The Suunto Race S is a smaller version of Suunto’s first true AMOLED multisports watch that offers the same software features for less money than it’ll cost to pick up an AMOLED-packing Garmin Forerunner 965 or Polar Vantage V3.
Like the Race, the Race S includes free offline maps, dual-band GPS, training and analysis insights and promises plenty of battery life too.
Testers Nick and Mike have been putting the Suunto Race S to the running and racing test to find out if this might be one of the best value AMOLED running watches you can buy right now.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 – Intro, price and what’s different from Suunto Race
01:11 – Suunto Race S – Things we liked
07:36 – Suunto Race S – Things we didn’t like
12:59 – Verdict and comparisons
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Hey this is M from the ran testers and In this video we are going to be talking About this watch this is the sunto race S now the S stands for small so this is Essentially a smaller version of the Sunto race which we have already tested On the channel now like the race this is A multisports watch with an AMOLED Display and it also does include a lot Of the big features that we got on the Race so things like dual band GPS mode And also full mapping support as well Too now like the sun race it is more Affordable than other Amed packing Sports watches and it is even cheaper Than the sunto race as well too so if You're looking for a cheaper alternative To the Gin FR 965 the polar Vantage V3 This could be the watch for you so Myself and Nick have both been living With the sunto race s so what we're Going to do is take you through the key Things that we've really liked about our Experience but also things that maybe Weren't so nice about our time with the Race s and ultimately let you know Whether the s is actually a feature Packed premium multisports watch with am Display that's possibly worth looking at And could be one of the best value Running watches of the Year my first like with the sunto race s Is the design which is really nice like I know there have been some downgrades
In materials compared to the sunto race But actually it still feels like a very Hardy and rugged watch on the wrist it's Got a really impressive design all Around that feels comfortable and Lightweight to wear more so than the Race because it is a smaller watch but Still feels like you know a high-end Product to me and the screen is Obviously fantastic it's still a very High resolution it's really bright clear And easy to read in all conditions Whether you're indoors outdoors in Bright Sun anything like that so yeah I Think it's a really well put together Watch I like the feel of it on the wrist And the user interface for me has been Improved as well I didn't really have Big lag problems with the sunto race I Mean it's not as Snappy as something Like an Apple Watch but I found it was Fine for me in terms of its response to Touches and button presses but suto has Continued to improve this and the sunto RS is nice and snappy when you're Navigating the various menus and that Kind of thing I also like that sunto has Taken some steps to make the watch more Customizable in terms of the widgets you See on the home screen and in general Try and get a bit more out of this Really nice display you have here it's Nice to be able to change the watch face Up a bit and provide that slightly
Higher level of customization to really Make the most of what is a great screen The other big like for me is the GPS Accuracy I had a couple of early wobbles Which we talked about in our early Review but actually since then the sunto Race s has been every bit as impressive As the sunto race for me in terms of GPS Accuracy actually did some runs wearing The sunto race and the sunto race s and Also the 4Runner 965 and yeah it's Produced really reliable traces I've Done a couple of races with it including A 10K in central London we did the London 10K with saky and the suto races GPS track in central London of course That had like you know five six seven Dead turns in it was really impressive Actually it had a really you know Precise GPS Trace with me on the right Side of the street didn't go crazy on All those dead turns so I do think the GPS accuracy is very good here in jeel Band mode as you now expect from sunto I Say they are right up there with Garmin As the best kind of watches for GPS Accuracy in dual band mode and the sunto Races has delivered on that the only Time it's had any kind of distance Problems is when I've been on a running Track doing workouts which is why other Brands do have track run modes and those Are an improvement I think suto should Bring to the watch but you know on a
Track mostly just need the timer right The lines on the track show you how far You've run the maps are also really good On the sunto races and it is worth Highlighting this because for a watch at Its price it's incredible to get these Maps like you don't really get that from Other brands Garmin tends to reserve its Maps more expensive watches they take a Little while to get onto the watch when You first set it up but once you've got Them on there the maps are nice and Bright and easy to read the roots are Easy to follow it's easy to create them In the sunto app as well having a chance To really test a new client guidance Feature because I've just been staying Close to home so I you know be good to Do that and a more adventurous place With a few more climbs but I love that Sunto is adding that feature to the Watch because I really like clim Pro on Garmin and I think it's a really good Addition to sunto that shows they're Being smart about the features they want To add that can help them compete better With Garmin and we'll talk more about This in the but the price is a major Plus it it is unbelievable value this Watch again we'll talk more about that In the verdict so in terms of things I Liked about the sun race s and I'll Start with I think generally it's been a Very nice watch to wear it's been
