Since the recent updates this watch deserves another review. I own it since 1.5 months and i love . I was testing it last year and now its totally different than used to be.
I was shocked when I saw the video because I just bought the 9 Peak Pro, but given the fact that the Vertical is much larger, I'm happy with my purchase. And it's good to see Suunto adding more features like better display, maps, dual frequency GPS, better heart rate polling, Strava live segments, and so on. Hopefully they will add some of them to future iterations of the Peak Pro.
Just bought a 9 peak pro one months ago, upgraded from Ambit2. Heart rate is wired, similar experience as DC Rainmaker. Most of the time it is 10- 20 bpm higher than my Garmin Vivosmart band, especially at the beginning of an activity or most of the daily time. This new Vertical is thicker and heavier, maybe not so suitable for wearing all the time. Anyway, really happy to see Suunto is finally catching up with maps, solar and improved display.
This is great. I don’t need to move from Suunto. I’ve been loyal and contemplating changing to another manufacturer but don’t need to. The accuracy, functions, sustainability and military grade testing keep it for me.
@@forall720 lagging doesn’t worry me in the least that is a first world problem. I’m convinced these watches are far better made of better quality with less problems than anything the competitors put out. Sure it doesn’t tell you how many breaths you take or other useless data like Garmin but it tells your the main things you need to know
@@Ivesy85 completely agree - in an increasingly throw-away world, I value build quality over features. Regarding the lag, if you think and talk as fast as DCRainmaker, I expect everything seems laggy 😆
@@Fozzee.1970You can export everything out of Garmin Connect in just few quick and simple steps. In fact, Garmin is one of the easiest platforms to leave without losing any important data.
Ended up ordering the Vertical Solar and looking forward to it! The sustainability efforts and Finnish manufacturing are great steps in the right direction which was a big part of choosing this over the Race. Personally, I feel like the lag as an issue is over exaggerated. I switched from my Suunto 9 Baro to a Galaxy 5 smartwatch for a few months last year and while the speed difference is VERY noticeable, it didn't improve my overall experience much at all. I ended up switching back. When I'm out and about, I'm not constantly looking at/playing with my watch, I'm trying to enjoy my surroundings. Not saying Suunto couldn't do better, but it surprises me to see how much of a dealbreaker it is for others. If I had to choose between longer battery life and faster processing with more niche features, I'd go for the battery life.
Great review Ray! Fantastic testing done at a cool location. Exciting to see Suunto’s new product with competitive features. As always, spot on balanced review. Also, always look forward to your take. Thanks again!
The lag would be a dealbreaker for me, too used to how smooth my F7 is. And it has the same type of flashlight. I've always been interested in Suunto so I hope one day they make a watch that makes me switch. The battery life is impressive.
Wow, this actually looks really impressive. I was worried about Suunto (not that I've ever tested anything from them) but I'm so glad to see they dropped a good one here. Bravo Suunto 👏🏻 - Oh damn, glad you were able to get your drone back. Hope it was ok after all that time under water. You're hard on drones. The DJI Care team must love you. How is the Suunto for biking? Does Suunto have ANT+? I'd guess it'd do bike power but not something like cycling radar details 🤷♂ I'm just not super familiar with their stuff. Amazing review as always. 👌
The drone was a bit...salty, about the experiance. I rinsed it off in the sink and then dried it with the hair dryer. I gave it 24hrs, and it turned on just fine and all. However, a few days later there was some weird error messages. So, I'll get it swapped out under the extra care program. But nice to at least get the SD card back, as I hadn't fully offloaded footage from the day prior (the hike). As for cycling and Suunto - it's not great. No ANT+ support, and no multi-sensor support (meaning no multiple power meters saved, and doesn't specify which units you paired). And no trainer support either.
@DC Rainmaker That was my question as well. I'm disappointed they don't do something as simple as support multiple sensors and save them. It is kind of a pain in the neck to re-pair sensors every day I switch activities or bikes.
Great video. Brighter MIP display and more accurate HR sensors are all it would need for me to make the switch to suunto. Please make it happen, suunto! I love the company's philosophy, design and app.
I feel the same and I've asked if any potential improvements are coming but if it's the HR sensor that's an issue, I'm not sure it's fixable without changing the hardware!? Looks like I'm going with a 7x solar till they do something...
As a owner of 9 Baro, 9 Peak and now 9 Peak Pro,this is the watch i was hoping for from Suunto. Already ordered the solar version. Great to see Suunto stepping it up😊
It's great (at least as European) that company tries to be carbon neutral. Something that not all can be proud of and we really should start thinking bout the future more (if not ours the one of our small ones). Kudos for the review and thank you!
I think that the more "carbon neutral" policy that a tech brand can make is to give a solid software support and update. And a good repair policy. Instead of limiting features that older devices can perfectly run , just for marketing. I don't have much experience with suunto devices. But I hope they take that seriously. I think that apple is clearly the winner in that aspect. They just need to improve the sport side of the Apple Watch and maybe the others will feel the pressure to Improve.
Yay for foreshadowing. "It's going to be a strong month" :) Hopefully some new garmin stuff. 😀😃 Glad to see Suunto coming out with maps and kind of competing with garmin. As always great right to the point videos.
A step on the right direction for sure. I think the only brand left at offering some mapping is Polar, I'm curious what their next lineup will be. I am still waiting to upgrade my Vantage M2 for a more outdoor focused watch, I like Polar watches design, weight and features, but with that much competition I hope they can catch up soon and if they insist on having a third party integration for routes, I hope they move or at least add Ride With GPS to the list, more complete service than Komoot in many scenarios. This Suunto watch really catches my attention, I just hope they can fix the lag, it seems uncomfortable to use in the long run.
