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The Suunto Vertical is Suunto’s latest top-end sports watch that comes packing some new features that are certainly going to appeal to runners.

Top of the bill is the ability to download and view Topo maps, making it a better watch to go exploring with, while it matches Garmin, Coros and Polar by adding dual frequency GNSS to improve tracking accuracy out on your runs. Add in some colossal battery numbers and the Vertical feels like a Suunto watch to get excited about.

Tester Mike has spent a few days with the Vertical to find out if it’s a Suunto watch that’s all set up to give Garmin, Apple and company a run for their money.

JUMP STRAIGHT IN:
00:00 – Intro
01:01 – Price and key features
06:27 – First Run
14:59 – Initial Verdict

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Foreign Hey this is Mike from run testers and in This video we're going to be talking About this watch this is the sunto Vertical now the vertical is very much An outdoor Centric watch I think things Like the Phoenix 7 the polar grid X pro The chorus vertex 2. but like all other Sensei watches it is able to track your Runs and there are some features that Are going to appeal to Runners here most Notably being the kind of dual band gns Support kind of bring it in line with Other running watches it's also got uh Solar charging it's got a flashlight on There and it does now have the ability To view or kind of display full kind of Topo maps as well so what we're going to Do is take you through The key really running Focus highlights That we need to kind of outline here get You into some kind of initial run-in Kind of thoughts and experiences and Then give you our initial verdict and What we think about the sunto vertical As an option for runners [Music] So before we get into design and the key Running highlights let's talk a little Bit about the price now the vertical Sits at a price range of 545 pounds up To 745 pounds so it is not cheap and it Is definitely playing up against things Like the Phoenix 7

All the way up to Phoenix 7x which is Obviously the most expensive Phoenix Model it's kind of sitting around the Same price as the chords vertex 2. it's More expensive than the senso9 peak and Peak Pro and it is more expensive or Significantly more expensive than the Polar gratex Pro okay so let's run down Some key design highlights on the sensor Vertical the first thing to mention is That you're getting it in the option of Either a stainless steel or a titanium Bezel the titanium bezel will cost more Than the stainless steel version so That's something to keep in mind they Both have a 49 millimeter case which is Kind of a polymer case Um and that will put it size wise just Above the Phoenix 7 and also not quite As big as the vertex 2 or the case on The Phoenix 7x they're getting three Physical buttons you are getting a 22 Millimeter removable strap as well and It's one of those kind of easier straps To remove as well which is always good To see you're getting a 1.4 inch dot Matrix display so not an AMOLED display But it is touch screen so you do have The ability to interact in some area is On the watch for some features Um other things to kind of mention Obviously you're now getting solar Charging on the senso vertical as well That will boost the battery life in

Various different modes I think since It's in general you should see plus 30 In terms of battery life improvements Across the boards So there ultimately you're getting a Suunto that already promises big battery Life and then you're getting that extra Solar charging as well if you're in the Right conditions uh waterproofing Remains the Same as previous Intel Watches as well so if you want to shower And swim with it you can do that too Here so that is the kind of key kind of Design highlights on the sinto vertical Okay so let's get into the running spots And yes obviously it is a multi-sports Watch but we're really going to focus on Those running features that we get here On the center vertical and pretty much Everything you get on the sinto nine Peak and Peak Pro are here on the Vertical with some pretty no sport Extras first being you're getting a kind Of the Dual Band dual frequency Multiband mode that we're seeing and all The other kind of top end kind of Outdoor running watches and ultimately That is to give you an improved GPS Performance and tracking performance When you are near kind of tall kind of Buildings and kind of cities if you're On kind of deep forested areas that's What that feature is there for you are Also getting the ability to view

And display topo maps on this watch that Also brings Wi-Fi to kind of load those Watches on to or load those maps onto The watch as well so that and I'll kind Of get into how that kind of works later Um other features worth noting are You're getting risk-based Um running power you are getting kind of Strava live segments here now you are Getting kind of similar kind of training Recovery insights as well you're getting Kind of interval training features as Well as well and then you are getting All the kind of running modes that you'd Expect to see on a Shinto watch and that We've seen on their most recent watches As well so those kind of feel like the Key new running features or running Focus Features that you know Runners are Going to find are going to appeal Um now we'll get into a little bit about The battery life which I think it's Worth highlighting and then we'll get Into that run test and our initial Verdict on the senso vertical And so we get into battery life and Suunto's watches typically have Delivered very big battery life and with The vertical sinto is trying to push Things again now I've pulled out some Kind of key battery kind of figures and Compare them to what you would expect From kind of a phoenix 7 Um also the chorus vertex C which I

