Polar Vantage M2 vs M: which mid-range sports watch should you go for?
Polar has unveiled recently two new sports watches. Ignite 2 and Vantage M2 come with some aesthetic improvements over their predecessors along with a few new features. In this article we explore the differences between Vantage M2 vs M.
Polar Vantage M2 vs M: technical specs
The original Vantage M has been around for some 2 years now. It was launched as a more budget friendly version of the high-end Vantage V watch. Both devices are suitable for serious athletes. What Vantage V has have over M is longer battery life, running power from the wrist and a barometer.
Since their launch we’ve seen the release of Polar Ignite, Grit X and the lifestyle timepiece called Unite. Last year we also saw the second generation Vantage V2. That one comes with a more elegant design as compared to the original. For example, the housing is made of aerospace aluminium instead of plastic. There’s also better water-proofing, new performance and recovery metrics, power saving options and music control.
Now we got a similar iterative upgrade with Vantage M2. The hardware is largely the same, but there are some slight improvements in design along with a few other things. Nothing too revolutionary, though!
As shown in the pictures, the decorated stainless-steel bezel and buttons make the Vantage M2 look really nice. The new colorways include Black/Grey, Brown Copper, Champagne and Black/Yellow. You can match all this up with watch face color themes, but more on that later.
Pretty much everything else is the same. You still get the identical dimensions, display, weight, water-resistance etc. Don’t look for differences – you won’t find any.
As far as technical specs the only change is in battery life. M2 has an added GPS Power save mode. This extends the 30 hours training time you get with standard settings to 100 hours.
Here are the main specs.
Vantage M2 | Vantage M | |
 |  | |
Material | Extremely strong stainless steel case. Glass fiber reinforced polymer back cover. | Glass fiber reinforced polymer case. Stainless steel bezel, buttons and buckle. |
Dimensions | 46.0mm x 46.0mm | 46.0mm x 46.0mm |
Depth | 12.5mm | 12.5mm |
Display size | 1.2 inches (resolution 240 x 240 pixels) | 1.2 inches (resolution 240 x 240 pixels) |
Display | Always-on colour display. Hard-coated PMMA laminated lens. | Always-on colour display. Hard-coated PMMA laminated lens. |
Battery | 230 mAh Li-pol battery | 230 mAh Li-pol battery |
Battery life | up to 30 h in training mode (GPS and wrist-based heart rate). Training time with power save options 100h. Watch mode with heart rate: up to 5 days. | up to 30 h in training mode (GPS and wrist-based heart rate). Watch mode with heart rate: up to 5 days. |
Water resistance | up to 30 metres (WR30) | up to 30 metres (WR30) |
Weight | 45 grams | 45 grams |
Sensors | GPS/GLONASS, accelerometer, heart rate | GPS/GLONASS, accelerometer, heart rate |
Black/Grey, Brown Copper, Champagne and Black/Yellow | Black, White, Black Copper | |
RRP | $300 | $280 |
Polar Vantage M2 vs M: features
As far as software upgrades, the M2 comes with everything you’ll find on M, plus a weekly training summary so you can check up on your progress. This sits along FuelWise fueling recommendations, something that has been ported over from the GritX outdoor watch and Vantage V2.
Another upgrade are Energy Sources. This is an estimate on the different energy sources (carbs, proteins and fats) you have used up during the training session.
Other features include the Polar Running Program for customised training plan, FitSpark workout guide, Training Load Pro, Nightly Recharge and Sleep Plus Stages. But these can also be found on the M.
Smart functionality has received a slight boost. The M2 comes with music control and weather data. This is not available on the original. Along with changeable watch face color themes. Choose a color to match your strap and make the watch your own.
| | Polar Vantage M |  |
Music control might pique some people’s interest. This allows you to navigate around your smartphone playlist and adjust volume straight on the M2. Lots of people like to exercise with music and this should make it a bit easier as it means you can leave your phone tucked away.
Vantage M2 | Vantage M | |
| | | |
FuelWise smart fueling assistant | Yes | No |
Running power from wrist | via 3rd party sensor | No |
Energy Sources | Yes | No |
Watch face color themes | Yes | No |
Music controls | Yes | No |
Weather | Yes | No |
The Bottom line: which should you choose?
Are you likely to upgrade your Polar Vantage M because of the new features? Highly unlikely. This is an iterative update that doesn’t bring all that much that is new.
Most of the features are software based. The exception is battery life which has increased from 30 hours in training mode to 100 hours with GPS power-saving options. And yes you do get FuelWise fueling recommendations, Energy Sources, music controls, more watch faces and a weather app. But all of those are nice-to-haves rather than must-haves.
| | Polar Vantage M2 | |
Of course if you are in the market for a new watch we do recommend the M2 over M. It’s always good to get the newer device as it is more likely to benefit from future software updates. Particularly as the price difference currently on polar’s website is only $20. But if you do want to save a few bucks, there should be some good deals going forward on the original Vantage M.
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Nice, common sense, straightforward comparison. Very helpful.