I researched the 165 a lot and was close to pulling the trigger but since I love hiking, I moved to Coros Pace 3. When I heard about the Suunto and watched a few vids, including yours, I think I finally found my watch. I just ordered!😀
Good comparison. I have always had Garmins and am about the time I want to get a new watch, had my Fenix 6 for 3 or 4 years which I intend to keep for long weekends hiking etc, but want something a bit smaller as my regular watch. Put off now by Garmin's much higher prices, the 965 is £600!! Interested in this Suunto Race S, the crown is a good feature and it has maps, but disappointed that with all that storage space you cannot put music on it or connect headphones. That is essential for me when running.
Yeah £600 is mental in today’s market.. yeah, unfortunately at the moment you can’t store music. But I do love their music control features as 99% of the time I run with my phone anyway for safety
Excellent review. Couple of questions. 1. Can it dynamically reroute in the middle of your outdoor activity? Garmin 965 has dynamic courses where you can choose a direction or set it to auto and you can create a course. 2. If I import a course, can it display street names? The built in maps doesnt show it. What about the former? 3. Off course warnings if you stray away from your path? 4. Finally, training load and effect metrics? Thanks again
VERY kind words ❤️ 1. You can change between routes mid-activity but if you want a brand new course created with turn by turn navigation you’ll have to quickly send it from the app first. 2. For street names or navigating to a post code or zip code you’ll have to type that into the app first.. then send to watch 👊🏽 3. Yes. It has off course warnings if you stray from path.. in fact if you check out this video’s thumbnail you’ll see it displaying “off route” on the picture. 4. Yes it has training load, intensity, volume & A.I couch as shown in this video. You’ll have to spend about $250 more at Garmin to get all those. An absolute pleasure mate ❤️
@ActiveIdeas awesome. Just wanted to confirm that street names do display in the map on the watch when you import course from the app or from third party sites like Komoot? is the HR accuracy as good as Apple Watch Ultra or Series 9? Also, does it display all notifications from any apps on the Android or iOS phone?
Hey mate! No map street names will display on the watch. Think of it as google maps on the watch but without the street names! I have no idea how the HR will compare to Apple Watch, my best guess is that Apple Watch would preform slightly better but that‘s speculation. Yes it will display all notifications, doesn’t matter if you’re on apple or android 🌟
Bro, gratz with Race S) Thanks as usual for video! Suunto did a great job , and great price. And Suunto promise major updates in future. Anyway amazing job. In my local online store NEW FR965 sold for 400 dollars. I think this great deal too. But i hate Garmin's design in activity profiles.
Thankyou bro! Yeah they really did do a great job.. a great price and at this selling value quite literally has no competitors. Oh wow, yeah for $400 the 965 is a steal! That definitely changes things 😍 Yeah know what you mean
You legend ❤️ Thanks for the comment! Corr.. it’s not even close. Coros is great and the Pace 3 is great but for my needs it would HAVE to be the Race S. I need my maps 🌟
Hey mate! Thanks so much, I’m also booked on for the UTS 100 miles so I’ll see you there ❤️ Corrr, I think 100 miles might be pushing it, it can definitely do it but I’d personally force this watch into “GPS only” mode, maps on, HR on, AOD display off and brightness setting: Low. This would get you though without charging. Alternatively you can leave it with all the bells & whistles on (multi-band gps, brightness medium, AOD on) and just charge for 10-15 minutes at your bag drop.. this will work too but just important not to forget charging. What’s cool about Suunto is that if you run into quick battery drain issues, all of the settings I’ve mentioned above can be switched on/off on the fly for worst case scenarios (you forget to charge or something). Hope this helps and I’ll see you there! 👊🏽🔥
I had a pace 2. Got a Suunto race S. Finding a lot of basic running related features missing. Customization is trash. Will be returning and getting a garmin
Corr, personally I’ve also thought customisation on Suunto was much better than Coros. But yeah… you’re going to love Garmin if heavy customisation is what you’re into. All the best with your adventures 🔥❤️
They’re on a roll aren’t they mate! If you want to improve your heart rate I highly recommend the nylon strap in my video description. Get the 22mm version and it allows you to get that perfect fit.. I’ve had great heartrate results ❤️
@@ActiveIdeas I use a polar h10 for running I'm ok there. I will try a nylon strap at some point, I want the garmin one that goes round the permanent pins - I have the pics already.
Thank you for the review, i just discovered your channel, between Suunto Race S and the Garmin Forerunner 265 witch one do you suggest me? ( I do Gym training and running )
Welcome to Active Ideas! ❤️ Cor that’s tough one.. for JUST gym and running I do love what the 265 has to offer.. their body battery, stress tracking and training status & training readiness. It’s running dynamics data is super insightful too! With Suunto you’ll get less data but what it does, it does really well. You also get full TOPO offline maps which for me.. is a game changer. The build quality and durability is also far superior on the Race S offering a better value for money option. Hope this helps, if you have any other questions or queries.. just ask ❤️
@@ActiveIdeas I think suunto Push " S " version out because of heart rate sensor issue on Vertical & Race. Also I think 45-47mm watch is the best selling watch size so why not ? 🙂
Well from Suunto's people interview and forum it seems that Vertical S is NOT in their plan. They are thinking about the pricing adjustment to the S9 Peak Pro to be reduced bellow 350 as an entry offer.
I don't need more watches lol, but it's tempting to try suunto or a different garmin. I just love my fenix 7 pro solar. It rocks. It's hard to try anything else with less features.
Yeah, if you’ve already got an $800 Fenix 7 Pro there’s little to no reason to switch. Unless you fancy trying Amoled, a new brand or potentially having two watches. Just a heads up with Garmin, lots of people publicly saying on forums that the “Fenix 8” is coming out on 4 weeks 🙈😈
@ActiveIdeas ya i won't be switching 😂. Appreciate the heads up! I've been wondering when the 8 was coming out. I really don't know where they can go from the 7 pro
To pick at straws on a fantastic product and fantasise here.. The Fenix 7 Pro gps accuracy was pretty terrible for multi-day mountain ultras in my experience; I had lots of signal drop outs. So I hope they bring a more reliable GPS chipset for harsher environments. It would be cool to see LTE (With emergency InReach features). Upgraded speaker (polyphonic with loud emergency siren). It would be cool to see accessible ECG features come as standard (outside USA). I hope in the future they push for a more diverse contactless payment system (very limited banks in many countries). It would also be cool to seem them drop the price.. with more offerings in the market if they knock off $$$ they would destroy lots of their competition 🙈 But yeah, I agree, hard to improve an already fantastic device 🔥
@ActiveIdeas ya I definitely get your points. I haven't had any issues with gps in the city with taller buildings, no experience with mountains yet. But I would be frustrated that it lost signal in the mountains, that shouldn't happen with a garmin on multiband. I actually would really like a simple scuba/snorkel program. Something with a depth gage. I've snorkeled and scuba dived a few times on vacation and that would be nice to have. Surprised they don't actually have it. The last thing is maybe improve the battery life even more. Either way it's an amazing watch. I can't wait to see what the fenix 8 brings.
Yeah, don’t know why it happened but even on multi-band in the mountains the Fenix sucked for me. Was great everywhere else though 🔥 Love your suggestions, a snorkel, mermaid & scuba mode would be sooo cold! Definitely could do with more battery too, maybe solar improvements? Bring on September is all I can say 😍
Nice comparison! I really like how you dive into the stuff you daily use. The soccer part will be in another video 😁? Also, are those running shoes the S/Lab Pulsar 3? I've got the Salomon s/lab ultra 3, and I'm wondering if I can also use them for running on the street/tarmac.
As always, cheers Chris! ❤️ Yeah, I have a video just features, Race S, don’t worry, soccer is featuring 🤣 Nice spot! They absolutely are the S/Lab Pulsar 3. They handle all terrains very nicely.. I’d say they’re not build for tarmac alone BUT surprising did feel very comfortable when I was running through the streets.. better spring & comfort than some of my daily trainers. If running on tarmac alone, I’d probably keep the milage below 15 miles tbh 🙈
IDK how it originally names. but in suunto plus live score in team activities is fantastic)) live score in your wrist. What can be more simple and more genius
Thankyou! ❤️ Unfortunately no direct gym comparisons but I have done workouts with both watches separately. If you lift heavy, you’ll get more protection from the Race S’s steel bezel. You also have more sport profiles with more activities on Suunto. But yeah.. performance is very similar on both in my experience so far (it’s only been a week). Hope this helps ❤️
Hi first time in the channel, very informative review…as someone looking at either this or a coros pace 3…which is better for an average runner currently using apple series 5 and wanting a bit more! Thanks
Thanks for the comment bro! Corr for running there isn’t much in it.. Coros is much lighter, it also pairs seamlessly with the Pod 2 for super accurate pace! For running alone Pace 3 is probably better.: but Race S is a much better watch for not much more money! Also Suunto Paris with Stryd but I haven’t tested that yet
very nice video and very good presentation between these two the only thing for sure is that I would choose the suunto rase s it seems to be more accurate more robust and for the money it costs I think it was even better than the more expensive Garmin only suunto guys 💯🏆💯
Yes the Suunto has a Do Not Disturb (Silent mode) AND you can set it to run multiple alarms. Even alarms such as “sun rise and sunset” if you want too! How this helps and thanks for dropping by ❤️🌟
I'm a fan of the Suunto stuff too. Just wondered how your Vertical was behaving after the latest update with regards to following routes and map latency. wondered if there had been any improvements over the prior builds? keep up the good work mate.
The vertical has been running super stable! There’s been another update released about 2 weeks ago.. I haven’t upgraded to that one yet as I have some filming to do but it brought its of customisation features as well as even better mapping. I have heard someone people quote less battery life.. not too sure how true this is ❤️
For marathon running you’ll get more “running data” from the 955 with its advanced dynamics. Depends how useful you’ll find all this data. In terms of build quality, value for money and design the Race S will take the edge ❤️
Hummm... interesting comparison indeed! The HR sensor is not Garmin's latest, so any watch with the new Elevate sensor might do better than the 165. What I like about your style is that you give perspective but then make a clear recommendation. Keep doing that, please. How big is the lug width for the bands on the Suunto? 24 or 26mm?
I wish I could tell how you how it compares to Garmin’s new elevate sensor but unfortunately I can’t afford to test one of their pro models right now.. and as mentioned in the video Garmin’s competition in price alone is the Forerunner 165 which highlights the joke in price difference 🙈 Awh thanks Mat ❤️ I appreciate that observation, I’ll try my best to keep doing that! The Race S is 22mm believe it or not 🔥 This is the same as all of the new Suunto’s released in the past few years so there are lots of accessories. All the best mate 🌟
I am not a professional athlete and I do running and playing paddle. I am torn between FR165 music and Race S. Imo, Suunto has better build quality and looks gorgeous and also has maps but Garmin has more customizing options and better smart features such as listening to music directly from the watch and more friendly with iOS. Would you help me to choose wisely?
Seems like you’ve got the differences down mate. It all depends on what your needs are! For me personally.. in 2024, a watch without maps just isn’t going to cut it. Especially for £300 (if you get the 165 with music). I also am not a fan of how aggressive Garmin have been with software feature premiums. Even though the 165 hardware is capable of so much.. you can’t access it. The running dynamics are really cool on Garmin, I enjoyed that data when I first started.. but I’ve not used any of that data for over 6 years tbh.. Race S for me between these two 👊🏽
hello good day! i had a questiob regarding suunto vertical solar titanium.. i had a recent update just today then noticed that all the watchface are not being responsive when tilting the apps even tapping it really hard and still not being responsive nor changing nothing happens.. can i know what was going on to it or do you have any idea why is it like that, thanks!
@boykannor they’ve stopped that tap-through feature as far as I know.. as people were having issues with water changing their watchface. Now you have to go to control panel, customise, complications, to pick your favourite data.. hope this helps ❤️ I miss the tap through feature too!
@@ActiveIdeas ahm so did you mean to say they removed the tap for changing features is that it. and even the watchface that has a solar panel is not showing to the features no more how is that don't know where to find it here in this suunto vertical solar that im using why did they changed it to a more complicated status
Sorry to hear you’re finding it more complicated mate ❤️ I do plan to do a new update video.. I haven’t actually updated my vertical yet for this reason. I’d like to test out the differences 👊🏽
@@ActiveIdeas i do hope when you make a video for suunto vertical solar titanium, include to your topic that why is it there is no watchface that has all the features when using like it includes in the features in that watchface the date day month battery heart rate walk etc so that it will be more cool and easy access and less hassle thanks!
