A Review On Polar M200 Running GPS Watch

Polar M200 Review

The Polar M200 is obtained essentially from merging all the best features of the M400 and the A360 into one affordable little package. It was mainly aimed at runners who want to get more from their training sessions. The Polar M200 brings an optical heart rate tracking tech to the wrist at a budget price point. Polar takes a different approach to the smartwatch technology. They focus on a few core features, making sure that they are the best in class.

Design :

With GPS built in and access to Polar Flow and the dedicated running programs, the M200 could be an ideal first running watch. The Polar M200 throws in everyday activity tracking features such as steps, burned calories, sleep time and sleep quality. It boasts smartwatch-esque features such as call alerts, incoming messages, and third-party social media updates.

Polar is primarily and mainly used by runners. When you’re under training, it helps you keep track of your heart rate, distance, and time. Small variances in any of those metrics can have a pretty major impact on the success of your run. The main issue is that very few smartwatches can measure heart rate accurately. But these polar products make a very close guess.

Features :

It is a pretty simple and can be easily operated. It has precisely two buttons. One to the right acts as a confirmation/Enter button and the other to the left acts as the back button.

There are regular modes by default. If you keep single-tapping that right button you’ll iterate through them all. Some are GPS based, some are indoor based. The following are the modes of M200 :

Mobility (Static), Mobility (Dynamic), Core, Treadmill Running, Road Cycling, Mountain Biking, Walking, Strength Training, Group Exercise, Swimming, Pool Swim, Skating, Other Outdoor, Other Indoor, Road Running, Hiking, Aqua Fitness, Indoor Cycling, Cycling.

Modes :

There are several ways that the Polar running watch can improve your fitness, and each of these ways can be found in the main menu. There are different modes to choose from. They are training, activity tracking, history, and My HR.

When in training mode, the watch will show the objective and your current measurement. This can be distance, time, or any other metric set by your program. This is a very motivating way to run and can be a strong incentive to push yourself.
Activity tracking shows your current heart rate without any particular objectives or goals. You can choose another metric to be shown at the top of the display, such as time or number of laps.
History allows you to compare your current heart rate, distance, or time to the one from your last workout.
My HR mode simply displays your current heart rate and is used only as an indicator.

Heart Rate Monitoring :

The Polar M200 can be used in order to test the heart rate accuracy versus a chest strap heart rate monitor. It is mainly designed for the heart rate monitoring. The heart rate monitoring is featured on the watch face with a black bezel. Flipping it over will expose the impressive looking optical heart rate monitor.

Two LEDs are illuminated against your skin, and an advanced optical sensor measures how the light is scattered by your blood flow. This means that even if the sensor is moving around, it will still be able to measure your heart rate accurately instead of misreading environmental factors.

GPS Tracking :

According to Polar, the M200 uses SiRFInstantFix satellite prediction technology to acquire a fast satellite fix. In optimal conditions, the M200 is supposedly capable of finding a satellite signal in less than a minute.

SiRFInstantFix also allows the M200 to accurately predict satellite positions for up to three days. So if you train in the next three days following a GPS enabled workout, the M200 is able to acquire signals faster; apparently in 5-10 seconds.

Polar Flow Mobile App :

The Polar Flow app has retained its user interface the last 2-3 years even though Polar has made mild improvements to the mobile app. This is where all the tracked stats are stored for the user to plough through. Polar Flow also has a web platform where all the data can be assessed in greater detail. The Polar Flow web platform is particularly useful for detailed examination of data, exporting of stats or having a general overview of training progress with stats.

There’s a swim profile within the app but it doesn’t track strokes nor distance. Also, the optical heart rate sensors are turned on by default for swim tracking mode.