The whole "tree planting" carbon offset is a bit of a joke to be honest. It's a bit like the government carbon offsetting to developing countries. Companies like Suunto don't personally plant a tree but state they'll give a small amount of money to companies who are specifically set up to do this. Up here where I live in rural northern Scotland these corporations are gobbling up every pocket of land possible that comes up for sale, purely for planting as many trees as possible to offset big companies carbon footprints and fill their pockets. They just rock up, chuck a load of densely packed young saplings in, then move on to the next one. Screws the biodiversity of the area, makes a mess, and prices young farmers out of getting land for themselves. Unfortunately capitalist greed has ruined the concept.
@@5mattcolour It’s only a joke to those that don’t do research. In fact, you can actually lookup exactly which projects and where Suunto is planting trees. They list it in their site. Don’t worry, they aren’t helping your neighborhood - so you’ll be safe from those extra trees. This is such a great example of damned if you do, and damned if you don’t. But it’s also a good example of people not bothering to do any (very basic) research before they type up an internet comment: www.suunto.com/About-Suunto/Sustainability/
Nice watch...I liked Suunto when it was just Vector and Core and the first GPS watch (X9??) back then. But I am too invested in Garmin, so no Vertical for me. But what about sensors....still no ANT+? I love my Garmin stuff when I get on my bike and see all the different sensors, light, radar, power, speed and cadence, flawlessly connecting.
Just FYI, the watch software has completely changed since this video was made. Going from one function to another is now vertical. What's great with Suunto is they constantly upgrade their app and watch firmware. I don't own the Vertical but a Peak 9 Pro and it's amazing, for cycling, hiking, running... Not really sure why users are moving to other brands. Myself I went from Garmin to Suunto because the Garmin software is plain AWFUL! Had a Garmin smartband and it broke on the first shock. Plus the battery life was ridiculous. Obviously, the extended battery life comes at a cost, for example the backlight turns off quite quickly. When using my watch as a bike computer, I leave the backlight on so I don't have to manipulate the watch to see it. Also there is a "light" mode improving the contrast a lot.
The Map navigation with buttons seems very convenient. I've always been frustrated with garmin buttons during workouts, not only for maps (i.e. the infamous back button that becomes the lap button in completely randomic ways). I would switch to suunto only for this
You can do buttons or touch for moving around the map, but for zooming it's buttons. It actually works reasonably well, but would work better with 5 buttons, because you could reserve escape onto a dedicated button.
Pleased to see a new watch, yes we have MULTIPLE Garmins, and yes they are generally more featured than my Suunto 9…..but they are sat in a drawer and my 9 is on my wrist. I just like the way Suunto do things and the touch display and button combo….definitely welcome a better display though!😊
Indeed, the display is a huge step up! That said, I actually wish they would blend the button combo of the Suunto 5 with this. Meaning, allow either buttons or touch, but don't remove the extra buttons - they are useful for faster access to going 'back'.
Awesome review! Who is running the "Resources" algorithm and if firstbeat is it the same up to date algorithm as Garmin watches feature, and is it improved on accuracy by the more frequent HR data sampling?
Notable just by looking at the proprietary algorithms of the new Suunto Coach feature, the company says it is moving away from Firstbeat technology entirely. They said there's very little Firstbeat still in use, though they won't reveal which pieces it's still implemented in.
So today, Resources, VO2Max, and Sleep Quality are all still Firstbeat. Suunto says that by the end of the year though, those will be in-house algorithms. At present, the remainder of the items are in-house. The exceptions being the TrainingPeaks trademark bits (e.g. TSS/NP/IF), but those are public domain algorithms. Rather, it's just the branding that's trademarked. Either way, Suunto has a strong partnership there with them.
How about automatic backlight? I run and ski at darkness, so automatic backlight on feature (when I rotate my wrist) is killer at Suunto 9. Does this work at Vertical?
Another great review. I’m on the fence on either the FR 965 or the vertical. I’m leaning more to the vertical as I thruhike a lot as well as my regular running activities. Which one is the best? 😂🤷♂️
I think for me it would be ideal as I always end up running in the bushes and tacking random roads/trails. Especially for long distance running. I just wish they could display the NGP pace for the uphill runs straight to my main watch frame, sure they have the Suunto plus feature you can add but that requières me to jump there and play with the watch faces a lot.. and having the heart zones all around the frames on the map too would be epic. Being capable to navigate while there is weird trails cutting the main one and still seeing if I respect my zone of training would be cool. That would make map very efficient
It's getting better. The Suunto app is a bit cleaner for route planning, but the Garmin app offers far (far far far) more functionality. It's just that the functionality can be a bit overwhelming at first.
Agree with you zhovner. The Garmin app is one big reason I left that brand. Calendar function was unusable (and even detrimental) to people like me with partial colorblindness, the platform is built off Google Maps, which isn't really trail/adventure-centric, social features like News Feed and Badges kinda cheapened the vibe, etc. I was content when I started using Suunto App, but as they've added more, I've gotten to really respect what it's capable of.
It feels perfect on my wrist, i forget sometimes i got it in my hand. Smaller Peak 9 Pro I had, was less comfortable, and i needed to move it sometimes.
From the last 10Y I survived with A2R, A3R and A3P finally upgraded to S9P last year. Having and knowing only Suuntos for runs, races and hikes I'll bleed this 9P till its last breath before considering any Suuntos again, Vertix Peak and Peak Pro or Max probably just around the corner
I’ve been enjoying my Vertical for about 18 months now. All good except this weekend I did a run then a hike in strong winds in the Lakes, UK. The watch measured more than double the elevation figures of the route I was following. Anyone noticed similar?
Did you end up getting the Vertical and what do you think? I'm also still using an Ambit3 Peak but I'm glad to see Suunto has come out with some compelling watches this year...I was holding onto the Ambit3 so long because I didn't want to switch to Garmin haha
What could you recommend if you don’t need fitness tracking, gps or anything like that. I just need a watch that can buzz when phone calls and display notifications/text messages from my android phone, and of course, as long a battery life as possible. Can you operate it using the screen? Are you just using the buttons to not have the fingers in the way of the camera?