I’ll save you the time… get the Race S hahaha. I could list off a million and one reasons why. I do have a Coros Vertix 2S video vs Suunto Vertical video in the pipeline showcasing most of these reasons to go Suunto.
@@ActiveIdeas Thanks for the quick reply. There's only a $10 difference between the two in Canada. I was considering the Forerunner 265 (always had Garmins, currently using the 245) but the price at $600 for what I'd be getting vs the Suunto or Coros just does not seem worth it at all. And the 165 just does not quite have all the metrics I'm looking for if I'm upgrading.
I'm considering switching to Suunto race, what do you think? I currently use Forerunner 255. Then I would like to ask you, seeing various reviews of the normal Suunto race and I saw the problem on the intervals which does not tell you which interval number you are at, could you tell me if the problem has been solved with an update I have with the release of this race S ? I have to know if it will be resolved
Hey mate, thanks so much for the comment! You won’t be disappointed going from 255 to Race S! The main thing improved is the screen quality, durability and the offline beautiful TOPO maps. You’ll also see an almost DOUBLED battery life too ☺️ In terms of the intervals and being able to see which interval you are on. I have no idea, I can’t remember this being a problem. I’m sure you’ll be fine and there are lots of “Suunto Plus” apps which offer you different ways to train with things like intervals and reps so you might find what you’re looking for there. Everything on Suunto Plus is free 👍🏽 Hope this helps 🌟
You’re in the luck, my Race S needed charging this morning! I’ve just tested this for you! I was down to 15% and it took 55 minutes to charge to 100% 🙈 Also, I’ll add, after, 15 minutes it was already on 50% 🤯 Hope this helps ❤️
@@ActiveIdeas haha thank you for the reply.. seriously considering buying this over 965 [which has older generation HR tech].. but my only concern with Race S is battery... how many days do you think you watch will go until it needs a recharge?
You should be more concerned about the Garmin 965 battery life. Garmin does have fantastic smart watch battery life BUT.. in sports modes (single band gps) Garmin only gets 31 hours.. Suunto Race S gets 40… In multi and Garmin gets 19 hours… Suunto Race S gets 30 hours 🔥 If you want a smart watch get the 965.. if you train like an animal get the Race S
Thankyou for the comment! You have lots of options to navigate on Suunto Race S. Yes you can navigate from Point A to Point B without the app on the Race S but if you want to create a new turn by turn GPX route you will need to get the app out to transfer it first. Hope this helps ❤️
Hii! Great video! Im looking for a good sport smart watch for my running and daily activity. Priorities on great GPS, good HR, responsive, and long term use. I have in my list SUUNTO RACE S, COROS PACE 3, and APPLE WATCH 9. Garmin is out of my list coz of the price. May i get your recommendations?? Keep on great video!
Thank you so much mate! You have a great list! Personally I would either get the Race S or the Apple Watch 9. Suunto is a far better sports watch! For example navigation & offline maps. Apple Watch is far better smart watch (interactive notifications, ability to send messages and use Siri). Depends what means more to you. Also, battery life is a big factor.. you’ll be charging the Apple Watch 2-3 times more every fortnight compared to Suunto. Hope this helps and if you have any specific questions feel free to ask ❤️
Yeah makes sense! It’s cool how lightweight the Pace 3 is but personally I’m prefer the software on Suunto and the ability to do proper TOPO navigation
How does the bezel feels? Is it comfortable to turn or do you find the normal up and down buttons to be more comfortable? And does it sometimes happen to turn the bezel unintentionally, maybe with clothes?
The rotating crown feels great! I will say though, it’s PERFECT (improved) on the Race S Titanium and I personally feel worth the extra cash 💰 Whatever you choose you’ll get used to 👊🏽
Et bien, difficile de faire plus détaillé. J'hésite beaucoup à me prendre la Suunto Race S. J'ai une garmin 965, j'en suis contente, mais je trouve la Suunto plus jolie et plus conviviale. Si j'étais sûre que l'éco système Suunto me convienne, je l'achèterai. Car je trouve Garmin un peu compliqué et surtout le cardio complètement farfelu
Merci mon ami! J'espérais que mon public apprécierait les détails et la profondeur de la critique ! ❤️ La Race S est une superbe montre. Je suis d'accord, la Race qui a l'air plus stylée ! J'aime aussi beaucoup l'application Suunto, elle est moins intense et plus conviviale. Ma seule critique concernant le passage de Suunto à Garmin est que vous perdrez de nombreuses fonctionnalités de personnalisation, mais vous ressemblez de toute façon à quelqu'un qui recherche une expérience plus simple. 🌟 Have a lovely day 👊🏽
@@sakholid2664 I haven’t tried the Huawei watches as I have iPhone. If you have android or iPhone I’m pretty sure you’ll be better off with one of the watches from the video!
Getting just over a week. I have the display on medium brightness and always on display turned on. GPS is on best performance so it’s on multi-band all systems. I also have sleep tracking & 24/7 health tracking turned on as well as notifications (get about a million a day haha). I can’t imagine the navigation effecting the battery too much. I haven’t had a proper chance to test it but based on testing the race I can imagine the impact being minimal (a couple of hours maybe). Bear in mind the map has a fancy battery life saving feature where it goes into always on mode (just shows breadcrumb lines) until you flick your wrist and it shows all the buildings, terrain and TOPO information. Hope this helps abit ❤️
Cant decide what to upgrade my pace 2 with, tempted with this or the pace 3 as I love the size of the pace series, is it much bigger? I did have a forerunner 255 and hated the size and feel. Also thanks for the great video full of detail!
Corrr.. I just think for the price, and the sports I do. The pace 3 doesn’t make sense. I NEED maps to have confidence when I’m out in the mountains. You’re also getting a better screen, really cool app and access to Suunto Plus; & it’s carbon offset for the environment. I really feel like the wind is in Suunto’s sales right now.. and it’s an exciting time to give them a try 👌🏽 Thanks Cris, much appreciated ❤️
If you don’t need maps.. the Pace 3 is also a steal 🔥 😍 Although.. Suunto 9 Peak Pro is cheaper now.. that’s a much better build quality and same features .. could be worth checking out
For sure the Coros Pace 3 is an amazing watch, but it is identical to Pace 2 (not sure the upgrade us worth it) I have both Pace 2 and Sunto Race and use both watches when running. Also I was so surprised that the Sunto's HR sensor is actually accurate unlike what everyone is saying. 😀
Hi, need your recommendation Should i buy suunto race s or garmin vivoactive 5? I'm not a runner/athlete and i just want to track my overall daily health like step counts, body battery, HRV, sleep quality I knwo that in vivoactive 5 it has sleep coach feature and it's really interesting to see I don't want to spend too much money like on garmin venu 3 so my budget is around that price point But on the other hand I like suunto race s design more and seem more masculine for me rather than vivoactive 5 Which would you buy based on my condition? Really appreciate it if you can answer
Based on your condition I would recommend the Suunto Race S, it’s definitely the better buy for anyone in a budget looking to get the most value. Saying this.. the Vivoactive 5 is fun to use and has some cool features (check the video on my channel). Some of these features are much better than Suunto such as the combination of the stress tracker and the body battery. Unfortunately the Vivoactive is extremely easy to scratch and the battery life is terrible. There are a million and one reasons to get the Suunto Race S instead of the Vivoactive in terms of value but both are great watches and considering your usability.. you’ll probably enjoy both. The ceiling is just a little bit lower in the Vivoactive. Also I have another Race S vs Garmin video being uploaded right now.. it should go live tonight.. it might help with your decision ❤️
@@ActiveIdeas Thank you so much for your detail explanation To be honest I really want to try and interested with sleep coach on vivoactive 5 that's why i'm currently more lean into vivo rather than suunto race s In suunto i checked that the watch is more into athlete focus like runner but i'm not a runner, i just want to track overall health and maybe i will try to wear it almost 24 hours so i can get better insights about myself so i must choose light watch and comfortable to wear and i think vivoactive 5 is lighter than suunto race s? But i really like race s design Does suunto race s (45mm) watch too big for me? I have 18 cm wrist size and i have slim/thin wrist So based on my explanation above which do you recommend more? Do you still opt to suunto race s?
@@ActiveIdeas Or should i go with venu 3? Suddenly in my country venu 3 is on discount right now and the price is now 390 USD Is it a good value to buy? Better than vivoactive 5 / suunto race s?
Hi, i'm a casual roadrunner (didnt join any event, yet) and mainly aiming for pb on my running days. I'm using FR55, feel like upgrading to FR265, but now i'm leaning heavily on this race S. any insight or recommendation on which i should go. I really wanna buy the race S, just that i'm afraid i'll regret later in future
Hey man! Thanks for the comment and supporting the channel ❤️ If it was me.. I would buy the Race S every time. The main reason being the ability to have fully maps on the Race S for hiking, ultra-running and adventures. Other advantages are also battery life, and GPS/Compass accuracy… all this and it’s cheaper? For me it a no brainier, a better comparison in terms of features is the Garmin 965 vs Race S but with it comes the increase in price. What the Garmin 265 does have.. is a fantastic UI and the ability to multi-task.. it feels more like a smartwatch which I think is an advantage in 2024. It depends what you need/value. For running a PB either watch will do great. For anything more.. Race S. Hope this helps ❤️
For ultra marathon I would choice Suunto Vertical.. why? Better battery life, better gps & better navigation. Oh and it’s more comfortable to wear & sleep in. Its solar capabilities blow Garmin out the water. It’s also fully carbon compensated so you know you’re not completely destroying the environment. It seems Suunto better look after their customers with updates. Garmin’s planned obsolescence is crazy 💰 For health, training & backcountry camping.. Fenix 7X Pro Solar. Why? It has a flashlight 🤯 The Endurance score & Hill score. I like that it plots a graph of your VO2Max so you can see how it fluctuates over time. I also very much enjoy the stress graph and body battery. I’ll also like ECG…. If they ever bring it to the UK. So yeah.. depends what you prefer. I see Suunto as more of a sports watch (better in almost all aspects) and Garmin as a smartwatch (better in almost all aspects). 🌟
@@ActiveIdeas In what reality does the Vertical have better navigation than Garmin? LOL. What a joke. Garmin has fully routable maps ON THE WATCH with trail and street names. Good luck getting that on the Suunto.
Depends on your use case. I’ve ran some of the hardest races in the world.. the 268 mile spine race being one of them. On this race my Garmin GPS acquisition stopped working. It doesn’t matter how many “fully routable maps” you can create on your watch if during the hardest race of your life your Garmin GPS fails & the watch has no idea of where it is. It wouldn’t bother me if this happened just once. But it happened on multiple trips, occasions & races. And on many other Garmin’s of people I know. The battery also drained faster than I’ve seen on Coros & Suunto.. another case of it doesn’t matter how many features your watch has if your watch is dead 🤣 So yes, for around town, moderate hikes and general training.. Garmin is probably better because of its large feature set. But if you’re doing hardcore sh$t.. COROS (and Suunto) haven’t let me down yet on navigation & battery life ❤️
@@ActiveIdeas Hmm sure man. I've had Garmin since 2017, never had an issue with GPS loss on any of my Fenixes or now Epix. I don't do 268 mile races but I do thruhikes of 20+ hours and never had issues with navigation or routing or battery, nvm if it was in -15C or 40C temps. Saved my ass a couple times being able to route back to start without internet. Then I tried the Suunto Vertical for a couple weeks and twice its GPS was like WAY off from where I was so... But yea battery life is crazy on it. Coros... is Coros, won't touch them with a pole.
@mrnicbst it just shows how everyone can have different experiences. I feel reviewers in the past have been rare to praise Suunto online but one thing a lot of reviewers agree on is that the Vertical IS the most accurate GPS watch you can buy right now.. so yeah, who knows. Maybe you had a faulty Vertical.. and Maybe my Garmin Fenix Pro 47mm was faulty too but I did contact Garmin which little to no help when dealing with those issues. And then this year (February) running in south wales (22 miles) with the Fenix 7 Pro X 51mm had the exact same thing happen.. we got into some dense forest 🌳 in the mountains (bad weather too) and the Garmin completely lost signal… map was spinning/jumping around in circles lol. We switched it to multi band to try and help & it still didn’t manage to find signal.. nothing for a good 20 minutes. We checked the Race & the Vertical at the time.. pinpoint location despite the environment challenges 👏🏽 Haha.. yeah. I feel the similar about Coros personally 🤣 But I think that’s the Garmin fanboy in me … the fact is, I wouldn’t have finished the Spine Race without Coros. They grew a special place in my heart during that bloody brutal thing ❤️ Cheers again for the comment mate
How smooth should the crown be on the race s? Mine feels stiff. I have upgraded from Coros pace 3 and the pace 3 crown is super easy to role with 1 finger.
