Polar Grit X2 Pro vs Grit X Pro: All the improvements listed
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When it comes to rugged outdoor sports watches, Polar is a name synonymous with quality and performance. The Grit X Pro, launched in October 2021, quickly solidified its place as a go-to option for serious athletes and adventurers. With the newly released Grit X2 Pro, Polar has raised the bar even higher.
The company describes it as “the highest quality watch in its portfolio”, not least in terms of precision, durability and design. And that it has been designed to support you in better understanding your own body and pushing your limits.
Essential reading: Top fitness trackers and health gadgets
Does that statement hold water? Let’s go through the specs to see how these two devices stack up. As we show, Grit X2 Pro brings a lot more to the table.
Key takeaways
The Polar Grit X2 Pro offers cutting-edge health and outdoor activity tracking, premium materials, and extended battery life as compared to its predecessor, making it ideal for the most demanding athletes willing to pay top dollar. The Grit X Pro provides a compelling alternative with robust sports features and solid durability at a more accessible price point.
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Hardware
Technical specs
Features
Price
Bottom line
Polar Grit X2 Pro vs Grit X Pro: Hardware
Look & feel
In terms of looks and feel, the Polar Grit X2 Pro and Grit X Pro share a strong family resemblance. Both feature a classic, round watch face that emphasizes their outdoor heritage. They also maintain a similar build with rugged, durable designs thanks to their fiberglass reinforced polymer cases.
However, the Grit X2 Pro introduces a few key refinements. It boasts a steel (or titanium) bezel with fiberglass reinforced polymer and a sapphire crystal display, indicating a premium on resilience and clarity. The measurements come in at 48.6 x 48.6 x 13.4 mm, striking a balance between visibility and wearability. Plus there are protective raised edges around the display.
In contrast, the Grit X Pro opts for a stainless-steel case with a glass fiber reinforced polymer back cover. It has a more streamlined form-factor measuring 47 x 47 x 13 mm.
Physical buttons on the two models are consistent, with five buttons facilitating navigation and feature activation. This setup ensures that users can easily interact with their watch even in challenging conditions, such as in the middle of a rigorous workout or when wearing gloves.
Display, colour options, water resistance
The screen technology and quality present another area of divergence. The Grit X2 Pro employs a sapphire-crystal scratch resistant AMOLED display, offering a resolution of 454 x 454 pixels. Its 1.39-inch screen size ensures that information is readily accessible at a glance.
The Grit X Pro, on the other hand, features a colour transflective display, which excels in outdoor visibility, particularly in bright sunlight, although it operates at a lower resolution of 240 x 240 pixels on a 1.2-inch screen. This contrast highlights a trade-off between the Grit X2 Pro’s emphasis on visual quality and the Grit X Pro’s focus on sunlight legibility.
No difference when it comes to water resistance. The duo is good down to depths of 100 meters.
Finally, both watches offer customization options. The Grit X2 Pro comes in Night Black, Stone Gray, and the special Titan Autumn Leather colorway. The Grit X Pro provides a choice between Black or the more premium-looking Titanium finish.
Sensor technology
The Polar Grit X2 Pro and Grit X Pro share a number of similarities in their sensor technology, but the X2 Pro has an edge with a few key advancements. Both watches feature accelerometers, magnetometer compasses, barometers, and optical heart rate sensors. However, the Grit X2 Pro outshines its predecessor with the inclusion of the latest Polar’s Elixir biosensing suite. This adds an ECG sensor, skin temperature sensor, and SpO2 sensor (for blood oxygen saturation measurements), providing a more comprehensive picture of your overall health and fitness. Plus it has a more current version of the heart rate sensor.
Both the Grit X2 Pro and Grit X Pro boast GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and QZSS satellite positioning for accurate location tracking. The Grit X2 Pro steps things up by offering dual-frequency GPS. This allows for increased accuracy in challenging environments like forests or near tall buildings.
