30h
Measurement
Weight64g66g45g
Display
Colour display
Colour touch display
Resolution240X240240X240240X240
Water resistanceWR100WR50WR30
Rechargeable battery
USB cableCustomCustomCustom
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

Last update on 2024-12-03 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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