The Suunto Race S. All photographs: iRunFar/Craig Randall
The Suunto Race S ($350) has turn into carefully linked to ultrarunning star Courtney Dauwalter in latest months, due to the brand new “Courtney version” Suunto Race S Titanium, with its particular glow-in-the-dark strap. The Race S is available in two configurations — stainless-steel and titanium — however each are supplied in Suunto’s 45-millimeter case, its smallest out there proper now.
In a pre-launch assembly with the media, Dauwalter advised us that the Race S’s compact dimension was one in every of its largest options. In 50- or 100-mile or longer races, she has some extent: nobody needs to put on or carry cumbersome gear that provides further fatigue to the physique.
This overview focuses on the stainless-steel model, which weighs simply 2.93 ounces (83 grams).
The Race S has been out for the reason that center of 2024, and at the moment it was in uncommon air; it prices simply $350 with the identical AMOLED display as its massive brother the Suunto Race, glorious battery efficiency, and an up to date coronary heart fee sensor, making it maybe probably the most feature-rich GPS efficiency look ahead to the cash.
However within the months that adopted, Coros launched the Coros Tempo Professional, additionally with an AMOLED display and in addition $350 — which makes the shopping for choice course of a little bit trickier. Although this isn’t a head-to-head comparability overview of those two watches, you will need to point out that the Tempo Professional has stolen a few of the Race S’s features-for-the-price-point place. There are nonetheless some essential variations, notably in materials and construct high quality which may give Suunto the sting for ultrarunners and normal out of doors athletes over the admittedly road-and-track oriented Tempo Professional.
A brilliant light-weight design and long-lasting battery are usually two opposing forces. The larger and bulkier the case, the extra room there may be for a extra highly effective battery. Suunto Product Supervisor Markus Kemetter mentioned that by improved battery improvements and eradicating options, the Suunto Race S has been capable of drop weight and dimension with out sacrificing an excessive amount of on the battery aspect.
Suunto Race S Battery Efficiency
A again view of the Suunto Race S.
Slim? Small? Svelte? The Suunto Race S actually is all about that “s,” no matter it really stands for. The load is slim, the display is small and, sadly, the battery is a little bit bit on the svelter aspect too. In these wild occasions when 200-mile races have gotten normalized, the Suunto Race wowed many runners with its 50 hours of finest efficiency, dual-band GPS recording. The Race S dials down this capability to 40 hours.
These values on each variations might be nearly doubled on the highest finish by decreasing the GPS efficiency to tour mode; this will increase battery efficiency by decreasing the GPS sampling fee and turning off options just like the optical coronary heart fee sensor. Alternatively, for those who simply practice most days however in mere-mortal increments you possibly can anticipate to get a few weeks out of the battery between expenses.
The world is shortly shifting to USB-C as the usual in charging configurations. Considerably surprisingly, the Race S employs the very same magnetic charging dock and USB kind that fashions as previous because the Suunto 9 Peak makes use of, with their USB-A regular.
Although the charging dock itself is clumsy and finicky to connect with the watch, the recharging time on the Race S is simply as implausible as a few of its predecessor fashions. In lower than 40 minutes, the Race S might be powered to nearly 100% from 0, making it the quickest refill in nearly any class of GPS efficiency watches.
And the Race S — like nearly all Suuntos of previous — might be recharged throughout an exercise; resembling at an assist station throughout an ultramarathon, so that you don’t have to finish the recording outright. No must even pause the exercise.
The Race S consists of sleep and HRV monitoring. Many people get pleasure from this information to assist paint a extra well-rounded image of our coaching. However once more, it can sink your battery as HRV requires all-day and in a single day coronary heart fee sensor enter.
The underside line with the Suunto Race S and battery is that it’s good however it’s no Coros. You gained’t get a lot use from the watch that you just’ll misplace the place your charging cable is as a result of it’s been so lengthy because you wanted it, as is the case with many Coros fashions. However battery recharging is so quick and the options for the fee are so excessive with the Race S, that the tradeoff is suitable.
Suunto Race S AMOLED Show
The Stainless Metal and Titanium variations of the Suunto Race S.
An outline of the Suunto Race S’s battery efficiency can’t be separated from a dialogue on its AMOLED show.
