POLAR IGNITE 3

A worthy mid-range watch contender?

First things first, points scored for style and weight as this is one attractive, lightweight watch, hitting the scales at a svelte 35g. Like the Garmin Forerunner 965 we tested last issue, it features a stunning, crisper-than-crip AMOLED screen with Gorilla Glass that can be viewed effortlessly – or it could, if it wasn’t for the major bugbear that there is no permanently-on feature. You have to snap your wrist as you would your ankle when releasing from clipless pedals to view the data. You can have time displayed but this remains hard to see. It’s both disappointing and frustrating.

It includes a new ‘Sleepwise’ feature that signals when you’re at your optimum throughout the day based on your recent sleep data, albeit it’s clearly not realistic to suddenly down work tools and go off for a swim. Then again, at least it’s slimline enough to sleep in, unlike some of its contemporaries. It’s a mix of touchscreen and single button, which works fine. And we were impressed with the optical heart rate that proved impressively reliable, even during high-intensity runs against a very hot, sweaty backdrop. The same can’t be said of the GPS, however. Although it’s now dual frequency, so in theory more accurate, it would often cut corners. And despite the often-blacked-out screen, battery life was far from perfect. In ‘always-on’ mode, you get around two days of usage, which isn’t wonderful when you can’t clearly see the screen. There’s also no dedicated triathlon mode, which may or may not be a deal-breaker for you.

All in all, it’s a little disappointing, especially when it looks so goddam sleek. Better to go for a model from the Vantage or Grit range.