Polar have confirmed to me that the M430 running watch has indeed got new innards. Obviously the optical HR gave away the fact that something had changed internally 😉 Well, the GPS chip has also been updated to the same one as used by the V800 (SiRFstar IV) – generally renowned for good GPS accuracy. Although equally as good GPS results have been recorded by me with the SiRFstar V on the Suunto SPARTAN SPORT.
- M460 u-blox 7
- M430 SiRFstar IV
- M450 u-blox 7
- M400 u-blox 7
Not confirmed in the same email but I believe the following to also be correct
- M600 – MediaTek MT2601 (Mediatek MT3333 is used by Garmin in the 920XT and I assume that same Mediatek chip is also in the Fenix 5X – mixed GPS performance)
- V800 – SiRFstarIV
Last Updated on 16 January 2026 by the5krunner
My favourite kit and nutrition
- Maurten — the race nutrition trusted by elite athletes. Gels and drink mix engineered to be easy on the stomach.
- Garmin 90-degree charging adapter — the small adapter that keeps your charging cable tidy at the stem. Essential for race day.
- Garmin charging puck — the fastest and most reliable way to top up your Garmin before a session.
- Ravemen FR300 — front light that mounts directly under your Garmin or Wahoo head unit. Keeps your bars clean and your beam pointed where it matters.
- Garmin Varia RTL515 — radar rear light that alerts you to vehicles approaching from behind. Pairs with your Edge or Garmin watch.
- Stryd — the footpod that brings running power to your Garmin. The single most useful running upgrade I have made.
- Favero Assioma Pro RS2 — the power meter pedals most serious cyclists end up choosing. Accurate, easy to move between bikes.
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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
Can’t wait to order it. It seems that this might be the best running watch on the market, when it gets here, looking at the potential performance of the oHR and GPS. Do you think there are any running watches superior to this at this point?
This is for a long distance runner covering round 60 miles a week, the usual fartleks and interval sessions, hills and long runs, and 70% of miles at recovery/easy pace. I will not use a chest-strap for HR but am considering adding a STRYD footpod.
Main requirements: GPS accurate to under 5% error on simple roads, oHR to be better than just a random number generator. Wireless data sync. That’s all.
Will STRYD increase the distance measurement accuracy of the watch? I would like to do my fartleks with an accurate (+-5s) pace reading, but that might just stay a dream?
I’ve given the FR235 and the TomTom Spark 3 a try, and neither is enough for me. GPS of the 235 underestimates by around 5% for most of my routes (next to roads, very little trees). oHR for the 235 didnt once go above 165 during my 4 week trial, I did my PR 5k and ran my first marathon during that time. I’m 23 and not that well trained to have such a low HR when doing high intensity. TomTom Spark 3 did behave a bit better, HR was getting there (though not over 182), but the error on GPS seemed to be even bigger, my 13k route is now 12k according to tomtom.
“random number generator”…made me laugh!! first one this week. thank you!
just get a decent footpod for the 235? config the footpod to always be the source of speed and distance.
tomtom should be VERY accurate with GPS??
to answer your other points. yes I think it is hopefully going to be ‘up there’ with the rest.
but does the buyer want accuracy or features? all the basic features are in the base models…even the M200 has just about enough.