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Watch out, Whoop: Polar joins the fitness band race with a premium option

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  Published in Health and Fitness on Wednesday, September 3rd 2025 at 8:37 GMT by ZDNet
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Whoop Steps into the Mainstream Fitness‑Band Battlefield with a Premium‑Tier Offer

The fitness‑band arena has long been dominated by a handful of big‑name players: the Apple Watch, Garmin’s Venu series, Fitbit’s Sense, and Polar’s own line of sports‑tracking devices. In a surprising move that could reshape the dynamics of the market, Whoop—historically a niche, subscription‑based performance monitor for elite athletes—has announced a new “premium” offering that directly targets the same consumer base as those rival products. The new device, dubbed the Whoop Polar, promises to bring Whoop’s sophisticated biometrics and coaching tools to a broader audience while maintaining the brand’s reputation for precision and insight.

A Quick History of Whoop

When Whoop launched in 2015, it was a radical departure from typical fitness trackers. Rather than display time or offer a flashy watch face, the original Whoop Strap 4.0 was a thin, band‑style sensor that attached to the wrist and focused solely on three core metrics: Recovery, Sleep, and Strain. Users paid a monthly subscription fee—$30 as of 2023—that granted access to a data‑rich mobile app, a community leaderboard, and personalized coaching recommendations. The company positioned itself as a professional tool for athletes, military personnel, and serious fitness enthusiasts who were willing to invest in ongoing insights.

The strap’s hardware was simple but powerful: a heart‑rate monitor, an inertial measurement unit (IMU), and a battery that could last up to five days. With the addition of a Polar H10 chest‑strap or a Garmin Connect IQ integration, users could further refine their data streams. The subscription model was, and still is, the heart of Whoop’s business: it created a steady revenue stream and allowed the company to continually refine its algorithms, which are updated via a cloud‑based platform.

Introducing the Whoop Polar: What Makes It Different

Design & Display
The Whoop Polar diverges from the minimalistic strap design that has been a hallmark of the brand. Instead, it adopts a more conventional watch face—complete with a small OLED display that shows the time, battery status, and a handful of key metrics at a glance. While the display is not the main selling point, it does signal Whoop’s intent to make the device more approachable for everyday wear.

Battery Life & Build
Like the original Strap 4.0, the Polar offers an impressive battery life of up to four days on a single charge, thanks to the company’s proprietary low‑power sensor array. The watch‑style housing is made of a blend of aerospace‑grade aluminum and a flexible silicone band, ensuring that it can withstand sweaty workouts, outdoor activities, and the occasional accidental drop. It also remains IP68‑rated, meaning it can be submerged in up to one meter of water for 30 minutes—a feature that keeps it competitive with Garmin’s and Polar’s own water‑resistant offerings.

Sensors & Metrics
The Polar houses the same state‑of‑the‑art sensors that power the Whoop Strap: a photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor for heart‑rate monitoring, an IMU for motion analysis, and a temperature sensor to gauge skin temperature shifts. However, the new device adds a new optical sensor that can capture blood oxygen saturation (SpO₂), giving users an added dimension of physiological insight. The app now offers:

• HRV (Heart Rate Variability)
• Sleep Stage Tracking (Deep, REM, Light, and Awake)
• Recovery Score – a composite metric that predicts readiness for high‑intensity training
• Strain Index – an aggregate of training load and intensity
• SpO₂ Levels – to monitor oxygen usage during workouts and sleep

Subscription Model & Premium Features
The Whoop Polar is not a one‑off purchase; it still relies on a monthly subscription to unlock full functionality. Users pay $30/month for the premium tier, which includes the full suite of metrics, data export options, and access to the Whoop Community. The company has also announced a “Team” subscription option for clubs and training groups, allowing multiple users to share insights and compete on metrics such as recovery time, total sleep hours, and strain totals.

Integration with Third‑Party Apps
Whoop has always emphasized ecosystem integration. The Polar continues this trend, offering native compatibility with Strava, TrainingPeaks, Garmin Connect, and Apple Health. The company also announced an upcoming partnership with MapMyRun, allowing users to push metrics directly to the app’s training planner.

Whoop vs. The Competition

The Whoop Polar’s subscription requirement may initially be a hurdle for casual consumers who prefer a one‑time purchase. However, for athletes who value continuous, data‑driven coaching, the recurring fee is justified by the depth of insight that Whoop provides. The price point positions it squarely between the Apple Watch and Garmin’s more premium models.

What Does the Future Hold for Whoop?

Whoop’s leadership has indicated that the Polar is just the first step toward a broader lineup. They are actively working on new firmware that will bring deeper machine‑learning models for predictive analytics, and there are plans to integrate AI‑based coaching that can suggest rest days or specific workouts based on real‑time biometrics. The company is also exploring a “lite” version that drops the subscription model entirely, offering a one‑time purchase for the core metrics (HRV, Sleep, Strain) while retaining premium coaching as a paid add‑on.

Another key area is the expansion of Whoop’s team platform. The brand is looking to partner with collegiate sports programs, professional teams, and corporate wellness initiatives to offer a unified, subscription‑based platform that can monitor entire squads in real time.

Bottom Line

The Whoop Polar marks a pivotal moment for a brand that has long been a high‑end, niche product for athletes. By bringing a watch‑style device to the mainstream market—complete with a subscription that unlocks the full Whoop data suite—Whoop is positioning itself as a serious competitor to the likes of Apple, Garmin, and Polar. The move could democratize access to advanced biometrics and push other players to offer similar depth of insight without a subscription. Whether the Polar will capture the hearts (and subscriptions) of everyday fitness enthusiasts remains to be seen, but its arrival is already shifting the conversation about how value is delivered in the fitness‑band space.