It was pretty stiff when first unboxed. It’s now much more smooth! BUT it’s still not as smooth as the 49mm race. The 49mm race feels just as smooth as the Coros Vertix 2S and the Coros Pace that I have ❤️
Only Suunto know this information 🙈 Personally, I wouldn’t mind a MIP 10 peak pro but The Race S does everything a model like this would do ❤️ Cheers 👊🏽
@@ActiveIdeas it doesn't matter anymore on the comparison, I've decided on the race s, but what do you mean they are for different people? From the reviews I've watched on them they are being reviewed against 100mile runs
Which watch or fitness tracker will get the longest battery life for 2h running per week? Ideally it will also have an MIP display, as i want it always on for viewing time (the rest of the week when I'm not running) with no effect on battery life. And great to have: wireless charging, virtual pacer feature, contactless payments, slim & lightweight, reasonable price. I initially thought the Huawei Watch GT Runner with its wireless charging was the closest i could get for the above requirements, but found it lacking in battery life (only about 10 days, which is a third of what i was getting with Amazfit Bip). The Coros Pace 3 that i got next lacks wireless charging but is better for battery life, has MIP display, and super light & small, however its battery life isn't fully satisfying either (+no contactless payments). I need month-long standby battery life, or close, with 2 hours of GPS running a week. Will the Suunto Vertical be the closest fit for me? I'm concerned about its price and bulkiness - is there anything better out there? I understand Race & Race S are AMOLED - is that right? Is Amazfit Balance worth considering?
Two things I missed: - Any thoughts on the Fitbit Charge 6 for my needs, or any other bands (like Huawei Band 9 maybe, as they're very lightweight)? That's another option I'm considering although its compromise is lack of MIP display. - About your channel not making you enough: I would recommend urgently renaming it (maybe to your name or something else a bit more unique), as it sounded like one of those spammy / AI generated content channels to me - this is why I at least was avoiding clicking on it when shown your channel's videos in TH-cam search results. I was pleasantly surprised when this video turned out to be an actual person speaking and well-reasearched.
Corr that’s a while amount of different watches ❤️ Sounds like no matter what you go for you’ll enjoy! It’s worth checking out Garmin if you enjoy wireless cash payments but double check the Garmin you’re looking at and the bank you’re with are compatible with this feature, I’ve ran into issues here. Battery life between the 165 and the Race S with 2 hours running per week will probably end up being very similar. The more you use your watch the better Suunto will be (more efficient). The less you m use you watch the better Garmin will be (better standby) but there’s no much in it. Coros pace 3 looks excellent and comfortable wear. My only issue with wearing it personally is that it does have maps which is an absolute fundamental for me. I have asked Amazfit to test on of their watches but no response yet and i can’t afford to buy one so I can’t comment there and I’ve avoided Huawei for similar reasons too. Hope this helps
Personally I would avoid Fitbit Charge 6 ❤️ I’m pretty sure You have to pay Fitbit to access your own data which is outrageous and you have to pay for basic features such as sleep tracking as far as I know.. not sure, I’ve avoided since they adopted the subscription based model
Lastly, thankyou SO MUCH for your feedback. I never thought about people’s perception and perspectives in terms of thinking this might be an A.I channel. Maybe a name change is the way to go.. any suggestions? I don’t want my own name as I eventually want to bring more people to the channel .. any ideas are welcome 🙏🏽❤️
@@ActiveIdeas Thanks for the replies and happy to help! If I was in your place, I'd consider adding some kind of personalisation or anything else that makes the channel name less generic-sounding. It should be something you relate to (like the 'Average Dad' or SuperSaf tech reviewers, The Quantified Scientist, The German Accent Reviewer, etc), or if you don't want to tie it to yourself (I'd reconsider this as most big channels seem to have a more personalised name, you can always rename the channel once a second person joins) then maybe something the majority of your target viewers would find relevant. Probably adding UK or GB for example, before or after your current channel name. Or maybe combine both ideas into something memorable like The Manchurian Active tech reviewer - but shorter and customised to your region or city. A lot of people just use their names too, which keeps it simple.
@@adamzulfikar the garmin is slighter lighter.. although Suunto JUST released a super lightweight titanium Race S which might be worth checking out if weight is of concern ❤️
@@adamzulfikar honestly.. both are super comfortable and lightweight on the wrist. But if you want ultimate comfort as well as features. I’d recommend getting a Suunto Race S Titanium with a nylon strap (cheap Amazon strap link in description). Best of both worlds imo 🔥
Hey mate! I’m a beginner skier so when I tested Suunto in the French alps last year I was more focused on not falling over 🤣 I know for sure that it calculates distance + speed very well. It’s also nice have the Spo2 oxygen sensor on board. I could be wrong but.. I think laps (ski lifts & runs) needs to be done manually by pressing the lap button & then pausing the watch on the lift.: and then resuming activity at the beginning of your ride. If you do it this way you’ll get automatic lap times of each run without the ski lift messing up times/speeds. Hope this helps ❤️
Hey mate! Unfortunately I rarely do interval training at the moment so couldn’t tell you which is better. I do know that you can design and interval workouts on both though so tbh either of these watches will be fine I think ❤️
Garmin will forever be my first love. Right now I’m flirting heavy with Suunto. The Suunto Vertical, Suunto Race S, Garmin Fenix 7X Pro & Garmin Forerunner 965 I would say are my favourite watches right now. If I didn’t have a TH-cam channel, I’m pretty sure I’d have one of these on my wrist. Most races i wear both brands (I’ve had Garmin GPS fail me on ultras on more times I can count on two hands). So for really long ultras I occasionally drop Garmin, & wear a Coros on one wrist & Suunto on the other. Garmin still have cool mapping features that require no phone connection (tap & go turn by turn nav), multitasking and a proper flashlight. I REALLY miss these features when I use Suunto or Coros. But it comes with the Garmin price tag (and very unreliable gps lol). Hope this helps ❤️
sport activity profiles - but how many of them of just categorization and how many actually have specified metrics. ps the FR255 has a lot of those missing sport activity profiles.
On the Suunto many of the sport profiles have unique metrics. You can also customise your profiles to pick and choose specific data. You can also do this on Garmin but there are far less activity profiles. Hope this helps ❤️
bro thanks u i dunno what to get for trail running between sunto race s, coros pace pro, or garmin 965 (if BF deal around same price approx 400€. any idea ?
Corr that’s a tough one. Personally I’d avoid the pace pro. The 965 will have the most features but lacks in durability. The Race S might be the best of both worlds, okay features and great durability
With the Race S can you easily race a previous activity like you can on a Garmin? Such a simple feature but don't think Coros or Suunto do it. Also can you put a parkrun barcode on the Race S?
Yes, on Suunto Plus you can install Live Pacer or Race Pacer both which allow you to race yourself (based on a time you give it). It’s just as simple as Garmin but I’m not sure about racing your own activities (variable pace based on your last time running that route). Parkrun.. unfortunately not. That would be cool, I’ve really been enjoying that recently. I’ll feed this back to Suunto if I get the chance as it’s a great idea ❤️
@@ActiveIdeas that's good to know you can race yourself on Suunto, a useful feature on my Garmin that I use to spice up my usual local routes. Parkrun barcode also very handy so hopefully that comes soon too.
Yes! I use a Suunto Plus app called “Climb” which tells me all the hill information on repeated runs. On top of this is also shows altitude, decent gradient, NGP (normalised grade pace), m/ hr pace, and duration all on the same watch face! (This is free to install). Hope this helps x
On both you can create custom sport activities. But you’re extremely limited on this Garmin. With Suunto you can create Rucking and make the activity profile look exactly how you like it. You’ll also be able to track this new Rucking activity with training volume etc in the app easily as it will assign it a “Other1” category of its own, keeping it as rucking and separate from other activities of that makes sense. (Basically it’s easy to track training load on custom sports with Suunto). Hope this helps
I've seen a deal so I'm sorry to come back yet I wanted to know your advice on that absolutely. I can have for the same price of the Suunto a Garmin 955. Would you think it is better to go for the Garmin or stay with the more recent Suunto Race S ?
Safer bet is Race S, Garmin told the Fit file podcast that all the new software isn’t coming to older watches which means the 955 is going to start to feel very old, very quickly
@@ActiveIdeas you answered so quickly and so I can't tell how much I appreciate that. It is for a purchase yet I always struggled with which one to go for. My last questions are, the Coros Pace 3, the Garmin 165 Forerunner and the Race S are all separated each from one an other of 50€/$ (250/300/350). Yet would you chose the more expensive one for all it provides or one of the others because all what the Suunto provides is also provided with the two others ? I thank you for all and will make sure from now on to like your videos as a thanks gesture 🙌🏻!! 🫶🏻
Awh thankyou Jean, this is a super kind gesture ❤️ I have a few videos on the Garmin 165 on this channel. It’s fantastic but I don’t think it’s worth the money due to its heavy restriction on features. You’re better off deciding between Coros and Suunto at this price range. The Coros Pace 3 looks like a really cool buy, great battery life.. maybe the most comfortable because of its weight. But personally I’d get Suunto out of these three due to the maps, it also has a temperature gauge which I love for sauna/swimming, and the app is super motivating. Best wishes with your adventures 🫶🏽
@@ActiveIdeas thankyou. Maybe that's with new update. Look like the originally they didn't have badminton profile.. And one question, for running, which one give the best experience between race s & fr165?
Honestly mate.. I’m pretty sure the 165 has always had badminton.. I bought the watch maybe a week after it was announced/released. For short runs (5km -10km) I prefer 165 because of all of its running dynamics.. for distances of 13 miles and above (all the way to ultra marathon) the Race S is much better 🙏🏽🔥
Really good question, I can’t comment on this yet because I’ve not been paying attention to steps or compared it to pre-updated watches yet. But I’ve heard people have seen positive improvements. I have a full review on the Race S coming in about a week so I’ll touch on this in more depth there 🙏🏽🌟Thanks for the idea ☺️
Would you happen to know if this actually lasts 31 hours in the performance mode? I'm looking for a watch not too big that can be used for my 100k trail race so Race S is my option. seems the Garmin 965 battery duration is shorter than the Race S
The battery duration on the Race S is much better than compared to 965. You’ll get 40 hours GPS in single band all systems-on with the Race S which will be more than enough for 100k! You can also turn the brightness down & turn off Always On Display to extend your battery life if you’re worried. With all amoled watches I would make sure I’m charged to 100% before any 100km. Also if you decide to do any longer races than 100k you’ll be also be able to get away with using the Race S as it charges quickly & during activities so after 30-40 hours you could put it on charge for 20 minutes and be able to squeeze out an extra 15-20 hours. Hope this helps ❤️
The HR has been improved. As far as Suunto is concerned.. this is the best watch for HR accuracy. In my experience it performs better than Garmin elevate 4 sensor technology but unfortunately is not as good as Elevate 5 or Apple Watches (notoriously have fantastic HR accuracy). Also, no wrist based HR at the moment compared to a chest strap for most activities, especially those that involve a lot of wrist flexion: as all watches, the Race S is also victim to this. GPS accuracy… best on the market. No questions asked, without a doubt the best accuracy (& reliability) going. The absolute king of all sports watches is the Suunto Vertical which can simultaneously connect to even more satellites than this but the Race & Race S come in close at second place for accuracy. 🔥 Hope this helps Sir
The Suunto race s heart monitor is awful! I’m in dispute with Suunto now. An easy 10km for me is between 128-135bpm. The heart rate will show 176bpm on the race s…. So out of whack.
@@christreadwell5899 sorry to hear you’re having issues! Mine seems to underreport more so than over report like that.. usually it performs as good as the Garmin though (and in some situations better). It’s important to note.. I use a Velcro nylon strap which is probably helping with the accuracy compared to a silicone strap x
Not on the watch as of yet. But on the app you can create routes to sync to your watch. On the app there is LOTS of detail showing path terrain (road, hard trail, soft trail, trail popularity) with heat maps so you can choose really safe/fun trails rather than just randomly selected roads to make a 5K 🌟 Hope this helps
@ActiveIdeas $350 Sunto vs $409 Garmin, on sale, u get smarter training feature for Garmin also App interface nicer. now there is also Coros pace pro. Race S no music.
