Polar Vantage M3 review: Feature-packed but flawed

The Polar Vantage M3 brings a wealth of fitness features and a stylish design to the mid-range smartwatch scene. While its health and recovery tools are impressive, an awkward setup process and limited smartwatch capabilities might leave you considering alternatives.

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Polar Vantage M3: One minute review

Polar has long been a trusted name in the fitness world, known for its accurate heart rate monitors, its best running watches and fitness tracking gear aimed at athletes and fitness enthusiasts. The Vantage M3 aims to deliver on that reputation, combining a stunningly bright and vibrant AMOLED display, accurate dual-band GPS and advanced health metrics like wrist-based ECG and skin temperature tracking. It’s packed with tools to help you train smarter and recover better — all for a mid-range price. Along with the Vantage V3 and the Polar Grit X2 Pro, Polar is fully embracing the transition from duller memory-in-pixel displays towards AMOLED screens.

While the Vantage M3 gets a lot right, it’s not without its faults. The setup process was painfully slow and glitchy during my testing, and the companion app, Polar Flow, feels like it’s stuck in the past despite offering lots of detailed metrics. Add to that the lack of third-party app support, and the M3 starts to feel a bit limited compared to more versatile competitors.

That said, for fitness-first users who don’t mind skipping smartwatch extras, the Vantage M3 performs generally well. The clear and sharp AMOLED display makes stats easy to read even during sunny outdoor runs. And features like Recovery Pro and Training Load Pro add meaningful insights, while dual-band GPS ensures accurate route tracking in most conditions.

While the Polar Vantage M3 is a good option for those who prioritize health and fitness tracking, it’s not the most versatile wearable out there. Its smartwatch functionality is rather lacking, as there’s no app store, voice assistant or NFC for payments. Garmin, which also offers a stripped-back training experience, at least as the Connect IQ store. In 2025, this limited functionality feels outdated, especially compared to other smartwatch options on the market right now.

Nevertheless, it’s dependable for serious fitness fans, especially for outdoor workouts which require GPS, and is packed with useful tools for training and recovery. Just don’t expect it to deliver the kind of all-in-one experience you’d get from more feature-rich alternatives like the Apple Watch or Garmin’s top-end models. If you can overlook these shortcomings and focus purely on its fitness chops, the Vantage M3 still has plenty to offer.

Polar Vantage M3: Price and availability

• Price: £349 / $399 / $599AU
• Release date: October 2024
• Colors: Night Black and Greige Sand

The Polar Vantage M3 hit shelves in October 2024, priced at $399 / £349 / AU$599, placing it in the mid-range fitness watch category. It’s available in two understated colors, Night Black and Greige Sand, which should appeal to those who prefer a minimal look.

While it’s not the cheapest option on the market, it does offer solid value when compared to Polar’s higher-end models like the Vantage V3 (£519 / $599.95 / $899AU) and Grit X2 Pro ($749.95 / £649.99 / AU$1,099.99). For its price, you get premium features like dual-band GPS, offline maps and advanced health tracking — all without stretching into the luxury price tier.

• Value score: 3.5 / 5

Polar Vantage M3: Design

• Lightweight and comfortable for all-day wear
• Stunning AMOLED display with crisp resolution
• Silicone strap is a little stiff and thus tricky to readjust

When it comes to design, the Polar Vantage M3 balances both style and practicality rather well. At just 53g including the strap, the 44mm case is lightweight enough that you’ll barely notice it’s there, whether you’re hitting the gym or dashing out to run errands. Its slim casing size means it sits snugly on your wrist, staying put even during more intense movements, so you don’t have to worry about it shifting around or coming loose mid-workout.

The stainless-steel bezel is a nice touch that gives it a more sophisticated and hard-wearing edge, and the subtle studs act as a helpful guide when you’re swiping through the touchscreen. However, the plastic body does slightly detract from the premium feel, especially compared to rivals that use more robust materials, like Garmin’s more premium models. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it does leave you wishing for a little extra polish.

Next, let’s talk about the watch’s display, which comes in a 1.28-inch AMOLED variety — easily one of the Vantage M3’s standout features. With its crisp 416x416 resolution and a peak brightness of 1,500 nits, it’s vibrant and sharp — which will be why I found it made your stats easy to read in just about any lighting conditions. That said, it is slightly smaller in size compared to some of Polar’s pricier models, which can make some data screens feel a little cramped, especially when you’re mid-workout and glancing at metrics on the go.

