Here we’re going to dive into a Suunto comparison. Suunto us a multisport smartwatch brand from Finland, known best for the Suunto 9 watch. Furthermore, Suunto watches are well-known for their durability and high-quality build, enduring battery life and custom battery modes. So if you’re into ultramarathons, a Suunto will be the first brand you want to research.
Introduction to the Suunto Comparison
You know you can rely on a Suunto watch for being accurate thanks to the brand’s history. To explain, the founder of Suunto, Tuomas Vohlan, patented his liquid-filled compass 80 years ago. Now, this was a revolution because it provided a new level of accuracy in readings compared to dry compasses. And the company has only done more and better things in the 80 years since. Somehow, they’re still not as well-recognised as Fitbit or Garmin, but athletes in the know respect their wearables.
So, before investing in a Suunto watch, there are some things to think about. Firstly it’s going to be the price. As we said, the Suunto 9 is the most popular, but it’s the most pricey and you might not require all the functions it has to offer.
Therefore, the Suunto 3 or 5 might strike a better balance between functionality and price (the former being cheaper) with standard fitness tracking features.
At SuperWatches we like to recommend models with built-in GPS, as indeed you get with the Suunto 9 and Suunto 5. Meaning, you can be free of your smartphone whilst you’re out running, say. Of course, if you enjoy listening to music as you go, none of these will suit you as they don’t offer onboard music storage.
Instead, you get a decent multisport feature. For example, your Suunto would track your activities in minute detail. Like laps, lap pace (in real-time), and your max and averages, including for sports like cycling and swimming.
Suunto 9 Baro
First in our Suunto Comparison is the Suunto 9 Baro is all but the same watch as the 9 but with 2 differences. Firstly, the obvious one, being the addition of a barometer. Secondly, it has sapphire crystal glass protecting the display, meaning it’s scratch-proof. And for these two additions, you’ll have to pay 20% on top of the 9 price, but we think it’s well worth it.
Additionally, the 9 Baro’s features are a favourite with mountaineers and trail runners who like to know the altitude differences during their sessions. More, the 9 Baro has a storm alarm that will let you know when you might want to skip that particular day or seek shelter if you’re already out. However, the good news is that these additional features don’t negatively affect the battery life, which is key for anyone who likes outdoor adventures.
Essentially, the 9 Baro contains all the features the brand could throw at it. Without them, the 9 is a lighter watch by 9g and is rightly a cheaper option.
Considering what you pay, you certainly get a lot of watch! And a big one at that. Compared to even Garmins, known for their bulk, the 9 and 9 Baro are sturdy pieces.
Although the 9 doesn’t have a barometer, it does have some redeeming features. Namely, the wrist-based heart rate monitor, touch screen, water-resistance up to 100m, vibration motor and battery modes enabling up to 120 hours of use.
Finally, the onboard compass is precise, too with a combination of GPS, GLONASS, QZSS and GALILEO.
Suunto 9 Peak
Designed for the memorable experiences and awe-inspiring sensations that only sport can deliver. Suunto’s 9 Peak is the company’s thinnest, smallest, and toughest watch to date.
Because of its superb design and large choice of attachments, the Suunto 9 Peak is a fantastic companion, enabling you to inject a piece of your outdoor style into every aspect of your life.
Designed to fit any arm comfortably. The 9 Baro features a long battery life and a large feature set. With the best GPS, you can travel from 25 hours to 170 hours in Tour mode.
High-quality materials, sapphire glass, and grade 5 titanium for lightness. Handcrafted in Finland and meticulously inspected, this item is of the highest quality. Because titanium is strong, scratch-resistant, and hypoallergenic, it is an excellent option for your skin. The luxurious look and feel is also unquantifiable.
Suunto’s app includes sport-specific themed maps and popular starting points to aid with travel planning. The 9 Peak is a tactical smartwatch that is built to last and is waterproof to 100 metres.
It may be used to jog on roads, trails, or tracks, or to participate in one of the 80 sport modes. In addition, the 9 Peak now has a redesigned watch face that shows your weekly training and pushes you to attempt new things.
Read our full review of the Suunto 9 Peak here.
Suunto 7
Next in our Suunto Comparison, we’re going to discuss the Suunto 7. And it’s niche because it fits into a strange corner of the market; somewhere between expensive fitness tracker and casual running watch. In fact, it’s more expensive than the Apple Watch 6 and Garmin Venu.
Now, that’s not to say it’s not a good watch! Indeed, the Suunto 7 has a lot to offer; a bright display, smart features, accurate HRM and onboard GPS. Plus, it has offline maps and heatmaps for running and cycling.
As for controls, it has a touchscreen and push buttons, which some runners find really useful. Inside is Wear OS software, providing navigational shortcuts for further ease of use.
