As soon as I discovered the time to place it by its paces, the Suunto Race software program — significantly its SuuntoPlus apps — took a very long time to grasp, nevertheless it rewards you for the hassle. Maybe my largest concern with the Suunto Race is with the basics: after I examined its HR and GPS accuracy, they did not fairly stay as much as my expectations.
That mentioned, it is a very robust look ahead to the $450 worth vary, giving the equally-priced Garmin Forerunner 265 and COROS APEX 2 Professional a run to your cash.
Suunto Race evaluate: Value, availability, and specs
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The Suunto Race was launched in October 2023. The newer Race S launched in June 2024, including just a few new software program options that additionally arrived on the Suunto Race.
It begins at $449 for the chrome steel model and $549 for the titanium model, which weighs barely much less and has double the map cupboard space. The metal variations ship in All Black, Midnight Blue, Birch White, and “UTMB World Collection,” which has a black case and distinctive strap. The titanium version ships in Charcoal and Amethyst.
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Suunto Race specs
Class
Suunto Race
Dimensions
49 x 49 x 13.3mm
Weight
69g (titanium) or 83g (metal)
Band
22mm silicone, matches 125-175mm wrists
Supplies
Glass fibre strengthened polyamide case, chrome steel or titanium bezel
Safety
10ATM, sapphire crystal glass
Show
1.43-inch (466 x 466) AMOLED, 1,000 nits
Storage
16GB (metal) or 32GB (titanium)
Well being information & sensors
HR, HRV (stress and restoration), SpO2, sleep evaluation, altimeter, compass
Mapping and monitoring
Downloadable topo maps for any area; dual-band (L1 + L5) GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS, BEIDOU
Battery life
60 days; 65 GPS hours; 40 dual-band GPS hours
Suunto Race evaluate: What you will like
(Picture credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)
Most health watch manufacturers are transitioning from MIP to AMOLED shows , and the Suunto Race is exhibit A for why it is a good factor. You are getting a watch that lasts over two weeks per cost or about 40 hours, utilizing 4 satellite tv for pc methods and dual-band GPS concurrently, and nonetheless getting a 1,000-nit, high-res show. I do not begrudge individuals who want max battery life just like the 90-day Garmin Enduro 3, however I might say the Suunto Race has hit the good-enough threshold for many athletes.
The Suunto Race makes use of a rotating crown and begin/again buttons, supplying you with three customizable shortcuts for the crown press and prime/down long-presses. You may prioritize features just like the flashlight, music controls, notifications, alarms, or climate. The crown shortcut highlights one pinned widget, so you may soar rapidly to information like your coaching progress widget or exercise logbook, or open the compass or map rapidly.
(Picture credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)
The Suunto app splits off between a House feed of your exercises, a Calendar view, a Coaching Zone — which summarizes your current Coaching Load, Depth, Impression, and Restoration — and a map view with warmth maps that present the place Suunto customers prepare. In contrast to different apps that put extra deal with well being, sleep, paid teaching, or tie-ins to different merchandise, Suunto retains issues targeted on coaching, which I recognize.
Particularly, the Coaching Zone part is fairly neat. You get a Suunto Coach textual content abstract that clearly describes your current progress, earlier than you dive into the charts and numbers. You see a weekly abstract of your coaching load and coaching stress (aka depth) that is in contrast in opposition to your continual coaching load for a type (Coaching Stress Steadiness) rating. All of it could sound sophisticated at first, however when you memorize the acronyms, it offers a ton of helpful context for critical runners.
I particularly like how Suunto offers an Depth chart that exhibits how a lot time you spend in HR zones 1–5 throughout the week, in addition to tempo zones and working energy zones. I wrote about wanting higher coaching load zone evaluation not too long ago, and Suunto checks lots of these packing containers.
(Picture credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)
You may obtain offline maps throughout a whole lot of nations and territories, with the maps cut up up for the bigger nations. Within the U.S., for instance, I downloaded Northern California (2GB), however most different states (and lots of nations) are smaller. Most individuals will be capable of make do with the usual 16GB of storage except you regularly journey for coaching; downloading maps is painfully gradual, so you are not going to need to swap map packs usually.
Subsequent you may create a route, both through the use of the easy map creation software and tapping waypoints or importing a GPX file from third-party apps like Strava. You can even discover different folks’s public routes utilizing heatmaps, although you could not discover many besides in main inhabitants areas or nationwide parks. Importing them to your watch is fast and managing your route library is painless.
Talking of third-party integrations, Suunto presents loads of SuuntoPlus apps made by third-party tech manufacturers or group members, filling the gaps left behind in Suunto’s software program. You may add SuuntoPlus apps on the watch itself, naturally integrating the brand new tech into your favourite sports activities modes. Additionally they allow you to sync with sure gadgets, together with the CORE Physique Temp sensor I examined earlier this 12 months.
