Polar announces the Polar Loop, a lightweight, screen-free fitness band with no subscription, activity tracking and sleep tracking.
Polar has announced the Polar Loop, a minimalist wristband that tracks activity, sleep, and recovery around the clock (they teased it in June). Pre-orders open today, September 3, and shipping starts September 10. It’s priced at $199.90 (€179.90/ £149.50) with bands costing $29.99.
The Loop has no screen and is designed for 24/7 wear, weighing only 29 grams. It tracks steps, workouts, heart rate, calories, sleep stages, and recovery using "Polar’s Precision Prime sensor". It automatically detects training sessions, syncs data to the Polar Flow app, and runs for up to 8 days on a single charge.
With the Loop, Polar is directly competing against Whoop. But unlike Whoop’s subscription model, Polar makes everything available from day one with no ongoing fees.
That’s probably its killer feature: a one-time purchase instead of a subscription wall. I still wear my Oura ring but recently cancelled the subscription because I ended up not getting my money's worth. (I'm currently trying to figure out what parts of tech I use because I care and which I use because it's just what I've been doing for a while.)
I don’t have hands-on experience with Polar wearables, but their chest-strap heart rate monitor is basically the de-facto standard in fitness, so they’re a company worth believing in.
And obviously, I plan to check it out myself soon.
You can learn more about the Polar Loop on Polar's website:
Polar