If we were to create a spectrum from the Fitbit Versa 3 to the Garmin Forerunner 945, the 7 sits marginally closer to the latter. However, the Versa does beat the Suunto when it comes to battery life. Specifically, you can expect about two days between charges, which isn’t fantastic compared to dedicated running watches and even its siblings.
Finally, the biggest drawback with the 7 is the price because despite being a competitor to Apple, we can’t see anyone opting for a 7 over the Apple Watch.
Read our full review of the Suunto 7, here.
Suunto 5
So, the next model in our Suunto Comparison is the Suunto 5. What’s good about the 5? Firstly, it’s lightweight and compact compared to the others. So if you’re not looking for a bulky device, this is a great choice.
Despite being lighter, it has all the features the Suunto 9 has to offer you, including the two-week battery life and battery modes, global positioning and a wrist-based HRM.
Although you can’t have everything for a lower price, naturally, you compromise on the screen quality, 218 x 218px resolution. Now, that might not actually be an issue for you unless you get a lot of notifications, as some have said the small font is hard to read during exercising. But, really, you should be focused on your session anyway!
All in all, it’s a wonderful everyday tracker, which is what it was designed to be. After you finish running, the 5 will tell you some handy post-run data, which is far more in-depth than any Fitbit or Apple Watch can currently give you.
You might be able to get it as Amazon Renewed for a significantly lower price.
Read our full review of the Suunto 5, here.
Suunto 3
You can enhance your overall fitness by using the Suunto 3 Fitness. More than a fitness tracker, the optical heart rate-powered adaptive training and recuperation guidance make this a highly appealing alternative, especially considering the price. If you don’t mind not having GPS and can overlook a few shortcomings, this is a good option.
We’d call it a beginner’s fitness watch. This isn’t the watch for you if you’ve previously completed Ironman races, are on your fourth marathon, or want to make your own training schedules. On the other hand, if you’re just getting started and want to get in shape, this has a lot to offer.
The 3 Fitness is Suunto’s effort to bring some of its sports monitoring talents to the mainstream, with optical heart rate-powered training regimens and a sleek wear-it-everyday design.
With a starting price of (for the Gold and All Black variants), this watch has been designed with one major goal in mind: to help you increase your fitness levels. However, it’s worth mentioning that this watch will be better suited to individuals who are starting from a low point.
The Suunto 3 Fitness is a striking departure from Suunto’s usual large, sturdy, and multi-skilled adventure watches, such as the Spartan Trainer Wrist HR. This is more of a daily motivating tool than a mountain-climbing assist.
What else?
In addition, it is Suunto’s response to Garmin and Polar, which have been busy changing their watches’ looks to appeal to people who prefer wearing them 24/7 and packing in more smartwatch features to compete with wearables such as the Apple Watch 3 and other Wear OS devices.
And, for the most part, Suunto has done a good job here. Although there is no built-in GPS, which may deter some users, you do get a lot of useful fitness functions for your money.
For running, cycling, swimming, and walking, there’s the standard speed, distance, and calories sport monitoring, as well as optical heart rate on the wrist for in-workout and 24/7 heart rate tracking. You can also track your activity and sleep, and it’s waterproof up to 30 metres, so you can wear it in the pool.
The integration of adaptive training – guided exercises to help you improve your fitness – is where the watch becomes truly fascinating. This is backed up with recuperation tips and even a means to view how much stress your body is under in real-time, dubbed Resources by Suunto.
Aside from fitness features, Suunto has included smart notifications to the 3 Fitness, which are triggered by alerts sent from your associated phone.
Suunto Spartan Sport Wrist HR
Second to last of our Suunto Comparison, the Suunto Spartan Sport Wrist HR is what the Apple SE is to the Series 6; a slightly leaner version in terms of features. Namely, it has the same screen and build, but it doesn’t have the fancy GPS or battery modes. However, some think it looks better.
For what you pay, you get a capable multisport smartwatch that is sturdy and water-resistant to 100m, offering two weeks battery in ‘Time’ mode. And as you’re not getting the battery modes, you’ll get 40 hours of battery life in activity mode.
Suunto Traverse Alpha
The final model of our Suunto Comparison, the Suunto Traverse Alpha. Although it offers less resolution of 128 x 128 pixels, it can track hunting and fishing!
This mode is useful for providing information like moon phase, sunrise alert, shot detection, weather and can be used during nighttime. Specifically, Suunto thinks they’re catering to a neglected market.
Additional to these features, you get sapphire crystal glass, scratch-proof, a water-resistant stainless steel case, 100 hours battery life and a backlight that doubles up as a flashlight.
That’s it for now, we hope you enjoyed our Suunto comparison article! If you’re interested to see how the Suunto 9 stacks up against another market-leader, check out our review against the Garmin Fenix 6, here.
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Last Updated on December 31, 2021
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