Think these you know those are the Watches that kind of are the closest Kind of comparisons to the vertical and If you look at some of the numbers I Think the key things that really stand Out for me While they're really kind of Performances you're getting in terms of That kind of optimal GPS performance the Kind of all systems GPS performance when You are tracking the Santo vertical is Promising on paper much bigger numbers Or bigger numbers or the kind of numbers We're seeing on those kind of top end Watches things like the Cosmetics too Has a huge kind of you know batch Performance and we're seeing that kind Of simile With the sinte vertical I think kind of Things like kind of smart watch mode and Watch mode and day-to-day mode you're Getting big battery life numbers there Kind of what we've seen with other Watches but I think it's the GPS Performance and when you're using GPS You're using those tracking features You're seeing definitely some big gains In terms of some of the kind of Cheaper Phoenix models as opposed to the Kind of more expensive Phoenix models Kind of seeking parity with what we're Seeing with the chorus vertex 2 and then Also you've got that solar charging if You are in optimal conditions and if

You're you know out in the sun on a Regular basis a bit like with the Garmin Watches then you'll see those numbers Push but I think ultimately you need to Have that kind of regular exposure or The right amount of exposure of the to This kind of to the Sun to get those Kind of best kind of solar kind of Battery Reserves Either since over article but ultimately It's promising big battery life numbers You know this is what we were expecting It's what we'd expect from an expensive Top outdoor kind of centric watch and That's what sinso is promising with the Vertical overall [Music] Okay so into the run test and I had a Long run planned in for the weekend at Longest run I've done in about five Months basically because of injury Um it was kind of 10 miles I did five Miles I kind of stopped the tracking at That point and then kind of did the five Miles back basically pretty hot day so It wasn't the nicest conditions to do my First longest run in months but I got it done Um I had the 40965 on my um other wrist And I had that paired to the Garmin HRM Pro Plus heart rate monitor chest strap I also had that in multiband mode as Well to kind of test the GPS performance As well

Now in terms of running with a watch in General and obviously it is really kind Of focused on being used kind of those Kind of more rugged outdoor environments Give you kind of something a little bit More durable and you know protected and You do notice it's on you know it's not A super light watch I mean that's not Massively surprising and it's not as Heavy as a kind of Phoenix 7x or Something like or as bulky as the kind Of vertex too but I think you know it's Kind of closest to probably something The Phoenix 7 maybe it's you know in Terms of the weight in terms of the feel Screen visibility point of view outside Obviously you're not getting an AMOLED Here you're getting that kind of more Traditional display technology from Viewing angles point of view it's Absolutely fine Um for me on that front Um In terms of the kind of core run Tracking performance as I said I broke This run up The first run the first five miles Um I was checking the uh kind of the root Kind of on the kind of the mapping Features so you to get those maps on or To kind of follow route on a map you Need to First upload or load that route Apart of the map onto the watch now the

Way you do that you have to do it on the Tinto app And then you have to put the watch on a Charger to kind of sync it over using The Wi-Fi and once you've done that you Can kind of go into the settings and Show that you want to follow a Particular route and then you'll get the Kind of mapping Um experience there now in terms of the Mapping experience You are definitely getting a bit you Know an upgrade in terms of the Breadcrumb navigation that you've had on Centos watches before and you still have That here Um now you can see that terrain it's now Kind of more Um identifiable but as I can kind of Show on um kind of some of the video Here that uh when you compare it to the 965 and 11 of detail that you're getting In that mapping it's definitely not Quite there with the Garmin it's Probably something similar to what you Get on the kind of Vertex 2 Um kind of it's kind of mapping support But ultimately it's definitely a step up In terms of what we've seen on since Those watches and if you are kind of More outdoor routes and you can get a Better sense of your environment but it Just doesn't have that same level of

