In the wake of the outrage caused by Garmin launching its Connect+ subscription service, the last thing I expected was for another major sports watch brand to come out with its own paid service, but that’s exactly what Polar has just done.
While the Polar Fitness Program is a bit different to Garmin Connect+, offering personalized training plans as opposed to the mix of minor new features you get with Connect+, both involve charging users for features they might traditionally have expected to be free from the makers of some of the best sports watches.
New paywalls have annoyed users
Subscription services aren’t new, but Garmin and Polar have long appealed to users buying expensive sports watches partly because their platforms are free.
Even if the features you have to pay for right now are limited and everything you already had for free remains free with both brands, there is always the fear that once a paywall comes in, new features launched in the future will be stuck behind it.
Furthermore, so far the features you get for your money simply don’t seem worth it. I tested Garmin Connect+ for a week and was far from won over, especially by its simplistic AI.
Meanwhile, Polar’s personalized, adaptable training plans don’t look much different to what you get for free from, ironically, Garmin. Polar also already offers more basic training guidance each day for free through its Fitspark feature.
Why Coros and Suunto will benefit most
Apple will no doubt be one winner of people looking beyond Garmin and Polar devices, but although the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is an excellent smartwatch, there are some features it doesn’t offer that you only get on the best sports watches, such as long battery life and detailed training analysis.
This means the brands who are set to benefit most from anger at Garmin and Polar are Coros and Suunto. At least assuming they don’t unleash their own subscription service in the next few weeks.
Both Coros and Suunto offer a range of impressive sports watches, and when it comes to value I’d argue that the Suunto Race S, Coros Pace 3 and Coros Pace Pro are already clear rivals to the best Garmin and Polar watches.
Coros in particular also has a welcome record of delivering software updates on its older watches so you’re not left with an out-of-date device a couple of years after buying it, something Garmin has been criticized for.
Suunto has great pedigree but a few years of sub-par releases put it behind Garmin and Polar. However, impressive recent launches like the Suunto Vertical, Suunto Race and Suunto Race S mean that it has competitive devices available to attract users if they turn away from Garmin and Polar.
The outlook for sports watches
A more competitive market is no bad thing, but I’d prefer it came about through brands launching great watches with novel features to try and attract users rather than people deserting brands because of extra costs.
During my decade of testing sports watches Garmin has been the dominant force, offering more features and a better user experience in general than its rivals.
That is still the case at the high-end of the market, with the main competition to top watches like the Garmin Fenix 8 being from other Garmins, like the Enduro 3 or Epix Pro.
However, with mid-range and entry-level watches other brands are competitive, thanks to the arrival and fast development of Coros watches, and Suunto getting its act together in the past couple of years. The negative fallout arising from the new paywalls is only going to help those brands.
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