Should I get this one or the Epix 2......????? I'm looking for a watch to record hikes in the Grand Canyon and be able to view them on my computer, easily, later on. GPS navigation would be feature to have as well.
Thanks for the speedy review. I’ve been looking at Suunto for some time, but have yet to commit and purchase. When I heard a few weeks back the Vertical release was imminent, I became very attentive and am most likely going to jump in and purchase. Quick general question, the mapping functionality looks very useful. Does the vertical allow importing of maps from AllTrails? Hope you can help!
I just returned the fenix x7 pro solar, hated it. I currently use a Traverse which I've had for 6 years, so I hope I like this, but a quick flashlight is a must for me.
Painfully funny. Though technically, it'll revert back to the flashlight on/off button each time it turns off - so only one button each time to re-enable it. :)
Great review as always! Any idea if Suunto will revise it's relationship with Hammerhead Karoo 2, so the Suunto app will take the Karoo activity into account for training readiness, fatigue, form, etc.?
Not today, but it's something I brought up with them in a call. As one who often uses the Karoo 2 (and not a Suunto watch concurrently), they really need to start incorporating that.
Did the UI lag got patched out or is the chipset just too weak? Trying to decide between a vertical solar or a garmin watch. Suunto seems less gimmicky but if it's lagging it's a no-go.
Why do they keep messing up the openwater swimming? Which watch(or brand) would you recommend for that. I have a spartan so i like suunto and this watch looks great but that swimming part needs to get better
Hey! Feature question: my saved routes list is getting pretty long...do we know of any feature, current or planned, that would allow the Vertical to show you nearby routes based on your GPS location?
I know they're a bit different but I literally today just took delivery of the Garmin epix. Did I make the wrong call cuz I like the design of this soon though or should I stick with my EPIX price point is literally the same
I felt like DC Rainmaker answered a lot of great and relevant questions as to whether or not this watch is worth your time, but he never answered if it's worth $800+. Yes, it appears to be better than the Suunto 9 series, but it still appears to be more of the same (user interface, display quality, etc.) and appears to be suffering from the same problems of their previous watches. Like why are we still talking about lag? It's almost like the lag should be listed as an unique feature of all Suunto products. So again, all of the updates are good and great. But is it worth $800+ when you compare it to the Garmin Fenix 6/6X or the Fenix 7/7X? You could even find a Garmin Epix Gen 2 or a FR955/965 at a better price if you're patient. I would be willing to try this device for fun if it were significantly cheaper, but being that that's not the case, I'm thinking it's a hard pass...unless I find one used at some point. And that's if it's still relevant.
Suunto usually discounts its products after a few month already. I think finding 100-200$ discount during black Friday would definitely be possible. And then suddenly it's a 'bargain' if you compare it to other devices with a similar feature set.
@@dmytromelnichenko4513 Sure, they do markdown their prices during black friday, but rest of the year it is still priced quite high. Does suunto (or any company for that matter) actually run its business based on people only buying their product during black friday sales? I used a 9PP and it was underwhelming. Suunto released 9Peak at $699 with modest improvements over 9 Baro and 9 Peak Pro soon after, again with modest improvements but with a higher price tag, all the while when Coros and Garmin were competing to release maps/solar for a much lower price point.
@@anthonyrampino7734 Don't know if You have already, but I bought refurbished solar vertical (promo codes adventure30 worked for 1 day for vertical and vertical refurb) so i instand bought. It came in white box with sticker "refurbished" but in box it was a watch that looks and smell totally brand new. Works perfect, iam glad. Right now after Vertical updates, only difference is solar + mip screen vs crown button + amoled in race. I would still choose Vertical. Much better battery, more solid and i like mip screen.
What about being able to connect to more than 1 external device? And what about the find my phone? I hate not having it on Suunto . Easy fix and super helpful.
Its really strange that they have the open water issues. I have the Peak Pro and the swim distance is way off. I compare it with my old Suunto 9 which is pretty correct. Peak Pro constantly shows 10-20% shorter (wrong) distance on Open Water swim. How can they make that feature worse in a new watch???
What's up Ray ? what's up guys ?? How can I add music into the watch ? via bluetooth ?? usb cable ?? I know there's no Spotify available , but the music it is a big deciding factor to me ! I think the Suunto vertical is a lot more stylish than Garmin Epix pro and I need to get a decision to buy it ! Please help me someone !!??
Can someone tell me how is the flashlight comparing to Garmin Instinct 2 for example? Is it better? Because i have had Garmin Instinct 2 and "screen flashlight" in this watch was terrible. I couldn't see anything even in complete darkness. I've been thinking about either Veritcal or Race, or Race S but i'm not sure which one too choose. I'm not into HR at all and i don't care about the pulse. I need a watch mainly for outdoor activities, camping, maybe hiking etc. I also would prefer to have always on display always on
@Dcrainmaker at 14:44 you show the disastrous heart rate performance for outdoor cycling and I have exactly the same problem on the 9 Peak Pro. It's so frustrating because I bought this watch for cycling and HR is completely unusable. Do you have the Suunto HR belt and know if that improves the performance? I would grudgingly spend the extra money if that helps, even though it's laughable that a 650$ watch can't even measure the correct heart rate while cycling. Thank you! 🙏
No problems using a Suunto HR strap - that'll immeidtaely fix it. But it doesn't have to be Suunto, you can use any Bluetooth Smart HR strap and it'll work fine (I'd recommend the Polar H9/H10, or Garmin HRM-DUAL as good options, as they also have multiple concurrnt BLE connections, which the Suunto strap itself doesn't have. I would not recommend the Wahoo TICKR series, as reliability long-term has been an issue for many).
