Polar - Loop

I have to say I’m really disappointed/underwhelmed about the Polar Loop and Polar Flow announcements. Firstly, the Loop just seems like a copy+paste of the Business version of the band. Secondly, why announce it back in June/July (whenever it was) making us wait till September, if all the key features are not ready at launch. The Whoop’s app UI/UX is one of the main reason it is the market leader by a mile. And one of the core principles of being a consumer is do not buy something today, on the promise of an improvement tomorrow. … since I’ve been eagerly awaiting the band, I’ve pre-ordered it anyway In general it seems like they do not have their shxt in order. Thoughts? EDIT: - Cancelled my pre-order. Tried to have faith in the product but I just don’t, the more I learn about it. Will wait for full reviews to come before I make a decision now.

Random thought but Wow, Polar even recycled the name LOOP from a 10+ year old device.

Surely it’s not missing HRV? If anyone can confirm that please let me know lmao, I’m cancelling my order

Huh, it does measure your HRV during the night? (which, from scientific point of view, is the only sensible time to continously measure it) All I cared from this release is info about new app and it is coming, so I guess my needs are met. The Loop itself is pretty much what I imagined it would be, so kinda meh. I was hoping Polar would come up with some new feature but it's just rehashing old stuff in new body, which it was Polar has been doing lately.

A clear win for Polar in the looks department.

Well, the Loop is out! A little disappointed that it doesn't offer some essential functions, such as : - No Elixir technology (with skin temp), but a Precision Prime technology, as in the Pacer or Ignite series - No vibration (alarm) - No wireless charger, like Whoop - No NFC (Bluetooth sharing), like H10 or any other device actually - No armband [currently, I think it’s just a matter of time] - Poor activity auto-detection, but I heard that Helio too, only Whoop’s better on this - App update in progress (3 phases), end of 2025 for Apple users - WR30 only - Double-activity if watch + Loop, and that is very what I was hoping for, the possibility to practice with my Vantage watch without taking off the Loop. Now I have to choose between my watch or the Loop+my smartphone. Could someone tell me if the Helio Strap is better for these different functions? Thank you.

My comparison: ||Polar|Amazfit| |:-|:-|:-| |Weight|29g|20g| |Fit/Style|I suppose similar|I suppose similar| |Price|180€|100€| |Sensors/Data|Good OHR|\+Temp+SPO2| |Ecosystem|Good|?| |Company|European, good support|?| Amazfit wins on specs, atleast on paper. Weight is clear winner, but the data is not necessarily. Temp is reported to never be very useful on wrist wearables, and I have no use for SPO2, and I don't really trust the stress, or any other "biocharge" indices. I ordered the Polar for now. I will try it. If it feels good, I will keep it. If I don't like the fit, I will buy Amazfit for trial. Slightly disappointed that it wasn't revolutionary, but it's probably just fine.

Was really looking forward to this one as well, the same internals didn't really bother me but the lack of sensors and data insight does. I do believe Polar is accurate from their data perspective but their app needs a revamp too. I'm giving Hume a shot (fingers crossed) otherwise Helio will be my go to.

Noted Thank you! The draw to me originally was more the stress, strain, recovery etc where it seems Hume may have a lead. Familiar with Helio of course but thanks for the heads up. It's why I was banking on the Polar Loop so much.

Polar is an established brand (half a century old, actually), they don't really need to do it. It's actually lower end device, I wouldn't look for any deception here.

can't comment on other options but just got the loop myself and it is pretty good looking and comfortable. Activity data, heart tracking and sleep seem accurate enough, although the automatic sports is a bit iffy. I don't run but the app says that if you start the activity on the phone the phone will track your run with gps. Honestly, the no subscription and the look of the device made my decision. Apparently the app is horrible to some but I have had no problems with it

You can see for the loop in the manual how it picks it up, and adjust the sensitivity

Did you do any background research on this brand? lol. It was a mistake to get your hopes up that it was going to solve the problem with another brand. So many techies coming in here and projecting their hopes onto the Polar fitness band. If they had even a modicum of experience, they’d know Polar doesn’t give a shit about anyone’s expectations and does what they want. That’s how Polar has been treating their watch users for years. At least they used to be at the front for HRM and GPS accuracy. Go back to Whoop

They were at the front of HRM and GPS accuracy for a while because they are a tiny Finnish company that focused on this area for years, well before fitness trackers became something popular thanks to Fitbit and Garmin. They also don't behave like a typical Silicon Valley tech entity chasing trends and whatever is hot. They don't have the resources to build a shiny app to appeal to tech bros and every year the rumors of them running out of money get louder lol. Thats why the flow update alone is gonna take a year to complete lmao

I definitely want to pick one up. I'm not sure about all the hate. I saw people say "no blood pressure?" but so few devices measure BP anyway, ya know? I also always start my workouts manually, so the autodetection problems don't bother me. Plus, $200 is pretty cheap in the space as it currently stands. What keeps me from buying it right now is that I do not know if there are alternate straps. For various activities I do, I'd need a forearm or bicep strap. Do these exist yet? Are they easy to make if you have DIY skills?

