Polar hints at subscription-free alternative to Whoop
Something is coming from Polar on September 3rd. And judging by the teaser, it’s going to ditch the screen entirely. Will this be another Whoop competitor?
Polar leans into minimalist health tracking
The teaser doesn’t leave much room for guessing. “Not another screen… Promise.” That pretty much rules out a smartwatch. Polar hasn’t shared any details on specs or features yet, but the wording tells a story. Buzzing and scrolling are out. What’s coming sounds like a stripped-back way to monitor sleep and fitness.
To me, that sounds like a screenless tracker. One that quietly sits on your wrist and logs everything without calling attention to itself. That’s very Whoop-like. And honestly, that’s overdue.
We’ve known Polar was experimenting with this form factor. Back in October, there was an update to the Polar Flow app that added support for something called the Polar 360. That wearable has been around for a while. It is a lightweight, display-free band with heart rate tracking, sleep monitoring and raw data access. However, the 360 is aimed at businesses. It’s not a stretch to think they’re now reworking that platform for consumers. Especially as there has been a recent FCC filing from the company which we suspect is for Polar 360.
No screen, no subscription?
The most interesting part of this teaser is what it doesn’t say. There’s no mention of a subscription. That would immediately set it apart from Whoop, where you have to pay monthly to see your own metrics. If Polar skips the subscription, it could draw in users who like the idea of long-term recovery insights but aren’t willing to commit to another paid plan.
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That said, if it’s anything like the 360, Polar will need to do some work on the app side. Whoop’s platform is polished and intuitive. It puts recovery and strain data front and center. For Polar to compete, they’ll have to rethink how they present long-term trends in Flow. This isn’t just about launching new hardware. It’s about building a different type of relationship with the data.
More screenless wearables on the way
It’s not just Polar entering this space. Zepp Health has the Helio Strap coming soon. Garmin is about to launch the Index Sleep Band. These aren’t watches. They’re focused trackers with a clear purpose. Some lean toward recovery, others focus just on sleep. But the theme is the same. Less screen, more insight.
I think we’ll see a handful of these land over the summer. The form factor makes sense for people who don’t want a screen on their wrist all day. There’s a growing crowd of users who are happy to leave the visuals to the app.
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