I'm find this a really hard choice to buy!? I love the look of it and the hardwear seems amazing as well as great GPS accuracy BUT... I do lot's of trail running and hate wearing a HR strap and this Vertical can't be trusted for HR accuracy!? Also, maps without labels WTF!? So for trail/ mountain running, can I buy this watch??
Coming from a garmin solar instinct to the Suunto vertical… I will be returning my vertical, the wrist hr is very disappointing, I’ve never had this much discrepancy with my garmin or Suunto Spartan, the strap is tight and pushed up the wrist and I have to stand completely still in order to get a accurate reading, while moving it can be 15bpm off. I should be blown away by function for the cost. Come on Suunto! I’m trying to be brand loyal.
I am a bit confused about solar in steel version, is it there or not? I ve seen some comments that solar it only works on titanium version. Can someone please confirm or not.
I upgraded my ambit 2 because well I got a good deal with a Garmin Fenix. Also the watchband was starting to fall apart, but mainly cause Suunto closing movescount software to the new Suunto app which I tried it a couple of times it was absolutely rubbish in my opinion compared to the Movescount .
I will always remain a Garmin user, though I'm glad that Garmin's competition is producing some good watches. Competition is good for all of us and this also prevents Garmin from becoming too complacement with their innovation and quality.
Sadly, quality and Garmin are mutually exclusive, given recent times. Every gen of their watches has issues, stemming from ridiculously bad buttons to battery drain, sensor misplacement (for eg. Instinct 2x record way too much elevation when road biking and compensation doesn’t help at all).
@@TommySchiavon Honestly, if you already have an Enduro 2, I think you’d likely be pretty disappointed going down to the Vertical. The Vertical is a great watch, but I don’t think even Suunto would try to argue it competes with the Enduro 2, in any area except top-end battery life.
Suunto playing catchup it seems. ive got the suunto 7, i like the bright display but the battery life is dire. The New verticle for the price its specs are a little lacking especialy with that laggy interface. Solar is the way to go so their half way there. When my 7 dies which i dont think will be long i will probably ditch suunto for another brand.
They wait until I buy a Coros after having a Baro 9 for years 😫😫😫😫 A fecking release roadmap would have kept me waiting longer, but they release very little info.
I was a hardcore dedicated Suunto Baro user for a decade running multiple OPS and personal off-grid camps, but they lost me as the GPS started to denigrate compared to the competition. I switched to Garmin and while I love this new watch as it's solar there is no way I'm paying almost a thousand dollars for one. That's stupid.
Since the recent updates this watch deserves another review. I own it since 1.5 months and i love . I was testing it last year and now its totally different than used to be.
Has the lag problem been fixed?
@@MO-xi1kvI got it yesterday and I don’t notice the lag. It’s completely different from what can be seen in this video.
I was shocked when I saw the video because I just bought the 9 Peak Pro, but given the fact that the Vertical is much larger, I'm happy with my purchase. And it's good to see Suunto adding more features like better display, maps, dual frequency GPS, better heart rate polling, Strava live segments, and so on. Hopefully they will add some of them to future iterations of the Peak Pro.
Just bought a 9 peak pro one months ago, upgraded from Ambit2. Heart rate is wired, similar experience as DC Rainmaker. Most of the time it is 10- 20 bpm higher than my Garmin Vivosmart band, especially at the beginning of an activity or most of the daily time. This new Vertical is thicker and heavier, maybe not so suitable for wearing all the time. Anyway, really happy to see Suunto is finally catching up with maps, solar and improved display.
Garmin are inaccurate
Great to see Suunto back!
Yup indeed!
This is great. I don’t need to move from Suunto. I’ve been loyal and contemplating changing to another manufacturer but don’t need to. The accuracy, functions, sustainability and military grade testing keep it for me.
Same as me
What about hang-ups, lagging and problems?
@@forall720 lagging doesn’t worry me in the least that is a first world problem. I’m convinced these watches are far better made of better quality with less problems than anything the competitors put out. Sure it doesn’t tell you how many breaths you take or other useless data like Garmin but it tells your the main things you need to know
@@Ivesy85 completely agree - in an increasingly throw-away world, I value build quality over features. Regarding the lag, if you think and talk as fast as DCRainmaker, I expect everything seems laggy 😆
@@barnholbol1262
Always happy to see Suunto still trying.wish they would go after the instinct with a updated core with gps and a cr2032 battery :)
As much as I love my Garmin devices it is awesome to see some competition from other companies!
Thing is it isn't just about the watch. I am unlikely to leave Garmin as all my stats are there.
@@Fozzee.1970You can export everything out of Garmin Connect in just few quick and simple steps. In fact, Garmin is one of the easiest platforms to leave without losing any important data.
Ended up ordering the Vertical Solar and looking forward to it! The sustainability efforts and Finnish manufacturing are great steps in the right direction which was a big part of choosing this over the Race. Personally, I feel like the lag as an issue is over exaggerated. I switched from my Suunto 9 Baro to a Galaxy 5 smartwatch for a few months last year and while the speed difference is VERY noticeable, it didn't improve my overall experience much at all. I ended up switching back. When I'm out and about, I'm not constantly looking at/playing with my watch, I'm trying to enjoy my surroundings. Not saying Suunto couldn't do better, but it surprises me to see how much of a dealbreaker it is for others. If I had to choose between longer battery life and faster processing with more niche features, I'd go for the battery life.
the first suunto in years i enjoy to see!
Ordered one today, it was about €150 off. Very exited. Used a crappy suunto spartan for years and I was happy
How is the new one compared to the Spartan??
Great review Ray! Fantastic testing done at a cool location. Exciting to see Suunto’s new product with competitive features. As always, spot on balanced review. Also, always look forward to your take. Thanks again!
Thanks!!!