Detail if you are kind of running out on Rows I don't think based on my kind of Initial testing now in terms of that Core run tracking performance It was it wasn't perfect Um the first part of the Run Um when I was kind of looking at that Kind of you know the mapping and how it Was kind of tracking Iran's it was Definitely off from kind of where it was Putting me on the map ultimately when I Looked in that data post well and I've Looked and that kind of I had this in The kind of optimal kind of GPS Performance mode and you could see quite Clearly like in comparison to the Garmin Watch Some clear differences in terms of how The roots were tracked and in a Relatively kind of straight kind of Route but there were some kind of Corners and kind of running around near Buildings as well where it may affect The GPS performance and I did see some Drop off in terms of that on the Um Sensei vertical Now it came to heart rate performance it Was generally okay I think kind of Average was maybe a little bit higher But the max seemed to be about right Compared to the heart and monster chest Strap definitely one I'd like to see a Little bit more testing with but it Seemed okay but not anything too wildly

Out uh with what I got on the chest Strap so into the second part of my run And I had the watch set in exactly the Same kind of mode settings I was using Exactly the same way and then the kind Of Auto lap craziness kind of happened And it was kind of clocking me kind of Every second every second or every few Minutes it was kind of waterlapping you Know I hadn't put any I hadn't turned Anything on and I didn't want to stop it Because you know obviously I was kind of Mid mid run So hoping it would stop doing it it Didn't really stop doing that throughout The run and I always end up clocking up Doing a huge hugely long run which Obviously wasn't reflective that run That I did so that you know starting to See some kind of issues here that I Wasn't expecting to see I think the Other thing for me as well in general Using the watch is that the the software Experience I think almost I feel like It's better in places in terms of Navigation another place it's still a Little bit sluggish things that we've Kind of criticized sinto before in the Past where I thought initially that Maybe they had sorted these things out And I was initially using those kind of Menus are kind of swiping through or you Know going through it felt relatively Quick but it doesn't take a lot to kind

Of see that still has some kind of Sluggish kind of slow laggy elements to It whether it's in the mapping whether It's kind of just going and going Through the menu systems in general it Just feels a little bit unresponsive or Slow to respond to touches and to Buttons so that in general is a bit Disappointing but yeah that second part Of the run I don't really know what Happened there as I said I had it set up In the same Settings as I did on the first part of The Run the first part of the Run Generally the running stats seemed okay But as I said that kind of GPS Performance wasn't perfect or didn't Really match up to the level of accuracy I got on the Garmin front of 965. so I Think overall in that kind of first run I think there's Some similar kind of traits from Previous sinto watches I've seen I think You know it's great that the mapping is There it's not as detailed as what You'll get from the I would arguably say Is the best kind of mapping support on a Watch which is on garmins the pure Running kind of features seem I think The Dual frequency didn't absolutely Blow Me Away in terms of that support The heart rate monitoring was okay Um But it yeah I'm seeing some similar

Things here that I'm not absolutely Loving now hopefully maybe over time and A few more runs with it maybe things Will improve but I definitely think it's Felt like a little bit of a mixed bag on That first run and obviously I had some Kind of weird things that happened as Well in that time as well so yeah those Are my kind of initial thoughts on the Uh sensor vertical from running point of View I'll get a little bit into the Battery life before getting into my Initial verdict so some initial thoughts On the battery life and what I've Experienced so far my first few days of The vertical and on that kind of 10 mile Run with the two watches with this and The 4965 I saw the vertical drop by About three percent whereas I saw the um 40965 dropped by about six to seven Percent as well so definitely you know Obviously these are very different Watches but in terms of using them in Those kind of optimal modes And kind of you know using things like Hiring monitoring and mapping you know You know the battery life seemed to hold Up pretty well and it feels like it Watching GPS mode that it's gonna offer Those kind of big kind of battery gains And kind of day-to-day battery life now What I decided to do was I decided to Turn on kind of the Sleep monitoring Which you have to do because it's out of

