Polar A300 vs M400 - need to know the difference

Cronniss · May 2015

Ok, so I'm just about to purchase my fitness tracker. One thing that low finances gives you is time to really investigate your options.

I had originally settled on the Polar Loop. But after further investigation, I moved on to the A300. Now, right before my purchase (which will be in the next day or two) I started looking at the differences between the A300 and the M400.

They are pretty much identical. The biggest differences between them are:

M400 has GPS tracking
A300 has ~4 week battery life, whereas the M400 has ~8 workout hours
A300 has vibration alerts, to include a waking vibration
M400 has a training calendar & on-unit interval feature
A300 has better swimming tracking

Now here are my needs from a fitness tracker:

Must have good sleep tracking (the H7 HRM will help with this)
Must be water proof (both are to 30m)
Daily activity tracking (Calorie burn counter, steps, etc.)

Both of these trackers do what I need. Now, here's what I don't need and won't use:

Bicycle tracking
Running tracking

You may be wondering why I won't be cycling or running. It's simple - cycling got me into the condition that I'm in now (seizures, migraines & constant headache - see my blog here on MFP for full details). So that's completely out. As to running - I'm not a runner; I never have been. Even when I was in the military and in my best shape I was the slowest guy in the company. But what I had over everyone else was endurance. They'd load me up with all the extra equipment, gear & weapons and I'd march/walk along with everyone else for however far we were going...and I would be able to go further than the rest of them packed up like that while they were unencumbered. Basically, I was the pack mule...hehe. And with the weight loss and lowered migraines & headaches my endurance is coming back - but I'll still never be a runner.

The A300 is geared towards swimming, which is something that I will be doing. And while I'll be swimming, I am not, nor will I be, a competitive swimmer. So I don't know how much of the swimming tracking function I'll be using. And even then, that may increase in time (see below as to what I'll be doing in the future).

Now the M400 is geared more towards an athlete...which I am not. And, as you can see it has some features that I won't be using.

But here's my dilemma - with the improvement in my health I am looking at going back to school to be re-educated into a new field (as I can no longer do what I used to do because of my condition and the triggers they have). So, this means I'll be going back to college (I already have an A.A.S. ... I'll be going for a Masters/Ph.D.)...which means that I'll have access to two things that I don't have access to right now:

P.E. Classes, and
Fitness Training (in a fitness center)

This means that I'll be doing much, much more than I am now. And I'll be doing things (physically) that I've never done before or haven't done in a very long time. (Especially if I get into the university that I want to attend.) So I need to look at what my fitness tracker will be able to do when I'm in college.

Based on my needs, or lack thereof, I'm leaning towards the A300. But other than DCRainmaker, I can't find anything to really compare the features of the two directly. This is to include Polar's own website.

I think what it comes down to is the fitness test, workout calendar, and interval feature. Is the fitness test the same between the two? Or is there an actual difference in what they test? What is the workout calendar like, and does it really make a difference in the way one trains / works out? I'll be at college, so my calendar will already be very structured. Will this even be a necessary feature for me? And the interval feature - what exactly is that?

(There is one feature that the A300 is supposed to receive in a future update (if it doesn't already have it) that the M400 will not have: phone notifications (texts, calls, etc.). This will be more of a perk than anything else; and while it would be nice to have, it's not a deal-breaker by any means if I don't have it on a fitness tracker. If it were, I'd be seriously considering Microsoft's Band.)

So....any advice between the two? As I have said, I'm leaning towards the A300, but without knowing the complete differences between the two I'm just not sure.

(Quote from "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams.)

Cronniss · May 2015

Well, I found out the answers to my questions:

The fitness test IS the same for both devices.
Both of them have access to the Workout Calendar.
And the On-Unit Interval Feature of the M400 is a function that tracks the HR, and lets you know how long you've been in that zone or alearts you to having been in that HR Zone for the amount of time you set. I believe multiple intervals can be tracked, but I could be wrong on that particular point.

(I got Polar's customer service number off of their website & gave them a call.

)

Since I defininitely won't be cycling, and I most likely won't be running, I think I'm going to stick with the A300. Sure it doesn't have the Interval Feature, which would be nice, it fulfills all of my needs just fine. I should be ordering it either tomorrow or the next day.

fitter_happier94 · May 2015

@Cronniss I bought an A300 last week and I love it. I think you'll be disappointed with the sleep feature though, because I don't think the A300 uses the HRM at all unless you're exercising (you put your HRM before you start recording your exercises and you're supposed to take it off, wash it, and disconnect the bluetooth thing from the electrode strap afterwards). I think the sleep feature is just a measurement of your movements. It seems accurate enough though.
I've used the fitness test, it seems fair enough (I got a score of 37, which is just in the moderate zone, which is probably about right because I'm totally sedentary but am a healthy weight.
The A300 tracks your HR zones during exercise too, it provides you a midpoint and beneath that midpoint is the fat-burning zone, above the midpoint is exercise that will benefit your health. It presents the info in a little graph on the watch face.