The lag would be a dealbreaker for me, too used to how smooth my F7 is. And it has the same type of flashlight. I've always been interested in Suunto so I hope one day they make a watch that makes me switch. The battery life is impressive.
Wow, this actually looks really impressive. I was worried about Suunto (not that I've ever tested anything from them) but I'm so glad to see they dropped a good one here. Bravo Suunto 👏🏻 - Oh damn, glad you were able to get your drone back. Hope it was ok after all that time under water. You're hard on drones. The DJI Care team must love you. How is the Suunto for biking? Does Suunto have ANT+? I'd guess it'd do bike power but not something like cycling radar details 🤷♂ I'm just not super familiar with their stuff. Amazing review as always. 👌
The drone was a bit...salty, about the experiance. I rinsed it off in the sink and then dried it with the hair dryer. I gave it 24hrs, and it turned on just fine and all. However, a few days later there was some weird error messages. So, I'll get it swapped out under the extra care program. But nice to at least get the SD card back, as I hadn't fully offloaded footage from the day prior (the hike). As for cycling and Suunto - it's not great. No ANT+ support, and no multi-sensor support (meaning no multiple power meters saved, and doesn't specify which units you paired). And no trainer support either.
@DC Rainmaker That was my question as well. I'm disappointed they don't do something as simple as support multiple sensors and save them. It is kind of a pain in the neck to re-pair sensors every day I switch activities or bikes.
Great video. Brighter MIP display and more accurate HR sensors are all it would need for me to make the switch to suunto. Please make it happen, suunto! I love the company's philosophy, design and app.
I feel the same and I've asked if any potential improvements are coming but if it's the HR sensor that's an issue, I'm not sure it's fixable without changing the hardware!? Looks like I'm going with a 7x solar till they do something...
As a owner of 9 Baro, 9 Peak and now 9 Peak Pro,this is the watch i was hoping for from Suunto. Already ordered the solar version. Great to see Suunto stepping it up😊
sell me your peak
@@SinZCrosS I have my name in all those watch You see. They are custom from factory
15:33 can’t even get through a Watch review without breaking another drone! 😂
I know! But it's OK, that's why I pay for the extra-special warranty!
It's great (at least as European) that company tries to be carbon neutral. Something that not all can be proud of and we really should start thinking bout the future more (if not ours the one of our small ones). Kudos for the review and thank you!
I think that the more "carbon neutral" policy that a tech brand can make is to give a solid software support and update. And a good repair policy. Instead of limiting features that older devices can perfectly run , just for marketing.
I don't have much experience with suunto devices. But I hope they take that seriously. I think that apple is clearly the winner in that aspect. They just need to improve the sport side of the Apple Watch and maybe the others will feel the pressure to
Improve.
@@Javiercav th-cam.com/video/RSUHW5MdHDs/w-d-xo.html
That much lag on a $800 watch is just unacceptable. If they can fix that and the bugs with open water swimming it looks like a great watch though.
I agree, it`s really hard to watch. I genuinely think Suunto is a amazing brand but the smoothness they need to improve asap.
@@mausyyy85 I've read they've fixed it
finally, a proper successor for my 9 baro.
Could you please do an update video for the vertical and the race since they have updated them?
Yay for foreshadowing. "It's going to be a strong month" :) Hopefully some new garmin stuff. 😀😃
Glad to see Suunto coming out with maps and kind of competing with garmin. As always great right to the point videos.
A step on the right direction for sure. I think the only brand left at offering some mapping is Polar, I'm curious what their next lineup will be. I am still waiting to upgrade my Vantage M2 for a more outdoor focused watch, I like Polar watches design, weight and features, but with that much competition I hope they can catch up soon and if they insist on having a third party integration for routes, I hope they move or at least add Ride With GPS to the list, more complete service than Komoot in many scenarios.
This Suunto watch really catches my attention, I just hope they can fix the lag, it seems uncomfortable to use in the long run.
Will be pre ordering this tommorow this is a no bs hardcore watch that battery life is insane
Fun tidbit - you can pre-order it now: amzn.to/42haAXu
Cool. I’m happy to see Suunto stepping up. I particularly think the carbon offsets is brilliant and other manufacturers should emulate it.
Indeed, really cool to see Suunto do that.
The whole "tree planting" carbon offset is a bit of a joke to be honest. It's a bit like the government carbon offsetting to developing countries.
Companies like Suunto don't personally plant a tree but state they'll give a small amount of money to companies who are specifically set up to do this. Up here where I live in rural northern Scotland these corporations are gobbling up every pocket of land possible that comes up for sale, purely for planting as many trees as possible to offset big companies carbon footprints and fill their pockets. They just rock up, chuck a load of densely packed young saplings in, then move on to the next one. Screws the biodiversity of the area, makes a mess, and prices young farmers out of getting land for themselves. Unfortunately capitalist greed has ruined the concept.
It's like airlines offsetting your flight carbon impact. It's called greenwashing.
@@charlesoutthere spot on.
@@5mattcolour It’s only a joke to those that don’t do research. In fact, you can actually lookup exactly which projects and where Suunto is planting trees. They list it in their site. Don’t worry, they aren’t helping your neighborhood - so you’ll be safe from those extra trees.
This is such a great example of damned if you do, and damned if you don’t. But it’s also a good example of people not bothering to do any (very basic) research before they type up an internet comment: www.suunto.com/About-Suunto/Sustainability/
Nice watch...I liked Suunto when it was just Vector and Core and the first GPS watch (X9??) back then. But I am too invested in Garmin, so no Vertical for me.
But what about sensors....still no ANT+? I love my Garmin stuff when I get on my bike and see all the different sensors, light, radar, power, speed and cadence, flawlessly connecting.
Still no ANT+. Unfortunately, that ship has sailed at this point.
