If there are simply three issues it’s essential know in regards to the new Suunto Race ($450), it’s that the high-definition AMOLED show is solely stunning, the worth for the worth is outstanding, and ultrarunners needn’t concern as a result of the battery life places the watch in the identical firm as these from Coros.
This watch is a gorgeous piece of {hardware}. Nothing has modified with the Finnish firm’s eager sense of fashion and design mixed with high-quality componentry. But it surely’s the aggressive value level for a feature-rich watch that could be a massive leap ahead. The bottom mannequin contains a number of first-time options like worldwide contact screen-enabled maps, a vibrant display, coronary heart charge variability (HRV) monitoring, and Suunto Guides that do every part from providing teaching to offering real-time effort monitoring.
However even amongst these optimistic modifications, two staple Suunto drawbacks stay true: The processing pace continues to be lower than different related watches from different manufacturers and the mapping out of the field shouldn’t be as sturdy. Additionally, some key options I’ve grown to like from different producers are lacking, together with offline Spotify streaming and photo voltaic charging.
Nonetheless, the overall package deal, together with its worth, warrants the addition of the Suunto Race to our Finest GPS Working Watches information. Learn on for the main points.
The Suunto Race. All pictures: iRunFar/Craig Randall
Suunto Race Show
The two.45-ounce (70 grams) Suunto Race is the primary trail-specific watch to make use of an AMOLED show that’s a beneficiant 1.43 inches throughout. We’ve all grow to be accustomed to high-definition shows — be it on our telephones, laptops, or TVs — however GPS watches for working have been sluggish to carry this similar brilliance to the wrist. Firms like Garmin have provided these high-definition shows however not of their trail-focused fēnix or Enduro strains. Even the watch that just lately preceded the Suunto Race — the Suunto Vertical (Suunto Vertical assessment) with its $800 price ticket — nonetheless has an analog show.
The distinction between AMOLED and analog is staggering. This show is extremely vivid and simple to learn in any climate or mild situation. In my 5 months of testing, I’ve taken it to Hawaii’s seashores, Colorado’s snowy mountains, and every day by means of the flat mild and early winter darkness. It does take extra battery energy to maintain the show working, however Suunto has built-in standby and raise-to-wake options to assist preserve energy.
These battery-saving choices are helpful on paper, however in observe, they are often problematic. Whereas at relaxation or throughout exercise, the watch will dim the display for battery conservation. Sadly, it could take a number of seconds for it to return again to full brightness — a lot in order that I’ve slapped on the watch in frustration after I merely wish to verify the time or see some information whereas working.
In fact, you may get round this by leaving the watch in full show mode, however as I discussed, it takes a major toll on the battery. In day-to-day life, this implies charging the watch extra usually. If you’re in a race or out on a really future, you’ll wish to be conscious of the show setting and put up with the mildly annoying dimming to maintain the watch from working out of energy.
Sooner or later, when know-how prices come down and battery effectivity improves, all GPS watches will embrace an AMOLED display, however for now, Suunto is in a category of its personal by combining this stunning show with the watch’s different options.
A entrance view of the Suunto Race.
Suunto Race Battery Life
Earlier than the Suunto Race, one of many knocks towards Suunto watches was the battery life, particularly for ultrarunning. A lot so, in reality, that many people have taken measures like re-charging a watch throughout actions, corresponding to at assist stations, as a way to make a watch final the length of an occasion. It was good {that a} Suunto watch was capable of cost whereas in use, nevertheless it’s 2024 and we want a watch that may go for 20, 30, or 40 hours of steady utilization. Out of the field and with full options enabled, together with coronary heart charge monitoring and best-performing GPS monitoring, the Suunto Race can exceed the corporate’s 40-hour battery life declare. I’ve gotten near 45 hours of letting it run on my wrist in a take a look at state of affairs from dwelling.
With a decrease battery efficiency setting in a non-activity mode with fewer GPS pings and coronary heart charge, sleep monitoring, and mapping disabled, the watch will keep powered for as much as 26 days. Evaluate these stats to the Garmin fēnix 7, which is almost twice as costly, or any Coros mannequin, a few of that are inexpensive, a few of that are extra, and also you gained’t discover a extra aggressive look ahead to the worth and have set.
One sneaky distinction between Suunto’s newer watches, beginning with the Suunto 9 Peak Professional that got here out in 2020, and opponents’ merchandise are their quick re-charging instances. Whenever you plug the Suunto 9 Peak Professional, Vertical, or Race into the wall, it takes solely about 25 minutes for the watch to recharge from useless to almost 80%. In lower than an hour the watch might be absolutely charged once more. That is about 45 minutes to a full hour quicker than the competitors. It’s a really spectacular characteristic, and if you’re endeavoring to push the watch past 40 hours in a single push, you possibly can nonetheless recharge the battery throughout an exercise.
