Suunto - Vertical 2 All Black

100%. I took both my Suunto Vertical and Coros Vertix 2 to Chamonix a couple of summers ago. Each run/hike I relied on maps & navigation more than any other feature. I started out with Coros, but after losing the trail a few times at crucial intersections, I swapped out for Suunto. It performed much better in that environment.

Edit:  original comment I replied to just said "Because the battery dies after a day". Maybe for an Apple watch?  Really inaccurate for any modern watch  designed for the activity.   My Apex 2 Pro lasts for about 3 days straight tracking my location, and I don't need to track when I'm stopped or sleeping.  It realistically gets me 5 days of use between charges.  If I ever do more than that, it's battery is so small it barely affects my power bank.  Or if you regularly do more, the Vertix gets double the battery life.  Garmin or Suunto have similar options and capabilities too.

I moved to a Suunto Vertical from the Fenix line (after my 7 broke) and absolutely love it. Battery lasts about 2 weeks between charges during a normal training cycle, during a hilly 50k in September the battery depleted by 9% with full navigation and zero battery saving modes on for the whole race. It feels robust and I enjoy wearing it. It’s a different experience to Garmin, more stripped down and with less “smart” features on the devices themselves, but I actually prefer this experience personally and the Suunto app is leaps ahead of Garmin for me. Largely because you can create routes directly in the Suunto app, and the “training zone” breaks down more info than Garmin which are nice features!

The features are well-integrated I’d say - importing GPX routes from external sources is super easy to import too which I really appreciate when in a new area. Installing extra apps is also very easy from the app, the most important one for me is ZoneSense which is relatively new (a few months old) that tells you in real time what HR zone you’re in (requires a decent heart-rate belt though, from any brand). Turned out my aerobic threshold HR was lower than I thought it was, and I’ve been using that to hugely improve my base the last few months - it’s been worth its weight in gold in that regard!

can't say for garmin but general rule is like that * garmin have more features. you can route maps on watch which means you can set a point where you wanna go without use of phone while on suunto you need to do that via your phone which can be annoying in areas where singal is questionable. also suunto have no names on watch itself on map but yea, their maps re more snappier, faster, etc. * garmin have way more data. now some were locked behind subrsicption, i'm not sure which data excat. suunto have less data but imo better organized * application on phone matters for me alot and there suunto is just better. they have one app for everything which imo is more user friendly. garmin have more apps for each purpouse one and steeper learning curve (my father have garmin edge 1040 bike computer and yea) but thats just from user to user, at the end it matters how you fell. * smart functions there is no question that garmin is better. suunto is really behind. you will get basic notifications with opiton to control music on your phone and call my phone function and function to turn down phone call with a SMS and thats pretty much it. garmin here have huge edge with their stuff * battery life on the other hand, here suunto wins no question at all! while in smart watch mode they re about the same, maybe 2 or 3 days difference, on gps mode there is just too much difference IMO, garmin is more than 2x behind in battery. now, does that matter to you? are you gonna do some multi day hikes or really some long lasting stuff like running 100km or you just in general wants more battery life? thats up to you. * as of GPS accuraccy, i can't really speak but i ve doubt you will be dissapointed by any of those watches. GPS recievers came soo long way in few last watch generations on all devices including Polar, Coros, Suunto, Garmin, even Amazifit and others that you can't go wrong with any of those devices in terms of gps quality. yea there re some minor + - offs bettwen watches, for example i can compare Vertical vs Fenix 7x pro sapphire on same route we logged 4,45km on Fenix vs 4,6km on my Suunto, I ve started my watch slightly faster soo there might be 50m. we also both logged slightly different alltitude gain, me with around 1065m alttitude gain vs my friend fenix 1059m allitude gain, my highest point on watch was more towards official readings of 1242m (it showed 1243m while my friend logged i think 1236m or similar soo yea, if you are like "well well, garmin for 800€ can't beat vertical from suunto i ve got for half the price" kind of attitude then sure, be my guest but in reality those re soo minor difference that if you re gonna argue on that..... yea. but just to show you what i ve meant * HR data i ve heard that suunto really did a big step foward with Race 2, still some minor problems but they really solved that issues Vertical and Race have. but imo me as some1 who do more trail runs / hikes / bike rides i just took my polar h10 with me and this is by far most accurate data imo. still just to point out suunto issues * can't say for sleep tracking or quality of life features since i'm not using that, maybe will start in future. soo yea at the end imo its more towards your usuage case. me as a trail runner or bike rider or hiker i preffer battery life, snappier maps and overwall better application more than garmin extra fuctions. plus yea in my case suunto vertical costed me 400€ while back then garmin forreruner 955 and 965 costed around the same but imo inferior watch with far less battery on gps mode + plastic desing with only gorrila glass which imo is bad for hiking specially if you go some via ferrata route or more demanding rocky area where its real fear to strach your watch. and garmin 7s solar sapphire glass costed me 600€ and yea, that was far too off to spend on. soo yea, your user case will determine at the end what you wanna buy, simply as that, what you preffer more, what u value more in your watch bcs at the end you can be happy with both options or just hated them soo its really hard to say.