Just FYI, the watch software has completely changed since this video was made. Going from one function to another is now vertical. What's great with Suunto is they constantly upgrade their app and watch firmware. I don't own the Vertical but a Peak 9 Pro and it's amazing, for cycling, hiking, running...
Not really sure why users are moving to other brands. Myself I went from Garmin to Suunto because the Garmin software is plain AWFUL! Had a Garmin smartband and it broke on the first shock. Plus the battery life was ridiculous.
Obviously, the extended battery life comes at a cost, for example the backlight turns off quite quickly. When using my watch as a bike computer, I leave the backlight on so I don't have to manipulate the watch to see it. Also there is a "light" mode improving the contrast a lot.
The Map navigation with buttons seems very convenient. I've always been frustrated with garmin buttons during workouts, not only for maps (i.e. the infamous back button that becomes the lap button in completely randomic ways). I would switch to suunto only for this
You can do buttons or touch for moving around the map, but for zooming it's buttons. It actually works reasonably well, but would work better with 5 buttons, because you could reserve escape onto a dedicated button.
Pleased to see a new watch, yes we have MULTIPLE Garmins, and yes they are generally more featured than my Suunto 9…..but they are sat in a drawer and my 9 is on my wrist. I just like the way Suunto do things and the touch display and button combo….definitely welcome a better display though!😊
Indeed, the display is a huge step up! That said, I actually wish they would blend the button combo of the Suunto 5 with this. Meaning, allow either buttons or touch, but don't remove the extra buttons - they are useful for faster access to going 'back'.
Good review as always. Thanks
Awesome review! Who is running the "Resources" algorithm and if firstbeat is it the same up to date algorithm as Garmin watches feature, and is it improved on accuracy by the more frequent HR data sampling?
Notable just by looking at the proprietary algorithms of the new Suunto Coach feature, the company says it is moving away from Firstbeat technology entirely. They said there's very little Firstbeat still in use, though they won't reveal which pieces it's still implemented in.
So today, Resources, VO2Max, and Sleep Quality are all still Firstbeat. Suunto says that by the end of the year though, those will be in-house algorithms. At present, the remainder of the items are in-house. The exceptions being the TrainingPeaks trademark bits (e.g. TSS/NP/IF), but those are public domain algorithms. Rather, it's just the branding that's trademarked. Either way, Suunto has a strong partnership there with them.
@@Dcrainmaker this is such a fantastic response! Thank you so much for providing such detail and specificity.
How about automatic backlight? I run and ski at darkness, so automatic backlight on feature (when I rotate my wrist) is killer at Suunto 9. Does this work at Vertical?
Great review, can you set hot buttons for specific widgets, reorder them, or any customization in the UI? Thank you.
don't believe you can hot button but you can re-order and remove widgets
Hi, Ray, just to point out something, in 11:27 you type Suunto 9 Peak Pro 53mm, else I like your review.
Indeed, good catch, a typo - should be 43mm. Cheers!
Another great review. I’m on the fence on either the FR 965 or the vertical. I’m leaning more to the vertical as I thruhike a lot as well as my regular running activities. Which one is the best? 😂🤷♂️
I think for me it would be ideal as I always end up running in the bushes and tacking random roads/trails.
Especially for long distance running.
I just wish they could display the NGP pace for the uphill runs straight to my main watch frame, sure they have the Suunto plus feature you can add but that requières me to jump there and play with the watch faces a lot.. and having the heart zones all around the frames on the map too would be epic. Being capable to navigate while there is weird trails cutting the main one and still seeing if I respect my zone of training would be cool. That would make map very efficient
I use the TrainigPOeaks Race S+ watchface - displays NGP and IF and rHRSS (rotates) Very easy to leave on while I'm running.
Loving it. Now I know what to get if my current one breaks in the near future.
Suunto mobile application looks better than Garmin Connect. And I like that display is not AMOLED. It's nice that the watch is produced in Finland.
It's getting better. The Suunto app is a bit cleaner for route planning, but the Garmin app offers far (far far far) more functionality. It's just that the functionality can be a bit overwhelming at first.
Agree with you zhovner. The Garmin app is one big reason I left that brand. Calendar function was unusable (and even detrimental) to people like me with partial colorblindness, the platform is built off Google Maps, which isn't really trail/adventure-centric, social features like News Feed and Badges kinda cheapened the vibe, etc.
I was content when I started using Suunto App, but as they've added more, I've gotten to really respect what it's capable of.
The processor is a deal breaker for me.
Great review BTW.
Did you experience any wrist discomfort with lugs ?
I am seeing a lot of comments on the net about that. Thank you
Known issue for some l, myself included with Vertical. The New Race has solved that issue.
It feels perfect on my wrist, i forget sometimes i got it in my hand. Smaller Peak 9 Pro I had, was less comfortable, and i needed to move it sometimes.
From the last 10Y I survived with A2R, A3R and A3P finally upgraded to S9P last year. Having and knowing only Suuntos for runs, races and hikes I'll bleed this 9P till its last breath before considering any Suuntos again, Vertix Peak and Peak Pro or Max probably just around the corner
I’ve been enjoying my Vertical for about 18 months now. All good except this weekend I did a run then a hike in strong winds in the Lakes, UK. The watch measured more than double the elevation figures of the route I was following. Anyone noticed similar?
Upgrading from ambit 3 peak. Was going for a Instinct 2x, but this does look nice ... running 50hr ultras and lots of alpine climbing. Ahhh decisions!
Coros!
cant still seem to move on from my ambit 3 peak though, it's either this or fenix 6 pro
Did you end up getting the Vertical and what do you think? I'm also still using an Ambit3 Peak but I'm glad to see Suunto has come out with some compelling watches this year...I was holding onto the Ambit3 so long because I didn't want to switch to Garmin haha
Great review as usual
What could you recommend if you don’t need fitness tracking, gps or anything like that. I just need a watch that can buzz when phone calls and display notifications/text messages from my android phone, and of course, as long a battery life as possible. Can you operate it using the screen? Are you just using the buttons to not have the fingers in the way of the camera?
