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The Polar A370's heart rate sensor ratchets up during intense workout sessions

Leave it to Polar to announce a new fitness tracker that’s affordable yet comprehensive. On Wednesday, the 40-year-old fitness company took the wraps off the A370, a compact tracker with activity-recording features, a wrist-based heart rate monitor, sleep tracking, and much more.

The A370 boasts a color touchscreen display and vibrating notifications, but its heart-monitoring sensor is the real draw. It works in tandem with the A370’s “3D” accelerometer to detect pulse-pounding activities like walking and running. When you’re engaged in intense exercise, it captures heart rate at a higher resolution, and when you’re inactive, it ratchets down the heart-rate readings to save battery.

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That heart data feeds the A370’s companion app, Polar Flow, which packs in Polar’s Smart Coaching, Activity Benefit, Smart Calories, and Training Benefit features.

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Polar Sleep Plus, Polar’s sleep-tracking solution, uses a smart algorithm and data from the A370’s 3D accelerometer to record the timing, amount, and quality of sleep based on your position and wrist movements. Polar Sleep Plus uses those and other metrics — including the total duration of sleep, actual sleep time, when you fall asleep and wake up, and any interruptions that occur during sleep — to generate a “continuity” score that shows how long you slept uninterrupted.

“We spend a third of our life sleeping, so if you’re trying to gain holistic insight into your fitness, it’s equally as important to monitor and understand our bodies at rest as it is to understand them during physical activity,” Marco Suvilaakso, chief strategy officer at Polar, said in a statement. “With Polar Sleep Plus and [the A370], your data is analyzed to provide guidance that helps you better understand your sleep habits and the impact they have on your fitness, health and quality of life […] Polar A370’s continuous heart rate monitoring, coupled with Polar Sleep Plus insights, provides a 24/7 approach to fitness with actionable steps, whether you’re running, lifting weights, or home relaxing.”

The Polar A370 does more than track sleep and heart rate. Its 3D accelerometer can estimate running speed and distance when you’re on a treadmill or track. And it pairs with other compatible Bluetooth devices to track pace, distance, and route.

The Polar A370 begins shipping in early June for $180, and is available for pre-order starting today. Interchangeable bands in black, white, red, petrol, blue, and orange are $25 each.

Kyle Wiggers
Kyle Wiggers is a writer, Web designer, and podcaster with an acute interest in all things tech. When not reviewing gadgets…
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