Not only 1 right answer. Coros, suunto, polar are all great watches and honestly it comes down to user. I have suunto vertical which have medicore WHR, their 2nd version of vertical 2 and race 2 improved that. But coros vertix, apex 4 or pacer pro are also great options. Consider some models from polar aswel, like grit x2 pro, vantage v3, etc. Garmin have lots of options aswel with their forerunner and fenix and enduro series. My suggestion would be to check out dcrainmaker reviews and some yt reviews to see what watch can offer you. Then download their software and play on your phone to see how good/bad software fells for you. I am unaware what ios integration will be since i am an android user soo yea. And yea at the end its realy user based as long as you go with watch with dual band gps systemy onboard maps, and other stuff. Garmin is leading in maps since only on their watches you can reroute your route on watch itself, other brands requirw phone to do that + garmin have the most smarr functions. Soo yea also i am suunto user soo i would say suunto but some1 else might dislike suunto soo again not only 1 answer but many options. Garmin is the best but some dislike their app which is harder to use than some others plus price. Suunto is behind in smart functions + can be buggy (mine is flawless but many have problems with newer watches), coros i ve heard lots of complains witz their sensors for alltitude and gps but that might be just users who dont know how to use watch properly, etc. Soo yea read some reviews 1st.

Not only 1 right answer. Coros, suunto, polar are all great watches and honestly it comes down to user. I have suunto vertical which have medicore WHR, their 2nd version of vertical 2 and race 2 improved that. But coros vertix, apex 4 or pacer pro are also great options. Consider some models from polar aswel, like grit x2 pro, vantage v3, etc. Garmin have lots of options aswel with their forerunner and fenix and enduro series. My suggestion would be to check out dcrainmaker reviews and some yt reviews to see what watch can offer you. Then download their software and play on your phone to see how good/bad software fells for you. I am unaware what ios integration will be since i am an android user soo yea. And yea at the end its realy user based as long as you go with watch with dual band gps systemy onboard maps, and other stuff. Garmin is leading in maps since only on their watches you can reroute your route on watch itself, other brands requirw phone to do that + garmin have the most smarr functions. Soo yea also i am suunto user soo i would say suunto but some1 else might dislike suunto soo again not only 1 answer but many options. Garmin is the best but some dislike their app which is harder to use than some others plus price. Suunto is behind in smart functions + can be buggy (mine is flawless but many have problems with newer watches), coros i ve heard lots of complains witz their sensors for alltitude and gps but that might be just users who dont know how to use watch properly, etc. Soo yea read some reviews 1st.

I’m in the same boat. The Fenix 8 lag, mapping, waypoints, searching for courses, etc. is a dumpster fire. I did pre-order the vertical 2 and have high hopes.

