Polar Loop: Long-term Scientific Review (Watch Out WHOOP!)

Introduction and Overview00:00

Spent the last few months retesting the Polar Loop. Comparing it to the Amazfit Helio Strap and especially the Whoop Strap, as the Polar Loop could be a cheaper equivalent if Polar improves some aspects. Focus on: heart rate tracking performance, sleep stage tracking, how and where to wear it (automatic workout detection or not, wrist vs. biceps). Results are super interesting and somewhat surprising.

Pricing Comparison00:31

Polar Loop: $199 or euros, now slightly over $200 in the US. No subscription required. Amazfit Helio Strap: $99, no subscription. Whoop Strap: Monthly fee adds up over years; free hardware upgrade if at least a year left on membership, but still more expensive long-term than Helio Strap or Polar Loop. Whoop excels in app experience, not fully replicated by others.

Heart Rate Tracking Tests02:01

Tested Polar Loop three ways: (1) wrist without starting activity, (2) wrist with activity started and recorded on device (better processing than live app recording), (3) biceps (mostly started on device, sometimes auto-detected).

Indoor Cycling Results03:02

Correlation with ECG chest strap reference. Wrist (auto-detect or on-device): not great. Biceps: 0.99 correlation, really high. No difference between auto-detect and on-device on wrist. Recommend Polar Loop on biceps for indoor cycling (easier exercise). Combine bands for biceps band; some reports Polar might ship new ones with biceps band included.