Suunto, the Finnish brand known for its dedicated sports watches, presents the Race S—a more compact version of its Race line. This wearable aims squarely at sports enthusiasts, offering a smaller form factor yet retaining premium features such as an AMOLED display, robust optical heart-rate tracking, and multi-band GNSS. Priced from €349, it strikes a compelling balance between size, functionality, and value.
Overview
- Case Size: 45 mm (stainless steel version tested; also available in titanium)
- Weight: 60 g
- Thickness: 11.4 mm
- Display: 1.32-inch AMOLED (466 × 466 pixels) with Gorilla Glass
- Key Sensors: Optical heart-rate, barometric altimeter, dual-frequency GNSS, compass, SpO₂ sensor
- Water Resistance: 50 m
- OS Compatibility: Android & iOS (basic notifications on iOS; limited replies on Android)
- Price: Starting at €349 for stainless steel; from €469 for titanium
Overall Score: 8.0/10
Design and Build
AMOLED Display Optimised for Smaller Wrists
Compared to the standard 49 mm Suunto Race, the Race S shrinks the case to 45 mm. Despite its reduced dimensions, it still boasts a bright and vivid AMOLED panel at 1.32 inches, featuring 466 × 466 pixels. This high-resolution display offers excellent clarity and contrast, peaking at around 1000 cd/m² brightness—slightly lower than some rivals but still easy to read in bright daylight.
A Gorilla Glass cover protects the screen from scratches and minor impacts. Our stainless-steel case version lends a sturdy feel, though a pricier titanium alternative is also available.
Geared Exclusively for Sports
True to Suunto’s focus on athletic performance, the Race S lacks lifestyle conveniences like built-in speakers, microphones, NFC payments, or music storage. Instead, it packs a wealth of sensors: a barometric altimeter, SpO₂ sensor, optical heart-rate reader, and multi-band GNSS for accurate tracking. Water-resistant to 50 m, it also measures altitude and even includes a basic depth gauge—though that’s more of a niche feature.
Comfortable but Watch the Strap
The Race S is slimmer than many competitors, measuring 11.4 mm thick, and it weighs 60 g. While not the lightest sports watch, it hugs the wrist well. The 22 mm silicone strap feels comfortable for prolonged wear, though the clasp mechanism can occasionally come undone if snagged.
User Experience
The Race S’s interface is straightforward and easy to navigate. A bright AMOLED screen contributes to a slick, modern aesthetic. However, the touchscreen can be slow to wake from standby; often, you’ll need to press a button before swiping becomes responsive.
Controls
- Side Buttons: Three on the right-hand side. The top button resumes the last sports activity or displays shortcuts if held (torch, alarm, map, or weather). It also pauses workouts.
- Rotating Crown: Scrolling up reveals the sports profiles, while scrolling down accesses widgets (activity log, steps, heart rate trends, sleep data). Pressing it confirms selections. Though the crown’s sensitivity is well-tuned, grasping and rotating it can be fiddly, especially during intense exercise.
- Third Button: Opens the watch’s quick settings panel (brightness, do-not-disturb mode, etc.).
Companion App
Suunto’s mobile app remains a strong point. It’s intuitive, visually clear, and offers in-depth data analysis. Pairing is straightforward, and you can review everything from recent workouts to sleep metrics. Compared to some more complex interfaces on the market, Suunto’s app stands out for its clean design and logical layout.
Sports and Health Features
The Race S accommodates 95 sports modes, including running, cycling, triathlon, and more. It automatically detects when you begin an activity, prompting you to start tracking. Sleep monitoring is notably accurate, typically matching real-world bedtimes and wake times within minutes.
The watch calculates multiple scores—such as a recovery index—to guide your training schedule. While not as extensive as certain Garmin metrics, the data is ample for athletes who want to optimise rest and workouts.
Interval Training (Heart-Rate Test)
To assess the optical heart-rate sensor’s accuracy, we conducted interval workouts alongside a Polar H10 chest strap for comparison. Short, intense bursts sometimes momentarily lag behind the chest strap reading, but overall correlation is excellent—peak readings (147 bpm) and average rates are nearly identical, showing an impressively low margin of error.
Endurance Sessions
During steady-state runs, the Race S tracks heart rate almost identically to the Polar H10, reflecting consistency and reliability.
Navigation System
Equipped with a dual-frequency GNSS chip, the Race S can map routes accurately in most urban and rural settings. While occasional drifts through buildings are common with many sports watches, the overall route path remains solid. Initial GPS lock-on is slightly slower than some competitors, but once established, it delivers a stable signal.
Battery Life
Suunto advertises about 12 days of typical use for the Race S. In practice—always-on display switched off, plus some GPS workouts—we reached around nine days, which is decent, though not class-leading. For instance, the Amazfit T-Rex 3 can exceed 14 days.
A proprietary magnetic cable charges the Race S fully in under an hour, which is convenient for topping up before a run.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Compact and Lightweight: Ideal for smaller wrists
- Excellent Heart-Rate Accuracy: Nearly flawless readings, even in intervals
- Bright AMOLED Display: Crisp contrast and vivid colours
- Good Battery Life: Lasts around nine days with moderate use
- User-Friendly Interfaces: Both watch menus and mobile app are clear and comprehensive
Cons
- Rotating Crown Feels Awkward: Not always intuitive during workouts
- GPS Could Be Faster: Slower lock-on and occasional urban drift
- Touchscreen Slow to Wake: Often need a button press before swiping
Final Verdict (8.0/10)
Suunto’s expertise in sports watches is evident in the Race S. By focusing purely on fitness features—eschewing lifestyle elements like music storage or NFC payments—Suunto has packed in an impressive array of sensors, excellent heart-rate tracking, and a bright AMOLED screen, all in a compact, well-priced package. The slightly fiddly controls and average GPS responsiveness are minor quibbles compared to the overall performance. If you want a sporty, understated design with robust workout tracking, the Suunto Race S is an outstanding choice in its price bracket.