I think Polar make the best activity trackers because they use your age, height, weight, body fat percentage, activity AND HR (in the instance of exercise) to calculate caloric expenditure. I looked into them a lot before buying mine too.

I've linked mine to MFP so when I have an active day, I surpass MFP's estimates for my TDEE, and my Polar watch adjusts that so I can eat a bit more. When I have a lazy day, I've enabled the option for my Polar to negatively adjust my TDEE, meaning I have less to eat that day. MFP also shows you how many steps you've taken on the mobile app, which is a nice little feature (it's down at the minute for all activity trackers, I noticed myself then saw that MFP had announced the difficulties two days ago). Oh, and the Polar Flow app is really cool too :-)

Good luck choosing and I hope you like your watch!

Cronniss · May 2015

Thanks for the info!

I just got the A300 today. So far I like it. I can already see how it is going to benefit me.

As far as using the H7 for sleeping, I would actually use that through the Polar Beat app on my iPhone instead of the A300/Polar Flow. That way it records it separately from the sleep tracking that the A300 will do. I may have to experiment with it to find out how to get it to work best, but I'll get it there. (I have nocturnal seizures, so this will help identify when I actually have them.)

fitter_happier94 · May 2015

@Cronniss that's a really good idea! Best luck

Just after I bought mine I found out that the new Fitbit Charge HR (and the Fitbit Surge, which is essentially the same +GPS tracking) offer all the same things as my A300 but they measure your HR all day (it takes your pulse via a little detector thing on the inside of your wrist, without the need for a chest strap). I was going to return my A300 to buy one but then I noticed that the Amazon reviews for both the Charge HR and the Surge are pretty abysmal with regards to its heart rate tracking abilities, so I'm glad I chose the A300. On paper the Charge HR is perfect and exactly what I was looking for, but I just don't think the technology is there yet for a device that measures your HR via your wrist without having to wet any electrodes or anything. Can't wait til they nail it though because I'd love an activity tracker like that! It may take another couple years though, in which time I'll probably get my money's worth out of my A300 because so far it's great. An alternative to the A300 could be getting a Charge HR for its (albeit limited) constant HR tracking, but buying an H7 strap to use with the Polar Beat app to measure exercise, but that seems like a lot of hassle and another £40 or so

tiggerlove · May 2015

the M400 has gps the A300 dosen't. I have the A300 and I love it. Im waiting for the smart notification feature.

tiggerlove · May 2015

also i don't think the M400 has changable bands

ceceliamd · May 2015

Go for A300 if u don't run. I actually have had almost every type of sports/activity watch. I have the A300 now because polar is more accurate heart rate, downside you do have to wear the chest strap but you get use to it. For weight loss and tracking my workouts, calories, and heart rates this watch is very good. I actually returned my fitbit, it was a watch for beginners and the band ripped after 6 days. Good luck on ur decision.

tiggerlove · May 2015

Cronnis I didn't know that you could use that for a condition. Let us know when you find out to use it..thats very intresting..Good Luck to you and enjoy ur A300

Cronniss · May 2015

tiggerlove wrote: »

Cronnis I didn't know that you could use that for a condition. Let us know when you find out to use it..thats very intresting..Good Luck to you and enjoy ur A300

What I've been doing for the past two nights is I put on the H7 HRM strap and then start the Polar Beat app on my phone (I'm using an iPhone 6). Here's the settings I use...

So it'll come up as "training," but it'll record the heart rate during the night. When I wake up, I pick up my phone and "Stop" the "training."

I actually leave the H7 strap on; because I then get dressed and take the dog out for his morning walk...hehe. When I do that, I start the "Walking" profile on the A300. And since the H7 is no longer connected to the phone there's no conflict between the two.

Now, when I have a seizure my heart races....I can feel it. I've looked at the readout from the HRM for the past couple of nights and I'm seeing what my normal heart rhythm is supposed to be like while I'm sleeping. My seizures can be anywhere from under a minute long (which might not register) to 15 minutes or longer. When the elevated heart rate shows up for an extend period of time on the readout, that will be an indication that I've had a seizure. Granted, it's not an EEG so it's not 100% accurate....but it's a good indicator for it. And it's something I can take to my neurologist - to show both whether I've had one or not.

I can see the report either on my phone/tablet or on my computer. Here's what they look like....

On the phone or tablet, you go into Polar Flow to the day before (because that was the day you started the tracking) tap on the heart that you want to view.

That will, of course, bring you to the analysis report with the heart rate readout.

And by taping on the heart rate, you can zoom in on the graph and trace along the path to see the actual heart beat rate.

On the website, by going into the calendar you go into the day before (for the same reason) and click on the late night icon (which will be a guy standing).

And that will bring you to the analysis for the heart rate.

As you can see, my heart rate is rather steady and low. If there were to be a spike along the timeline that reached up toward that 88 line, or went passed it, then that would be an indication of a seizure. Especially if it was for an extended period of time.

And what's nice is that the calendar function allows for note taking. So if I do have a seizure on one of those days, or if I were to wake up and do something in the middle of the night for some reason, I can note it down on that day.

Polar A300 vs M400 - need to know the difference

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