The display’s Gorilla Glass 3 coating also offers scratch protection, which held up well during my testing. The five physical buttons are a welcome addition alongside the touchscreen, offering an easy way to navigate menus during sweaty or gloved activities. However, they could be more tactile; Garmin’s chunkier controls, for example, feel more satisfying to use.

Nevertheless, the silicone strap is soft and comfortable overall. Its buckle-and-loop system can be fiddly at times, often needing more patience than it should to fasten securely. But on the bright side, the 22mm standard size means you can easily swap it for an alternative that better suits your needs.

• Design score: 4 / 5

Polar Vantage M3: Features

• Packed with fitness and recovery tools
• Limited smartwatch functionality leaves you wanting more

The Polar Vantage M3 is built for fitness enthusiasts, and its suite of features backs this up. From wrist-based ECG and SpO2 tracking to detailed recovery metrics like SleepWise and Training Load Pro, it’s clear to see that health and performance tracking are this watch’s primary focus. It boasts tools for just about every aspect of your fitness journey — features that work really together and delivering insights that can genuinely help you train smarter and recover better.

While the watch’s fitness features deliver, its smartwatch functionality falls short. Sure, you can read notifications and control your music, but that’s about it. There’s no app store for adding third-party tools, no voice assistant to help you navigate tasks hands-free and no NFC for payments support.

It’s surprising, especially in 2025, where even budget wearables offer more comprehensive options. And so, for anyone hoping for a more versatile device that blends fitness and day-to-day convenience, the Vantage M3 feels like it’s missing the mark somewhat.

However, the essentials are solid. Syncing the watch to the Polar Flow app allows you to view all your training metrics in one place. While the app itself isn’t the most intuitive or visually pleasing, it does get the job done — albeit with a bit of patience.

• Features score: 3 / 5

Polar Vantage M3: Performance

• Dual-band GPS is accurate but not flawless
• Metrics not quite as precise as expected
• Around five days battery life with mixed use

The Vantage M3’s dual-band GPS is a solid performer most of the time. It connects quickly and provides accurate data during runs, bike rides and hikes. However, it’s not flawless. In dense urban areas surrounded by tall buildings, the GPS can wobble slightly, deviating from your true route. It’s not a disaster by any means, but when you’re comparing it to premium models like the Garmin Fenix 8 series, for instance, the difference is quite noticeable.

Heart rate monitoring is another area where the M3 performs well, though it’s not perfect. The optical sensor offers consistent readings during steady-state workouts, but it struggles to keep up during sudden bursts of activity, such as sprints or high-intensity intervals. If you’re someone who relies heavily on accurate heart rate data for training, this might be a minor frustration. Step tracking, meanwhile, was less impressive. It often overcounted my steps by a few hundred compared to other devices I tested, which could annoy anyone who considers precise metrics as paramount.

As for battery life, it’s decent but not groundbreaking. With moderate use, Polar says you’ll get five to six days out of it, or about 24 hours in GPS mode. I found that with mixed use - tracking a workout once a day with GPS, general step counting and sleep tracking - it was just short of that, at about five days. It’s enough for most casual users, but endurance athletes might find themselves charging more often than they’d like. On the plus side, charging is relatively quick and painless, thanks to the USB-A proprietary cable included in the box.

Essentially, the Polar Vantage M3 excels as a training tool. Its recovery features, like Training Load Pro, are genuinely useful for improving your workouts, and the clear and sharp AMOLED display makes interacting with the watch nothing but a pleasure. Whether you’re mid-run in the sun or checking your progress under some intense floodlights, I found the screen performs brilliantly overall. But when you consider the price tag, it’s hard to ignore the areas where it falls short. For £349 / $399 / $599AU, you’d expect a more high-end experience, particularly when it comes to its smartwatch features. Still, if you’re looking for a fitness-first device, it’s a trustworthy option, but it’s not the standout it could have been.

• Performance score: 3.5 / 5

Polar Vantage M3: Scorecard

Polar Vantage M3: Should I buy?

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How I tested

I wore the Polar Vantage M3 daily for over two weeks, testing its features during various activities, including running, cycling and yoga. I used its dual-band GPS for outdoor workouts and tracked recovery metrics with Polar’s app tools. I also evaluated its smartwatch functionality by syncing it to a smartphone, using it for notifications and assessing app integration. To test durability, I wore it during both high-intensity workouts and casual everyday use, paying attention to comfort and battery performance.

First reviewed: January 2025