Polar’s new smartwatches aim to help runners pace themselves

Image: Polar

A study found that nearly 30% of current runners got their start during the Pandemic. To cater to this new crowd, Polar is launching two new watches that are designed to help runners get better at the sport. The Pacer Pro is meant to help serious runners up their game.

Both of the watches will have 5MB of RAM, which is more than their predecessors. The upgrade is meant to improve performance and deliver a better user experience. It has been sorely needed in polar watches, which sometimes lag during sync and sometimes struggle with menu transitions. Both watches have the Precision Prime heart rate monitoring tech.

The watches have a lot of overlap. The minimalist design, physical buttons, and memory-in-pixel color displays of the Pacer and Pacer Pro are the same. The battery life is the same, with an estimated seven days on a single charge and up to 35 hours of training with heart rate monitoring. Push notifications, weather, music controls, and third-party integrations are supported by both watches.

Image: Polar

The design differences between the two come down to weight, straps, and colors. The Pro is slightly heavier at 41g. Both watches have 20mm straps, but the Pacer requires those with quick-release spring bars. The Pro is the only one that allows a 20mm strap. The Pacer is available in white, black, teal, and purple. The Pro is made of gray, white, blue, maroon, and green.

The watches are targeted at runners of different skill levels. The pacifier is designed for beginners. A new walking test can estimate aerobic fitness after a 15-minute walk on a flat surface. The company says the test was designed for beginners who may not be able to complete the more strenuous Running Performance Test.

Image: Polar

The Pro is for pros. On top of turn-by-turn navigation, it adds a barometer to measure a runner's power values. The idea is to monitor how much effort a runner exerts during a run so they can run at the right intensity level. We will have to see how it works in practice, but it sounds like a similar gauge to that of Garmin.

Both watches use the same tools, like heart rate training on guided runs, sleep tracking, and running index score, to measure progress over time.

The polar pacifier pro is available for $299.90 in retail stores. The $199.90 pacifier is available for pre-order on the website and is expected to arrive in May.