Polar V800 GPS Sports Watch review

The Polar V800 offers a seemingly inexhaustible list of features, but can it justify the exclusive price-tag?

polar v800 gps watch
Reasons to buy
  • +

    Doubles as cycling computer and activity tracker (and watch)

  • +

    Strong, accurate GPS signal

  • +

    Smart extra features

  • +

    Excellent connected smartphone apps

  • +

Reasons to avoid
  • -

    Not compatible with ANT+ accessories

  • -

    A little bulky

  • -

    Battery life could be better with GPS

  • -

You can trust Cycling Weekly. Our team of experts put in hard miles testing cycling tech and will always share honest, unbiased advice to help you choose. Find out more about how we test.

The Polar V800 straddles the divide between dedicated cycling computer and the fitness and activity trackers that have really taken off in the last year or so. This puts it on a collision course with Garmin’s impressive Forerunner 920XT, but in general we’d say it matches up quite well.

As far as the hardware is concerned we were largely impressed with the Polar V800. On a day-to-day basis it was just as unnoticeable as we’d expect from a standard watch, being comfortable to wear and not too weighty. However on the bike we found it to be a little bulky, especially when riding during winter when it was difficult to fit under jacket and gloves. That said if you’re using this as your only cycling computer, you’re probably going to want to mount the watch on the handlebars, in which case Polar offer a mount which can be purchased separately for £7.35.

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Henry Robertshaw began his time at Cycling Weekly working with the tech team, writing reviews, buying guides and appearing in videos advising on how to dress for the seasons. He later moved over to the news team, where his work focused on the professional peloton as well as legislation and provision for cycling. He's since moved his career in a new direction, with a role at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.