Comfortable to wear I think you've got a Good quality AMOLED display on there First and foremost cuz that's really Kind of what you're paying for here over Other kind of sports watches that maybe Offer similar feature sets um you know You've got a nice strap on here I think I like the fact it's a nice colorful Strap that you know cinto is going in That direction with things as well too Um the Amal display has been bright Visible you know smaller than the in Race obviously but I think those pixels Are packed in a little bit tighter and You get something that's still very Sharp colors are very accurate you know I've been able to view it in bright kind Of outdoor light no major issues as well I think also what's worth talking about Here is that obviously you are you know The biggest kind of design differences Are you're losing some of that kind of Durability that you're getting or added Durability that you're getting from the Sun race and what you're paying a little Bit more for you're not getting that Titanium version as well too which I Really liked and that's one I used and It you know handled that weight very Well now this is a stainless steel bezel But version but I don't feel like it's a Heavy watch to wear and I you know I Think when you've got a smaller watch Having that slightly heavier metal I
Don't think really makes a massive Difference I think it's when you're on Those bigger watches that you really Kind of seem to notice it so from a Design point of view I've really enjoyed Wearing this watch it's been more Comfortable to go and kind of go to bed With and you know trap my sleep as well Too I think the other thing here really Is that SOS managed to retain that Really strong dual band GPS performance Here I think you know alongside Garmin I Think Apple cinto has really offered the Best kind of you know experience in Terms of that accuracy with a dual band GPS mode and I think you know that's What I've kind of seen in the um Sun Races I've used it against the Apple Watch Ultra 2 they used it against the G Fra 965 as I said you know strong um Examples of that dual band GPS mode and I think now sunto race s has really held Up and really kind of followed on from What we saw on the sunto vertical and Then the Sun so Ray I think you're Getting you know if you care about that GPS accuracy I think you know I've seen A really good performance there similar To what we've seen from the other kind Of two sunto watches that have really Impressed us on that front I think the Other thing I would talk about here that I've really liked is the mapping you Know that it's it's not different from
The sunto race But ultimately you are Getting that mapping support on a much Cheaper watch you know it's very Straightforward to kind of get those Maps kind of syn onto the watch you know You do it via the app you've got to do It over Wi-Fi but it's relatively Straightforward to do that you know it Doesn't take you know maybe takes a Little bit of time but ultim once it's On there it's a very good experience you Know you've got a lot of customization Around the kind of mapping or display of Those maps and to back that up you've Got some kind of you know turn by turn Navigation support which you do have to Kind of you know that's relying on you Creating roots on the app and then kind Of syncing them over but ultimately I Think the mapping experience is very Strong for me and I found it very good To use and very easy to follow when I've Been out using it I need to to get back To a point or just been getting a sense Of my surroundings as well too so yeah The mapping support has been very good I Think ultimately getting that mapping Support or level um has you know h a Watched this cheap now compared to the Competition I think is a real Plus for The sunto race s so yeah definitely for Me has been generally the design of you Know wearing it day in and kind of day Out that dual band GPS mode you know
Performance really been retained from The vertical Sun vertical and the sunto Race and also getting that full mapping Support at a very aggressive price Compared to other watch Brands top one for me is the heart rate Accuracy which has been just poor across The board like pretty much every single Run I've done with this watch I've Noticed some glaring and accuracy like I've done two allout races no three Allout races I've done yeah a 10K a 5K And another 10K where it's consistently Had my heart rate in like zone two Throughout that race which obviously Isn't correct of I've been pushing all Out I've also had it reading way too High on easy runs which obviously skews All the training analysis you get from The watch that kind of thing and yeah It's just I've tried lots of different Things I've tried wearing it on my other Wrist I've tried wearing it you know Different positions on the arm I've gone Very tight I've gone a little bit looser And nothing I do seems to get me Reliable heart rate readings on the run It's actually been okay when cycling and Indoor cycling and doing yoga and Strength sessions but yeah on the run I Just haven't had reliable heart rate Reading and it hasn't really improved For me from the sunto race and maybe it Will work better for some people which
Would be great but I definitely would Link and have now linked a heart rate Chest WP to this watch to get more Accurate in for both workouts and the Training analysis it's not hard to pair A chest strap but you can only pair one Uh sensor of each type with sunto it Doesn't actually give you the name of The sensor which makes it a little bit Harder and more faffy than with other Brands but yeah I just haven't had a Good experience with the heart actually At all battery life is kind of a minor This like I'm kind of neutral on this Because it is a very small watch with a Very bright screen with high resolution And you know it's just it's a shame it's Such a big drop off from the sunto race Because I've only been getting three or Four days of use out of this watch with The always screen enabled and running For usually at least an hour each day It's fairly heavy use especially with Notifications coming in as well and Buzzing but yeah 3 to 4 days is fine I'd Say for a watch like this it's not a Problem I wouldn't say it's a major Negative to the watch but uh it's a Shame because the sunto race did last a Week with similar conditions I know it's A bigger watch but it's quite a big drop Off you have here and even if you turn The screen to raise to wake you're not Really getting that much more probably
