Product Comparison: Garmin Forerunner 230 vs Polar M400

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Garmin Forerunner 230 Black/White

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Polar M400 GPS Smart Sports Watch

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General Specifications

About the Product

Stay on pace for your next personal record with Forerunner 230, the GPS and GLONASS running watch with smart features1. Its built-in activity tracker2 keeps recording steps, even when you're not running. Pair your watch with a compatible phone1 for connected features like automatic uploads to Garmin Connect, smart notifications, audio prompts and live tracking. You can also download customizable watch faces and applications from Connect IQ. HR data such as heart rate, heart rate zone and VO2 max estimate allows you to train more effectively2. For more challenging runs, download advanced workouts and training plans to your watch from Garmin Connect.

Developed for runners who want a comfortable and durable running watch with sporty design and advanced GPS and training features. Track and record running as well as your other exercise, and monitor your performance accurately. Connect with the Polar Flow mobile app and stay active and motivated.

Brand

Garmin

Polar

Model

Forerunner 230

M400

Origin

China

Key Specs

Display Type

Monochrome LCD

Display Size

1.23" x 1.23" (215 x 180 pixels)

0.94" x 0.94" (128 x 128 pixels)

Built-In GPS

Yes

Other Sensors

Accelerometer, GLONASS

Optical heart rate monitor

Built-In GPS

What customers say about "Key Specs"

Garmin Forerunner 230 Black/White

I really like the color screen and even though the pictures do make it seem a lot brighter than it actually is, the watch face is NOT hard to read unless you're in low lighting.
The GPS itself connects super quick (thanks to the GLONASS) and on average it usually takes about 3 seconds to find satellites after hitting the start button.
The display is clear and customizable, it's light, and it just has the best user interface ever - it's simply intuitive.
GPS accuracy is great, never had any issues with it.
The GPS function is very good and it finds satellites quickly and the connection is always very good even in wooded/mountain areas.

Polar M400 GPS Smart Sports Watch

The GPS work perfectly & quickly & accurately 100% of the time but this device has a large, easy-to-understand, perfectly user-friendly display!!
Perfect GPS, very occurate, very stable!
I love that display, convinient size and good colors!
GPS is a little finicky at times, takes a while to lock into the signal and controls could be better.
I always have a GPS finding issues, so frustrated!

Size & Weight

Height

1.7 in.

2.2 in.

Width

1.7 in.

1.96 in.

Depth

0.46 in.

0.47 in.

Weight

1.44 oz.

1.7 oz.

Functionality

Tracking Features

Step counter, Move bar, Auto goal, Sleep monitoring, Calories burned, Distance, TrueUp™

Pace, Distance

Vibration Alerts

Yes

Clock Features

Time/date, GPS Time Sync, Automatic daylight saving time, Alarm, Stopwatch

Time/date, Alarm

Memory/History

200 hours of activity data

30 h training with GPS and heart rate depending on your language settings

Vibration Alerts

What customers say about "Functionality"

Garmin Forerunner 230 Black/White

The controls are pretty easy to use and after tinkering with it for a day or two I had it figured out.
The range of functionality provided meets my needs. If I lost this one, I'd buy another in a second. Highly recommended.
I personally love the fact that I can edit the screen to show up to 4 data fields at once.
I never found a detailed review or pictures about how the notification function works. There is really nothing complex to explain.
It's the perfect watch for me as a beginner/intermediate runner who has done a half marathon and is training for a marathon. I love that it also connects to MyFitnessPal.

Polar M400 GPS Smart Sports Watch

It is pretty cool. It gives you all kinds of info with maps, graphs, and charts.
This device records a ton of data and displays all of that data on the screen for you, and it even has a daily diary right on the screen.
The best part may be that I can set two interval timers to count down and alarm in continuous cycles, so I don't have to keep stopping and starting them during my run.
Like everyone else, I find the beep alerts hard to hear and wish it would vibrate, but I'm glancing down often enough that it isn't much of a problem.
The thing that I don't like is that it doesn't vibrate and it's kind of hard to hear it beep when Im running.

Features

Interface

USB / Bluetooth

Compatibility

Android, IOS

Protection

Water rating - 5 ATM

Wristband Material

Silicone

Battery Type

Rechargeable lithium-ion

Rechargeable 240 mAh lithium polymer

Battery Life

Smartwatch Mode: Up to 5 weeks ; GPS mode: Up to 16 hours

Battery duration up to 8 hours of training time with GPS and optical heart rate. Daily training session, continuous heart rate tracking and notifications: 5 days No training sessions, no notifications, continuous heart rate tracking: 14 days

Extras

Connect IQ™, Smart notifications, Calendar, Weather, Controls smartphone music, Find My Phone, VIRB® Camera Remote, Garmin Connect™ compatible

Running Program, Running Index, Continuous Heart Rate, Smart Calories, Sleep Plus, Training Load, Recovery Status

What customers say about "Features"

Garmin Forerunner 230 Black/White

The watch itself is much lighter than I expected for a GPS watch so I barely notice it's there and it looks great
I haven't let it run the battery all the way down to 0 but from a full charge to around 30% usually takes 2 weeks and it usually takes me about an hour to charge back to 100%
Since I don't use iTunes I was a little worried about the music controls but they still work great, even with Spotify!
As far as smart notifications go, I really was only concerned with texts and phone calls and they work very well.
The big bonus with this watch, as you may have seen on other reviews, is the Garmin Connect website/software.

Polar M400 GPS Smart Sports Watch

It has full support for the Mac computer, so you can plug it into your Mac, and it will sync to the Polar website.
Battery life is fantastic. I have never had trouble charging/syncing this watch.
I've been happy with battery life so far, it will generally last for a week of workouts no problem.
Battery life is pretty good, good purchase!
I have one complaint it's that the battery is only lasting 2-3 days.

Warranty / Certifications

Certifications

CE, BC, ANT+

CE, FCC

Manufacturer Warranty

1 year(s)

2 year(s)

Other Information

Manufacturer

Link

MSRP

249.99