Polar M430 Running Watch (Black)

The Polar M430 is a great fitness tracker for runners, but a bit too pricey and sporty for more casual use.

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  Built-in optical heart rate monitor and GPS. Tracks indoor activity. Vibration alerts for push notifications. Thin, perforated strap.

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  Sporty design and colors not for everyone. Can't swap bands. Slow syncing and unintuitive app design.

Polar's $229 M430 and TomTom's $249 Spark 3 are built for the same kind of person, but I prefer Polar's device for a few reasons. The M430 has many of the same core features as the Spark 3, including an accurate heart-rate monitor and GPS, and a long battery life both in regular and GPS use.

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  Physical side buttons for easy controls while running., Long battery life with convenient low-power mode., Good heart-rate monitor and GPS., Running program makes training for a race incredibly easy.

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  Bulky and unattractive to wear all day long., Can't set a running program in Polar Flow mobile app., VO2 max test is very sensitive., No music storage or controls on the watch.

The Polar M430 isn't the top-end Polar running watch – that honour belongs to the V800. But, given the V800 is older than your nan and looks like a smartwatch from 1997, I'd say the Polar M430 is the best Polar running watch, even without some of the features of its ancient brethren.

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  Accurate HRM from the wrist, Great battery life, Simple to use

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  Still not the prettiest, Multi-sports features lacking a bit, Fairly basic design

Decent watch, but probably not good enough for consumers in 2017. Price point needs to come down and software needs a facelift.

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  Built-in wrist heart rate monitor, Comfortable, sleek design, Supports multiple sport profiles, Activity and sleep tracking + smartphone notifications

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  Outdated and somewhat confusing software (on-device and web/mobile apps), Optical HRM is only okay – still not as accurate as a chest HRM, Bands are very long and won’t fit most women, Black and white, low resolution display, Overpriced

I liked this watch a lot, although I think the standard price point may be a little high. I would put its value closer to $199. The menu navigation within the watch is for the most part really intuitive. For basic functions, I could figure them out without reading the manual.

On the face of it, the Polar M430 may not appear that exciting compared to the M400 of a few years ago. After all, from the front they aren’t really any different. But it’s what’s inside that counts (or so everyone reasons with themselves), and in this case Polar has really delivered.

The Polar M430 Running Watch is fitness tracker for running purists!

The Polar M430 won’t win any beauty contests, but its performance is tough to beat

It’s big, fat and hard to live with permanently, but the M430 is much better when you break it out for running specifically

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  Sensational battery life, Straightforward app, Very accurate

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  Ugly, Uncomfortable to wear for extended periods

The Polar M430 fits a really nice gap in the market, but it skates dangerously close to the full smartwatch price range. The current price for the M430 is $349, just $100 less than the on-sale M600 which runs Android Wear.

I had a M400 and it worked perfect but when I went to a M430 things got bad. The display is easy to read but after a few weeks I still cannot load my selected items for the display, I've been using the item for a few weeks then got hit with a privacy setting page that will not allow me to see my...

I was a Polar heart rate chest strap purist- until I tried this watch. What an upgrade. I found pairing to be extremely easy with my iPhone and I am NOT tech savvy at all. I did a 7.6 mile run and a 6/10 mile open water swim and this watch was spot on. so far, I’m extremely impressed.

The mobile app is funky and its not possible to turn the watch off, but the 430 is a capable performer. GPS is quick to sync up and recording is flawless The wrist HRM Is convenient and accurate.

Compared it against a chest strap and monitor at OHSU gym. Pretty stop on. Dudn’t respond as fast as the chest trap but tracked very well. Response is immediate when paired with Polar H10 chest strap. OS and GUI are easy to learn Great options and functionality. Very glad I got it.

Perfect!! I'm using Polar since 15 years and before I had the Polar M400. The functions are similar but the really big advantage is that you don't have to use a chest strap!

I am comparing this to the once lowly Fitbit. This is fabulous In the amount of data it stores, workout profiles, heart rate tracking, calorie expenditure, etc. Easy to use and seems very accurate.