If there are simply three issues you must know concerning the new Suunto Race ($450), it’s that the high-definition AMOLED show is solely lovely, the worth for the value is outstanding, and ultrarunners needn’t worry as a result of the battery life places the watch in the identical firm as these from Coros.
This watch is a fantastic piece of {hardware}. Nothing has modified with the Finnish firm’s eager sense of fashion and design mixed with high-quality componentry. Nevertheless it’s the aggressive value level for a feature-rich watch that may be a huge leap ahead. The bottom mannequin consists of a number of first-time options like worldwide contact screen-enabled maps, a vibrant display screen, coronary heart price variability (HRV) monitoring, and Suunto Guides that do all the pieces from providing teaching to offering real-time effort monitoring.
However even amongst these constructive adjustments, two staple Suunto drawbacks stay true: The processing velocity continues to be lower than different related watches from different manufacturers and the mapping out of the field is just not 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 bundle, together with its worth, warrants the addition of the Suunto Race to our Finest GPS Operating Watches information. Learn on for the main points.
The Suunto Race. All images: 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 gradual to carry this identical brilliance to the wrist. Corporations like Garmin have supplied these high-definition shows however not of their trail-focused fēnix or Enduro traces. 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 gentle situation. In my 5 months of testing, I’ve taken it to Hawaii’s seashores, Colorado’s snowy mountains, and each day by means of the flat gentle 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 apply, they are often problematic. Whereas at relaxation or throughout exercise, the watch will dim the display screen for battery conservation. Sadly, it could actually take a number of seconds for it to come back again to full brightness — a lot in order that I’ve slapped on the watch in frustration after I merely need to examine the time or see some information whereas working.
After all, 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 long term, you’ll need 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 embody an AMOLED display screen, however for now, Suunto is in a category of its personal by combining this lovely 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 in opposition to Suunto watches was the battery life, particularly for ultrarunning. A lot so, actually, that many people have taken measures like re-charging a watch throughout actions, corresponding to at help stations, with a view to make a watch final the period of an occasion. It was good {that a} Suunto watch was in a position to cost whereas in use, however it’s 2024 and we’d like 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 price 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 house.
With a decrease battery efficiency setting in a non-activity mode with fewer GPS pings and coronary heart price, 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 sort of twice as costly, or any Coros mannequin, a few of that are cheaper, a few of that are extra, and also you gained’t discover a extra aggressive look ahead to the value 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. If 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 lifeless to almost 80%. In lower than an hour the watch shall be totally charged once more. That is about 45 minutes to a full hour quicker than the competitors. It’s a really spectacular function, and if you’re endeavoring to push the watch past 40 hours in a single push, you’ll be able to nonetheless recharge the battery throughout an exercise.
The aspect view of the Suunto Race.
Suunto Race Options and Performance
When trying on the Suunto Race, you need to ask your self if you happen to’re a dial or buttons particular person. Frankly, after testing practically the entire greatest 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 aspect of a scrolling dial, and it’s simply too sloppy for my tastes. It’s tactile and appears nice, however to truly use the dial, corresponding to on the finish of a run when scrolling to the save possibility, it scrolls too rapidly and desires extra precision than my energy-deprived mind can rapidly muster. Thankfully, it additionally has a contact display screen that, in most circumstances, permits you to keep away from utilizing the dial. The contact display screen itself is a superb improve, significantly 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. It’s important 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 aspect is that they’re totally touch-screen suitable, so you’ll be able to merely swipe across the display screen to maneuver concerning 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 whole ease.
The buttons and dial on the Suunto Race.
Suunto Race Coronary heart Charge Monitoring
A number of Suunto watch fashions have include optical coronary heart price sensors and the one on the Suunto Race is the very best but. In actual fact, whereas it’s nonetheless not so good as the information obtained from a coronary heart price strap, the optical coronary heart price information is extra dependable, correct, and reliable than every other watch I’ve examined. Although all watch producers tout optical coronary heart price monitoring accuracy of their advertising and marketing, behind closed doorways they are going to inform you that it’s, significantly 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 function set.
HRV has grow to be a buzzword in teaching circles for its means to point your coaching readiness. A number of components 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 sporting the watch at night time. The watch has a “don’t disturb” mode that retains the display screen darkish at night time and pauses alerts.
A have a look at the Suunto Race’s optical coronary heart price sensor.
Suunto Race Different Options
On the subject of night-time use, one other wonderful function of the Suunto Race is the flashlight. Enabling this operate takes over the complete show with an adjustable brightness white glow. That is in contrast to the extra most popular type that Garmin presents, which is a light-weight on the prime of the crown, enabling you to level the sunshine at issues, however I nonetheless very a lot admire this model of a flashlight, significantly when sharing a small area with somebody, corresponding to a tent.
Suunto has a library of Guides that you simply set up on the watch from the app. There are all the pieces from Strava Stay Segments to vitamin alerts to cadence and energy measurements, in addition to different teaching parts. 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.
When it comes to on-wrist sizing, it’s the identical dimension because the Suunto Vertical however the Suunto Race feels smaller in your wrist. Consequently, it sits someplace between the tiny Suunto 9 Peak Professional and the Suunto Vertical when it comes to on-wrist dimension.
The Suunto Race, as worn on a wrist.
Suunto Race General Impressions
The Suunto Race, for the cash and have set, is probably 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 value, however once you add the very best optical coronary heart price sensor available on the market and clear aesthetics that put it approach above even the best-looking watches from the competitors, this watch turns into a extremely covetable machine.
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. It is a slightly small critique after we’re speaking a couple of distinction of milliseconds, however it’s the one grievance I proceed to have with the model’s merchandise. That doesn’t take away from making the Suunto Race the runner-up for greatest total GPS watch in our Finest GPS Operating Watches information.
Name for Feedback
- Are you working with the Suunto Race? If that’s the case, what are your ideas on its numerous specs and efficiency?
- How does the Suunto Race examine to different GPS watches you might have used?