Really good question! Happy to confirm they’re not a gimmick.. even for a sport as random as badminton you’ll be able to track the score on the watch. All profiles will display the relevant information (depth for snorkelling, or vertical speed for mountain running) if that makes sense. Also on the app every sport has a different colour & tone so you can visually see your training volume on the calendar (one of my favourite features as someone who does a large variety of sports). Hope this helped mate ❤️
Garmin is their own enemy. They restrict their watches especially the lower end models via software way too much in my opinion. Why does a FR165 not support power meter connectivity for example? Even Apple Watches do connect to power meters now. No triathlon mode, no training readiness etc. All things the watch should be able to do with the hardware built in. The navigation is also embarrassingly bad for the price. An Apple Watch SE will get you full on maps for 250 although not offline
Tbf Apple Watch has the “WorkOutdoor” app so you can get offline maps on it for half the price of what a new Garmin costs 👏🏽 I’d have to agree with you! I think Garmin get away with software restrictions because they are undoubtedly the market leader.. until people start putting their money elsewhere they’ll continue to have a marketing strategy that works. It reminds me Apple actually.. have you start off with the base model and before you know it when you’ve selected the features you want and need, you’re at $700+ 🤣 I won’t lie though.. rumours about the new Fenix and Enduro sound SEXY 😝🤣
Honestly, a few years ago I had doubts.. but Suunto really are coming out swinging with their features and pricing 🔥 I really feel like Coros need to up their product development before things get too stale and Polar … I don’t know what’s going on. Polar create fantastic sports watches but their app does suck and their pricing is arguably worse than Garmin’s … hopefully they pull it together and to increase the pressure on Garmin. It would all be good news for users who are craving innovation 🔥 Plus they need to act fast.. we’re only a few years away from Apple Watch Ultra with a battery life that can actually last an ultra 🔥
@@ActiveIdeas Coros should bring out a pace 3 with an AMOLED option imho. The watch already has tones of features and they also continue to add these. I don’t have much hope with Polar tbh. They’ve been struggling for years
I absolutely hate Amoled and i still agree with you 🤣 Pace 4 needs Amoled. Their Apex Should probably come with Amoled too. And offer the Vertix 3 as a MIP option but in more sizes (all with led flashight). It’s a clear progression for them. Coros know that they have a strong reputation for battery life and don’t want to let go of it but the reality is that the Enduro 3 and Vertical Solar have much better battery life than the Vertix 2S. And it’s only a matter of time until the general public works this out. I really do hope they have lots of products in the pipeline 🙏🏽
@@ActiveIdeas Yeah, nvm. I just found out a couple years ago they sold to China. Nothing against Chinese products, but the growing list of Chinese products being banned in US (possibly dji soon) doesn’t give me confidence in the future of the product.
For superior navigation & gps accuracy get the Suunto. For superior activity tracking (health & wellbeing data) I prefer Garmin. The Race is made in china, BUT the Race S & Vertical are designed & made in Finland. Lots of Garmin’s manufacturing is done in Taiwan but I guess the company is at least inherently USA owned which is cool. I hope you find your watch! I highly recommend getting the Pro Epix for a million reasons or waited for the rumoured Fenix 8 (it’s basically an Epix Gen 3 Pro) being released supposedly next month (this will crack the Epix price tag even more). Best wishes man ❤️
@@ActiveIdeas Well they were bought out by China regardless of where they’re made. Again, nothing against Chinese products. Also, I just realized the Suunto doesn’t have labels for trails etc. The Chinese acquisition really makes me hesitant. Otherwise, $350 for a fully capable sports watch WITH maps is a steal imo. Garmins pricing doesn’t come close. BTW thanks for the quick reply. Excellent review and channel!
There’s another Phillips in the house?! 🙈 It really depends on what you’re looking for. For everyday training, comfort and beautiful display get the Race S. For a racing BEAST with unbelievable battery life, get the vertical. The Vertical is a fantastic watch and there are some good deals on at the moment. I’d say if you train more than an hour a day, it’s well worth considering ❤️
Count yourself lucky! It was only a few years ago when the best smartwatch choice we had was a FitBitCharge2 & a Vivosmart 🤣 You’ll be happy with either ❤️
@@ActiveIdeas you’re welcome, I enjoyed your review! I am in an odd conundrum.. choosing between Apple Watch 9/10 and a Suunto. I am mainly looking at heart rate and spo2 functionality during rest and sports as an asthmatic. I like the ECR, sleep tracking, apnea etc on the Apple Watch, but wonder how functional that’s going to be with 18h battery..!
@basa1549 for all the tasks you’ve mentioned the Apple Watch is better but you mention the elephant in the room… the terrible battery life. Suunto Race S is nice and simple to use but if you want the absolute most accuracy it might be worth considering the Apple Watch Ultra 2.. the only issue with that watch (besides the price) is the massive size and weight to it haha.
@@ActiveIdeas and the size and weight will then prevent you from wearing it at night! So no sleep and apnea tracking.. 😳 the normal Apple Watch has a better size and form factor for in bed, but will only last 18 hrs.. ahhhh! 😬
Haha I feel your pain! Well if you don’t mine the limited features and accuracy with Suunto compared to Apple.. the race s is super comfortable and has fantastic battery life for an amoled watch of this size 🫶🏽
I get lost too often to be doing that, I want the map to point in the direction I’m facing 🤣 But yeah, I can see how North up might benefit people … I will add, battery life on Suunto Vertical Solar is the best on the market right now .. blows my mind every time 🤣 Not sure if you noticed as well, in this video I show the Suunto Race has a always on display battery life mode where the screen fades to a dark mode until you flick your wrist.. pretty cool stuff ❤️
Ive had another look on Suunto, I can't seem to find it. Tbh though, the compass is sooo smooth and fluid that you might find it doesn't heart your brain at all. Check my latest Garmin Fenix 8 Navigation video where I compare it to the Suunto.. I actually find Suunto's approach more pleasurable
Fair point 🤣🤣 Many will care and many will not 🤣 Pretty cool that Suunto plants loads of trees for many of their products to offset damage to the environment. But then you have to connect it to your phone.. which is 99.999% probably made in china anyway 🙊🤣 We live in a funny world ❤️
Rumble coming in with the HEAVY fire! 🔥 🤣 I won’t lie.. I’d still love to review the £2,600 ‘MARQ Athlete Gen 2 Carbon’ by Garmin .. & according to The5KRunner the Fenix 8’s are just around the corner too. But for $200 - $700 dollars.. Suunto!? 😍
@@ActiveIdeas Con mucho gusto, es mi experiencia como usuario, antes SUUNTO estuvo un poco atrás en varios aspectos, pero a mejorado mucho y se va a seguir mejorando, un abrazo
¡Estoy de acuerdo! ¡Es fantástico ver hasta qué punto se ha desarrollado Suunto como empresa de relojes deportivos! ¡La presión sobre el mercado para innovar es ahora alta!
Ironically, the Race is one of the best built sport watches I’ve ever used. I wouldn’t let build quality put you off. Obviously there are other socioeconomic and environmental factors associated with china production to consider.. if this is of concern you’ll have to settle for the Vertical or brand new Race S
I researched the 165 a lot and was close to pulling the trigger but since I love hiking, I moved to Coros Pace 3. When I heard about the Suunto and watched a few vids, including yours, I think I finally found my watch. I just ordered!😀
Yesss, love to hear that I helped! For the price, and for someone who loves hiking this Suunto is absolutely fire. You’ll love it 🔥
@@ActiveIdeas Awesome, love your energy!
Cheers brother! You too 👊🏽
I'm super thrilled that they listened and improved the HR sensor. This was a deal breaker for me. I love the design, material and UI over the garmin
Same Terrance! This is an absolute game changer 🔥
Good comparison. I have always had Garmins and am about the time I want to get a new watch, had my Fenix 6 for 3 or 4 years which I intend to keep for long weekends hiking etc, but want something a bit smaller as my regular watch. Put off now by Garmin's much higher prices, the 965 is £600!! Interested in this Suunto Race S, the crown is a good feature and it has maps, but disappointed that with all that storage space you cannot put music on it or connect headphones. That is essential for me when running.
Yeah £600 is mental in today’s market.. yeah, unfortunately at the moment you can’t store music. But I do love their music control features as 99% of the time I run with my phone anyway for safety
Thanks for the comprehensive comparison. Great video.
Thanks for dropping by 👍🏽
Excellent review here mate!! Cheers.
Excellent comment here mate!! Cheers.
Thanks for your review, it's made my mind up and it's the suunto for me
So happy to help mate! Hope you enjoy it! 🔥
Thank you very much. Exactly what I needed 👏🏽
An absolute legend pleasure Koen! 🙈🌟
Excellent review.
Couple of questions.
1. Can it dynamically reroute in the middle of your outdoor activity? Garmin 965 has dynamic courses where you can choose a direction or set it to auto and you can create a course.
2. If I import a course, can it display street names? The built in maps doesnt show it. What about the former?
3. Off course warnings if you stray away from your path?
4. Finally, training load and effect metrics?
Thanks again
VERY kind words ❤️
1. You can change between routes mid-activity but if you want a brand new course created with turn by turn navigation you’ll have to quickly send it from the app first.
2. For street names or navigating to a post code or zip code you’ll have to type that into the app first.. then send to watch 👊🏽
3. Yes. It has off course warnings if you stray from path.. in fact if you check out this video’s thumbnail you’ll see it displaying “off route” on the picture.
4. Yes it has training load, intensity, volume & A.I couch as shown in this video. You’ll have to spend about $250 more at Garmin to get all those.
An absolute pleasure mate ❤️
@ActiveIdeas awesome. Just wanted to confirm that street names do display in the map on the watch when you import course from the app or from third party sites like Komoot?
is the HR accuracy as good as Apple Watch Ultra or Series 9?
Also, does it display all notifications from any apps on the Android or iOS phone?
Hey mate! No map street names will display on the watch. Think of it as google maps on the watch but without the street names! I have no idea how the HR will compare to Apple Watch, my best guess is that Apple Watch would preform slightly better but that‘s speculation.
Yes it will display all notifications, doesn’t matter if you’re on apple or android 🌟
Bro, gratz with Race S) Thanks as usual for video! Suunto did a great job , and great price. And Suunto promise major updates in future. Anyway amazing job. In my local online store NEW FR965 sold for 400 dollars. I think this great deal too. But i hate Garmin's design in activity profiles.
Thankyou bro! Yeah they really did do a great job.. a great price and at this selling value quite literally has no competitors.
Oh wow, yeah for $400 the 965 is a steal! That definitely changes things 😍 Yeah know what you mean
@@defencee Garmin activity profile UI is not good?
@@LiveYoung0 personally for me it's extremely bad. Any other brand has better UI , even Amazfit for 100 dollars
A 2024 software downfall from Garmin isn’t something I expected in the calendar 😬
This is great, SUPER helpful! What would you pick if choosing between the Suunto Race S vs Coros Pace 3?
You legend ❤️ Thanks for the comment! Corr.. it’s not even close. Coros is great and the Pace 3 is great but for my needs it would HAVE to be the Race S. I need my maps 🌟
Great review thanks. Race s and lasting UTS 100mile??? What do you think? 30hours?
Hey mate! Thanks so much, I’m also booked on for the UTS 100 miles so I’ll see you there ❤️ Corrr, I think 100 miles might be pushing it, it can definitely do it but I’d personally force this watch into “GPS only” mode, maps on, HR on, AOD display off and brightness setting: Low. This would get you though without charging.
Alternatively you can leave it with all the bells & whistles on (multi-band gps, brightness medium, AOD on) and just charge for 10-15 minutes at your bag drop.. this will work too but just important not to forget charging. What’s cool about Suunto is that if you run into quick battery drain issues, all of the settings I’ve mentioned above can be switched on/off on the fly for worst case scenarios (you forget to charge or something). Hope this helps and I’ll see you there! 👊🏽🔥
I had a pace 2. Got a Suunto race S. Finding a lot of basic running related features missing. Customization is trash. Will be returning and getting a garmin
Corr, personally I’ve also thought customisation on Suunto was much better than Coros. But yeah… you’re going to love Garmin if heavy customisation is what you’re into. All the best with your adventures 🔥❤️
loving Suunto at the mo - very happy with the Vertical, wish it had the Race S optical HR sensor tho!
They’re on a roll aren’t they mate! If you want to improve your heart rate I highly recommend the nylon strap in my video description. Get the 22mm version and it allows you to get that perfect fit.. I’ve had great heartrate results ❤️
@@ActiveIdeas I use a polar h10 for running I'm ok there. I will try a nylon strap at some point, I want the garmin one that goes round the permanent pins - I have the pics already.
