Suunto 7 Smartwatch Review: Wider Appeal, But Still Hardcore
Suunto 7 Review: Still a hardcore fitness watch
"The Suunto 7 offers good battery life and performance, but it's still not the best daily driver."
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Comprehensive fitness functions
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Two days of battery life
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Smooth performance and software
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Durable, water-repellent housing
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Annoying buttons can be frustrating
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Expensive compared to the competition
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Best for dedicated fitness fans
Suunto, a Finnish activity brand, has a serious following among hardcore fitness fanatics. With the new Suunto 7 Smartwatch, the company is now throwing a worn training shoe into the lucrative sports lifestyle world. Suunto 7 is the company's first smartwatch with Google's WearOS platform, which increases its appeal. While the design still seduces the brand's core fans, it's less sporty than some of Suunto's other GPS fitness watches and trackers.
design
The Suunto 7 is similar to the Suunto 9 from 2018. It has a glass fiber reinforced polyamide housing, a stainless steel bezel and a wonderfully soft and flexible silicone bracelet. The case has four buttons, each made of the same stainless steel as the bezel and large enough to be accessed even when wearing gloves.
Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com
At 50 mm, the watch is large on all wrists. At only 70 grams, however, it is not difficult. It is lighter than the Suunto 9 and slightly heavier than the stainless steel Apple Watch Series 5. A 1.4-inch AMOLED screen with a resolution of 454 x 454 pixels is located under a piece of gorilla glass. All of this makes the Suunto 7 a tough animal. The watch is shockproof, waterproof up to 50 meters and the gorilla glass keeps the screen free from scratches. Suunto is pushing the lifestyle aspect, but don't worry that the watch has softened because the Suunto 7 feels very durable.
Is it fashionable? This is the hardest part for Suunto to get it right. GPS watches have been built for ages, but none of them are watches I want to wear every day. The Suunto 7 should be different. Did I want it on my wrist when I wasn't exercising?
Yes I have. My test watch came in a combination of white and burgundy that gives spring a touch of spring. The light weight makes up for the overall size, but since it's quite thick, it doesn't fit easily under the sleeves of the shirt.
Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com
Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com
Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com
The clunkiness highlights it as a sports watch. Many of Fossil's WearOS watches are slimmer, and at 15.6 mm, the thick Suunto 7 is 5 mm thicker than the Apple Watch Series 5. However, it doesn't try to be an alternative to a Michael Kors or Kate Spade watch be. It tries to be more useful and tasty when you wear it every day. I think it works.
Software and usage
This is the first time Suunto has been using Google's WearOS for a smartwatch. Previously, it used its own fitness software. The implementation is solid. It's quick and smooth, which is rarely said about WearOS smartwatches and doesn't get frustrating with normal use.
Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com
Suunto has four buttons on the case that you can play with, which is not necessary. The button instead of the crown and the one below it are customizable. By default, they are linked to music playback or a timer. The button above the crown opens Suunto's fitness app and the button on the opposite side of the case is the menu or back button.
This is a frustrating setup. The menu button is the one you press most often. However, it is the most difficult to reach and you cannot assign the menu button to the normal position on the crown. Even worse, there is no rotating crown to make scrolling through WearOS 'many menus and screens a little more comfortable. It's the touchscreen or nothing.
Otherwise WearOS works as expected. Swipe up for notifications, left for Google Fit, right for Google Assistant, and down for the control panel. There is a small selection of watch faces, most of which are not very inspiring, except for one that is based on Suunto's Heat Map running route planner. This shows popular hiking trails nearby and looks cool, provided there are activities nearby. It can be set to display a variety of other activities.
Suunto original dial Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com
Suunto Rose dial Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com
Suunto heatmap dial Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com
Suunto Marine dial Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com
Some problems that WearOS have in common can be found here. Notifications are a pain, or more precisely, notifications are a pain. I like the way you can interact with information coming from your phone, including predefined replies to messages, the ability to read and reply to emails, and the ability to see information quickly at a glance . But WearOS kept reminding me of the same notifications. This continues until they are released on the phone or the list on the watch is cleared.
I prefer to run the watch without additional apps, which improves performance. However, they can be installed through Google Play. Spotify is a popular download that works well on WearOS and provides complete control over your music. It is fast enough when the watch is connected to Wi-Fi, but it slows down somewhat when it is connected to your phone. It's representative of all apps on WearOS – it's functional, but not amazing.
Suunto fitness app
Suunto's fitness app is accessed using the button in the top right corner and contains more than 70 different sport tracking modes. Some options include hiking, running, cycling, swimming, boxing, and horse riding. It connects to Google Fit, Strava and Endomondo and has its own GPS and map system. The maps show popular and less popular hiking, running and hiking routes.
Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com
Unfortunately, this is difficult to test if the current advice is to stay indoors. Still, I managed to take a couple of visits to the gym and take a walk before that happened.
The fitness app is easy to use. Just pick your sport and swipe to start. I instinctively wanted to use the touchscreen to stop training at the end, but that can only be done with the physical buttons. Too bad there is no option for either.
The data displayed is comprehensive and shows heart rate and heart rate zones, elapsed time, calories, peak training effect (PTE), EPOC data (excess oxygen consumption after training) and recovery time. While walking, you have access to distance, pace, cadence, altitude, descent and lap data. It is comprehensive, clearly displayed on the screen and relatively accessible to the novice. This is important because too much information will make Suunto 7 less attractive to non-hardcore fitness fans.
Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com
Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com
Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com
However, much of what makes the Suunto platform so appealing will only appeal to people who are deeply into fitness. Exploring local routes is most useful for people who are not at home but still want to get out and run, while the social aspect connects you to other Suunto owners who struggle themselves. Some of the openly shared activities in the Suunto app go far beyond my admittedly modest athletic ability, which kept me from sharing my weak 50-minute walk on site. The Suunto 7 may be less hardcore than previous Suunto watches, but the people who use the platform regularly have not changed.
Battery and power
Given the poor lifespan of the WearOS battery, the Suunto 7 battery is surprisingly solid. During a workout of approximately one hour a day, the Suunto 7's 450 mAh battery lost approximately 50% of its capacity with the surrounding screen turned on. That said, it's realistic to use the watch for two days. This is easy to achieve by turning off the constantly on screen.
Suunto has done this through some interesting technical advances that Qualcomm has worked on. An energy-saving co-processor now takes care of the fitness tracking, relieves the Snapdragon 3100 platform and reduces power consumption.
According to Suunto, the watch lasts an entire working day and still records a three-hour training session on a single charge. That seems achievable. The battery is charged via a plastic magnetic base, which is attached to the back of the watch. It's proprietary, so don't lose it.
The overall performance is excellent. The close relationship Suunto has with Qualcomm has paid off, as the smartwatch software is smooth and fluid even when using apps like Spotify. The OLED screen is colorful, but it's no different from other smartwatch devices I've used recently. Daily use of Suunto 7 is a comfortable, effortless, and frustration-free experience that can be a rarity for WearOS watches.
Price, guarantee and availability
Suunto 7 is now available from Suunto and other retailers. It costs $ 500 or £ 430 in the UK and is available in five color schemes. There is a two-year warranty, but only one year for the battery and bracelet.
Our opinion
Suunto 7 is successful in two areas where other WearOS watches often fail. It offers a usable battery life of two days and good overall performance, but doesn't manage to become a people-friendly lifestyle smartwatch. This is because the design is not universally appealing and the hyperfocused sports functions are irrelevant for the occasional fitness fan. The Suunto 7 isn't a niche like the brand's usual watches, but it's still a niche, and that has led to a slight lack of focus.
Is there a better alternative?
It doesn't happen often that an Apple product looks like a bargain, but the Apple Watch Series 5 for $ 400 can be bought for $ 100 less than the Suunto 7 and is still the best smartwatch you have able to buy. It will easily serve both casual and dedicated fitness fanatics. If you have an iPhone, this is the smart watch you want.
What if you want a lifestyle watch with sporting skills and not the other way around and don't have an iPhone? The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 is excellent. WearOS is not executed, but Samsung's own Tizen software is used. Fitness tracking is easy to use and comprehensive enough for most users. I also like the Huawei Health platform connected to the Huawei Watch GT2 or Honor's MagicWatch 2. Both cost less than half the Suunto 7 and are aimed at those who want casual fitness tracking.
Wearing the Suunto 7 reminded me of the Casio WSD-F30. It's big and brave, has great battery life, and comes from a brand with a built-in hardcore crowd. It even costs the same at $ 500 and is worth a look because of its more attractive design and exclusive apps for certain outdoor activities.
How long it will take?
Smartwatches do not have to be replaced as often as your phone. The technology doesn't change quickly, so you can easily use it for several years before you even think about swapping it for another. Even then, it's more about design than functionality.
Suunto 7 is tough too. The body is shock and water repellent and made of strong material. The screen is covered with gorilla glass to protect it from scratches. I accidentally hit mine against various objects and it shows no signs of use.
Should you buy one?
No. If you crave a Suunto Sport smartwatch that you can wear every day, Suunto 7 might meet your needs. However, if you own an iPhone, don't live or breathe fitness, and have never heard of Suunto, Apple Watch Series 5 has everything you could want and more – for less.
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