Great review, thank you. Greetings from Turkey ❤️👍
Should I get this one or the Epix 2......????? I'm looking for a watch to record hikes in the Grand Canyon and be able to view them on my computer, easily, later on. GPS navigation would be feature to have as well.
Thanks for the speedy review. I’ve been looking at Suunto for some time, but have yet to commit and purchase. When I heard a few weeks back the Vertical release was imminent, I became very attentive and am most likely going to jump in and purchase.
Quick general question, the mapping functionality looks very useful. Does the vertical allow importing of maps from AllTrails?
Hope you can help!
You can't import any maps themselves from others. But you can of course import the routes. Cheers!
@@Dcrainmaker Ahh. Ok. That’s probably what I meant! Thanks.
I just returned the fenix x7 pro solar, hated it. I currently use a Traverse which I've had for 6 years, so I hope I like this, but a quick flashlight is a must for me.
Is there a shortcut for the flashlight yet?
Since last update 16.11.2023 there's option to add shortcut on upper button by long-press. You can set flashlight there.
@@Tami9 nice, maybe I'll buy it again
I wonder if interface can be turned upside down to wear watches on the right hand.
Just put it on what are you talking about 😂
Hello, DC what is the best smartwatch for law enforcers or the military?
Me: I need the flashlight for 3 minutes.
Suunto: you need to press 54 buttons
Painfully funny. Though technically, it'll revert back to the flashlight on/off button each time it turns off - so only one button each time to re-enable it. :)
Could you review the sleep score feature and recovery feature? Can you add a "trainer" like Garmin? thanks.
Great review as always! Any idea if Suunto will revise it's relationship with Hammerhead Karoo 2, so the Suunto app will take the Karoo activity into account for training readiness, fatigue, form, etc.?
Not today, but it's something I brought up with them in a call. As one who often uses the Karoo 2 (and not a Suunto watch concurrently), they really need to start incorporating that.
Did the UI lag got patched out or is the chipset just too weak? Trying to decide between a vertical solar or a garmin watch. Suunto seems less gimmicky but if it's lagging it's a no-go.
Why do they keep messing up the openwater swimming? Which watch(or brand) would you recommend for that. I have a spartan so i like suunto and this watch looks great but that swimming part needs to get better
That lag is hard to watch...
Rooting for Suunto!
I’m just wandering are the issues regarding accuracy altimeter/weather warning and notifications get bugged resolved?
Hey! Feature question: my saved routes list is getting pretty long...do we know of any feature, current or planned, that would allow the Vertical to show you nearby routes based on your GPS location?
I know they're a bit different but I literally today just took delivery of the Garmin epix. Did I make the wrong call cuz I like the design of this soon though or should I stick with my EPIX price point is literally the same
Honestly, if you just bought an Epix at retail price, I'd turn right around and get the new Epix Pro that launched today at the same price.
@@Dcrainmaker really yeah just got it today the standard one. What's the difference with the pro?
@@Dcrainmaker And you think that's better than the Suunto?
I felt like DC Rainmaker answered a lot of great and relevant questions as to whether or not this watch is worth your time, but he never answered if it's worth $800+. Yes, it appears to be better than the Suunto 9 series, but it still appears to be more of the same (user interface, display quality, etc.) and appears to be suffering from the same problems of their previous watches. Like why are we still talking about lag? It's almost like the lag should be listed as an unique feature of all Suunto products. So again, all of the updates are good and great. But is it worth $800+ when you compare it to the Garmin Fenix 6/6X or the Fenix 7/7X? You could even find a Garmin Epix Gen 2 or a FR955/965 at a better price if you're patient. I would be willing to try this device for fun if it were significantly cheaper, but being that that's not the case, I'm thinking it's a hard pass...unless I find one used at some point. And that's if it's still relevant.
Suunto usually discounts its products after a few month already. I think finding 100-200$ discount during black Friday would definitely be possible. And then suddenly it's a 'bargain' if you compare it to other devices with a similar feature set.
@@dmytromelnichenko4513 Sure, they do markdown their prices during black friday, but rest of the year it is still priced quite high. Does suunto (or any company for that matter) actually run its business based on people only buying their product during black friday sales? I used a 9PP and it was underwhelming. Suunto released 9Peak at $699 with modest improvements over 9 Baro and 9 Peak Pro soon after, again with modest improvements but with a higher price tag, all the while when Coros and Garmin were competing to release maps/solar for a much lower price point.
Does the vertical link to chest strap heart rate sensor like the Wahoo?
Yup!
@@Dcrainmaker thanks!
@@Dcrainmaker if you had to choose between a refurbished vertical for $500 and the Race which would you prefer?
@@anthonyrampino7734
Don't know if You have already, but I bought refurbished solar vertical (promo codes adventure30 worked for 1 day for vertical and vertical refurb) so i instand bought. It came in white box with sticker "refurbished" but in box it was a watch that looks and smell totally brand new. Works perfect, iam glad. Right now after Vertical updates, only difference is solar + mip screen vs crown button + amoled in race. I would still choose Vertical. Much better battery, more solid and i like mip screen.
Battery capacity is impressive
What about being able to connect to more than 1 external device? And what about the find my phone? I hate not having it on Suunto . Easy fix and super helpful.
No, same there still (assuming you mean one sensor pairing of each type). No find-my-phone.
@@Dcrainmaker that’s exactly what I meant. Simple stuff that should be standard for a $600 dollar watch
Hi ! Does Suunto offer something for surfing ?