The box it's disabled and that included Kind of turning on the Blood oxygen kind of tracking as well The continuous monitoring of that as Well too so since kind of having a kind Of 100 over the weekend I'm now into What three four days later it's down to About 50 like less than 60 now so Obviously having those kind of more kind Of richer monitoring features are really Going to hit the kind of level of Battery life you're going to get Day-to-day and obviously those big Battery life numbers that since I was Talking about in terms of like kind of Watch mode Smartwatch mode when you've Got those kind of more intensive Monitoring features on here I don't Think it's really going to hit those Kind of numbers ultimately but if you Can live with those features and most People will And it feels like this watch is going to Go longer than that and most importantly I think that GPS performance or the Batch performance it seems to hold up Pretty well uh or held up pretty well in That long run as well so yeah I feel Like since there's a problem with some Big battery numbers here I think Depending what you're using on a Day-to-day basis and crucially it seems From that kind of GPS kind of tracking And using those kind of richer GPS

Um feature support you're getting here It seems like it's not going to Massively hit the battery life and it Feels like it's a watch that's gonna Last a long time and hold well up Against those kind of other big battery Powerhouses that you'll see from Garmin Uh kind of cut and chorus particularly As well [Music] Okay so initial verdict on the sunto Vertical and I think there's a few ways to look at This I do feel that Um we have to keep in mind this is kind Of an outdoor kind of centric watch Um kind of running isn't its priority But I think ultimately there's a lot of Features for runners here Um I think based on my kind of you know First runs with it and kind of first few Days dealing with it it does feel like The nicest sunto I've used but I also Feel like there's some familiar sunto Traits which until Sunday can kind of Really shake I'm not sure whether I Would really be swapping this for Something like the chorus vertex 2 you Know even like a A polar maybe a Garmin as well I think If you look at what you're getting Comparisons kind of polar similar Watches I think obviously you're getting

That mapping and you're getting that Free mapping and that is a good thing And if that's something you care about And you care about bigger battery life And I think maybe getting that that on Paper better GPS performance or tracking Performance then the vertical is going To get you that but you're paying more Money for it If you're looking against it against Similar price garments so things in the Phoenix range and you know at that price Range basically then I think the mapping Support is more detailed on the Garmin Watches I think you're getting more Battery life on paper on the center Vertical compared to those Garmin Watches in general the kind of Cheaper End models Um And also I think the level of Performance that I've seen on those Phoenix watches Um in that price range you know Obviously done a lot more testing with Those has kind of impressed me a bit More um in general and in terms of the Insights that you're getting as well Um if you look at something like the Chorus vertex II I think this is a small You know a Slimmer more kind of Manageable watch to wear I think you're getting big batch like Like the vertex too as well you're

Getting that mapping support as well Which I think is probably a little bit On par and it's a little bit easier to Get I would say the mapping features Onto the um sensor vertical in Comparison to the vertex 2 as well but Again it's you know are you getting Enough over Vertexe which you can pick up for less If you don't go for the titanium version Of sinto vertical not 100 convinced so At the moment I'm a little bit on the Fence with the vertical I definitely Want to see if that running performance Of core running performance improves I Think the mapping is a good addition and It's well implemented I think on the Center vertical and I do think the Battery life feels like it's going to be Good where if you care about tracking Performance in that battery side of Things and I feel like it's going to Deliver on that front but Is it a thing that's got a watch that's Going to really kind of change since Those fortunes Possibly not but I think it's a step in The right direction I think it really it Really just needs to work a little bit On that software whether that and it's Really kind of that software performance Pulling it all together which you don't Really have that issue with the other Watches around this price I don't think

Um and yeah things like they're kind of Having that map for mapping and dual Frequency support I think is really Important here along with all the kind Of things you expect from a cinto watch But it's just as a package As it convinced me enough in those kind Of first few days I'm not sure but I've Seen things I do like and I do think I've you know show promise for senso but You know longer term will it convince me To pick it over something like a phoenix Epics which was more expensive Um maybe vertex to I'm not convinced just yet but it's the Nicest Center I've used in a while more So than the uh nine Peak uh and the peak Pro And kind of sintos launches before that As well so I think that is a good thing Is it better than what's out there I'm not 100 convinced just yet okay so They have it those are some initial Running thoughts on the sunto vertical Obviously plenty more testing to do Before we give you our full review now If you've got any questions about the Vertical or any other watches that you Want to get a sense of how it compares To let us know in the comments as always Like And subscribe hit that little bell To find out about latest videos and yeah We'll see the next run testers video [Music]