This is my third Polar device (I started with a Loop and also have an A300). I've used a chest strap with a different device and just don't like them...yuck. When I heard Polar was coming out with a wrist-based heart rate tracker I was all in. I am in love with this device! The esthetics of it are lovely - sleek, refined, simplistic and good looking! I get many compliments on it. Since it is sleek it doesn't really look like an activity tracker and its great to wear to formal outings. As for the nitty gritty of how it works, the touch color screen is easy and intuitive to use. It functions the same as my A300 in the sense that you see your activity stamps (but I love how they line up on the A360). It only has one button that is used for everything - setting up the device, training, heart rate, daily activity, date/time, etc. Unlike the A300, the one button is hidden and blends in without sticking out (see amazon images to better understand). I bought my device in December as a Christmas present to myself but wanted to hold off on writing a review until I had used it for awhile. For the reviewers who say it doesn't work, download and read the user manual from the Polar website. The user manual clearly details how to wear the device for HR training....you wear it just above your wrist bone on your nondominant hand, tight enough to be secure but not too tight to cut off circulation. If you wear it too low (too close to you wrist/hand like a bracelet) or too loose it will give false HR readings for your training sessions. I tighten mine when I'm training and then loosen it when I'm not training. I like that I'm able to change the HR from a number to a percentage as the percentages is what I prefer. I used the Sizing Tool on Polar's website to determine my wristband and I ordered the device in a Medium Black, although I really think I could have gotten a Small (I'm a 6.3" wrist) but I'm happy with the Medium band, and recently ordered a Blue band direct from Polar which I'll use for the Spring/Summer. I have not had any issues with fastening the band, band stretching, device falling out of the band, or the prongs not fastening properly or ripping the band. I'm not super gentle with it, but I don't use a heavy hand either when fastening or unfastening. I keep mine in "do not disturb" night function to only allow viewing of my training HR when I'm in training which also preserves my battery life. Polar released an update in December or January which resolved the light feature lighting up at night so that is no longer a problem as originally described in the earlier post-release reviews. Each training activity is a pink stamp detailing your activity (i.e., biking, walking, running, treadmill, yoga, etc.), calories, duration, etc.. The activities come pre-set but Polar allows you to customize and set up to 20 training activities via the Polar website (I wish they allowed up to 25 training activities). This is also where you can adjust whether you want your HR measured in numbers or percentages. This device tracks your training activity (i.e., circuit, weight lifting, walking, etc.), steps, distance, sleep. Polar website continues to offer great features for reviewing monthly, weekly, and/or daily assessments of your training and you can do all kinds of reports as well as customize your own. The detailed reports and data upload are easy. You can view the heart rate zones to visualize whether you're hitting your target HR or discover areas to improve. I discovered some activities I was doing just weren't getting my HR in the zone I wanted (although I thought I was) but now thanks to A360 I'm hitting my HR targets! The new Sport wheel and Training Benefits wheels summarize your training session in pie chart format which is nice. The sync with the Polar Flow app has never been problematic with my Android (Samsung Galaxy 7 device). There is also a "get up and move" notification when you've been sitting too long. The sleep tracking is automatic so you don't have to do anything for it to track your sleep. Polar just came out with a recent update where you can view activity on the A360 during training (I think it stays on during your entire training session) but I've not used it since I believe it will eat up my battery. Mine is set to allow me to view my training HR with a quick flick of my wrist during a training session which works perfectly for me.
There are two things I would love to see Polar include in a future update for their products - 1. They really need to show on both the device, app and the Activity Summary on the Polar Flow website the cumulative percentage of fat calories burned. You can view fat calories burned in an activity stamp but there is no cumulative total if you do multiple activities. Currently the device and app only shows a cumulative total of metabolic calories burned. Unfortunately, you have to go to the Polar Flow website and then go into each individual activity to see the percentage of fat calories burned for each activity - there is no cumulative total of fat calories burned - which is quite frustrating! You should be able to view cumulative totals for both metabolic calories and percentage of fat calories burned in your Activity Summary (daily, weekly, or monthly) on the website as well as on the device and the mobile app.. 2. Currently you can set up training targets/results for distance but you can't set a target or goal for daily steps. I would like Polar to expand the training target feature, or create one for steps, so you can set a daily step goal. That shouldn't be that difficult to do. I see Fitbit posts on Facebook that show their step target and whether it was met or not met. If Fitbit can do it, Polar should certainly be able to do the same. I'd like a visual bar so that I can see that I'm at xyz% of my daily step goal on my A360 device. I'm hopeful both of these features will be available in a future A360 update, as well as for the A300 and Loop.
All in all I've been very pleased with my A360 and really love it! Polar is a top brand for training and remains a market leader. At a little under $200 it is a bit pricey but for me it was well worth it to see HR without using a chest strap. I still alternate among my three Polar devices but this is the one I always use now when training. If you have an A300 this is significantly less bulky and much sleeker for business or formal attire since it looks more like a watch. I've even had people ask me if it is the Apple watch!!! My battery lasts a long time unless I do two or three different trainings per day such as walking, HIIT, yoga (but I love seeing all those pretty activity stamps lined up!). I have never used the notification feature (I personally don't need to be that connected!) but imagine it would be beneficial for many. I don't need GPS but for this price point I think a GPS option should have been included. I highly recommend this product if you are looking for a wrist-based HR tracker as an alternative to using a chest strap (you can still use the A360 with Polar's H7 chest strap if you want). I truly think you will be pleased with this product.
| Item Package Dimensions L x W x H | 4.61 x 3.82 x 2.99 inches |
|---|---|
| Package Weight | 0.14 Kilograms |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 5 x 4 x 4 inches |
| Item Weight | 22.68 g |
| Brand Name | POLAR |
| Model Name | a360 |
| Color | Black |
| Suggested Users | Unisex |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Manufacturer | Polar Electro, Inc. |
| Part Number | 90057419 |
| Model Year | 2017 |
| Style | Modern |
| Size | Medium |
| Sport Type | Fitness |
