One of the best things about fitness brand Polar is that South Africans always have access to new stuff immediately. Take the Polar Street X, which is newly announced and already on sale in this country. There was no wait time — it simply… turned up.
That’s a good thing. Unlike the Polar Loop, this one’s designed for more conventional users. You know, the kind that likes a screen and buttons. Something interactive. Plus, the Street X has a solid set of features sitting under all that toughened glass.
Street X watch
Polar’s newest is a shade chunky at 13,9mm thick, but there’s quite a lot tucked in the 48-gram wearable. The 1.28in 416 x 416 AMOLED display lives under Gorilla Glass 3, while a bio-plastic makes up the rest of the chassis and bezel. The company’s own Precision Prime Sensor (there’s a ™ in there somewhere) hands skin temperature and heart rate monitoring, but there are a few missing detection options that point toward this being very specifically targeted.
There’s no ECG or blood oxygen tracking, but there is extensive integrated GPS. Combine this with an LED torch, and the Street X is the sort of thing you’d take camping or on a night hike. Heck, it would also make a handy fishing companion. Water resistance to five atmospheres (5ATM) and a mil-spec rating make it a rugged partner while nabbing the big one. Or avoiding Fisheries officers while scrambling over rocks.
Polar’s 385mAh lithium-polymer battery promises between 43 hours (that’s your adventure race right there) and ten days of uptime. It supports a ton of activities, from swimming to hiking, marking the Street X as something for the active times. Passive monitoring, with your butt planted firmly in a couch, is less important.
Plus, it’s immediately available. Polar will sell South African buyers one today, if you mosey on over to the website. The ding to your credit card is just R5,500.
