Polar’s recently announced M460 offers a refresh of the previous version..the M450. Polar also have the more expensive navigational bike computer in their range…the V650.
Taking out the navigational side of things all the units have quite similar functionality.
Polar are sticking with the BLE only world of communication with sensors. This restricts the ability of this great little device (both the M450 and presumably the M460 too) to get many more sales than it otherwise would. The M450 (the old version) is often as low as GBP110 on Amazon. It really is an all time bargain at that price. Even people just wanting a backup unit that ‘works’ (which the M450 always does) would go for one at that price level…IF it had ANT+ – otherwise the backup unit is the Lezyne in the back pocket for me.
The M460 is a refreshed M450. The case is a little different but the hardware looks otherwise identical. Maybe it’s different hardware inside? It might be. I don’t know. I have a sneaky feeling it might be…
The M460 is almost like a firmware upgrade for the M450. And the extra functionality provided there is a bit of extra power meter stats, access to STRAVA live segments and some basic+app smartphone notifications.
As things stand you buy a M450 if it is WAY below list price. At list price you pay the extra for the M460 and hope for lots more firmware goodies to come (reasonably likely) and if you want navigation you go for the V650. If STRAVA is your thing and connectivity then you go for the M460.
Whilst you can already get BT power meters from PowerTap, Stages, 4iiii, Wahoo Fitness and Rotor there ARE more on their way. And I don’t just mean WATTEAM’s POWERBEAT 🙂
| M460 | M450 | V650 | |
| 179.90 EUR | 159.90 EUR | 219.90 EUR | |
| Smart Coaching Features | |||
| Fitness Test | • | • | No |
| Orthostatic Test | • | • | No |
| Recovery status | • | • | • |
| Smart Calories | • | • | • |
| Training Benefit | • | • | • |
| Training load | • | • | • |
| Full Features | |||
| –Training | |||
| Route import | No | No | • |
| Heart rate | • | • | • |
| HRmax | • | • | • |
| Heart Rate zones | • | • | • |
| Speed/Pace zones | • | • | No |
| Power zones | • | • | • |
| Advanced Power Metrics for TrainingPeaks | • | No | No |
| ZoneLock | • | • | • |
| ZonePointer | • | • | • |
| Strava Live Segments | • | No | No |
| Orthostatic Test | • | • | No |
| Polar Fitness Test | • | • | No |
| Smart Calories | • | • | • |
| Training Benefit | • | • | • |
| Training Load | FLOW | FLOW | FLOW |
| Recovery Status | FLOW | FLOW | FLOW |
| Back to Start | • | • | • |
| Distance | • | • | • |
| Altitude, ascent/descent | • | • | • |
| Sport profiles | • | • | • |
| User-adjustable training displays | • | • | • |
| GPS | • | • | • |
| OpenStreetMap | No | No | • |
| Route guidance | No | No | • |
| Speed/Pace | • | • | • |
| Training history | • | • | • |
| Training diary | • | • | No |
| Laps, manual | • | • | • |
| Laps, automatic | • | • | • |
| Personal Best | • | • | No |
| Real-time VAM | • | • | • |
| Autostop/start | • | • | • |
| Barometer | • | • | • |
| Sensor Bluetooth® Smart features | |||
| Cadence | • | • | • |
| Speed | • | • | • |
| Distance | • | • | • |
| Incline measurement | • | • | • |
| Measurement | |||
| Weight | 50g | 50g | 122g |
| Display | • | • | • |
| Resolution | 128X128 | 128X128 | 240X320 |
| Water resistance | IPX7 | IPX7 | IPX7 |
| Rechargeable battery | • | • | • |
| USB cable | micro USB | micro USB | micro USB |
| Bluetooth Smart | • | • | • |
| Smart Notifications | • | No | No |
| Audio alerts | • | • | • |
| Button lock | • | • | • |
| Backlight | • | • | • |
| Front LED light | • | • | • |
| Date and weekday indicator | • | • | • |
| Time of day (12/24h) | • | • | • |
| Bike settings for three bicycles | • | • | • |
| Firmware update | • | • | • |
| –Flow | |||
| Diary | • | • | • |
| Map view | • | • | • |
| Relive | • | • | • |
| Explore | • | • | • |
| Social feed | • | • | • |
| Instant activity and training analysis | • | • | • |
| Advanced activity and training analysis | • | • | • |
| Sport profile settings | • | • | |
| Progress follow-up | • | • | • |
source: Polar with some changes
Last Updated on 16 January 2026 by the5krunner
Small things I always use
- Garmin 90-degree charging adapter: Charges your Garmin from any USB-C cable. Essential when travelling. I use one.
- Body Glide: The blue anti-chafe stick swimmers and runners carry. I use it.
- Speedo earplugs: Fewer ear infections and no cold-water dizziness. I use them.
- Dryrobe Advance: My winter changing robe for open-water swims. I use one. A cheaper option is the AONYIYI changing robe.
- Maurten: Race fuel that stays easy on the stomach. I use them.
- Garmin charging puck: The quickest way to top up before a session. I use one.
