Suunto Race S Review: A Bold Contender for Serious Athletes
The Suunto Race S has entered the market as a formidable competitor to Garmin’s popular running watches, offering powerful tracking capabilities, a stunning AMOLED display, and exceptional battery life.
Designed with endurance athletes and outdoor adventurers in mind, it combines the rugged durability Suunto is known for with modern smartwatch functionality like notifications and music control.
But does it truly stack up against the competition? Let’s break it down.
Suunto Race S Models: Stainless Steel vs. Titanium
The Suunto Race S is available in two premium variants:
Stainless Steel and Titanium, each catering to different needs and preferences.
The Stainless Steel model boasts a robust and stylish design, offering excellent durability and a slightly heavier feel, giving it a premium and solid wrist presence. In contrast, the Titanium version is crafted from lightweight titanium, making it noticeably lighter and more comfortable for all-day wear without compromising on strength.
Additionally, the Titanium model features enhanced scratch resistance, perfect for those who engage in rugged outdoor activities.
Both models share the same powerful features and AMOLED display, but the choice ultimately comes down to whether you prefer the solid feel of stainless steel or the lightweight comfort of titanium.
Bold and Beautiful: Design & Display
The first thing you’ll notice about the Suunto Race S is its bold, rugged design. It’s a 45mm diameter watch with a thickness of nearly 12mm, making it one of the chunkiest smartwatches in its class. This isn’t a watch that quietly sits on your wrist—it demands attention.
However, the size isn’t just for show. It houses a high-definition AMOLED display with a 466 x 466 pixel resolution, offering vibrant colours and sharp graphics. Whether you’re checking your heart rate mid-run or navigating your route, the screen is crystal clear—even in direct sunlight.
Design Highlights:
45mm stainless steel case that’s both tough and stylish
AMOLED display with sharp resolution and vibrant colours
Seven different strap options, including the eye-catching Powder Orange
Rugged build quality that withstands all types of exercise, including contact sports
Pros:
✅ Stunning AMOLED display with sharp resolution ✅ Rugged and durable design, perfect for outdoor adventures ✅ Comfortable and secure strap options
Power-Packed Features: Built for Athletes
The Suunto Race S is a feature-rich smartwatch designed specifically for athletes, offering accurate tracking for a variety of activities. It includes:
Onboard GPS that locks on quickly and stays accurate even in remote locations
Heart rate zones and power zones for performance-focused training
Pace alerts to help you hit your running goals
Altimeter and gyroscope for precise movement tracking
One of its standout features is the ability to plan routes in advance and receive real-time updates on your location. Whether you’re running in the city or hiking in the wilderness, this ensures you’ll never get lost.
Key Features:
Music control: Manage your playlist without touching your phone
Notifications: Receive calls, texts, and app alerts directly on your wrist
Sleep tracking: Monitor your sleep quality and recovery
However, the sleep tracking is a mixed bag. The chunky design makes it uncomfortable to wear overnight, limiting its usefulness as a sleep monitor. Additionally, it lacks the ability to reply to texts, which is a minor drawback for those who want full smartwatch functionality.
Pros:
✅ Accurate GPS with no dropouts ✅ Extensive athletic tracking with heart rate and pace alerts ✅ Music control and notification support
Cons:
❌ Sleep tracking is uncomfortable due to bulky design ❌ No text reply functionality
Performance That Doesn’t Quit: Fast, Accurate, and Long-Lasting
When it comes to performance, the Suunto Race S truly shines. It’s fast and responsive, with a smooth touchscreen interface that remains accurate even when sweaty or wet. The GPS locks on quickly and delivers precise tracking, whether you’re cycling through the city or running a remote trail.
The watch syncs seamlessly with the Suunto app, which offers a wealth of data including route maps, performance insights, and health metrics. It’s perfect for athletes who want to analyse their progress and optimise their training.
Performance Highlights:
Fast and responsive touchscreen navigation
Accurate GPS for reliable route tracking
Intuitive Suunto app with detailed metrics and performance insights
But the real showstopper is the battery life. In smartwatch mode, it lasts around 10 days, and in training mode, you can get up to 30-35 hours. With light use, the battery can stretch to an astonishing 2-3 weeks—a huge plus for endurance athletes and adventurers.
Battery Life Breakdown:
Smartwatch Mode: Up to 10 days
Training Mode: Up to 30-35 hours
Light Use: 2-3 weeks
Pros:
✅ Fast and smooth performance, even during intense workouts ✅ Accurate GPS tracking with no dropouts ✅ Exceptional battery life—one of the best in its class
Value: A Premium Watch at a Competitive Price
The Suunto Race S is priced competitively compared to similar Garmin models, offering an extensive set of features, high build quality, and exceptional battery life at a lower cost. It’s an ideal choice for serious athletes who want reliable performance tracking without breaking the bank.