Suunto Race evaluate: HR and GPS accuracy
(Picture credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)
Suunto Race GPS accuracy assessments
How I check
For GPS accuracy, I exploit my Garmin Forerunner 965 , which beat different dual-band GPS watches from COROS, Polar, Samsung, and Apple in earlier assessments. For testing optical HR accuracy, I exploit my COROS Coronary heart Charge Monitor , which in contrast favorably in opposition to a HRM chest strap.
On the finish of a number of runs and an extended hike, the Suunto Race added no less than one-tenth of a mile to every exercise in comparison with what my Garmin Forerunner 965 tracked. Given how effectively the latter normally does for dual-band GPS accuracy, that had me nervous concerning the Suunto Race’s personal accuracy. Analyzing the charts, although, the reply is a bit more sophisticated.
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(Picture credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)
(Picture credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)
(Picture credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)
In every of the GPS paths above, the Suunto Race (blue line ) typically matches my location, typically doing higher than Garmin (orange ) at realizing which facet of the path I am on. The instantly apparent drawback is how each one-second studying appears to fling me from one diagonal to a different, like I am a working again working towards my juking expertise.
I am nonetheless shifting ahead and avoiding the drastic monitoring points I see with GPS-only watches just like the Pixel Watch 3 ; I do not need to give the impression that Suunto does terribly right here. However with out fail, after each mile Suunto is an additional one-hundredth of a mile forward of Garmin, and by the tip of an extended exercise the hole provides up.
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(Picture credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)
(Picture credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)
(Picture credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)
(Picture credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)
(Picture credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)
I additionally took each watches out on a ten-mile hike; by the tip, Suunto had added two-tenths of a mile. You may see within the screens above how effectively it does monitoring me in dense foliage, by no means dropping me the way in which most smartwatches would. However whether or not my sign is obscured or direct, you see that very same frantic zig-zagging impact at random moments.
(Picture credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)
The Suunto Race would not have a monitor run exercise, nevertheless it did fairly effectively at matching my lane-3 sprints round my native monitor, regardless of some wobbliness. It ended up including about 80m to my whole after ten laps. (Garmin’s monitor line is artificially centered due to its Observe Run exercise, so ignore it.)
This watch is sufficiently old that Suunto might be previous the purpose of algorithm fixes, however I really feel like Suunto is shut to nailing its monitoring, in some methods higher than different dual-band watches at avoiding straying strains.
Suunto Race HR accuracy assessments
(Picture credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)
With the Suunto Race’s optical coronary heart price monitor, I might already heard that Suunto doubled the LED sensors in its Race S successor watch and tweaked its algorithm in response to Race HR criticism. So I in contrast it in opposition to my COROS Coronary heart Charge Monitor to see the way it matches in opposition to a dependable optical sensor (the above chart says “Garmin Forerunner” as a result of my COROS synced to that watch).
For all 4 actions, the Suunto’s HR common fell 1–2 bpm quick. Through the 15K run above, the Race all the time stays shut, nevertheless it’s obvious how its studying by no means fairly catches as much as my precise coronary heart price, averaging 2 bpm quick (166 vs. 164).
(Picture credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)
Throughout a shorter 10K, the hole was just one bpm, however the shorter timeline makes it simpler to see moments the place Suunto’s studying dips and rises at odd increments whereas the secured COROS band has my coronary heart price staying regular. That has me suspecting that the Suunto Race does have small monitoring blips that add up, and that the Race S’ additional LEDs may assist with that.
(Picture credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)
For my remaining monitor exercise, the Suunto Race struggled. Some gaps is perhaps because of inconsistent pausing after laps, however that does not clarify the Race registering me at my max 200 bpm throughout my first 800m; belief me, I wasn’t working that tough but. In any other case, there have been two clear moments the place its HR was ten bpm above my precise price, and two moments the place it was ten bpm under . The general common was simply 2 bpm off, however I wasn’t thrilled with the information.
General, I might say the Suunto Race’s GPS accuracy is sweet sufficient to get by and higher than no matter GPS-only watch you at the moment have, nevertheless it might be higher. As for coronary heart price, it is a watch the place I might most likely advocate you retain sporting an exterior coronary heart price monitor should you want hyper-accurate outcomes, nevertheless it’s in any other case adequate to offer you correct HR zones to your coaching load information.
Suunto Race evaluate: What you will not like
(Picture credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)
Other than my complaints about accuracy, my largest notice with the Suunto Race is its weight. Suunto despatched me the titanium mannequin, and at 69g, it is on the heavy facet for a running-focused watch; most different flagships weigh within the mid-50s with a silicone band, or use a nylon band to hit that vary. I really feel somewhat little bit of wobble when pumping my arms exhausting, although it is nonetheless not as heavy as, say, a Samsung or Apple Extremely watch.