Its really strange that they have the open water issues. I have the Peak Pro and the swim distance is way off. I compare it with my old Suunto 9 which is pretty correct. Peak Pro constantly shows 10-20% shorter (wrong) distance on Open Water swim. How can they make that feature worse in a new watch???
What's up Ray ? what's up guys ?? How can I add music into the watch ? via bluetooth ?? usb cable ?? I know there's no Spotify available , but the music it is a big deciding factor to me ! I think the Suunto vertical is a lot more stylish than Garmin Epix pro and I need to get a decision to buy it ! Please help me someone !!??
as always great work!
Garmin user, but Suunto has the best design.
Have they fixed the lag issue?
Can someone tell me how is the flashlight comparing to Garmin Instinct 2 for example? Is it better? Because i have had Garmin Instinct 2 and "screen flashlight" in this watch was terrible. I couldn't see anything even in complete darkness. I've been thinking about either Veritcal or Race, or Race S but i'm not sure which one too choose. I'm not into HR at all and i don't care about the pulse. I need a watch mainly for outdoor activities, camping, maybe hiking etc. I also would prefer to have always on display always on
@Dcrainmaker at 14:44 you show the disastrous heart rate performance for outdoor cycling and I have exactly the same problem on the 9 Peak Pro. It's so frustrating because I bought this watch for cycling and HR is completely unusable. Do you have the Suunto HR belt and know if that improves the performance? I would grudgingly spend the extra money if that helps, even though it's laughable that a 650$ watch can't even measure the correct heart rate while cycling. Thank you! 🙏
No problems using a Suunto HR strap - that'll immeidtaely fix it. But it doesn't have to be Suunto, you can use any Bluetooth Smart HR strap and it'll work fine (I'd recommend the Polar H9/H10, or Garmin HRM-DUAL as good options, as they also have multiple concurrnt BLE connections, which the Suunto strap itself doesn't have. I would not recommend the Wahoo TICKR series, as reliability long-term has been an issue for many).
@@Dcrainmaker Thank you so much for your reply! I will have a look at those straps then.
Thanks for your information s
Antalya?
Can I use this watch to play my music while running without the need to bring along my phone ?
Is Suunto Vertical compatible with live segments on Strava? If so, what is the exact procedure?
I'm find this a really hard choice to buy!? I love the look of it and the hardwear seems amazing as well as great GPS accuracy BUT... I do lot's of trail running and hate wearing a HR strap and this Vertical can't be trusted for HR accuracy!? Also, maps without labels WTF!? So for trail/ mountain running, can I buy this watch??
Coming from a garmin solar instinct to the Suunto vertical… I will be returning my vertical, the wrist hr is very disappointing, I’ve never had this much discrepancy with my garmin or Suunto Spartan, the strap is tight and pushed up the wrist and I have to stand completely still in order to get a accurate reading, while moving it can be 15bpm off. I should be blown away by function for the cost. Come on Suunto! I’m trying to be brand loyal.
I'm still waiting for them to add Tide information. Knowing the tides is a huge deal in open water.
I am still looking for a watch without a black ring between display and bezel 🤔
Suunto forever!!!
Bro are you going to review Huawei watch ultimate?
Can it be connected to Alltraills app??
Hi, which watch has satellite maps ?
I am a bit confused about solar in steel version, is it there or not? I ve seen some comments that solar it only works on titanium version. Can someone please confirm or not.
There is also a steel solar version.
Have offline music ?
I upgraded my ambit 2 because well I got a good deal with a Garmin Fenix. Also the watchband was starting to fall apart, but mainly cause Suunto closing movescount software to the new Suunto app which I tried it a couple of times it was absolutely rubbish in my opinion compared to the Movescount .
I will always remain a Garmin user, though I'm glad that Garmin's competition is producing some good watches. Competition is good for all of us and this also prevents Garmin from becoming too complacement with their innovation and quality.
Sadly, quality and Garmin are mutually exclusive, given recent times. Every gen of their watches has issues, stemming from ridiculously bad buttons to battery drain, sensor misplacement (for eg. Instinct 2x record way too much elevation when road biking and compensation doesn’t help at all).
At 12:43 I guess it can find the heart rate of the wooden table, quite high for resting.
czy lagowanie jest już poprawione?
I think the latest update will make less lagging then before.
Now the real question is…
New Vertical or Enduro2 ?
Enduro 2 costs a crap-ton more ;)
@@Dcrainmaker Yeah, so in your opinion should I pull the trigger and made this change from Garmin to this new Vertical ? I'm really tempted =)
@@TommySchiavon Honestly, if you already have an Enduro 2, I think you’d likely be pretty disappointed going down to the Vertical. The Vertical is a great watch, but I don’t think even Suunto would try to argue it competes with the Enduro 2, in any area except top-end battery life.
This must be the reason why garmin released the forerunner 965 in such short time after 955.
Hello, does anyone know how to end a track? I start touching buttons and I make a mess, I must be clumsy. Thank you
Suunto playing catchup it seems. ive got the suunto 7, i like the bright display but the battery life is dire. The New verticle for the price its specs are a little lacking especialy with that laggy interface. Solar is the way to go so their half way there.
When my 7 dies which i dont think will be long i will probably ditch suunto for another brand.
They wait until I buy a Coros after having a Baro 9 for years 😫😫😫😫 A fecking release roadmap would have kept me waiting longer, but they release very little info.
Please do wind test for a mavic 3 pro
...still waiting for a unit.
@@Dcrainmaker ❤❤❤
I was a hardcore dedicated Suunto Baro user for a decade running multiple OPS and personal off-grid camps, but they lost me as the GPS started to denigrate compared to the competition. I switched to Garmin and while I love this new watch as it's solar there is no way I'm paying almost a thousand dollars for one.
That's stupid.
Suunto stainless steel scratches like crazy.
“In the trees at night...” what are u doin in the trees at nite⁉️😂
It’s what happens when you route plan poorly. 🤣