Only like 5 days so can extend the Battery life by doing things like Turning off the heart rate monitoring 24/7 heart rate monitoring at least and Maybe not using the most accurate GPS Mode every time but yeah it's it's like I say it's fine for what it is but it's A little bit less than I was hoping for From the watch I was hoping for more Like four or five days obviously isn't a Massive Improvement but it's something That does make a difference in terms of How often you're thinking about charging The watch and lastly uh it is a dislike It's not a major one for me but the lack Of smarts on this watch I will be Offputting for lots of people especially The lack of Music storage which means if You do want to listen to music or Something during your run or other Workout you are going to have to take a Phone with you or another device no NFC Payments again these aren't big things For me I do tend to carry my phone with Me and I don't really use NFC payments From watches that much but yeah it's an Area that sunto clearly isn't focusing On I'd say for me that's right I think The way they're prioritizing other areas Like the maps and GPS accuracy and stuff Like that is the way to go but it is an Area where Garmin very clearly has an Advantage in the sportswatch world in That it has the smart features that
Other brands haven't really provided yet So in terms of things I've not Absolutely loved on the sunto race s and A few of these things have been carried Over from my experience with the race I Think the first thing would be the kind Of General software experience Performance I think on the watch and off The watch I think you know with the Sunto race I think the thing that really Stood out for me is there that little Bit of lag for me in terms of Interacting with it and I think also Just the organization of the user Interface as well too I was hoping for Things to be a little bit better on These races I do think it has been but I Do still think there's that little bit Of lag that I think you know when you Put it up against something like the Polar Advantage V3 the 4965 I think even The 4Runner 265 it just doesn't feel as Slick to me in terms of my experience And on off the watch I think also you Know looking at the kind of you know the Experience there I think particularly From the kind of training analysis side Of things it's pretty overwhelming There's a lot of information there and I Think Sun could do a better job of kind Of packaging that information and you Know really elevating how useful the Cint race s can be as a kind of training Device offering those training insights
That you can really take on board which I think at the moment it feels like Those that information is there but it Just doesn't feel like it's executed or Pres you know presented very well on and Off the watch terms of other things I Think there is a little bit of a battery Life drop which you know I wasn't Expecting to really notice um but I Definitely do think that has been the Case for me I think dayto day I think Generally when you whether you're using With that raise to wake uh gesture Support whether using it always on mode Uh display mode I think when you are I Think mainly the main thing that really I noticed was you know when you're using That top GPS uh kind of mode where I Think on the sun race it really kind of Stood out in terms of really holding That battery life compared to other AMOLED watches or you know showing less Of a drain on that battery and I feel Like it's a bit more of a severe drain Here when you are using that kind of Dual band mode on the sunto races I Think the other thing for me is and if You care about it the optical heart rate Monitoring performance now I was Expecting to see a bit of an improvement Here particularly that it is a smaller Watch than the race But ultimately it Hasn't really been good from the start I Did a track session with it and the data
Wasn't very good against a heart rate Monor chest strap even steadier paced Runs you I wasn't really pushing it at Its hardest um it still kind of Struggled even for kind of some Stationary workouts as well it didn't Really kind of impress now ultimately we Do normally say you know pair these Watches with a heart R chest if you Really care about that data and that's The same story here with theas s and It's very easy to do I've done it with The Garmin HRM Pro Plus trest strap the Wahoo tracker heart rate trest strap and Also the polar h10 and I've had no Issues in terms of connecting those Heart rate monitors The verdict really all starts and comes Down to the price here which is a Fantastic price like £325 $349 you know It's not cheap it's not an entry-level Watch but for a a mid-range watch it Packs in so many features that we have Been kind of accustomed to only seeing On high-end watches especially those Maps you don't really get those around This price point the design I think is Really nice it is equivalent to some of The you know High more expensive watches Even without the titanium option and That sapphire crystal screen it's a nice Watch that has a very sturdy design for Me and you've got dualband GPS very Accurate GPS and sunto is improving and