The facet view of the Suunto Race.
Suunto Race Options and Performance
When trying on the Suunto Race, it is best to ask your self in case you’re a dial or buttons particular person. Frankly, after testing almost the entire finest GPS watches for working during the last 4 years, I’m nonetheless not a dial man. From the Coros Tempo to the Coros Vertix line and now, sadly, with the Suunto Race, I proceed to search out dial scrolling imperfect and unreliable.
This watch has two buttons on both facet of a scrolling dial, and it’s simply too sloppy for my tastes. It’s tactile and appears nice, however to really use the dial, corresponding to on the finish of a run when scrolling to the save choice, it scrolls too rapidly and desires extra precision than my energy-deprived mind can rapidly muster. Happily, it additionally has a contact display that, in most circumstances, allows you to keep away from utilizing the dial. The contact display itself is an excellent improve, notably when utilizing maps.
You get both 16 gigabytes of inside storage for the metal mannequin or 32 gigabytes for the titanium mannequin which you could fill with maps from everywhere in the globe. You need to arrange Wi-Fi pairing with your own home router, open the free Suunto app to search out and obtain the map you need, after which spend about 10 minutes transferring the maps to your watch.
The draw back is that the maps are unnamed and unlabeled, which is a gripe we’ve had with different Suunto watches. The plus facet is that they’re absolutely touch-screen suitable, so you possibly can merely swipe across the display to maneuver in regards to the map, after which, and right here’s the place the dial is a really helpful contact: flip the dial to zoom out and in with complete ease.
The buttons and dial on the Suunto Race.
Suunto Race Coronary heart Price Monitoring
A number of Suunto watch fashions have include optical coronary heart charge sensors and the one on the Suunto Race is the perfect but. In reality, whereas it’s nonetheless not so good as the info obtained from a coronary heart charge strap, the optical coronary heart charge information is extra dependable, correct, and reliable than some other watch I’ve examined. Although all watch producers tout optical coronary heart charge monitoring accuracy of their advertising and marketing, behind closed doorways they are going to inform you that it’s, notably at excessive cardio outputs, pitiful. That is the least pitiful amongst watches I’ve examined from Coros and Garmin over time, and it has emboldened Suunto to combine HRV measurement into its characteristic set.
HRV has grow to be a buzzword in teaching circles for its means to point your coaching readiness. A number of elements have an effect on it past train, however in easy phrases, HRV observes the variations in time between your coronary heart’s beats. It’s crucial to make use of sleep monitoring to get an HRV rating that’s as correct as attainable. It has grow to be an fascinating metric I refer to every morning after carrying the watch at night time. The watch has a “don’t disturb” mode that retains the display darkish at night time and pauses alerts.
A have a look at the Suunto Race’s optical coronary heart charge sensor.
Suunto Race Different Options
On the subject of night-time use, one other wonderful characteristic of the Suunto Race is the flashlight. Enabling this operate takes over your entire show with an adjustable brightness white glow. That is in contrast to the extra most well-liked fashion that Garmin affords, which is a light-weight on the high of the crown, enabling you to level the sunshine at issues, however I nonetheless very a lot recognize this model of a flashlight, notably when sharing a small area with somebody, corresponding to a tent.
Suunto has a library of Guides that you just set up on the watch from the app. There are every part from Strava Stay Segments to diet alerts to cadence and energy measurements, in addition to different teaching elements. The app is far improved from the outdated days of “Movescount” — it’s a really clear and easy-to-use addition to the watch. Transferring programs or routes is quick and a breeze.
By way of on-wrist sizing, it’s the identical dimension because the Suunto Vertical however the Suunto Race feels smaller in your wrist. Because of this, it sits someplace between the tiny Suunto 9 Peak Professional and the Suunto Vertical by way of on-wrist dimension.
The Suunto Race, as worn on a wrist.
Suunto Race Total Impressions
The Suunto Race, for the cash and have set, is essentially the most profitable look ahead to path runners from the model as of now.
The spectacular battery and high-definition show alone make it a steal for the worth, however once you add the perfect optical coronary heart charge sensor in the marketplace and clear aesthetics that put it means above even the best-looking watches from the competitors, this watch turns into a extremely covetable system.
The lagging processing energy is the one actual downside. Suunto nonetheless hasn’t managed to make a GPS watch transfer as fluidly when scrolling options, enabling features, or saving actions as the opposite manufacturers. This can be a somewhat small critique once we’re speaking a couple of distinction of milliseconds, nevertheless it’s the one criticism I proceed to have with the model’s merchandise. That doesn’t take away from making the Suunto Race the runner-up for finest general GPS watch in our Finest GPS Working Watches information.
Name for Feedback
- Are you working with the Suunto Race? If that’s the case, what are your ideas on its varied specs and efficiency?
- How does the Suunto Race examine to different GPS watches you’ve gotten used?
