While the latest Garmin Fenix 8 remains the go-to device for serious mountaineers and ultra-endurance athletes, Polar’s latest Grit X2 takes a different approach.
The new outdoor watch is designed for real-world use – daily, spontaneous adventures that don’t require a base camp or a week off work. More importantly, it’s designed to last.
The Grit X2 isn’t just slimmer and lighter (62 g with wristband / 39 g without), it also introduces something that could genuinely change how we think about long-term wearables: a replaceable battery.
It sounds simple, but it might point the smartwatch industry in the right direction. Most high-end GPS watches are effectively disposable once their internal batteries begin to fade after a few years of use.
Polar’s decision to let users swap out the battery themselves tackles one of the biggest frustrations in the category. This prolongs the life of the device and offers significantly better value over time.
The brand says the battery change will cost €39,90. Plus, there is an additional service cost (approx. €15) and applicable shipping costs. A lot less than having to buy a new wearable!
Advanced biosensing and a brilliant display
The Grit X2 combines full-colour offline maps, turn-by-turn navigation, and Polar’s latest Elixir biosensing tech in a compact 1.28-inch package.
The Elixir platform brings 4th-gen optical heart rate monitoring, wrist-based ECG, blood oxygen sensing, and even skin temperature tracking.
The 1.28” AMOLED touchscreen display (416 × 416 px resolution), protected by a sapphire crystal glass lens, offers excellent visibility in bright conditions.
The stainless steel bezel with compass markings gives it a rugged style without the bulk.
Battery life is just as impressive as the design suggests: up to 90 hours in Eco training mode, 30 hours in full Performance mode (a.k.a. all-bells-and-whistles GPS mode), and a full week’s worth of everyday wear as a smartwatch.
There’s also 32GB of internal storage for routes and maps, with no third-party subscription required.
The watch's most direct predecessor, the Polar Grit X2, used Komoot for route planning, but the company, very rightly so, moved away from utilising the navigation app.
Navigation, durability, and smarter outdoor tools
The Grit X2 meets MIL-STD-810H standards for extreme temperatures, shock resistance, and immersion, which is pretty standard for rugged watches these days (impressive nonetheless).
It's also loaded with outdoor-specific training tools like Vertical Speed, VAM, and Hill Splitter, plus essentials like route guidance and Back-to-Start navigation for those spontaneous detours that turn a local run into a mini-adventure.
All of this syncs to Polar Flow, the brand's ecosystem for analysing workouts, planning routes, and keeping tabs on recovery.
Available in Night Black and Brown Copper, the Polar Grit X2 is available globally (excluding the US) from today, 4 June, for the recommended price of £399/ €479.90, with a US launch planned later.
