Polar’s new Grit X watches looks to take on the Garmin Fenix

Polar Grit X Pro
(Image credit: Polar)

Today, Polar announced two new additions to its Grit X range of adventure watches — the Polar Grit X Pro and the Polar Grit X Pro Titan. The two watches are designed for multisport adventures and look to be a contender in a space that has, until now, been dominated by the Garmin Fenix range. Here’s everything you need to know about the new adventure watches:

Polar Grit X Pro: specs, price, and release date 

The Polar Grit X Pro is a premium, outdoor multi-sport watch, designed for people who want a gadget that’ll keep up with them as they explore the great outdoors. The Grit X Pro looks very similar to the Grit X, with a sapphire glass lens and some more navigational features. 

What’s changed? 

Compared to the Grit X, the Grit X Pro has an updated glass lens, which is now made from scratch-resistant sapphire. There are also some new navigation features including new route and elevation profiles on the watch and new navigation and daylight dashboards, which include a barometric-based altimeter, location coordinates, sunrise, sunset, and twilight times, and a compass. 

Aside from this, the specs are pretty similar to those you’d find on the Grit X: 

Polar Grit X Pro

(Image credit: Polar)
  • Military-grade durability: The Grit X Pro has a scratch-resistant sapphire glass lens, and has been tested under military standards (MIL-STD-810G). It’s water-resistant up to 100m and built to withstand temperatures of -20 degrees Celsius and up to 50 degrees Celsius.  
  • Long battery life: The Grit X Pro has 40 hours of battery life while using heart rate and GPS, 100 hours of battery life when using power save options, and 7 days battery life in watch mode.
  • Navigation features: Polar is still yet to release its own custom maps, but using Kamoot, you can use turn-by-turn navigation, and the watches Hill Splitter and Track Back features.  
  • Training load, sleep, and recovery data: Designed to give you a better idea of how long your body needs to rest after a hard effort. 
  • Running power: The watch can automatically measure your running power from your wrist. 
  • Smartwatch capabilities: The watch has wrist-based music controls, weather reports, and push notifications.

The Grit X Pro will be released on Tuesday, October 6, and costs $499.90. The watch comes in three different colors — Nordic Copper, Black DLC, and Arctic Gold.

Polar Grit X Titan

(Image credit: Polar)

Polar Grit X Pro Titan: specs, price, and release date 

Polar also announced the Grit X Pro Titan, which has all of the same features as the Grit X Pro, but is 12% lighter. Designed for heavy-duty adventures, where the weight on your wrist really matters, the Grit X Pro Titan has an aerospace titanium bezel.

The Grit X Pro Titan will be released on Tuesday, October 6, and costs $599.95. The watch only comes in black but has two different wristbands: a waterproof FKM (a carbon-based synthetic material) and a leather strap. 

Polar Grit X Pro: Outlook

While I’m yet to test the watch right now, at a first glance, Polar seems to have taken some of the features from the Garmin Fenix 6 range, but is offering them at a much cheaper price point. The Fenix 6 Sapphire is $749.99, whereas the Grit X Pro comes to market $250 cheaper. 

That said when comparing the Grit X to the Garmin Fenix 6 range, the main downside with the Polar is the lack of navigation tools on the watch. Whereas Garmin has it’s own mapping features, as well as the option to connect to third-party apps like Strava and Kamoot, Polar does not — in order to use the navigation tools on the Grit X, you’ll have to sign up for a Kamoot membership. The same applies to the Grit X Pro and the Grit X Pro Titan, which is slightly annoying if the aim of this watch is to take you on rugged adventures. 

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Jane McGuire
Fitness editor

Jane McGuire is Tom's Guide's Fitness editor, which means she looks after everything fitness related - from running gear to yoga mats. An avid runner, Jane has tested and reviewed fitness products for the past five years, so knows what to look for when finding a good running watch or a pair of shorts with pockets big enough for your smartphone. When she's not pounding the pavements, you'll find Jane striding round the Surrey Hills, taking far too many photos of her puppy. 

  • skookum8
    The article mentions that komoot membership is required. The Polar website mentions 2 free regions are included. Not being familiar with komoot, re the regions reasonably large enough for use around say a large city such as San Francisco? Could you address this question in your review? Thanks.
    Reply