Polar LOOP vs Polar 360

Polar LOOP was very recently announced. No reviewers have yet received a Polar LOOP to test (including me). Let’s see how they are different.

The devices seem very similar on paper. Still, they are not identical; for example, LOOP is quite a bit heavier. Even though they may or may not share identical algorithms, they could interact with the hardware differently to give different levels of accuracy.

Another point to make before moving to the comparison is that Polar reiterates that LOOP and 360 share the company’s sensor platform. So even though neither has the Elixir module, they are on the latest platform, at least that’s what Polar says. I would imagine that Elixir’s extra sensing capabilities primarily set it apart.

Polar Loop is built on a new sensor platform. An updated variant of precision prime. [Polar, to this site]

Comparison

Here is a comparison of the technical specifications between Polar Loop and Polar 360, which are sourced from Polar. Both devices are screen-free wearables and share some core functionalities and omissions, but they differ in their detailed specifications.

Shared Technical Characteristics (Both Polar Loop and Polar 360):

• Display Type: None
• Touch Screen: No
• Always On Display: No
• Ambient Light Sensor: No
• GPS/Glonass/Galileo/BeiDou/QZSS (including Assisted & Dual-frequency): No
• Connected GPS: No
• Water Resistance: WR30
• Elixir Sensor: No
• OHR (Optical Heart Rate): Precision Prime (Polar Loop also specifies the sensor as GEN 3.5)
• Barometer: No
• Magnetometer Compass: No
• Accelerometer: Yes
• Gyroscope: No
• Battery Type: Li-Pol
• Battery Rechargeable: Yes
• Updateable firmware: Yes

Key Differences in Technical Specifications:

• Dimensions
  • Polar 360: Width: 39 mm, Height: 27 mm, Thickness: 10 mm
  • Polar Loop: Width: 27 mm, Height: 42 mm, Thickness: 9 mm
    • Insight: Polar 360 is wider but shorter, while Polar Loop is narrower but taller. Polar Loop is also slightly thinner.
• Weight
  • Polar 360: Total weight: 17 g, Total weight without wristband: 5 g
  • Polar Loop: Total weight: 29 g, Total weight without wristband: 19.5 g
    • Insight: Polar 360 is significantly lighter than Polar Loop, both with and without wristbands.
• Performance (CPU Speed, Memory, Storage)
  • CPU speed: Both have 64 MHz
  • Memory:
    • Polar 360: 16 MB
    • Polar Loop: 1.3 MB
    • Insight: Polar 360 has considerably more memory (RAM) than Polar Loop.
  • Storage:
    • Polar 360: 16 MB
    • Polar Loop: 16 MB
  • Recording mode:
    • Polar 360: No
    • Polar Loop: Yes
• Materials
  • Case material:
    • Polar 360: Plastic
    • Polar Loop: Stainless steel
    • Insight: Polar Loop uses more premium materials for its case.
  • Bezel material:
    • Polar 360: Not specified
    • Polar Loop: Stainless steel
• Connectivity
  • Bluetooth version:
    • Polar 360: 5.3
    • Polar Loop: 5.1
    • Insight: Polar 360 oddly uses a newer Bluetooth standard.
  • ANT version:
    • Polar 360: 2.0
    • Polar Loop: None
    • Insight: Polar 360 oddly includes ANT connectivity, while Polar Loop does not.
• Durability (Operation Temperature)
  • Operation temperature min:
    • Polar 360: -10 °C
    • Polar Loop: -20 °C
    • Insight: Polar Loop can operate in colder temperatures.
  • Operation temperature max: Both are 50 °C
• Battery Capacity and Life
  • Battery capacity:
    • Polar 360: 148 mAh
    • Polar Loop: 170 mAh
    • Insight: Polar Loop has a slightly larger battery capacity.
  • Battery life (Smartwatch mode):
    • Polar 360: Not explicitly stated.
    • Polar Loop: 8 days

It’s also important to note that Polar 360 is receiving what appear to be the same firmware updates, and some of the more recent updates have not yet found their way onto the official specifications, but they are documented elsewhere by Polar. Here’s what I found

Q: When is a training session recorded automatically?

A: These duration and intensity requirements must be met (medium sensitivity setting):

• • Duration: At least 10 minutes
  • Intensity: Your heart rate must exceed 50% of your Heart Rate Reserve (HRR) for the session to start, ie Heart Rate Zone 1 or higher. To continue to be recorded, heart rate must either stay above 25% of HRR or detect continuous high physical activity via the accelerometer.
  • If workouts are not recorded or broken up, then reviewers or early adopters might want to lower, not raise, the sensitivity.