Polar M400 vs Polar M600 Comparison & Review

In this blog-post we will have a look at Polar M400 vs Polar M600 Technical specifications & Functional differences to decide if you wish to spend $150 more to buy M600 or save on M400 ?

Polar is pretty old brand in Athletics running watchs … Remember that Polar offered first wireless heart rate monitoring in 1977  !! Ever since it has grown in numbers and technology.

With introduction of Polar M600, Polar claims its first Android Wear device ! as an Activity tracking device as well as a Smartwatch.

Introduction of “Android Wear” in all new M600 obviously gives you powerful features like Google voice activated text messaging ! It also has fine tuning like Silent Alarm over the M400. Needless to say that Polar M600 comes with its own dedicated fitness app, GPS and GLONASS, it’s also waterproof with IPX8 certification (Safe for Swimming) and demonstrates its rugged design with Silicon band.

One more important thing I like for these models is they look great for men & women as well as girls too 🙂 which is very important to share across family and friends 🙂 You can simply exchange his / her sports watch as a change or suit your fashion that day 😛

Polar M400 vs Polar M600 Comparison & Review

Sports Watch	Polar M400	Polar M600
Prices are updated using Amazon services dynamically	Price shown for Black color	Price shown for Black color
Display	B&W screen, but clear to read	Color touch display
		Gorilla Glass 3 protection
Display Resolution	128 x 128 pixel	240 x 240 pixel
Color Options	Blue, Black, White, Pink, Red	Black, White
Changeable bands	Yes	Yes (White, Black, Red)
Button lock (Prevent accidental use)	Yes	No
Memory	4 MB Flash memory	4GB internal storage + 512MB RAM
Bluetooth 4.2	No	Yes
Water resistant	WR30 ### Check meaning at end of post ###	Suitable for swimming, 10 meters, IPX8
Heart rate sensor	Yes
Text notifications	Yes (Call, Text, Calendar, Social push notifications)
Battery Specs	190 mAh lithium polymer	500mAh lithium polymer
Battery life	up to 8 hours of training time with GPS and Bluetooth Smart heart rate sensor	2 days / 8 hours of training (with Android phone), 1 day / 8 hours of training (with iPhone)
OS Compatibility	Syncs to Android, iOS devices, + Windows and Mac computers
Call Answer	Yes, on watch
Voice activation Text messages		Yes, just say Ok Google
GPS	Integrated GPS with AssistNow™ satellite	Integrated GPS with AssistNow™ satellite
WiFi	No	Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n
Charging	USB
Silent alarm	No (Audio alerts)	Yes
Stopwatch	Yes
Compass	No
NFC	No
Voice commands	No	Yes
Control external Camera	No
Sleep Data	Yes, tracks how well you sleep	Yes, tracks how well you sleep
Android Phone Support	Yes
iPhone Support	Yes
External heart rate monitor	Yes
Polar Fitness Test	Yes	No
Running Index	Yes	No
Running cadence from the wrist	Yes	No
Speed/Pace zones	Yes	No
End Time Estimator	Yes	No
Interval Timers	Yes	No
Laps, manual	Yes	No
Autostop/start	Yes	No
Personal Best	Yes	No
Stride sensor Bluetooth® Smart features	Yes	No
Bluetooth Smart	Yes
Android Wear™	No	Yes
Play Music	No	Yes
User Friendliness	Easy	Easy
What’s different	Buit-in GPS, predict activity finish, Heart rate training, running cadence	Android Wear
Weight	56 grams	63 grams
Sports Watch	Polar M400	Polar M600
User Manual download	M400 User Manual Download	M600 User Manual Download
Price	Best Buy	Best Buy

Shall I spend $150 more to buy M600 against M400 ?

[price difference of $150 was as on 2/1/2017, we have added dynamic price update on this post so that you can compare the actual price difference dynamically]

• M600 features “Android Wear”
  Android Wear provides you Google’s smartwatch goodies, but obviously Android Wear can’t be the reason to buy M600 ! Of course, you will enjoy the voice interaction with Google Voice, as well as messages, calls, alerts and contextual notifications popping up onscreen and activity tracking via Google Fit. Also connect with thousands of Android Wear apps too !
• Display
  Color touch display with Gorilla Glass 3 protection, also has higher resolution (240 x 240 pixels) as compared to M400
• Memory
  Features 4 GB of internal storage with 512 MBs RAM
• Bluetooth
  Features Bluetooth 4.2 which is more Energy Conservative, providing you longer Battery life
• Water resistant
  with IPX8 protection level this Smart Watch is Suitable for swimming (10 meters)
• Strong Battery
  with its 500 mAh lithium polymer battery this watch will provide you more backup compared to M400
• WiFi Enabled
  For quick exchange of data as well as connectivity to internet, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n capabilities are provided
• Alarm
  Over Audio Alarm in M400 which can disturb your partner early morning hours, M600 features Silent Alarm
• Compatibility with a heart rate sensor
  M600 is compatible with Bluetooth® Smart heart rate sensors, like Polar H6 and H7.
  Reason you wish to use heart rate sensor could be the type of exercise you do may result into movement in muscles or tendons near the sensor, so better to use separate sensor for accurate measurements of heart rates
• Check Android-Wear-compatibility before buying Polar M600
  Android Wear is compatible with Android 4.3+ &  iOS 8.2+ (iPhone)
  I suggest you to visit g.co/wearcheck & check Android-Wear-compatibility of your mobile
  Note : Some functions will not be available when your M600 is paired with an iOS, Check list of available functions with yout iPhone here
• If you are looking for triathlon watch, then M600 is not suitable, go for Triathlon compatible Polar V800 

Although you need to decide if you are really in dire need of Technology over Basic Function where you wish to spend $150 more ? if you ask me, I am not that keen on spending my $$$ !

What’s best in M400 compared to M600 ?

• Less Price with all major Tracker Functions
  Yes, with $150 less, you get world class Sports watch with Tracking features
  [price difference of $150 was as on 2/1/2017, we have added dynamic price update on this post so that you can compare the actual price difference dynamically]
• Button lock
  This useful feature assists you by Preventing any accidental use
• Display
  Although this watch has basic B&W display, it is pretty clear in terms of reading in Daylight too.
• Notifications
  Supports Call, Text, Calendar, Social push notifications from your mobile.
• Call Answer
  Both M400 & M600 provides facility to answer your call from Watch
• Some important features available only in M400 against M600
  Features like Personal Test, End Time Estimator, Auto Start/Stop, Persons Best, Stride Sensor are available only in M400

To me M400 with all features to be a GOOD Sports Watch cum Activity Tracker, with Buit-in GPS, predict activity finish, Heart rate training, running cadence is a GOOD BARGAIN as against M600.

I hope this simple technical review helps you to decide right tracker among M400 or M600 !

Cheers !!