You can get them Garmin ones off Amazon too but a bit cheaper, they come with fixable pins.. highly recommend x
@@ActiveIdeas yeah, I bought some thick pins to use an old garmin quickfit strap. Works well.
@peakproofuk oh legend 🔥 I might join you on that, after a year of using my nylon band the Velcro is starting to weaken so need a new one
Thank you for the review, i just discovered your channel, between Suunto Race S and the Garmin Forerunner 265 witch one do you suggest me? ( I do Gym training and running )
Welcome to Active Ideas! ❤️ Cor that’s tough one.. for JUST gym and running I do love what the 265 has to offer.. their body battery, stress tracking and training status & training readiness. It’s running dynamics data is super insightful too! With Suunto you’ll get less data but what it does, it does really well. You also get full TOPO offline maps which for me.. is a game changer. The build quality and durability is also far superior on the Race S offering a better value for money option.
Hope this helps, if you have any other questions or queries.. just ask ❤️
Great review. Very interesting and informative x
Awhh thankyou! X
Nice review. I'll wait for Suunto vertical S .
Ooo, now we’re talking.. do you think Suunto will do it!? A Vertical S, that idea wasn’t even on my radar 🙈😍
@@ActiveIdeas I think suunto Push " S " version out because of heart rate sensor issue on Vertical & Race. Also I think 45-47mm watch is the best selling watch size so why not ? 🙂
Well from Suunto's people interview and forum it seems that Vertical S is NOT in their plan. They are thinking about the pricing adjustment to the S9 Peak Pro to be reduced bellow 350 as an entry offer.
I wish the 9 peak pro had the ability to run maps.. even if it was a basic version (like whey Coros did with the old apex)
I don't need more watches lol, but it's tempting to try suunto or a different garmin. I just love my fenix 7 pro solar. It rocks. It's hard to try anything else with less features.
Yeah, if you’ve already got an $800 Fenix 7 Pro there’s little to no reason to switch. Unless you fancy trying Amoled, a new brand or potentially having two watches.
Just a heads up with Garmin, lots of people publicly saying on forums that the “Fenix 8” is coming out on 4 weeks
🙈😈
@ActiveIdeas ya i won't be switching 😂. Appreciate the heads up! I've been wondering when the 8 was coming out. I really don't know where they can go from the 7 pro
To pick at straws on a fantastic product and fantasise here.. The Fenix 7 Pro gps accuracy was pretty terrible for multi-day mountain ultras in my experience; I had lots of signal drop outs. So I hope they bring a more reliable GPS chipset for harsher environments. It would be cool to see LTE (With emergency InReach features). Upgraded speaker (polyphonic with loud emergency siren). It would be cool to see accessible ECG features come as standard (outside USA). I hope in the future they push for a more diverse contactless payment system (very limited banks in many countries). It would also be cool to seem them drop the price.. with more offerings in the market if they knock off $$$ they would destroy lots of their competition 🙈
But yeah, I agree, hard to improve an already fantastic device 🔥
@ActiveIdeas ya I definitely get your points. I haven't had any issues with gps in the city with taller buildings, no experience with mountains yet. But I would be frustrated that it lost signal in the mountains, that shouldn't happen with a garmin on multiband.
I actually would really like a simple scuba/snorkel program. Something with a depth gage. I've snorkeled and scuba dived a few times on vacation and that would be nice to have. Surprised they don't actually have it.
The last thing is maybe improve the battery life even more.
Either way it's an amazing watch. I can't wait to see what the fenix 8 brings.
Yeah, don’t know why it happened but even on multi-band in the mountains the Fenix sucked for me. Was great everywhere else though 🔥
Love your suggestions, a snorkel, mermaid & scuba mode would be sooo cold! Definitely could do with more battery too, maybe solar improvements?
Bring on September is all I can say 😍
Nice comparison! I really like how you dive into the stuff you daily use. The soccer part will be in another video 😁?
Also, are those running shoes the S/Lab Pulsar 3? I've got the Salomon s/lab ultra 3, and I'm wondering if I can also use them for running on the street/tarmac.
As always, cheers Chris! ❤️ Yeah, I have a video just features, Race S, don’t worry, soccer is featuring 🤣
Nice spot! They absolutely are the S/Lab Pulsar 3. They handle all terrains very nicely.. I’d say they’re not build for tarmac alone BUT surprising did feel very comfortable when I was running through the streets.. better spring & comfort than some of my daily trainers.
If running on tarmac alone, I’d probably keep the milage below 15 miles tbh 🙈
@@ActiveIdeas great, I'll keep an I out for the review ⚽😉.
Ah I thought so. Any recommendations for running shoes on tarmac?
IDK how it originally names. but in suunto plus live score in team activities is fantastic)) live score in your wrist. What can be more simple and more genius
@@defencee that should be great, thank you for the tip!
@@ActiveIdeas any news yet on when the video of the Suunto Race S in combination with soccer will be launching 😁?
Nice review, thanks! 😊 one question: there are any comparisons for the gym or workout activities? Not only running.. thank you!
Thankyou! ❤️ Unfortunately no direct gym comparisons but I have done workouts with both watches separately. If you lift heavy, you’ll get more protection from the Race S’s steel bezel. You also have more sport profiles with more activities on Suunto. But yeah.. performance is very similar on both in my experience so far (it’s only been a week). Hope this helps ❤️
@@ActiveIdeas thank you for the answer, very kind! There is a page with all the activities and sport profiles of the Suunto Race S? Thank you 😊
I bring do on Suunto’s website 🌟
Hi first time in the channel, very informative review…as someone looking at either this or a coros pace 3…which is better for an average runner currently using apple series 5 and wanting a bit more! Thanks
Thanks for the comment bro! Corr for running there isn’t much in it.. Coros is much lighter, it also pairs seamlessly with the Pod 2 for super accurate pace! For running alone Pace 3 is probably better.: but Race S is a much better watch for not much more money! Also Suunto Paris with Stryd but I haven’t tested that yet
Let’s gooo!! 🔥
🙈
very nice video and very good presentation between these two the only thing for sure is that I would choose the suunto rase s it seems to be more accurate more robust and for the money it costs I think it was even better than the more expensive Garmin only suunto guys 💯🏆💯
Thanks mate! Yeah, for the price, it’s hard to argue with that 🔥
Does the Suunto have a silent mode and can I use it to set an alarm? Great review, thanks! 😊
Yes the Suunto has a Do Not Disturb (Silent mode) AND you can set it to run multiple alarms. Even alarms such as “sun rise and sunset” if you want too! How this helps and thanks for dropping by ❤️🌟
Perfect! I’m sold! 😊
@marieannefabiano love it! Feel free to reach out if ever need help with it 😊 Happy Adventuring! ⛰️⌚️
I'm a fan of the Suunto stuff too. Just wondered how your Vertical was behaving after the latest update with regards to following routes and map latency. wondered if there had been any improvements over the prior builds? keep up the good work mate.
The vertical has been running super stable! There’s been another update released about 2 weeks ago.. I haven’t upgraded to that one yet as I have some filming to do but it brought its of customisation features as well as even better mapping. I have heard someone people quote less battery life.. not too sure how true this is ❤️
@@ActiveIdeas Ah cool, sounds good. Look forward to seeing a vid detailing the update if you choose to make one. thanks again.
Can’t see why not ❤️
between a Forerunner 955 and a Suunto race s? what would you choose? I'm a marathon runner and I mainly use it on the road
For marathon running you’ll get more “running data” from the 955 with its advanced dynamics. Depends how useful you’ll find all this data. In terms of build quality, value for money and design the Race S will take the edge ❤️
excellent comparison. When is the comparison between the Vertical and the Vertix 2S?
It’s fully filmed, edit is not complete. I have just had a lot of life things behind the scenes keeping me busy ❤️ soon 🌟
Hummm... interesting comparison indeed! The HR sensor is not Garmin's latest, so any watch with the new Elevate sensor might do better than the 165. What I like about your style is that you give perspective but then make a clear recommendation. Keep doing that, please. How big is the lug width for the bands on the Suunto? 24 or 26mm?
I wish I could tell how you how it compares to Garmin’s new elevate sensor but unfortunately I can’t afford to test one of their pro models right now.. and as mentioned in the video Garmin’s competition in price alone is the Forerunner 165 which highlights the joke in price difference 🙈
Awh thanks Mat ❤️ I appreciate that observation, I’ll try my best to keep doing that!
The Race S is 22mm believe it or not 🔥 This is the same as all of the new Suunto’s released in the past few years so there are lots of accessories.
All the best mate 🌟
@@ActiveIdeas Thank you, man! In my opinion it would suffice that you mention that there is a new sensor around. You rock!
Cheers Mat! You rock too ❤️
I am not a professional athlete and I do running and playing paddle.
I am torn between FR165 music and Race S. Imo, Suunto has better build quality and looks gorgeous and also has maps but Garmin has more customizing options and better smart features such as listening to music directly from the watch and more friendly with iOS.
Would you help me to choose wisely?
Seems like you’ve got the differences down mate. It all depends on what your needs are! For me personally.. in 2024, a watch without maps just isn’t going to cut it. Especially for £300 (if you get the 165 with music). I also am not a fan of how aggressive Garmin have been with software feature premiums. Even though the 165 hardware is capable of so much.. you can’t access it. The running dynamics are really cool on Garmin, I enjoyed that data when I first started.. but I’ve not used any of that data for over 6 years tbh.. Race S for me between these two 👊🏽
@@ActiveIdeas Thanks mate. Exactly what I needed.
A pleasure mate, no worries 👊🏽
ANY questions? Comment & i'll reply INSTANTLY ❤Also, if you can, please support the channel so I can produce more content like this 🔥
hello good day! i had a questiob regarding suunto vertical solar titanium.. i had a recent update just today then noticed that all the watchface are not being responsive when tilting the apps even tapping it really hard and still not being responsive nor changing nothing happens.. can i know what was going on to it or do you have any idea why is it like that, thanks!
@boykannor they’ve stopped that tap-through feature as far as I know.. as people were having issues with water changing their watchface. Now you have to go to control panel, customise, complications, to pick your favourite data.. hope this helps ❤️ I miss the tap through feature too!
@@ActiveIdeas ahm so did you mean to say they removed the tap for changing features is that it. and even the watchface that has a solar panel is not showing to the features no more how is that don't know where to find it here in this suunto vertical solar that im using why did they changed it to a more complicated status
Sorry to hear you’re finding it more complicated mate ❤️ I do plan to do a new update video.. I haven’t actually updated my vertical yet for this reason. I’d like to test out the differences 👊🏽
@@ActiveIdeas i do hope when you make a video for suunto vertical solar titanium, include to your topic that why is it there is no watchface that has all the features when using like it includes in the features in that watchface the date day month battery heart rate walk etc so that it will be more cool and easy access and less hassle thanks!
I wish someone would do a comparison video of the Suunto Race S vs the Coros Apex 2.
I’ll save you the time… get the Race S hahaha. I could list off a million and one reasons why. I do have a Coros Vertix 2S video vs Suunto Vertical video in the pipeline showcasing most of these reasons to go Suunto.
@@ActiveIdeas Thanks for the quick reply. There's only a $10 difference between the two in Canada. I was considering the Forerunner 265 (always had Garmins, currently using the 245) but the price at $600 for what I'd be getting vs the Suunto or Coros just does not seem worth it at all. And the 165 just does not quite have all the metrics I'm looking for if I'm upgrading.
nice review, thanks
Thanks fella!
I'm considering switching to Suunto race, what do you think? I currently use Forerunner 255. Then I would like to ask you, seeing various reviews of the normal Suunto race and I saw the problem on the intervals which does not tell you which interval number you are at, could you tell me if the problem has been solved with an update I have with the release of this race S ? I have to know if it will be resolved
Hey mate, thanks so much for the comment! You won’t be disappointed going from 255 to Race S! The main thing improved is the screen quality, durability and the offline beautiful TOPO maps. You’ll also see an almost DOUBLED battery life too ☺️
In terms of the intervals and being able to see which interval you are on. I have no idea, I can’t remember this being a problem. I’m sure you’ll be fine and there are lots of “Suunto Plus” apps which offer you different ways to train with things like intervals and reps so you might find what you’re looking for there. Everything on Suunto Plus is free 👍🏽
Hope this helps 🌟
Great review.. btw how long does it take to fully charge Race S?
