After testing this Garmin rival, I won't use a smartwatch without a built-in flashlight again

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It’s that time of year when people start noticing I have tan lines on both my wrists from wearing two watches. One has an integrated LED flashlight for daily use, and the other is a smartwatch. Thanks to Polar’s new Street X smartwatch, picking up a powerful sports watch with a dual-color LED flashlight is much easier at the low $250 price point, which beats existing LED-equipped watches by at least $150. 

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Once you use a sports watch with an LED flashlight, you won’t use another watch without one. I use the device at least once daily to find things in the dark, read restaurant menus, make a bathroom trip in the middle of the night with red-light mode, and light up my way through dark areas. 

If Apple, Google, or Samsung add an integrated LED flashlight to a smartwatch, I might be able to wear one watch, but we haven’t heard any such rumors yet.

Design

I spent the first couple of weeks with the Polar Street X without knowing the price point and just assuming it was about $400. There are some trade-offs in the design compared to other Polar watches, but I was shocked by how affordable the device was when I started drafting this review after testing it out. 

The watch is mostly made of a lightweight, bio-based polymer and features a Gorilla Glass display. The 22mm silicone band is flexible and comfortable. While the casing and bezel are plastic, the watch still looks and feels well constructed and durable.

The Polar Street X is water-resistant to 50 meters and certified to the MIL-STD-810H shock-resistant criteria, so it’s rugged and built to last. At just 1.7 ounces (48 grams), this is one of the lightest watches I’ve ever tested. With a diameter of 45mm, it can also work well for those with smaller wrists.

LED flashlight

Garmin was the first company to launch a smartwatch with an integrated LED flashlight, and the firm continues to lead the way with flashlight controls available within specific workouts so you can have red and white lights shining at intervals that match your running. Amazfit and then Suunto followed with integrated LED lights, and now it’s up to Coros to join the lighting party.

Polar’s LED light is well integrated, requiring a single press of the top-left button. There are five physical buttons on the watch, including one for turning the light on and off. The right-side up and down buttons control four levels of white brightness and one red light. It’s great to see Polar launch with this lighting scheme. I use the red light at night to keep my night vision intact and not wake up my wife while she sleeps, and I wander the house.

Using Polar Flow

One reason I didn’t think the Street X was priced this low is that the data it captures very effectively supports the Polar Flow ecosystem. Cardio Load status, running power, the work/rest guide, FitSpark training guidance, nightly recharge, daily readiness, and so many more features are supported on the watch and through your smartphone connection into the Polar Flow app.

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Thankfully, the Polar Flow smartphone app has been redesigned and improved as well. The main Diary screen appears when you launch the app, with a host of metric summaries providing glanceable information. You can also easily toggle various metrics on and off in the settings. 

Other displays include training/testing with mapping so you can use your phone connected to the watch for a big screen tracking experience, an activity tab with all of your daily movements, a nightly recharge tab with exhaustive details of your sleep, and a more tab that has 15 different options for fully customizing the Polar experience.

As I’ve shared in the past, Polar provides extreme customization of your workout training views with support for more than 170 activities, so there is virtually no activity that cannot be tracked by the Street X. Dashboard views and custom watch faces are also part of the experience so no other Street X will look just like yours after you spend a bit of time customizing the watch for your lifestyle.

Daily usage

With Polar, I have come to expect premium pricing for its wearables and a rather frustrating smartphone application. The Polar Street X changes that perception with a capable sports watch, with an LED flashlight, and an updated Polar Flow smartphone application that propels Polar back to one of my favorite brands. 

The free training programs and customization options make the Street X a highly recommended sports watch for anyone looking to use a watch to track daily life and improve their performance.

GPS and heart rate tracking weren’t as accurate as those of watches at a comparable price point, such as the Coros Pace 4. The defining feature of this watch is its LED flashlight, but the customization options in Polar Flow are also compelling. The watch has a rugged design that may not appeal to those seeking a sleeker, lighter model.

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The Polar Street X lasted a week between charges, with a few sessions of running, rowing, and biking. Enabling always-on mode reduces the battery life, but you don’t need it on when a twist of the wrist turns on the display

ZDNET’s buying advice

The Polar Street X is a bit of a departure for Polar with non-premium materials, a previous-generation GPS receiver and heart rate sensor, and some compromises on functionality. The device has the first integrated LED flashlight for Polar and supports most of what Polar Flow offers, with a vast array of customization options. 

The Street X is a great first sports watch if you want one with a dedicated LED light, but just be aware of the compromises in positioning and heart rate accuracy.