The Polar Vantage V offers powerful fitness tracking for a huge catalogue of activities, and the inclusion of the running power metric and recovery status will likely tempt many serious athletes. Casual athletes may find the high price tag and lack of everyday smartwatch features off-putting.

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  Attractive design, Amazing fitness tracking tools, Accurate heart rate sensor, World’s first wrist-based Running Power measurement, Long-lasting battery

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  Expensive, Disappointing display & touchscreen, No music feature

It’s been a long road for Polar faithful, a nearly five-year road in fact, as the top-end Polar V800 was announced in January 2014. As such, there’s been significant expectations built in terms of what a V800 replacement should be.

A flagship device that can track and monitor your daily activity, your sleep, your sport-specific training and give you feedback through the whole thing. It's elegantly designed and comfortable to wear. But it's not without some shortcomings, and Garmin has more customisable offerings.

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  Great metrics for runners particularly, Wide sport-specific support, Polar Flow system in general has great parts, Comfortable to wear, Running training programmes are great

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  Wrist-based HR gives dubious results, Much of the goodness hides on the website, Lacks customisation options, No support for music or payment, Basic notifications support

The Polar Vantage V offers a hugely advanced feature set but it doesn't do the basics well enough for a wearable this expensive

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  Stylish design, Interesting new metrics

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  Expensive, Nowhere near the required accuracy

The Polar Vantage V is lighter, better looking and more fully featured than any Polar multi-sport watch we’ve seen before. It doesn’t come cheap and there are some bugs that need to be ironed out, but if you’re serious about competing in your sport at any level, this watch deserves to be on your...

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  Lightweight and stylish, Tracks running power from the wrist, Extensive training and recovery insights

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  No music, Uncomfortable strap, GPS pacing can be jumpy

I upgraded to a Polar Vantage V after wearing and using a Fitbit Charge 2 for 2 years. It's 3 times the price but 3 time better. The data transfer from watch to mobile via bluetooth is amazingly quick and simple and will automatically sync with my Strava account which is great because that's where...

This watch is fantastic for all kinds of sports and training. The battery life is excellent, which was one of the main reasons I opted for this Polar watch.