My concern is that almost all patrons will select the 83g chrome steel Race to economize. For folks used to all-steel watches, they will not thoughts, however many runners will discover that weight onerous. That is why many runners will want the 60g Race S, accepting the smaller and less-protected show.
(Picture credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)
Whereas I by no means thoughts working with my cellphone, the Suunto Race mandates it if you need music playlists or contactless funds. A few of that is outdoors of Suunto’s management — it is exhausting for smaller manufacturers to get banks and streaming providers to play ball — but many runners will select different manufacturers as a result of they cannot do with out music storage and NFC.
Whereas I praised a lot of the essential Suunto app instruments, one conspicuous absence is any form of free coaching plan software program that adapts to your current exercises, such as you get with Garmin or COROS. Suunto has a listing of SuuntoPlus app integrations for coaching guides , however most of them (like TrainingPeaks) require a fee or syncing your information usually with one other platform. I might argue Suunto wants its personal native equal.
As for different lacking options different health manufacturers provide, Suunto would not have security instruments like location sharing, challenges, gear monitoring, or the choice to pre-select multisport choices. You will not discover any ECG or pores and skin temp readings, both.
Lastly, I am not the most important fan of Suunto’s watch face system. You may solely save 9 to the watch, and so they’re hidden within the SuuntoPlus retailer with solely 21 whole choices by my depend, none of them particularly fairly or inventive. You may’t add a customized background, most faces solely allow you to add three problems at most, and syncing faces to the watch is weirdly gradual.
Competitors
(Picture credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)
The Garmin Forerunner 265 is ranked as our greatest working watch as a result of it presents nice coaching instruments with out costing as a lot as flagship fashions. In comparison with the Suunto Race, it has some deficiencies: its Gorilla Glass 3-protected show is not as brilliant or scratch-proof. It solely has breadcrumb navigation, with maps reserved for the 965. Its plastic bezel would not look almost as elegant. And whereas their day by day battery is not so totally different (16 vs. 13 days), the Suunto Race crushes the Forerunner 265 for dual-band GPS hours (40 vs. 14 hours).
Nonetheless, it has its perks! The Forerunner 265 is considerably lighter, even should you do not buy the smaller 265S, and it has the upside of contactless funds and music storage if you wish to go phone-less to your run. It additionally does barely higher on the GPS accuracy entrance, and presents each day by day recommended exercises and adaptable Garmin Coach coaching plans. Whether or not you favor the up/down buttons or Suunto’s crown is a matter of desire.
(Picture credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)
Other than Garmin, Suunto’s largest fitness-watch rivals are COROS and Polar. The COROS APEX 2 Professional additionally prices $449, and because of its MIP show it might final 30 days per cost, although its 26-hour dual-band GPS monitoring nonetheless falls in need of Suunto’s. It has a titanium bezel, ECG readings, 32GB for downloadable maps, comparable coaching load software program, and downloadable coaching plans.
The Polar Vantage V3 is a pricier $599, making it a tough ask except you are contemplating the titanium Suunto Race. It, too, has all of the coaching steering, restoration recs, correct GPS and coronary heart price information, and full-color maps on an AMOLED show that you would ask for. I particularly like its assessments for issues like muscle soreness and present VO2 Max.
Suunto Race evaluate: Must you purchase it?
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You should purchase the Suunto Race if…
You want a long-lived AMOLED working watch with in-depth coaching metrics.
You need premium options at a mid-range working watch worth.
You need the Suunto Race’s 10ATM water resistance, sapphire glass, and additional week of battery life in comparison with the Suunto Race S.
You should not purchase the Suunto Race if…
The Suunto Race S, with its revamped HR information, lighter design, and lower cost, appeals to you extra.
You want music storage or contactless funds.
You need an adaptive coaching program that sends exercises to your wrist primarily based on previous actions.
My evaluate title says all of it: The Suunto Race is close to the end line for me.
The Suunto Race S allegedly mounted a few of the optical HR points and made it much more reasonably priced and extra comfortably light-weight. As soon as Suunto catches up on adaptive coaching plans and a few different areas, it will have every thing I might need in a working watch at a lower cost tier than different manufacturers, like COROS besides with AMOLED as an alternative of MIP shows.
Nonetheless, as comparatively minor because the Suunto Race accuracy points are in comparison with different mainstream smartwatches, they’re large enough that I am going to fortunately flip to different manufacturers that keep away from these points.
Marathoner AMOLED
The Suunto Race arguably beats different $450 working watches just like the Garmin Forerunner 265 and COROS APEX 2 Professional in key areas. It has a 16-day battery life, dual-band GPS, superior coaching metrics, downloadable offline maps, and powerful water and scratch safety.