I was so excited about the polar loop at first but the outdated/not fully functional sensor was a deal breaker. I am now considering amazfit helio or Google charge 6 .

Im really diappointed so far because of: \- missing hrv (as far as i can tell) \- missing skin temperature sensor (as far as i can tell) \- no vibration motor and thus no alarms (as far as i can tell) \- 8 days is fine but more would be better \- app looks trash and even the new ui looks just ok and not groundbreaking

I've pre-ordered the Loop. It does seem pretty lackluster feature wise, though I'm hoping it makes up for it in accuracy. I've been using the Verity Sense for a while so if it can match the sense whilst having multi-day battery life and 24/7 tracking, I'll take it as a win

I tested at least half a dozen wearables in the last few years and Oura and Whoop are my favorites. That said, Polar’s new screenless strap called Loop is very interesting, check it out. It’s like Whoop but no monthly fees, and Polar has a long history of excellent health / fitness tracking.

Had whoop for 2 years but just stopped using it. I bought a polar loop and very happy with that. No subscription and does the basics: sleep, hrv, strain very well

compared to whoop it is yea, but it's quite nice to use and it gives me the insights I want so I don't want to pay a lot of money for smooth designs

If I’m correct, the sensors in the Polar are better then in the Whoop. I dont know about the support but I’m not really enjoying whoop support anyway

I received both trackers today and will compare the data over the next days. First impression: Polar Loop looks way better and has a smaller fit. Comfort is similar, but Helio is maybe a bit more comfortable (more elastic).

https://preview.redd.it/4crk93pilopf1.jpeg?width=2813&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=90ec4237696a39719c48247f6e2fa49b0de3bd52 5th Night: I wore both devices on the **biceps** this night, but the Loop struggled to detect when I fell asleep (it didnt struggle the nights before, when I wore it on the wrist). In the left picture you can see, it detected sleep too early and accounted for a big "awake during sleep" phase. In the middle picture I corrected the "fall asleep time" manually and it recalculated the sleep stages. On the right you see a comparison between sleep stages from Helio strap on top as well as the corrected and original from loop. Again very similar between Helio and Loop (except for the wrong fall-asleep detection) However I dont feel, that both sleep scores are accurate... Feel more tired

I pre-ordered. This is fine for my needs, which includes being able to wear a nice watch from time to time without losing out on data, and using instead of my Vantage 1 when my V3 needs charging. I had Whoop for 8 years and am glad to be free of that. Like OP I don’t really understand the strategy of announcing months in advance. I don’t hate Flow as much as some do, but if they also improve that then great. All in all this is a decent addition if you have been in Polar ecosystem for a while, and might encourage some new users or people fed up of paying for Whoop’s incessant influencer marketing 🤣

If I can, I’ll wear it on my bicep. Before Whoop came out with their bicep band, I wore it there with the ordinary wrist band. Will see if I can do the same with the Loop before they launch the bicep band. If not, I’ll just wear it on the other wrist.

I wore Whoop for 8 years but always had to have a sports watch for training. I received my Polar Loop today and for me personally it is much more comfortable than Whoop and feels a bit more premium. I’ve had other Polar products so know the pros and cons of them. I was a Whoop Founding Member so never had to pay the subscription but really haven’t missed it since I stopped wearing it. I don’t like rewarding shady companies either. “I’m but one person” said 7 bn people. GLTU.

Nightly HRV is available in Nightly Recharge, Polar Loop has HRV.

I'm in a similar boat, though I wish that they used their latest, 4th gen sensor instead of gen 3.5.

The loop does have a temp sensor in it. Here's hoping they enable it.

It's not missing HRV. It has Nightly Recharge that incoporates HRV in its calculation.

Bought it right away. Im on the market for a device that looks good and can replace my garmin while wearing a mechanical watch. I believe the flow app will be renewed soon and I can wait.

I’m planning on using the loop for everything except activities I need a gps for such as running or biking although I am mostly in a gym nowadays.

Why are you surprised? I don’t care about the test and don’t care too much about its performance either as long as it’s reasonable. I am looking for a screenless device to wear alongside a mechanical watch that can keep reasonable track of my sleep, heart, and overall condition. You assume too much lad. I'd also like to underline the lack of logic and consistency in your comment, as I bought the loop right off the bat for the reasons above and surely not as an outcome of some third party recommendation on youtube (which materialized almost 2 weeks later).

them who? I trust Polar to deliver a reasonable device that does the work I want it to do. What does this have to do with the bad reporting from a youtuber?

Just as a note, I returned Oura because I felt too conscious about dinging a 450e ring. Now got the loop. *Edit: total cost will also be heaps cheaper with Polar by avoiding the monthly subscription.