However, it’s worth noting that the watch lacks some advanced smartwatch features found on other models, such as text reply functionality and third-party app support. But if you’re primarily focused on fitness and performance, this won’t be a dealbreaker.
Value for Money:
Great for athletes needing accurate tracking and long battery life
Competitive pricing compared to Garmin alternatives
Lacks some advanced smartwatch features, but excels in athletic performance
Should You Buy the Suunto Race S?
Buy it if…
You want an accurate and reliable running watch with advanced tracking features
You need a high-resolution AMOLED display that looks great in any light
You value exceptional battery life for long training sessions and adventures
You appreciate rugged durability for intense outdoor activities
Don’t buy it if…
You prefer a sleeker, lightweight design—this one is bold and chunky
You need full smartwatch functionality, including the ability to reply to texts
You’re looking for a watch with advanced third-party app support
Final Verdict: The Athlete’s Choice
The Suunto Race S is a powerhouse running watch that excels in performance tracking, durability, and battery life. Its vibrant AMOLED display and rugged design make it an ideal choice for athletes who demand accurate metrics and a watch that can keep up with their active lifestyle.
t’s a serious contender for anyone looking to push their limits—whether you’re training for a marathon, tackling ultra-distance runs, or exploring the great outdoors.
Overall Rating: 9/10 – A powerful and stylish choice for serious athletes.
I bought this to replace a Montana 700 on the deck of my sea-kayak. The USB socket was dying, and it’s too heavy really for where i was using it. No physical buttons, just a touch screen, weren't really workable on the sea all the time either. Before the Montana the GPSMAP 66 was what I used at sea. This was the best unit at the time and worked really well. Small screen, light weight, physical buttons, AA batteries that lasted over 3 days. All good really. Soon to go to eBay!
The H1 has big shoes to fill. It does look very capable. The buttons work in a similar way to the 66, so it’s very familiar. The larger screen helps for mapping. But no corner fields as I’d got used to on the Montana. With the touch screen off it’s easy to control and for me the interface needs very little tweaking. Mapping and compass are easy to get to out of the box as it is.
Switching the Compass to CDI and turning routing off makes it work on the sea exactly the same as the 66 and the Montana 👍🏻. I can’t see all that much of the map when I have 4 data fields on display. But I can live with that. The Action button on the side cant be configured to toggle the touch screen, with is a big -ve.
Activity tracks and courses seem to be readily accessible nicely. But saved activities building up over a few days cant be moved into a collection on the device by the H1. I have to do this in Garmin Explorer, which isn’t Garmin’s best ever software tool. I try and stay away from that as much as possible!!
Having different profiles available is good too. I have only 3 : Kayaking, Walking and Driving. Though I wont use it much while walking. I prefer the simplicity of my Fenix for following courses and recording walks. The talky Toaster Map is very good too., much better than the Garmin Topo mapping. Though for real detail I use either a paper map or a selection of mapping on the phone.
The InReach capability I look forward to playing with. I recently bought an InReach Mini 3 Plus which I used on my last paddling trip. This ‘just worked’ sending comms over satellite when we had no mobile signal in the Far Northwest of Scotland. The subscription is now suspended so it really just a replacement for my soon to be eBayed PLB. I wondered if I should get inReach on my next GPS. I decided if I did I could simplify further my kit list. I can easily use the SOS button if I want to while on the sea, so all very +ve I think.
One ‘quirk’ is the spine mount. It can be threaded top and bottom with 12.7mm thin webbing tape, if you can find any! It’s an imperial size, not really sold anywhere I can find. Garmin won’t sell me a few m or more of their tiny tape loop things without a carabiner, a bit -ve in my mind.
I can work around it by threading the slots with Dyneema Paracord so I can fix it to my spray deck well enough I think and detach it at the end of the day to charge, etc.
Overall I am quite pleased with the GPSMAP Hi1 Plus. It will do a great job for what I want. I look forward to seeing exactly how long the battery lasts over a few days use 🙂.
PS … it did get stuck in the endless reboot cycle once 😮. A quick search of youTube revealed a fix involving a long press of the power button to switch it off, then hold down the page and enter buttons at the same time while pressing the power button once. It churned away and fixed itself 👍🏻.
Well worth the Upgrade from the gpsmap 67 if you have the cash. Finally easy to use better screen and ui.
Top service and best price around fron outdoor gps.
Don't get me wrong it's a luxury purchase for me, update from fēnix 7 but it's loverly with great features. Very happy 👍 fast delivery good quality usb c to hdmi included. Recommended seller with good videos on YouTube
Great advice over the phone and super fast delivery. Also purchased all the extras so was able to get out and about as soon as it arrived. Fantastic service.