Unfortunately, neither the Polar Grit X2 Pro nor the Grit X Pro offer NFC capabilities, meaning contactless payments won’t be possible. Additionally, both watches lack onboard music storage, so you’ll need to keep your phone handy if you want tunes during your workouts. In terms of connectivity, both watches support Bluetooth (but not ANT+) for connection to external sensors like heart rate monitors and power meters.
Battery life
Polar Grit X2 Pro performs well on the battery life from. Packing a 488 mAh battery, it delivers up to 43 hours in Performance training mode, 5.8 days in Eco training mode and 10 days in smartwatch mode. This makes the Grit X2 Pro a clear winner in terms of longevity, especially for extended outdoor adventures.
The Polar Grit X Pro is no slouch either. Its 345 mAh battery is good for up to 35 hours in Performance training mode, 5.5 days in Eco training mode and 6 days in smartwatch mode. While still a great option for most workouts and outdoor activities, the Grit X Pro doesn’t quite match the extended battery capabilities of the Grit X2 Pro.
Polar Grit X2 Pro vs Grit X Pro: Technical specs
Here’s a detailed tech specs comparison table for the Polar Grit X2 Pro and Polar Grit X Pro. We also include the Vantage V3. That one packs pretty much the same tech onboard as does the Grit X2 Pro. The main difference is design.
Feature | Polar Grit X2 Pro | Polar Grit X Pro | Polar Vantage V3 |
|---|---|---|---|
Release Date | Mar-24 | Oct-21 | Oct-23 |
Case Material | Steel/titanium bezel with fiberglass reinforced polymer, Sapphire crystal display | Stainless-steel case (with DLC on Black DLC version), Glass fiber reinforced polymer back cover, Sapphire glass lens | Extremely strong stainless steel case, Glass fiber reinforced polymer back cover, Aluminium bezel |
Number of Physical Buttons | 5 | 5 | 5 |
Shape | Round | Round | Round |
Size | 48.6 x 48.6 x 13.4 mm | 47 x 47 x 13 mm | 47.3 x 47.3 x 13.5 mm |
Display Type | AMOLED | Colour transflective display | AMOLED |
Resolution | 454 x 454 pixels | 240 x 240 pixels | 454 × 454 pixels |
Screen Size | 1.39 inch | 1.2 inch | 1.39 inch |
Weight (without strap) | 79 grams – 64 grams in the titanium model | 79 grams | 57 grams |
Sensors | Accelerometer, Magnetometer compass, Barometer, optical heart rate (gen 4.0),Elixir biosensing, GEN 1 ECG, SpO2, Skin Temp | Accelerometer, heart rate (gen 3.5), barometer, compass, ambient light sensor | Accelerometer, Magnetometer compass, Barometer, optical heart rate (gen 4.0), Elixir biosensing, GEN 1 ECG, SpO2, Skin Temp |
Water-resistance | 100 metres (WR100) | 100 metres (WR100) | 50 metres (WR50) |
Military standard | MIL-STD-810H | MIL-STD-810G | None |
Positioning | Dual frequency GPS, Glonass, Galileo, QZSS | GPS, Glonass, Galileo, QZSS | Dual-frequency, GPS, Glonass, Galileo, BeiDou, QZSS |
Built-in Speaker | No | No | No |
Microphone | No | No | No |
NFC | No | No | No |
Music Storage | No | No | No |
Connection | Bluetooth 5.1 | Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.1 |
Cellular Connectivity | No | No | No |
Battery Type | 488 mAh | 345 mAh | 488 mAh |
Battery Life | up to 43 hours in Performance training mode, 5.8 days in Eco training mode, 10 days in smartwatch mode | up to 35 hours in Performance training mode, 5.5 days in Eco training mode, 6 days in smartwatch mode | up to 43 hours in Performance training mode, 5.8 days in Eco training mode, 10 days in smartwatch mode |
Operating System | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary |
Colors | Night Black, Stone Gray, Titan Autumn Leather | Black, Titanium | Sunrise Apricot, Night Black, Sky Blue |
Typical RRP | Starting at $750 | Starting at $530 | Starting at $600 |
Polar Grit X2 Pro vs Grit X Pro: Features
Both the Polar Grit X2 Pro and Grit X Pro pack a punch when it comes to health and fitness features, but the X2 Pro takes a slight edge with its more advanced sensor suite. They both offer essentials like continuous heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking (including Sleep Plus Stages analysis), and a comprehensive suite of sports profiles to cater to a wide range of activities.