Whereas you possibly can lengthen the battery efficiency throughout actions by decreasing sampling charges and turning off biofeedback sensors, you possibly can’t swap the Race S between its commonplace high-definition AMOLED show and, say, a extra sensible reminiscence in pixel (MIP) one. Whereas it’d be good to modify between show sorts, the fact is that the battery pays a premium for the beautiful AMOLED show it powers.
Suunto has optimized for the superior visible expertise, however you’ll must spend some high quality time with the settings configurations to familiarize your self with tips on how to reap the benefits of them.
Increase to wake is the default configuration on the watch, which can detect if you flip your wrist to have a look at it by going from dim for battery preservation to completely vivid. This function might be shut off or the sunshine turned to at all times on, relying in your choice.
Increase to wake is okay when simply going about your day, however I discover it a tad irritating throughout actions when, say throughout an interval exercise, you need to see your watch face information instantly. However because of the small lag whereas the watch wakes up, you wait longer to see the display than in a MIP show watch. Increase to wake too might be switched off throughout actions, however anticipate to make use of much more battery if it’s set to mild at all times on.
AMOLED is criticized for being more durable to learn in direct daylight than MIP watches, however the Race S does a implausible job with readability in any situation, and in darker or cloudy situations it’s simply flat-out superior to every other show kind.
Suunto Race S Mapping
One of many areas the place AMOLED is appreciated most is if you make the most of the Suunto Race S’s mapping features. The Suunto Race S gives complete mapping and navigation options that make it priceless for journey operating or on new routes. The maps nonetheless don’t come pre-loaded, however it’s doable to obtain particular person space maps from the Suunto app after which sync them to the watch.
This course of although might be frustratingly gradual, even for simply particular person state maps. I spent loads of time questioning if the obtain was even occurring regardless of it exhibiting that it was within the app. For instance, downloading Colorado and its 1.2 GB of information took nearly a full hour to complete, sync, and turn into usable within the watch.
The watch doesn’t have sufficient reminiscence to carry all of it, however it’s important to marvel simply how lengthy it will take to obtain the complete United States with its 42 GB dimension. Because the maps are downloaded, they’re out there offline, they usually embrace topographic particulars, elevation traces, trails, and different POI. Whereas not as spectacular because the Garmin Fenix 8 AMOLED maps, which come pre-loaded and absolutely labeled, the Race S gives the identical zoom and pan choices to discover surrounding areas.
Ought to You Purchase the Suunto Race S?
A aspect view of the Suunto Race S.
Up to now on this overview, the Suunto Race S has been nearly akin to the Coros Tempo Professional. Each are round $350; each make the most of an AMOLED show; neither comes preloaded with maps however can be found for obtain; each are very mild in comparison with conventional high-function GPS sport watches; each make the most of sufficient however not nice optical coronary heart fee sensors.
The 2 watches diverge considerably in two key areas: materials construct and processing velocity.
Coros, by its personal admission, has mentioned that the Tempo Professional with its mineral glass show just isn’t really useful for mountain actions. The glass simply gained’t stand as much as impression from rock. The Suunto Race S, then again, makes use of the extremely robust Gorilla Glass, which isn’t solely skinny and lightweight, however is scratch- and impact-resistant. The Tempo Professional could also be higher suited to highway and monitor operating whereas the Race S is firmly at residence on trails the place it may well face up to the inevitable impression from falling or scrambling.
Coros’s unbelievable battery longevity is beloved solely simply above its screaming quick processing energy. This has by no means been Suunto’s power, and stays buoyed to even the most recent Suunto merchandise, the Race S included. Whether or not it’s the relative slowness of scrolling the digital crown to the time it takes the watch to save lots of your exercise, to the act of transferring the exercise to the app after which third-party websites like Strava — Suunto is just behind the ball in comparison with Coros.
Then you definately add much less frequent over-the-air software program updates and enhancements in comparison with Coros. You’ll seemingly by no means break the Race S or say it’s much less fairly than Coros (and even Garmin), and so the worth proposition — with options being kind of equal to the Tempo Professional — is diminished to sturdiness, design, and person interface. These are what have and proceed to really set Suunto aside from the competitors.
Name for Feedback
- Have you ever tried the Suunto Race S? What had been your ideas?
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