Unfortunately yes. While I could live without the newest sensors, it’s the apparent lack of proper water resistance for swimming that surprised me a lot (negatively).

I honestly can't complain. I don't like it too complex like whoop. I don't need all this functions. Just want relieable HR, HRV, Sleep tracking with a good Design and a high quality feeling. I am a bit underwhelmed about the flow app. I thought there would be a new app or an instant Update for the Flow app. But it's also okay so. And I miss Ant + as my Bicycle tracker uses ant + and so i could easy see my HR while riding, but I think that workes with BT too. So all in all very happy and I instantly pre ordered. The Price is good too.

Got the Polar Loop on Monday. Given up on it today. Device is nice, light, comfortable and battery seems as advertised and quickly charges. Compared to the Whoop 4.0 I've had for a year now (renews next week), it feels 'less', in that the Whoop does feel like an ever so slightly more premium product. App is awful. Significantly less data and no real insights. Missed an entire night of sleep and unlike Whoop, you can't seem to just add it. Went out on the bike today and the Loop auto detected my activity. I stopped briefly and when I restarted, Loop detected a whole new activity - if there is a way to join the two together, I don't know what it is. There doesn't seem to be a way to edit the start and stop times either. I've worn it at the same time as my Whoop. Total sleep time and Light sleep broadly aligns (few minutes out), but there are 1 hour plus discrepancies between Deep and REM sleep. Overall, I'm not happy with Whoops overall model, but I'm giving them another 12 months. I fully expect a proper 'Whoop killer' to enter the market in the next 12 months, but for me, the Polar Loop isn't it.

What actually still intrigues me about the Loop is that I have greater trust in Polar’s capability of providing useful, accurate insights with their algorithms. For example regarding sleep, workouts, HRV etc. Especially compared to Amazfit, which I have a hard time feeling the same trust for. And for that I’d be willing to miss some other bells and whistles. I want research backed insights, not an extra few % better HR accuracy. If I am ignorant for thinking Polar provides that, I don’t know. Needless to say, their app needs a heavy redesign. And it’s too bad that they didn’t up their game on battery life, ANT+/extra BT connection, Elixir sensor etc. But those things might not be dealbreakers for me. And with the app update being in the pipeline I am a little less put off. The biggest downside to me, from what I’ve heard, is that the auto detection for activities seems quite bad and that you can’t retroactively assign activities. Especially if it’s the case that the HR data then isn’t contributing to your “activity/strain” data for the day… With the Loop being cheaper than one year of Whoop subscription, and arguably more trustable than Amazfits interpretation of the data, it’s still an option to me. I am currently on a Whoop trial though and I reallyyy like it so far, but I do think it’s a little too expensive, especially since I don’t like how they interpret HRV (acute, high changes are always better - not true). If they would’ve interpreted it like HRV4Training or Morpheus do, I could potentially go for it. And I might anyway since everything else is really quite good…

None of the others have GPS either. And do you think Helio’s algorithms are on par to Polar’s? On sleep, recovery etc. I doubt that they are, which puts me off Helio altogether since I don’t trust their interpretation of the data.

Been a Whoop user for 3 years. Had the 4 and not the 5. - Really like the design - App is getting an overhaul. Looks great from what I’ve seen. - Polar is known for fantastic HR tracking. Something that was #1 reason I switched - No subscription - I trust that the brand doesn’t release something that doesn’t work as intended. - Really good sleep metrics. Yes Whoop had that as well, but it’s only one in many metrics. Some feedback and my thoughts: No alarm: No. But never use it on the Whoop anyway. No wireless charging: My current 5.0 is with corded charger. It’s only off for like an hour. No big deal. Auto defect workout puts everything in Indoor Other: Yes for now. But has 170 activities. I always start my workouts manually. Sure it’s coming with better precision. No journal: After so many years I don’t use journal anymore. Not a big deal for me. Looking forward to getting it. 🙂

I agree with you on most things. Yes the temp is a bummer. I would have loved that as well. Hopefully in next years model. Buy on promises. Agreed and probably wouldn’t have if it wasn’t this cheap. Okay to take a leap of faith. I have a big trust in Polar as a company. But yes. Time will tell. Also when Whoop first came out we also bought on promises. And not just that. No brand trust or history.

Haha. Not in the slightest. But hoping for a device that can give me accurate readings for once. If I did work for Polar, I don’t think they’d be so happy about me strolling in with a Whoop for so long 🙂

I‘m fine with it and have already preordered one. I have a Grit X2 Pro which I will continue to use for workouts. I will use the Loop for everyday HR and sleep tracking and for that it doesn‘t need the latest and greatest tech. The price is also OK. I‘m stocked I can wear a proper watch again. 

Water resistance is the biggest bummer fr. Unnoticable 24/7 tracker, that you apparently have to take off multiple times a day to not damage it, wtf.

As a swimmer, was expecting Loop to be WR50 5 ATM like Amazfit. But it's only WR30.