- Injinji: Toe socks that stop rubbing, so you run more. I use them.
- Ultimate toe protectors: Stop black toenails on long runs. They work. I use them.
- Compressport R2 v2 calf sleeves: My calf sleeves of choice. I use them.
- Cellucor C4: My pre-workout before hard sessions.
- TPU tubes: Schwalbe Aerothan, Tubolito and Pirelli SmarTube. Light, tiny spares. I use all three.
- G8 insoles: Adjustable insoles that are good. I use them.
- Cycplus Cube: A 97g electric pump that gets a road tyre rideable in two minutes. I carry one. 5% off with code THE5KRUNNER.
Watches and sensors
- Polar H10: My daily driver for waking HRV.
- Polar Verity Sense: My backup arm-worn HR sensor.
- Nomad bedside charger: Charges my iPhone and Apple Watch overnight. I use it, and many of their bands.
- Train.Red: The best muscle oxygen sensor I’ve used.
- Tymewear: Accurate heart rate and reliable ventilatory zones. I use it to pace endurance rides over an hour.
- Garmin Forerunner 970: A pro-grade triathlon watch. I use this.
- Apple Watch Ultra 4: My daily smartwatch. No phone needed on rides.
- Garmin Fenix 9 Pro: I’ve just bought one.
On the bike
- Continental GP5000 for everyday riding, and Aero 111 on the front for special occasions.
- Helmets: Specialized S-Works Evade 3 for road riding, and Rudy Project Wing for TT-style races. I use both.
- Ravemen FR300: A front light that mounts under your Garmin or Wahoo. I use one.
- Wahoo TRACKR Radar: I use it on one bike and Varia on the other. They perform the same.
- Garmin Varia RTL515: Radar that warns you of cars from behind. I use this model.
- Wahoo ELEMNT Roam 3: The bike computer that’s easy to use. I use mine on most rides.
- Favero Assioma Pro RS2: Accurate power pedals that swap easily between bikes. I use this model.
Home and indoor training
- NPE Runn: Makes my basic treadmill smart, sending more accurate speed and distance to my watch and Zwift. I use it.
- Google Wifi: Keeps Zwift connected in my pain cave. I use it.
- Apple TV 4K: Zwift on the big screen. I use two.
- Google Nest Doorbell (wired, 2nd gen): My video doorbell, running in both Google Home and Apple Home. I use it.
Health, recovery and sleep
- FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus: Shows how my blood sugar responds to diet.
- hDrop: Measures my sweat loss in summer and indoors.
- Fourth Frontier Zone: Checks my heart under load in hard sessions.
- Oura Ring 5: My partner’s recovery tracker of choice.
- Kineon MOVE+: Red light therapy for niggles. It works.
- Eight Sleep: A cooling mattress cover my partner and I use nightly.
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tfk is the founder and author of the5krunner, an independent endurance sports technology publication. With 20 years of hands-on testing of GPS watches and wearables, and competing in triathlons at an international age-group level, tfk provides in-depth expert analysis of fitness technology for serious athletes and endurance sport competitors. ID
3rd paragraph, your write: “Polar are sticking with the ANT+ only world…” when you clearly mean “Bluetooth” there…
ha ha! unless I know something
thank you!
I owned a Polar S610i, used in gym, hated looking at wrist all the time, started using a Polar CS600 with WIND Strap, cycle computers are excellent for treadmills! Then purchased a Polar V800.. should have learnt. Reverted to an M460 which seems almost a V800 in a nice package. Cycle computers are actually great for treadmill running, esp if HR is a crucial factor in training (such as with HR intervals).
an interesting journey..i ad a 610i as well…back in the day
Purchased the S610i in 2006 just before they were discontinued. The more I use the M460 the more it really is a V800 in another package. One thing I miss (from the CS600) is there is no HR trend line… Polar seem to have dropped it, was even on the RS400/800 years ago.
Just added a cheap M450 to my M460. Identical other than Strava and Notifications. However looking at the specs the M450 battery is slightly larger capacity than the M460 by about 10% although both are rated for the same duration. In use, seem pretty identical for what I used them for however. I do not believe the M460 battery lasts longer as some sites claim. If Strava/Bluetooth phone Notifications aren’t needed the M450 is a better buy.
yep, sounds sensible
I own a V650 and am trying to understand why Polar’s most expensive flagship cycling computer leaves out such basic features found in lesser models like the M450 and M460: No fitness or orthostatic tests and no training targets, which my old CS600x had. I used to be able to develop workout plans in Polar ProTrainer 5 and load them onto the CS600x, which would then guide me through my intervals. I cannot understand why these things are missing from the V650, and I haven’t been able to find a way to give this feedback to Polar. I found your review by Googling “V650” and “orthostatic test.” I hope Polar gives us a software update to include these things and truly make it a complete cycling computer. I bought it for the mapping capability, and if it didn’t have that, I’d either pick up an M460 or go back to my CS600x.
why missing?: my only guessed explanation was that the v650 is targetted more towards navigation than perforance
chances of it being added i would have thought are slim.