Do you have a bike computer? One thing making me consider going back to Garmin is being able to have a watch and like computer that sync data to the same platform. It really bugs me that even my Zwift training rides don’t show up in the Suunto app (I’ve tried some 3rd party apps to sync them and they just don’t work). It’s like I’m missing a huge part of my daily health metrics. I end up viewing everything in Strava, but then I have to check a separate app for steps, daily hr, and sleep. I am glad that Suunto know lets you pair multiple meters of the same type on their newer watches. On my Vertical I’m unable to pair a separate speed and cadence sensor, as Suunto considers those the same type.

I really liked the Suunto Race 2 but the data discrepancies between the watch and the app were glaring and frustrating. Suunto seems to spend all their time making gorgeous watches with no time invested in the software or data integrity. They also never engage the community or seem to have any beta testing. I’m not ok with that. If I just wanted a gorgeous watch that told me the time ok fine but we buy these devices to track activities, provide health monitoring and give us accurate information…no? I was trying to get away from Garmin but ended up going back to a Garmin Fenix 8 as pound for pound, I think it’s the best thing out there. Edit: I’ve been quite vocal about the data discrepancies as have others. I’ve also felt that people are somewhat giving them a pass because the watches are so amazing to look at and wear. While they are very well built and perhaps the best designed watches available, they’re just not reliable. The accuracy in metrics like Resources, CTL, TSB and sleep tracking just suck. One shouldn’t have to wonder if it’s the app or the watch that has the correct data…it leads one to think they’re both wrong. The sleep tracking is also crappy as it doesn’t detect awake time and it counts sitting on the couch as a nap. I was very disappointed not just in the data but the lack of any update from Suunto. They’re totally silent. The only redeeming quality of the Race 2 and perhaps Vertical 2 is the heart rate sensor seems quite good. Garmin is far from perfect but at least they provide quite regular updates and the data is quite accurate overall.

I’ve been quite vocal about the data discrepancies as have others. I’ve also felt that people are somewhat giving them a pass because the watches are so amazing to look at and wear. While they are very well built and perhaps the best designed watches available, they’re just not reliable. The accuracy in metrics like Resources, CTL, TSB and sleep tracking just suck. One shouldn’t have to wonder if it’s the app or the watch that has the correct data…it leads one to think they’re both wrong. The sleep tracking is also crappy as it doesn’t detect awake time and it counts sitting on the couch as a nap. I was very disappointed not just in the data but the lack of any update from Suunto. They’re totally silent. The only redeeming quality of the Race 2 and perhaps Vertical 2 is the heart rate sensor seems quite good. Garmin is far from perfect but at least they provide quite regular updates and the data is quite accurate overall.

Cannot recommend this enough, I did the YouTube cycle and landed on Suunto Vertical, and I’m satisfied so far.

I'd recommend a Suunto for the long-term investment in a platform and training system. Suunto, having been acquired by a Chinese company, has been infused with cash and this has played out in their app development as well as the watches they've been releasing. The Vertical 2 (AMOLED) virtually matches the first gen. Vertical hour to hour in battery life. Not to mention the Run which is the best value fitness watch on the market at this time. Suunto Coach is a good way to structure your training and the Suunto Plus store offers a ton of utility to Suunto watches (sans Run). On the flip side, Polar has floundered in recent years, lacking innovation and repackaging features into new hardware. The new M3 is a nice looking watch and is the best value of their newest releases, but they are so far behind in the digital realm, it's honestly depressing. Sure, they are updating Flow, but it feels too little too late. They have some training guidance, but unless FitSpark has had a MASSIVE update I've missed, it recommends really simple workouts that lack adaptation to current training which something like Gemini or ChatGPT could outclass given the right prompts.

The above comment is not true. Coming from Enduro 3 to Vertical 2. Vertical has a much simpler UI, much faster maps scrolling. And the Suunto app is better, But know that Suunto makes sportswatches and not smartwatches, so yes you will nt have all the bells and whistles from Garmin, but you will have something you can rely on