It dose what it says on the box
It’s absolutely brilliant boiled water in a matter of minutes
And the delivery was exceptional as you can see from the photos it’s blowing a gale up in the Lake District and not once as it blown out
Surprising easy, for Garmin, to setup and pay for registration for the first month.
After 1 month I plan to suspend the monthly subscription and use it only as a PLB replacement most of the time when on day trips. When we do some extended sea-kayaking trips in May and September I can re-enable on the cheapest plan to be able to communicate when there is no mobile signal. This is all very straightforward in the Garmin Messenger app 👍🏻.
(I climb the mountain so I can see the world, not so the world can see me)
Great GPS functionality - locks on quickly.
Suunto coach comes free with the app and has AI training plans, so, you don’t have to subscribe to such things separately.
Battery life is great.
I bought the GPSMAP H1 online but picked it up from the Office in Northumberland as I was on holiday in the area a few days after I ordered it. I spoke with Jon, a really helpful and friendly guy. The staff at the office were good too.
This device is really great. It came with some helpful documentation printed off by the shop. To get the best out of it use Garmin express and Garmin base map on either a Mac or a Windows computer.
However, setting up your own courses on screen is fairly simple too. The preloaded maps are perfectly good, but if you want Ordnance survey maps there's a slot for an SD card. You can switch the touch screen off which is dead handy if you want to keep it in your pack or pocket whilst walking.
The pictures I have attached show a course I did on screen. Also a bearing on the Humber Bridge. Apols for the quality but I needed three hands really.
Overall I'm delighted.
It's a complex thing so if you haven't had one before, take a couple of hours to mess about with it before going out and field test it on a walk you're familiar with.
Bought the H1 GPS with the additional 1.5 maps .
Arrived all checked over with card installed and set up for me. Thanks guys.
Delivery was fast , works great straight out the box and can’t fault the service.
The H1 works great after familiarise myself around the menu options.
Took it out with me, for a test on a local walk. After I’d loaded up a route into it from Garmin explore app. Works great, very impressed with the touch screen feature .
Added a screen protector and silicon soft case, for some extra protection . 😊
I had a Montana before this which was good but this is much better in that it has buttons and it’s more compact.
The service from Outdoor GPS is also worth a mention as they were outstanding.
My daily cycling routine involves 32km, and these Suunto Wing 2 have significantly improved my rides. I enjoy listening to music while staying aware of traffic. The lights are a fantastic feature for evening rides.
They also perform well in strong winds.
Overall, I love them.
Very happy with my purchase!
It comes setting up straight from the box and with lots of useful information and paperwork.
The person who answered on the phone was friendly and helpful.
100% recommend!
Excellent service from start to finish. Very responsive to my questions and clearly knowledgeable about the product. They took the time to explain things properly rather than giving rushed answers, which gave me confidence in the purchase. Delivery was smooth and everything arrived exactly as described. Would definitely use them again.
Lovely large screen to view and so many different activities to track. Excellent analysis after each activity which can be accessed on my phone or iPad and I can compare stats for same routes. Still getting used to all the functions to make the best of everything.
From start to finish I cannot fault Outdoor GPS Shop. Great price and great communication.
I love my watch, it is packed with features and is well made.
I will definitely be back for my next one, though hopefully this will last me a while.
Cheers
Reviewed various GPS units and wanted the extra confidence whilst out solo in the fells to be able to communicate with family. This ticks all the boxes.
Great seller, Great watch. Exactly what i wanted and delivered promptly.
You can't ask for anything more.
All of my friends are asking me about the watch and where i got it from at this heat price.
Very well pleased.
Martin B
Ok piece of kit. But the Spine mount does not seem to latch very securely. I can lift it off very easily. It does not inspire confidence it will stay in place when used in extremis. I will have to use it a few times to see how well it works.
Great service, prompt delivery.
Still getting used to the device but it seems simple enough. Hope I never have to use it in an emergency but knowing it is there is provides reassurance.
I upgraded to this from my previous Garmin MAP67i.
The H1 is very good, although a little heavier. It’s a shame Garmin have chosen to remove the nice bold/ wide magenta line on courses that I plot. The thinner course line with the arrows is fine but not great in poor conditions.
It only now seems to be available using tracback.
For some reason the satellite is still much slower than using the explorer app on the phone, which is problematic in storms (having recently returned from a Norwegian expedition).
Irritatingly the screen often zoomed out of the course resulting in difficulty reverting to it again.
Garmin still have a lot of work to do and I still find it clunky despite the touch screen improvements and convoluted and laborious processes involved to find things. Good to see they have removed the ludicrous routes & tracks thing and can just focus on a created course.
But I really do hope Garmin reintroduce the previous wide magenta line function on the next software update.
I go to some of the remotest places on the planet so this would be appreciated.