Doing it at quite a fast pace like they Are picking up on things and sorting Things quite quickly and that's very Encouraging uh and for the software to Keep developing which will hopefully Help iron out some of the kind of Kinks You get with sunto things like the not Being able to customize a sports mode Having to create an entirely new one the Way structured workouts are done stuff Like that but yeah it's a really good Watch and sunto keeps improving in this Area I mean the sunto race is Great Value the bigger watch but this is you Know $100 cheaper you know however many Pounds cheaper just a fantastic value Watch there are still areas where you're Going to get more from Garmin watches But you are going to pay more for those Watches even in sales something like the 4965 is not going to come down to the Price you're going to get the sunto race S at and while that does have you know Better mapping features some extra stuff There more smart slightly better and Easier to use user interface in my Opinion you know you're paying loads More for that like the closest AMOLED Watching GMA watch to this is the 4265 Which doesn't have Maps you know has Some interesting training features like Readiness and those smart features but I'd rather have the maps probably and Then you know down the range the 4 in a
165 which doesn't have Maps the Multisport mode you know the training Analysis you get on this watch so I Think it's a really good position soon To has put this watch in in terms of Price it is great value it is a really Good watch I'm potentially a little bit Biased towards it because I suppose it Delivers in the areas I really care About as a run it like the GPS accuracy I really like the maps and the design And AMOLED screen are all things that I Really like it does tick all the boxes I Really care about obviously you are Lacking those smart features the heart Rate accuracy is a problem on this watch But I nearly always pair a chest strap To a watch I use in the long term anyway So yeah I think I think it's a great Watch I think sunto for me is now Established as the best of the rest when It comes to the mid and high range Watches I think Garmin still makes the Best watches out there but I put suto Ahead of choros and Polo when it comes To watches kind of above the 300 mark And certainly in that top tier of Watches I think you're getting just a Really good all around experience and an Experience that continues to improve so Really impressed with it as the other Big competitor is obviously the sunto Race itself like that is a slightly Nic Looking watch and you have got those
Better materials you've certainly got Better battery life you know it's not That much more expensive but I would Probably stick with the suo race s Myself because it you know competes in All the key areas and it is smaller and Lighter to wear and while I didn't have A big problem with the size of the sunto Race even as someone with pretty frail Wrists I'm sure some people would so for The main part I'd say it's a big thumbs Up to sunto on the sunto race S I think They're a company that's going about Things in the right way improving in the Keras producing really good watches and At this price it's hard to find a watch That's as good as a sunto race s you can Have to pay more to get those the extra Features and the better experience you Do get with some garments so my v on the Sun RAC s now if you look at the Performance that you're getting here the Level of features and crucially how much You're paying for those things this is a Watch that's insanely good value compare It to the other kind of Premium AMOLED Multisports watches that are out there It is so much cheaper than the Gin fra 965 the polar Vantage V3 it's actually Cheaper than the Gin fra 265 as well too And that doesn't have the full mapping Support that you get here on the sunto Race s even looking at it being cheaper Than things like the standard version of
The Garmin epics Gen 2 so from a value Point of view alone it's just offering So much in terms of what you're getting Here and crucially that is backed up by The performance and you know what we've Seen on the sun vertical first then on The sunto race and it's really been Brought down to the sun RAC s what I Think about what maybe you are losing in Terms of going for a cin RAC s over one Of those rival watches I think you look At Garmin you're getting a better level Of Smartwatch functionality I think the Presentation of the training features is A little bit nicer and more engaging on The Garment and I think that's a similar Story for the polar Advantage V3 as well Too that presentation slightly Slicker Interface I think as well too but I Think ultimately if you can live without Those kind of really I say engaging Training analysis which you do have here But it just takes a little bit more work To kind of get to grips with also the Kind of more basic Smartwatch Functionality that you're going to get Here then I think ultimately you're Going to get a watch here that you're Going to really very much get on with And I think as I said it is much cheaper Than other AML watches including things Like the gar fora 265 um which I think Will give you a little bit more in terms Of that Smartwatch functionality again
But you do lose some big features that You get here on the sunto race s so yeah I think if you are looking for a top end Multisports watch with am display the 4965 and the polar Vantage 33 feels a Little bit steep for you in terms of Pricing and similar kind of experience Particularly from that core run tracking Then the sunto races is definitely one To look at instead Okay so there you have it that is our Multitest to take on the sunto race s Now it's fair to say we are definitely Big fans of the race s here now if You've got any questions about this Watch that we haven't covered in this Video do let us know in the comments now There are other watches you want to see The race s compared to as well do let us Know about that as well as always like And subscribe hit that little bell to Find out about our latest videos and Yeah we'll see you for the next run test This video
