Our review: A sleek fitness and wellness tracker, but not one for outdoor enthusiasts
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The Polar Ignite 3 first came out in late 2022, bringing with it an AMOLED screen and multi-band GPS, but a new ‘titanium’ version arrived earlier this year. As the name suggests, this new version arrives with a titanium case for greater durability and a more premium feel, but there are also changes to the innards.
What’s the design like?
Despite the titanium material used here, the watch doesn’t exactly look very outdoorsy.
It does look very smart, though, with its thin design fitting into everyday life a little easier, while the lack of bulk means you’re much less likely to catch the watch on anything.
The silicone strap is comfortable and two sizes come in the box so you can pick the one that suits you better.
This is also easy to replace and can be done in moments.
How easy is it to use?
This is one thing that Polar has got right. Touchscreens on watches can be hit and miss, but this one works pretty well.
It works in combination with a singular button, which can be used to enter the main menu or to go back to the previous screen.
For everything else you need to use the touchscreen, which is lovely and smooth in the way it works.
However, touchscreens rarely work very well when wet and in such scenarios it’s hard to operate this watch without the presence of additional buttons.
Given the lack of button functionality, using the watch when wearing gloves can be an issue.
How does the display perform?
This is one of the ways the Ignite 3 Titanium excels, and much of it is down to the inclusion of an AMOLED screen.
Colours are vibrant and details are bright, making it easy to view at a glance while on the move.
The screen size is 1.28in, with data never feeling particularly crowded. However, some of the text is quite small.
There’s no true ‘always-on’ mode, either. You can turn this setting on, but it purely shows a very basic outline of the time.
To use this mode while recording an activity, you have to access the settings after you’ve started, and the screen still dims considerably.
However, it does tend to light up when you turn your wrist and look at the watch face.
Navigation
Ah, navigation… This is where things go downhill because, well, there isn’t any, and that’s kind of an issue for outdoor enthusiasts.
Sure, you can track activities and view your tracks on a map in the app afterward, but there’s no mapping on the watch.
The only thing you can do that relates to this in any way is the ‘back to start’ function, which will use an arrow to point you in the direction you need to go to get back to your start point.
This’ll also give you the distance remaining to get there, but be aware that this works as the crow flies (i.e. in a straight line), so it won’t take into account a cliff face if there is one there.
GPS pickup isn’t as quick as I’m used to with most Garmin devices or the Suunto Vertical, and while the recorded tracks largely followed our activity routes, they didn’t deliver the same accuracy that we’ve come to expect.
There’s also no real-time elevation or altitude data.
What training and performance features does it have?
The Ignite 3 comes with a range of activity profiles, including everything from walking and running to kayaking and martial arts.
You simply have to customise what profiles you want on your watch via the app. Bear in mind, however, that the data you’ll get on most of them will be limited to heart rate, duration, distance and speed.
Given Polar’s pedigree with heart rate monitors, we weren’t all that surprised to see the watch’s heart rate data track largely in line with our chest-based monitor.
Additional fitness features include tests to see where your fitness level is and fuelling reminders to make sure you remember to eat and drink during exercise.
What other features are there?
Like most watches of this ilk, you also get music controls (though no music storage), smartphone notifications, sleep tracking, suggested sleep windows, weather and sunset/sunrise times.
Battery life
In watch mode the watch will last five days, which isn’t particularly great.
However, it’ll keep going for up to 30 hours with full GPS and heart rate tracking, which isn’t too bad.
In comparison, the Garmin Forerunner 955 lasts up to 15 days in smartwatch mode and 31 hours in all-systems GPS mode, which proves highly accurate.
Best for…
Anyone looking for a watch to track their fitness and wellness and has no desire for it to act as a navigational aid.
Facts at a glance: Polar Ignite 3 Titanium
Price: £324
Size: 43mm x 43mm
Thickness: 9.5mm
Weight: 36g
Display type: AMOLED
Display size: 1.28in
Battery life: 120 hours in watch mode; 30 hours in training mode with GPS
Barometer: No
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Read our full roundup of the best GPS watches for more expert reviews.