You’re in the luck, my Race S needed charging this morning! I’ve just tested this for you! I was down to 15% and it took 55 minutes to charge to 100% 🙈 Also, I’ll add, after, 15 minutes it was already on 50% 🤯 Hope this helps ❤️
@@ActiveIdeas haha thank you for the reply.. seriously considering buying this over 965 [which has older generation HR tech].. but my only concern with Race S is battery... how many days do you think you watch will go until it needs a recharge?
You should be more concerned about the Garmin 965 battery life. Garmin does have fantastic smart watch battery life BUT.. in sports modes (single band gps) Garmin only gets 31 hours.. Suunto Race S gets 40…
In multi and Garmin gets 19 hours… Suunto Race S gets 30 hours 🔥 If you want a smart watch get the 965.. if you train like an animal get the Race S
@@ActiveIdeas ahh okay .. thank you..
@@ActiveIdeas you are currect.. I am watching DC Rainmakers review of Suunto Race.. at 16:33.. the difference is DRASTICALLY WIDE
HI! nice rendering! Can I navigate from point A to point B with the Suunto Race S without using the app? Thank you!
Thankyou for the comment! You have lots of options to navigate on Suunto Race S. Yes you can navigate from Point A to Point B without the app on the Race S but if you want to create a new turn by turn GPX route you will need to get the app out to transfer it first. Hope this helps ❤️
Hii! Great video! Im looking for a good sport smart watch for my running and daily activity. Priorities on great GPS, good HR, responsive, and long term use. I have in my list SUUNTO RACE S, COROS PACE 3, and APPLE WATCH 9. Garmin is out of my list coz of the price. May i get your recommendations?? Keep on great video!
Also in all this my list is all small watch 45mm that will fit my wrists! Garmin is too old design and bulky and pricey!
Thank you so much mate! You have a great list! Personally I would either get the Race S or the Apple Watch 9. Suunto is a far better sports watch! For example navigation & offline maps. Apple Watch is far better smart watch (interactive notifications, ability to send messages and use Siri). Depends what means more to you. Also, battery life is a big factor.. you’ll be charging the Apple Watch 2-3 times more every fortnight compared to Suunto. Hope this helps and if you have any specific questions feel free to ask ❤️
Yeah makes sense! It’s cool how lightweight the Pace 3 is but personally I’m prefer the software on Suunto and the ability to do proper TOPO navigation
How does the bezel feels? Is it comfortable to turn or do you find the normal up and down buttons to be more comfortable?
And does it sometimes happen to turn the bezel unintentionally, maybe with clothes?
The rotating crown feels great! I will say though, it’s PERFECT (improved) on the Race S Titanium and I personally feel worth the extra cash 💰 Whatever you choose you’ll get used to 👊🏽
@ Fantastic, thank you for your kindness!
A pleasure ❤️
Et bien, difficile de faire plus détaillé. J'hésite beaucoup à me prendre la Suunto Race S. J'ai une garmin 965, j'en suis contente, mais je trouve la Suunto plus jolie et plus conviviale. Si j'étais sûre que l'éco système Suunto me convienne, je l'achèterai. Car je trouve Garmin un peu compliqué et surtout le cardio complètement farfelu
Merci mon ami! J'espérais que mon public apprécierait les détails et la profondeur de la critique ! ❤️ La Race S est une superbe montre. Je suis d'accord, la Race qui a l'air plus stylée ! J'aime aussi beaucoup l'application Suunto, elle est moins intense et plus conviviale. Ma seule critique concernant le passage de Suunto à Garmin est que vous perdrez de nombreuses fonctionnalités de personnalisation, mais vous ressemblez de toute façon à quelqu'un qui recherche une expérience plus simple. 🌟
Have a lovely day 👊🏽
Thanks for the awesome review! love your vidoes!
Best comment so far ❤️ Thanks Trippy Trails 😉
I think the Forerunners with music are more expensive because they have WLAN, the regulare Forerunners only have Bluetooth.
Thanks for the comment ❤️ You learn something new everyday, this makes more sense.
Sorry OOT, Can the huawei watch gt 5 accommodate new runners, or should i buy the watch in the video
@@sakholid2664 I haven’t tried the Huawei watches as I have iPhone. If you have android or iPhone I’m pretty sure you’ll be better off with one of the watches from the video!
How long are you going between charges these days? And how does navigation affect the battery drain during activities?
Getting just over a week. I have the display on medium brightness and always on display turned on. GPS is on best performance so it’s on multi-band all systems. I also have sleep tracking & 24/7 health tracking turned on as well as notifications (get about a million a day haha).
I can’t imagine the navigation effecting the battery too much. I haven’t had a proper chance to test it but based on testing the race I can imagine the impact being minimal (a couple of hours maybe). Bear in mind the map has a fancy battery life saving feature where it goes into always on mode (just shows breadcrumb lines) until you flick your wrist and it shows all the buildings, terrain and TOPO information.
Hope this helps abit ❤️
@@ActiveIdeas thanks! That helps a lot. Glad it’s consistent with stated numbers.
No worries 💫
Cant decide what to upgrade my pace 2 with, tempted with this or the pace 3 as I love the size of the pace series, is it much bigger? I did have a forerunner 255 and hated the size and feel.
Also thanks for the great video full of detail!
Corrr.. I just think for the price, and the sports I do. The pace 3 doesn’t make sense. I NEED maps to have confidence when I’m out in the mountains. You’re also getting a better screen, really cool app and access to Suunto Plus; & it’s carbon offset for the environment. I really feel like the wind is in Suunto’s sales right now.. and it’s an exciting time to give them a try 👌🏽
Thanks Cris, much appreciated ❤️
Suunto is 100 euro more expensive. The Pace 3 is unbeaten for the pricerange.
If you don’t need maps.. the Pace 3 is also a steal 🔥 😍 Although.. Suunto 9 Peak Pro is cheaper now.. that’s a much better build quality and same features .. could be worth checking out
For sure the Coros Pace 3 is an amazing watch, but it is identical to Pace 2 (not sure the upgrade us worth it)
I have both Pace 2 and Sunto Race and use both watches when running.
Also I was so surprised that the Sunto's HR sensor is actually accurate unlike what everyone is saying. 😀
🤣🤣 lots of people calling out the HR sensor, glad you’ve had a positive experience too
Hi, need your recommendation
Should i buy suunto race s or garmin vivoactive 5?
I'm not a runner/athlete and i just want to track my overall daily health like step counts, body battery, HRV, sleep quality
I knwo that in vivoactive 5 it has sleep coach feature and it's really interesting to see
I don't want to spend too much money like on garmin venu 3 so my budget is around that price point
But on the other hand I like suunto race s design more and seem more masculine for me rather than vivoactive 5
Which would you buy based on my condition?
Really appreciate it if you can answer
Based on your condition I would recommend the Suunto Race S, it’s definitely the better buy for anyone in a budget looking to get the most value. Saying this.. the Vivoactive 5 is fun to use and has some cool features (check the video on my channel). Some of these features are much better than Suunto such as the combination of the stress tracker and the body battery. Unfortunately the Vivoactive is extremely easy to scratch and the battery life is terrible. There are a million and one reasons to get the Suunto Race S instead of the Vivoactive in terms of value but both are great watches and considering your usability.. you’ll probably enjoy both. The ceiling is just a little bit lower in the Vivoactive. Also I have another Race S vs Garmin video being uploaded right now.. it should go live tonight.. it might help with your decision ❤️
@@ActiveIdeas Thank you so much for your detail explanation
To be honest I really want to try and interested with sleep coach on vivoactive 5 that's why i'm currently more lean into vivo rather than suunto race s
In suunto i checked that the watch is more into athlete focus like runner but i'm not a runner, i just want to track overall health and maybe i will try to wear it almost 24 hours so i can get better insights about myself so i must choose light watch and comfortable to wear and i think vivoactive 5 is lighter than suunto race s?
But i really like race s design
Does suunto race s (45mm) watch too big for me? I have 18 cm wrist size and i have slim/thin wrist
So based on my explanation above which do you recommend more? Do you still opt to suunto race s?
@@ActiveIdeas Or should i go with venu 3?
Suddenly in my country venu 3 is on discount right now and the price is now 390 USD
Is it a good value to buy?
Better than vivoactive 5 / suunto race s?
Sounds like you’ve made your own mind up and want the Garmin! Yes yes yes, get the Venu 3 .. this is a good watch.. much better than Vivoactive 🔥
Hi, i'm a casual roadrunner (didnt join any event, yet) and mainly aiming for pb on my running days. I'm using FR55, feel like upgrading to FR265, but now i'm leaning heavily on this race S. any insight or recommendation on which i should go. I really wanna buy the race S, just that i'm afraid i'll regret later in future
Hey man! Thanks for the comment and supporting the channel ❤️ If it was me.. I would buy the Race S every time. The main reason being the ability to have fully maps on the Race S for hiking, ultra-running and adventures. Other advantages are also battery life, and GPS/Compass accuracy… all this and it’s cheaper? For me it a no brainier, a better comparison in terms of features is the Garmin 965 vs Race S but with it comes the increase in price. What the Garmin 265 does have.. is a fantastic UI and the ability to multi-task.. it feels more like a smartwatch which I think is an advantage in 2024.
It depends what you need/value. For running a PB either watch will do great. For anything more.. Race S. Hope this helps ❤️
@@ActiveIdeas thanks bro for the reply! I pulled the trigger and bought Race S. hopefully i'll enjoy this watch and break my PBs
Crushhh those goals 🔥
My friend, thank you for your review. Your choice which one Fenix 7x pro Solar - Suunto Vertical Solar Titanium and why?. Thanks.
For ultra marathon I would choice Suunto Vertical.. why? Better battery life, better gps & better navigation. Oh and it’s more comfortable to wear & sleep in. Its solar capabilities blow Garmin out the water. It’s also fully carbon compensated so you know you’re not completely destroying the environment. It seems Suunto better look after their customers with updates. Garmin’s planned obsolescence is crazy 💰
For health, training & backcountry camping.. Fenix 7X Pro Solar. Why? It has a flashlight 🤯 The Endurance score & Hill score. I like that it plots a graph of your VO2Max so you can see how it fluctuates over time. I also very much enjoy the stress graph and body battery. I’ll also like ECG…. If they ever bring it to the UK.
So yeah.. depends what you prefer. I see Suunto as more of a sports watch (better in almost all aspects) and Garmin as a smartwatch (better in almost all aspects). 🌟
@@ActiveIdeas In what reality does the Vertical have better navigation than Garmin? LOL. What a joke.
Garmin has fully routable maps ON THE WATCH with trail and street names. Good luck getting that on the Suunto.
Depends on your use case. I’ve ran some of the hardest races in the world.. the 268 mile spine race being one of them. On this race my Garmin GPS acquisition stopped working. It doesn’t matter how many “fully routable maps” you can create on your watch if during the hardest race of your life your Garmin GPS fails & the watch has no idea of where it is. It wouldn’t bother me if this happened just once. But it happened on multiple trips, occasions & races. And on many other Garmin’s of people I know. The battery also drained faster than I’ve seen on Coros & Suunto.. another case of it doesn’t matter how many features your watch has if your watch is dead 🤣
So yes, for around town, moderate hikes and general training.. Garmin is probably better because of its large feature set. But if you’re doing hardcore sh$t.. COROS (and Suunto) haven’t let me down yet on navigation & battery life ❤️
@@ActiveIdeas Hmm sure man. I've had Garmin since 2017, never had an issue with GPS loss on any of my Fenixes or now Epix. I don't do 268 mile races but I do thruhikes of 20+ hours and never had issues with navigation or routing or battery, nvm if it was in -15C or 40C temps. Saved my ass a couple times being able to route back to start without internet.
Then I tried the Suunto Vertical for a couple weeks and twice its GPS was like WAY off from where I was so... But yea battery life is crazy on it. Coros... is Coros, won't touch them with a pole.
@mrnicbst it just shows how everyone can have different experiences. I feel reviewers in the past have been rare to praise Suunto online but one thing a lot of reviewers agree on is that the Vertical IS the most accurate GPS watch you can buy right now.. so yeah, who knows. Maybe you had a faulty Vertical.. and Maybe my Garmin Fenix Pro 47mm was faulty too but I did contact Garmin which little to no help when dealing with those issues. And then this year (February) running in south wales (22 miles) with the Fenix 7 Pro X 51mm had the exact same thing happen.. we got into some dense forest 🌳 in the mountains (bad weather too) and the Garmin completely lost signal… map was spinning/jumping around in circles lol. We switched it to multi band to try and help & it still didn’t manage to find signal.. nothing for a good 20 minutes. We checked the Race & the Vertical at the time.. pinpoint location despite the environment challenges 👏🏽
Haha.. yeah. I feel the similar about Coros personally 🤣 But I think that’s the Garmin fanboy in me … the fact is, I wouldn’t have finished the Spine Race without Coros. They grew a special place in my heart during that bloody brutal thing ❤️ Cheers again for the comment mate
How smooth should the crown be on the race s? Mine feels stiff.
