The Polar Grid X2 Pro – somewhere between a lifestyle- and sports watch

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In the past, there was quite a clear distinction between sports- and lifestyle watches. Sports watches boasted precise physiological data such as heart rate, training intensity, recovery and sports-related features such as navigation, speed measurement and sports profiles. With long battery life, robust designs and bright, large displays, they were also suitable for multi-day outdoor adventures, ultra runs and mountain trips.

Lifestyle watches, on the other hand, were smaller, less flashy and had health functions such as pedometers, heart rate monitors and cycle trackers. They were popular for their internal music memory, payment functions and movement reminders.

Nowadays, there’s a lot of crossover between the two categories. Sports watches are integrating more and more lifestyle functions and lifestyle watches have typical sports watch features. And that’s exactly what Polar has done with the Grid X2 Pro.

Design and battery life

Anyone looking for a tough sports watch will be drawn to the Grid X2 Pro. The watch is solidly built, and the AMOLED display is bright and easy to read even in sunlight. The watch is water-resistant to 100 metres and can withstand temperatures from -20 to +50 C degrees.

The buttons are easy to operate and are large enough that I can press them even when wearing gloves. In addition to the operating buttons, the watch has a touchscreen that can be used as an alternative. Operating the watch via the display works perfectly under normal conditions. However, if my hands are wet or I’m wearing gloves, I like to use the buttons.

With a battery life of around 40 hours in GPS mode and around 140 hours in Eco mode, the Polar Grid X2 Pro is also suitable for longer outdoor adventures. Compared to the Suunto Race, which I also wore in GPS mode for the test, the battery drained much faster.

Sports and outdoor features

The Polar Grid X2 Pro offers numerous useful features in this category. Of the 120 possible sport profiles available, you can download 20 onto the watch. In addition to running, swimming, biking and strength training, this also includes fringe sports such as skateboarding, kayaking and indoor climbing.

An important new feature on this watch, which previous models don’t have, is the option to download offline maps. However, you can’t do this on Wi-Fi, like on other watches, but only via the app on the computer. But the maps have no street names or place names. On longer trips in rural areas it’d be particularly useful to see the names.

Navigation

Thanks to the GPS/GNSS antenna, navigation works very well and the routes are clearly visible on the display. The only issue was, I did my test over several weeks and I had to keep calibrating the compass, even during runs. This is annoying and limits the practicality of what is otherwise a good feature.

What’s great is that you can import routes from Komoot and Strava. On the down side, there’s no active rerouting. When I choose a different route because the one shown is flooded or blocked, the navigation system doesn’t suggest a new route. So you have to see for yourself how you can get back to the originally planned route.

Heart rate monitoring and fitness tests

Heart rate monitoring works well and shows no deviations in comparison with the wrist measurement I took on other watches. During training, the watch uses voice feedback to tell me which heart rate zone I’m in. It’s just a bit overkill, especially when I’m running between two zones, because the watch is constantly talking. Listening to a podcast or an audio book is impossible. It’d be better if it notified you every five minutes at most if the zone changes. The way the voice feedback is set up at the moment bothers me and makes my heart rate go up.

The watch offers a range of fitness tests – including a test for maximum oxygen uptake (Vo2 max.) while lying down. But the values don’t match those measured in the laboratory. This isn’t a specific weakness of the Polar Grid X2 Pro though – other watches are also inaccurate here.

Training plans and suggestions

In Polar’s Flow App you can plan individual workouts and also create training plans for several weeks and months. This is great for athletes who’re preparing for their first competition or don’t have a coach.

Many more experienced athletes use the Training Peaks app, which works with a whole range of sports watches such as those from Garmin, Suunto or Apple. However, Training Peaks training plans can’t be loaded onto the Polar watch. This is a shame because you can’t use training plans you’ve already purchased from Training Peaks. Those who only use the app to monitor performance, on the other hand, will be happy. Sessions can be synchronised with the app.

The training suggestions that the Grid X2 Pro shows me are a plus point. I’m really impressed with these. Instead of just telling me to work on my mobility for 15 minutes, for example, it gives me specific exercise suggestions. The digital person on the display even shows me what the movement should look like and guides me through the session. I find this motivating and it’s expanded my repertoire of mobility exercises.

Health and recovery features

Some of the health features are confusing. For example, the ECG. Although it can record your heartbeat, it can’t detect cardiac arrhythmias (more precisely, arterial affibrillation, Afib). So I wonder what the ECG is supposed to be good for. My heart rate’s already displayed via the heart rate monitor. I suspect Polar wanted to integrate this function because the competition also offers it. But the Apple Watch, for example, includes cardiac arrhythmia detection.

The Polar Grid X2 Pro also lags behind other watches when it comes to night-time temperature measurement. Although the watch can display a slight fever caused by a flu-like infection, for example, a more everyday function, cycle tracking for women, is missing. Even an automatic temperature measurement would be very useful.

The recovery function isn’t ideal. It only displays training recovery. Other factors such as sleep quality and activity in everyday life are measured, but don’t appear to have an effect on the calculation of recovery status. Garmin is better at this: after a good night’s sleep or a day without much exercise, the remaining recovery time is shortened.

On the other hand, the calculation of calorie requirements works well on the Polar watch. Everyday activity is also considered here. And the values it shows roughly correspond to those a nutritionist suggested to me after my laboratory tests.

Lifestyle features

Pedometers and reminders to move regularly are now standard on almost all watches and are also available on the Polar watch.

However, the pedometer has its own peculiarities. It converts every activity into a step equivalent. On the one hand, this is an advantage because the pedometer then shows how active I was on a particular day, even if I was cycling or swimming instead of running. On the other hand, the watch sometimes shows me extremely high values, so I doubt its accuracy.

What’s missing from the lifestyle features are a payment function and a music memory. If you have your smartphone with you during sport, you can control the music playback and podcasts via the watch, but nothing works without your phone.