The models provide detailed insights into training load with Polar’s Training Load Pro metrics, helping you balance workouts and recovery. Plus they pack helpful tools like the orthostatic test and recovery assessments with Recovery Pro or Nightly Recharge. For runners, they offer Running Power measurements directly from the wrist.
With its Elixir biosensing platform, the Grit X2 Pro pulls ahead is in its additional health metrics. The inclusion of an ECG sensor allows for on-demand electrocardiogram measurements for potential heart health monitoring. Additionally, it offers skin temperature monitoring and blood oxygen saturation measurements (SpO2), giving you a more holistic picture of your wellbeing.
For sports features, both watches are equipped with Polar’s comprehensive sports profiles, supporting over 130 activities, making them versatile companions for virtually any sport or training regimen. The addition of GPS and barometric altimeter in both models ensures accurate tracking of speed, distance, and elevation, crucial for outdoor activities like running, cycling, and hiking. The Grit X2 Pro’s dual-frequency GPS offers enhanced precision, particularly in challenging environments, a slight edge over the Grit X Pro’s already reliable positioning system.
Plus, the Grit X2 Pro features advanced maps for pinpointing your location and guiding your journey. Users can download detailed topographic maps (32GB of storage) and get real-time turn-by-turn navigation powered by Komoot for the ultimate outdoor experience.
Other things you can only find on Grit X2 Pro include the Walking test. In addition to Voice-Guidance and Work-Rest guide.
Smartwatch-type features
In terms of smartwatch features, it is clear the models prioritize fitness and sports functionality over typical smartwatch conveniences. Nevertheless they still offer a range of useful tools.
Intelligent notifications allow users to stay connected without needing to pull out their phone during workouts. However, it’s worth noting that neither model supports NFC for contactless payments or has music storage capability, focusing instead on fitness tracking and training optimization features.
Everything should run more smoothly on the Grit X2 Pro. It boasts a 275MHz processor. Polar says this translates into a 129% increase in performance.
Polar Grit X2 Pro vs Grit X Pro: Price
As expected, the Polar Grit X2 Pro, being the newer model with its upgraded features, comes with a higher price tag. It starts at around $750, making it a significant investment for serious athletes and outdoor enthusiasts.
The Polar Grit X Pro, on the other hand, offers a more budget-friendly entry point, starting around $530. While it lacks some of the X2 Pro’s bells and whistles, it still provides a robust set of fitness tracking and sports features.
Polar Grit X2 Pro vs Grit X Pro: Final thoughts
Both the Polar Grit X2 Pro and Grit X Pro are exceptional sports watches designed for serious athletes and outdoor enthusiasts. The Grit X2 Pro sets itself apart with cutting-edge health sensors, offline maps and dual-band sattelite connectivity, premium build materials, a vibrant AMOLED display, and slightly extended battery life. However, these enhancements come at a significantly higher price point. Think of the device as a more rugged version of the Vantage V3.
The Grit X Pro remains a compelling option for those seeking a robust sports watch without the additional bells and whistles of the X2 Pro. It still delivers excellent fitness tracking, outdoor navigation features, and solid battery life, making it a great value proposition.
Buy the Polar Grit X2 Pro if:
- You want the absolute best Polar has to offer with advanced health sensors and premium materials.
- You prioritize long battery life and a vibrant display for outdoor adventures.
- You’re willing to pay a premium for the latest and greatest technology.
Buy the Polar Grit X Pro if:
- You want a reliable, durable sports watch with a strong feature set at a more accessible price.
- You don’t need the additional health metrics offered by the Grit X2 Pro.
- You are looking for a good value for money rugged watch
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