I have upgraded from Coros pace 3 and the pace 3 crown is super easy to role with 1 finger.
It was pretty stiff when first unboxed. It’s now much more smooth! BUT it’s still not as smooth as the 49mm race. The 49mm race feels just as smooth as the Coros Vertix 2S and the Coros Pace that I have ❤️
Is there going to be a new Suunto 9 watch or did Race replace it? Thank you 🙂
Only Suunto know this information 🙈 Personally, I wouldn’t mind a MIP 10 peak pro but The Race S does everything a model like this would do ❤️ Cheers 👊🏽
Can you do a comparison review of the suunto race s vs the coros vertix 2s please? Or what would you recommend between them?
Ooo that’s a Super odd request. What would you like to see in this review? The watches are meant for a completely different person
@@ActiveIdeas it doesn't matter anymore on the comparison, I've decided on the race s, but what do you mean they are for different people? From the reviews I've watched on them they are being reviewed against 100mile runs
People usually compare the Vertix 2S to the Vertical usually ❤️
Which watch or fitness tracker will get the longest battery life for 2h running per week? Ideally it will also have an MIP display, as i want it always on for viewing time (the rest of the week when I'm not running) with no effect on battery life. And great to have: wireless charging, virtual pacer feature, contactless payments, slim & lightweight, reasonable price.
I initially thought the Huawei Watch GT Runner with its wireless charging was the closest i could get for the above requirements, but found it lacking in battery life (only about 10 days, which is a third of what i was getting with Amazfit Bip). The Coros Pace 3 that i got next lacks wireless charging but is better for battery life, has MIP display, and super light & small, however its battery life isn't fully satisfying either (+no contactless payments). I need month-long standby battery life, or close, with 2 hours of GPS running a week.
Will the Suunto Vertical be the closest fit for me? I'm concerned about its price and bulkiness - is there anything better out there? I understand Race & Race S are AMOLED - is that right? Is Amazfit Balance worth considering?
Two things I missed:
- Any thoughts on the Fitbit Charge 6 for my needs, or any other bands (like Huawei Band 9 maybe, as they're very lightweight)? That's another option I'm considering although its compromise is lack of MIP display.
- About your channel not making you enough: I would recommend urgently renaming it (maybe to your name or something else a bit more unique), as it sounded like one of those spammy / AI generated content channels to me - this is why I at least was avoiding clicking on it when shown your channel's videos in TH-cam search results. I was pleasantly surprised when this video turned out to be an actual person speaking and well-reasearched.
Corr that’s a while amount of different watches ❤️ Sounds like no matter what you go for you’ll enjoy! It’s worth checking out Garmin if you enjoy wireless cash payments but double check the Garmin you’re looking at and the bank you’re with are compatible with this feature, I’ve ran into issues here. Battery life between the 165 and the Race S with 2 hours running per week will probably end up being very similar. The more you use your watch the better Suunto will be (more efficient). The less you m use you watch the better Garmin will be (better standby) but there’s no much in it.
Coros pace 3 looks excellent and comfortable wear. My only issue with wearing it personally is that it does have maps which is an absolute fundamental for me.
I have asked Amazfit to test on of their watches but no response yet and i can’t afford to buy one so I can’t comment there and I’ve avoided Huawei for similar reasons too.
Hope this helps
Personally I would avoid Fitbit Charge 6 ❤️ I’m pretty sure You have to pay Fitbit to access your own data which is outrageous and you have to pay for basic features such as sleep tracking as far as I know.. not sure, I’ve avoided since they adopted the subscription based model
Lastly, thankyou SO MUCH for your feedback. I never thought about people’s perception and perspectives in terms of thinking this might be an A.I channel. Maybe a name change is the way to go.. any suggestions? I don’t want my own name as I eventually want to bring more people to the channel .. any ideas are welcome 🙏🏽❤️
@@ActiveIdeas Thanks for the replies and happy to help! If I was in your place, I'd consider adding some kind of personalisation or anything else that makes the channel name less generic-sounding. It should be something you relate to (like the 'Average Dad' or SuperSaf tech reviewers, The Quantified Scientist, The German Accent Reviewer, etc), or if you don't want to tie it to yourself (I'd reconsider this as most big channels seem to have a more personalised name, you can always rename the channel once a second person joins) then maybe something the majority of your target viewers would find relevant. Probably adding UK or GB for example, before or after your current channel name. Or maybe combine both ideas into something memorable like The Manchurian Active tech reviewer - but shorter and customised to your region or city. A lot of people just use their names too, which keeps it simple.
Which is lighter between the two?
@@adamzulfikar the garmin is slighter lighter.. although Suunto JUST released a super lightweight titanium Race S which might be worth checking out if weight is of concern ❤️
@ActiveIdeas thank you! Because i want to know which is more comfortable to wear while sleeping, for sleep tracking.
@@adamzulfikar honestly.. both are super comfortable and lightweight on the wrist. But if you want ultimate comfort as well as features. I’d recommend getting a Suunto Race S Titanium with a nylon strap (cheap Amazon strap link in description). Best of both worlds imo 🔥
@ActiveIdeas thank you again! This is very helpful, will check the link in the description! 😊
Legend ❤️
How is skiing/snowboarding mode working on suunto? Does it autocount rides and time on lift?
Hey mate! I’m a beginner skier so when I tested Suunto in the French alps last year I was more focused on not falling over 🤣 I know for sure that it calculates distance + speed very well. It’s also nice have the Spo2 oxygen sensor on board. I could be wrong but.. I think laps (ski lifts & runs) needs to be done manually by pressing the lap button & then pausing the watch on the lift.: and then resuming activity at the beginning of your ride. If you do it this way you’ll get automatic lap times of each run without the ski lift messing up times/speeds. Hope this helps ❤️
Great video, resolved lots of concerns. However I'm wondering which one is more suitable for sprint interval training?
Hey mate! Unfortunately I rarely do interval training at the moment so couldn’t tell you which is better. I do know that you can design and interval workouts on both though so tbh either of these watches will be fine I think ❤️
@@ActiveIdeas I'll go with Garmin I guess, thanks!
If you’re strictly running, absolutely, for anything else! Why not try something new 😉
Which brand do you prefer personally?
Garmin will forever be my first love. Right now I’m flirting heavy with Suunto. The Suunto Vertical, Suunto Race S, Garmin Fenix 7X Pro & Garmin Forerunner 965 I would say are my favourite watches right now. If I didn’t have a TH-cam channel, I’m pretty sure I’d have one of these on my wrist. Most races i wear both brands (I’ve had Garmin GPS fail me on ultras on more times I can count on two hands). So for really long ultras I occasionally drop Garmin, & wear a Coros on one wrist & Suunto on the other.
Garmin still have cool mapping features that require no phone connection (tap & go turn by turn nav), multitasking and a proper flashlight. I REALLY miss these features when I use Suunto or Coros. But it comes with the Garmin price tag (and very unreliable gps lol).
Hope this helps ❤️
@@ActiveIdeas I’ve got a FR965 I enjoy the navigation but like the look of the Suunto more.
I scratched up my 965 within 2 weeks.. not only does the Suunto look better but it comes with the durability too 🌟
That’s what she said 🤣 Informative and entertaining as always. Suunto wins it for me.
You know it 🤣 Cheers mate! Yeah, this Race S has changed the market 🔥 Our value for money expectations just crashed through the roof!
sport activity profiles - but how many of them of just categorization and how many actually have specified metrics. ps the FR255 has a lot of those missing sport activity profiles.
On the Suunto many of the sport profiles have unique metrics. You can also customise your profiles to pick and choose specific data. You can also do this on Garmin but there are far less activity profiles. Hope this helps ❤️
bro thanks u i dunno what to get for trail running between sunto race s, coros pace pro, or garmin 965 (if BF deal around same price approx 400€. any idea ?
Corr that’s a tough one. Personally I’d avoid the pace pro. The 965 will have the most features but lacks in durability. The Race S might be the best of both worlds, okay features and great durability
With the Race S can you easily race a previous activity like you can on a Garmin? Such a simple feature but don't think Coros or Suunto do it. Also can you put a parkrun barcode on the Race S?
Yes, on Suunto Plus you can install Live Pacer or Race Pacer both which allow you to race yourself (based on a time you give it). It’s just as simple as Garmin but I’m not sure about racing your own activities (variable pace based on your last time running that route).
Parkrun.. unfortunately not. That would be cool, I’ve really been enjoying that recently. I’ll feed this back to Suunto if I get the chance as it’s a great idea ❤️
@@ActiveIdeas that's good to know you can race yourself on Suunto, a useful feature on my Garmin that I use to spice up my usual local routes. Parkrun barcode also very handy so hopefully that comes soon too.
I’ll mention these in my full review great points!
HI the race tells me the gradient of the climb if I do repeated runs?
Yes! I use a Suunto Plus app called “Climb” which tells me all the hill information on repeated runs. On top of this is also shows altitude, decent gradient, NGP (normalised grade pace), m/ hr pace, and duration all on the same watch face! (This is free to install). Hope this helps x
is there a way to add rucking to the customization of either of these? I can't seem to find any trackers that include rucking as an activity.
On both you can create custom sport activities. But you’re extremely limited on this Garmin. With Suunto you can create Rucking and make the activity profile look exactly how you like it. You’ll also be able to track this new Rucking activity with training volume etc in the app easily as it will assign it a “Other1” category of its own, keeping it as rucking and separate from other activities of that makes sense. (Basically it’s easy to track training load on custom sports with Suunto).
Hope this helps
If you had to compare it to the Garmin Forerunner 255, is it more likely that the Garmin might be better for running swimming and stuff ?
Id still get race s in that price range because of maps. Swimming is better on Garmin though ❤️
I've seen a deal so I'm sorry to come back yet I wanted to know your advice on that absolutely. I can have for the same price of the Suunto a Garmin 955. Would you think it is better to go for the Garmin or stay with the more recent Suunto Race S ?
Safer bet is Race S, Garmin told the Fit file podcast that all the new software isn’t coming to older watches which means the 955 is going to start to feel very old, very quickly
@@ActiveIdeas you answered so quickly and so I can't tell how much I appreciate that.
It is for a purchase yet I always struggled with which one to go for.
My last questions are, the Coros Pace 3, the Garmin 165 Forerunner and the Race S are all separated each from one an other of 50€/$ (250/300/350). Yet would you chose the more expensive one for all it provides or one of the others because all what the Suunto provides is also provided with the two others ?
I thank you for all and will make sure from now on to like your videos as a thanks gesture 🙌🏻!! 🫶🏻
Awh thankyou Jean, this is a super kind gesture ❤️
I have a few videos on the Garmin 165 on this channel. It’s fantastic but I don’t think it’s worth the money due to its heavy restriction on features. You’re better off deciding between Coros and Suunto at this price range. The Coros Pace 3 looks like a really cool buy, great battery life.. maybe the most comfortable because of its weight. But personally I’d get Suunto out of these three due to the maps, it also has a temperature gauge which I love for sauna/swimming, and the app is super motivating.
Best wishes with your adventures 🫶🏽
does the suunto count floors/stairs ?
I might be wrong but I think it only does calories & steps
Look at your review 7:50 , does garmin fr 165 support badminton now?
Yes, I used this watch for badminton and it natively had this sport profile which is good! ❤️ Hope this helps mate
@@ActiveIdeas thankyou. Maybe that's with new update. Look like the originally they didn't have badminton profile.. And one question, for running, which one give the best experience between race s & fr165?
Honestly mate.. I’m pretty sure the 165 has always had badminton.. I bought the watch maybe a week after it was announced/released. For short runs (5km -10km) I prefer 165 because of all of its running dynamics.. for distances of 13 miles and above (all the way to ultra marathon) the Race S is much better 🙏🏽🔥
How do you find the step counter , is it improved over 9 peak pro and vertical .
