Polar's new affordable fitness watch takes on the Fitbit Versa 2

Most people who work out want some type of wearable to track their activity, but not everyone needs all the bells and whistles. Polar today announced the Polar Unite, a new multisport fitness smartwatch for users who want to simply keep track of their daily activity.

The Polar Unite is in the same class as devices like the Fitbit Versa 2, Suunto 3, or Garmin vivosmart 4. It’s a smartwatch with a color touchscreen 1.22-inch LCD display (240 x 204) with support for smartphone notifications. It’s quite light, too, at 32g.

The Unite comes with connected GPS , so it’ll be a decent option for runners who don’t mind bringing their phone along with them on a run. However, there’s no altimeter or compass on board. Elsewhere, it offers Polar’s Precision Prime heart rate sensor, as well as Sleep Plus Stages and Nightly Recharge features for sleep tracking. It also supports the company’s Serene breathing exercises.

Like the recently announced Polar Grit X, the Unite supports FitSpark, Polar’s training guide for daily workouts. Following your workout with the Polar Unite, it’ll display heart rate zone analysis, caloric burn, as well as how much strain you put on your cardiovascular system.

There’s no MIL-STD-810G rating here, though it is IP rated to 30 meters.

Polar says the Unite will be able to last up to four days in smartwatch mode, or up to 50 hours in workout mode using connected GPS and the heart rate sensor.

Interested? It’s available now from Polar.com for $149.95. Color options include black, white, pink, and blue, and there are additional mint and blush accessory bands available at an extra cost.

I think the Polar Unite sounds like an interesting alternative to the Fitbit Versa 2. Polar has proven itself with its optical heart rate sensor accuracy, and offering that tech in a sub-$150 package sounds like a win.

Next: The best fitness trackers you can buy