Really good question, I can’t comment on this yet because I’ve not been paying attention to steps or compared it to pre-updated watches yet. But I’ve heard people have seen positive improvements. I have a full review on the Race S coming in about a week so I’ll touch on this in more depth there 🙏🏽🌟Thanks for the idea ☺️
01:53 What a nice View you have !😍
Yorkshire Dales! Honestly.. Yorkshire is BEAUTIFUL, highly recommend! 🌟
@@ActiveIdeas 🤣✌
Would you happen to know if this actually lasts 31 hours in the performance mode? I'm looking for a watch not too big that can be used for my 100k trail race so Race S is my option. seems the Garmin 965 battery duration is shorter than the Race S
The battery duration on the Race S is much better than compared to 965. You’ll get 40 hours GPS in single band all systems-on with the Race S which will be more than enough for 100k! You can also turn the brightness down & turn off Always On Display to extend your battery life if you’re worried.
With all amoled watches I would make sure I’m charged to 100% before any 100km. Also if you decide to do any longer races than 100k you’ll be also be able to get away with using the Race S as it charges quickly & during activities so after 30-40 hours you could put it on charge for 20 minutes and be able to squeeze out an extra 15-20 hours. Hope this helps ❤️
@@ActiveIdeas what about HRO accuracy and GPS accuracy during activities, sir?
The HR has been improved. As far as Suunto is concerned.. this is the best watch for HR accuracy. In my experience it performs better than Garmin elevate 4 sensor technology but unfortunately is not as good as Elevate 5 or Apple Watches (notoriously have fantastic HR accuracy). Also, no wrist based HR at the moment compared to a chest strap for most activities, especially those that involve a lot of wrist flexion: as all watches, the Race S is also victim to this.
GPS accuracy… best on the market. No questions asked, without a doubt the best accuracy (& reliability) going. The absolute king of all sports watches is the Suunto Vertical which can simultaneously connect to even more satellites than this but the Race & Race S come in close at second place for accuracy. 🔥
Hope this helps Sir
The Suunto race s heart monitor is awful! I’m in dispute with Suunto now. An easy 10km for me is between 128-135bpm. The heart rate will show 176bpm on the race s…. So out of whack.
@@christreadwell5899 sorry to hear you’re having issues! Mine seems to underreport more so than over report like that.. usually it performs as good as the Garmin though (and in some situations better). It’s important to note.. I use a Velcro nylon strap which is probably helping with the accuracy compared to a silicone strap x
@@ActiveIdeas thanks for the tip! Seems like a Suunto production problem where a heart strap will mitigate the issue 👍🏼
I do actually like their silicone straps. Super comfortable. But yeah, despite the brand I’ll always use a nylon strap for comfort and accuracy
Am I right in saying there’s no way for on Suunto watches to auto create a 5k route like a Garmin?
Not on the watch as of yet. But on the app you can create routes to sync to your watch. On the app there is LOTS of detail showing path terrain (road, hard trail, soft trail, trail popularity) with heat maps so you can choose really safe/fun trails rather than just randomly selected roads to make a 5K 🌟 Hope this helps
@@ActiveIdeas do you actually have to draw the route yourself or can the app do a route 5k route for you?
You draw the circle yourself but the app creates the route using the best roads/trails
How does it compare with Garmin 265?
@@LiveYoung0 it walks all over the 265.. genuinely.. no competition for the price
@ActiveIdeas $350 Sunto vs $409 Garmin, on sale, u get smarter training feature for Garmin also App interface nicer. now there is also Coros pace pro. Race S no music.
Race S does have music controls though which I prefer (get to use Spotify) compared to downloading MP3 files like on Coros
now Garmin 265 at $350. now Garmin 965 coming down in price so I rather get 965 over 265 or Coros pace pro
The 965 for that price is a BARGAIN! 😍
are all those many sports modes just a gimmick so they can put it on a list of features?
Really good question! Happy to confirm they’re not a gimmick.. even for a sport as random as badminton you’ll be able to track the score on the watch. All profiles will display the relevant information (depth for snorkelling, or vertical speed for mountain running) if that makes sense. Also on the app every sport has a different colour & tone so you can visually see your training volume on the calendar (one of my favourite features as someone who does a large variety of sports). Hope this helped mate ❤️
@ActiveIdeas wow interesting, thanks. good luck with the channel!
Thankyou!!
Garmin is their own enemy. They restrict their watches especially the lower end models via software way too much in my opinion.
Why does a FR165 not support power meter connectivity for example? Even Apple Watches do connect to power meters now. No triathlon mode, no training readiness etc. All things the watch should be able to do with the hardware built in. The navigation is also embarrassingly bad for the price. An Apple Watch SE will get you full on maps for 250 although not offline
Tbf Apple Watch has the “WorkOutdoor” app so you can get offline maps on it for half the price of what a new Garmin costs 👏🏽 I’d have to agree with you! I think Garmin get away with software restrictions because they are undoubtedly the market leader.. until people start putting their money elsewhere they’ll continue to have a marketing strategy that works. It reminds me Apple actually.. have you start off with the base model and before you know it when you’ve selected the features you want and need, you’re at $700+ 🤣
I won’t lie though.. rumours about the new Fenix and Enduro sound SEXY 😝🤣
@@ActiveIdeas they’re the Apple of Fitness 😂😂. I hope the likes of Coros and Sunnto can win some market share so Garmin will be forced to be better
Honestly, a few years ago I had doubts.. but Suunto really are coming out swinging with their features and pricing 🔥 I really feel like Coros need to up their product development before things get too stale and Polar … I don’t know what’s going on. Polar create fantastic sports watches but their app does suck and their pricing is arguably worse than Garmin’s … hopefully they pull it together and to increase the pressure on Garmin. It would all be good news for users who are craving innovation 🔥 Plus they need to act fast.. we’re only a few years away from Apple Watch Ultra with a battery life that can actually last an ultra 🔥
@@ActiveIdeas Coros should bring out a pace 3 with an AMOLED option imho. The watch already has tones of features and they also continue to add these. I don’t have much hope with Polar tbh. They’ve been struggling for years
I absolutely hate Amoled and i still agree with you 🤣 Pace 4 needs Amoled. Their Apex Should probably come with Amoled too. And offer the Vertix 3 as a MIP option but in more sizes (all with led flashight). It’s a clear progression for them.
Coros know that they have a strong reputation for battery life and don’t want to let go of it but the reality is that the Enduro 3 and Vertical Solar have much better battery life than the Vertix 2S. And it’s only a matter of time until the general public works this out. I really do hope they have lots of products in the pipeline 🙏🏽
Tough call… I found an Epix 2 standard for $310 (used). So this or used Epix 2 🤔
Is it a pro or standard?
@@ActiveIdeas standard. I use the watch mainly for activity tracking, hiking navigation.
@@ActiveIdeas Yeah, nvm. I just found out a couple years ago they sold to China. Nothing against Chinese products, but the growing list of Chinese products being banned in US (possibly dji soon) doesn’t give me confidence in the future of the product.
For superior navigation & gps accuracy get the Suunto. For superior activity tracking (health & wellbeing data) I prefer Garmin. The Race is made in china, BUT the Race S & Vertical are designed & made in Finland. Lots of Garmin’s manufacturing is done in Taiwan but I guess the company is at least inherently USA owned which is cool.
I hope you find your watch! I highly recommend getting the Pro Epix for a million reasons or waited for the rumoured Fenix 8 (it’s basically an Epix Gen 3 Pro) being released supposedly next month (this will crack the Epix price tag even more). Best wishes man ❤️
@@ActiveIdeas Well they were bought out by China regardless of where they’re made. Again, nothing against Chinese products. Also, I just realized the Suunto doesn’t have labels for trails etc. The Chinese acquisition really makes me hesitant. Otherwise, $350 for a fully capable sports watch WITH maps is a steal imo. Garmins pricing doesn’t come close. BTW thanks for the quick reply. Excellent review and channel!
Vertical or race s??
There’s another Phillips in the house?! 🙈 It really depends on what you’re looking for. For everyday training, comfort and beautiful display get the Race S. For a racing BEAST with unbelievable battery life, get the vertical. The Vertical is a fantastic watch and there are some good deals on at the moment. I’d say if you train more than an hour a day, it’s well worth considering ❤️
Thanks mate really torn!!
Count yourself lucky! It was only a few years ago when the best smartwatch choice we had was a FitBitCharge2 & a Vivosmart 🤣 You’ll be happy with either ❤️
I'm hoping for a Vertical S!
The world is 😉🔥
Thanks
Gracias ❤️
@@ActiveIdeas you’re welcome, I enjoyed your review! I am in an odd conundrum.. choosing between Apple Watch 9/10 and a Suunto. I am mainly looking at heart rate and spo2 functionality during rest and sports as an asthmatic. I like the ECR, sleep tracking, apnea etc on the Apple Watch, but wonder how functional that’s going to be with 18h battery..!
@basa1549 for all the tasks you’ve mentioned the Apple Watch is better but you mention the elephant in the room… the terrible battery life. Suunto Race S is nice and simple to use but if you want the absolute most accuracy it might be worth considering the Apple Watch Ultra 2.. the only issue with that watch (besides the price) is the massive size and weight to it haha.
@@ActiveIdeas and the size and weight will then prevent you from wearing it at night! So no sleep and apnea tracking.. 😳 the normal Apple Watch has a better size and form factor for in bed, but will only last 18 hrs.. ahhhh! 😬
Haha I feel your pain! Well if you don’t mine the limited features and accuracy with Suunto compared to Apple.. the race s is super comfortable and has fantastic battery life for an amoled watch of this size 🫶🏽
Struggling between FR 955 Solar and Suunto Race. I am just trying to compare them in terms of features, not screen types and etc.
The 955 has more features. In my experience the Race S is more reliable 👊🏽
This is the best looking sports watch.
Not bad right!! 🔥 it’s a good blend of ruggedness, style and sports watch in terms of looks 🫶🏽
Suntou 🤯
🔥 🔥
One thing it's missing that would seriously help battery life?
Setting the map screen to North Up
I get lost too often to be doing that, I want the map to point in the direction I’m facing 🤣 But yeah, I can see how North up might benefit people … I will add, battery life on Suunto Vertical Solar is the best on the market right now .. blows my mind every time 🤣 Not sure if you noticed as well, in this video I show the Suunto Race has a always on display battery life mode where the screen fades to a dark mode until you flick your wrist.. pretty cool stuff ❤️
@@ActiveIdeasyou get used to north up :). It’s my preferred now. Considering a race though….
I’m going to try this on my next run x
@@ActiveIdeas Could you check by now?Would also be i terested, since everything that moves the map is iritating to my brain 😅
Ive had another look on Suunto, I can't seem to find it. Tbh though, the compass is sooo smooth and fluid that you might find it doesn't heart your brain at all. Check my latest Garmin Fenix 8 Navigation video where I compare it to the Suunto.. I actually find Suunto's approach more pleasurable
Who cares where the watches are made? 😂😂😂
Fair point 🤣🤣 Many will care and many will not 🤣 Pretty cool that Suunto plants loads of trees for many of their products to offset damage to the environment. But then you have to connect it to your phone.. which is 99.999% probably made in china anyway 🙊🤣 We live in a funny world ❤️
The Suunto S watch is much better than all of the Garmins.
Rumble coming in with the HEAVY fire! 🔥 🤣 I won’t lie.. I’d still love to review the £2,600 ‘MARQ Athlete Gen 2 Carbon’ by Garmin .. & according to The5KRunner the Fenix 8’s are just around the corner too. But for $200 - $700 dollars.. Suunto!? 😍
Definitely not better than my fenix 7 pro
@@camonly849agreed, but is it better than a Suunto vertical solar titanium. This one is not so easy.
I can’t wait to see what Garmin do next month and then how Suunto respond. BRING - IT -
ON!!
@@camonly849 I disagree
SUUNTO RACE S es superior a muchos modelos de GARMIN y en general es mucho mejor SUUNTO que GARMIN
Estoy de acuerdo, al mismo precio, no hay comparación. Gracias por el comentario ❤️
@@ActiveIdeas Con mucho gusto, es mi experiencia como usuario, antes SUUNTO estuvo un poco atrás en varios aspectos, pero a mejorado mucho y se va a seguir mejorando, un abrazo
¡Estoy de acuerdo! ¡Es fantástico ver hasta qué punto se ha desarrollado Suunto como empresa de relojes deportivos! ¡La presión sobre el mercado para innovar es ahora alta!
I wish the race was made in Europe, then i have bought it with No hesitation
Ironically, the Race is one of the best built sport watches I’ve ever used. I wouldn’t let build quality put you off. Obviously there are other socioeconomic and environmental factors associated with china production to consider.. if this is of concern you’ll have to settle for the Vertical or brand new Race S
Is it not made in Finland should say on the back
The Race S & vertical are.. yes ❤️