The Suunto Vertical appears to be a solid adventure watch with a focus on outdoor activities, competing with other GPS watches in the market such as the Garmin Fenix 7 and Apple Watch Ultra.
It has a sleek and well-built design, drawing inspiration from Suunto’s Peak watches. It features a 49mm case with a thickness of 13.6mm, making it slimmer than competitors like the Apple Watch Ultra and Fenix 7.
The choice between a stainless steel or titanium bezel affects the weight and price, with the titanium option being lighter but more expensive.
The touchscreen display excels in outdoor visibility, even in bright light. The titanium model’s solar charging ring boosts battery life by 30+, enhancing endurance for outdoor activities.
Fitness Tracking and Health Monitoring
Suunto Vertical caters to outdoor enthusiasts, offering tracking modes for various activities like hiking, trail running, and mountain biking. It also supports indoor activities like circuit training.
The watch performed well in tracking metrics such as heart rate during steady-paced workouts, but some anomalies were noted during intense activities. External heart rate monitor strap compatibility is a useful option.
The Suunto Vertical extends its functionality beyond outdoor adventures, serving as a comprehensive fitness tracker. It monitors steps, calories burned, continuous heart rate, and daily activity levels.
The step counts were generally higher compared to a Garmin device and an Oura Ring, while continuous heart rate monitoring felt more reliable. Sleep tracking, particularly for sleep duration and time falling asleep, performed well.
Durability and Water Resistance
Built for outdoor use, the Suunto Vertical boasts a robust construction that can withstand water submersion up to 100 meters. This makes it suitable for various water activities, including swimming in both indoor and open water environments.
The Suunto Vertical’s user interface includes a touchscreen display and physical buttons for navigation. The 1.4-inch touchscreen offers good visibility outdoors and provides a satisfactory experience for interacting with the watch.
The inclusion of offline maps enhances usability, allowing users to view maps directly on the watch without relying on a connected smartphone. The touchscreen and physical buttons facilitate easy navigation through maps during outdoor activities.
Battery Life and Connectivity
Suunto boasts impressive battery life figures, claiming up to 60 days in basic watch mode and varying durations for activity tracking with GPS.
Testing indicated that with optimal settings, the watch can indeed deliver on its promises. The addition of solar charging on the titanium model provides extended battery benefits, but exposure to sunny conditions is necessary for significant gains.
The Suunto Vertical supports connectivity features like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for syncing data with the companion app. It also integrates with third-party apps such as Strava expanding its compatibility with popular fitness platforms.
The Suunto Vertical presents itself as a strong contender in the adventure and sports watch category, offering a plethora of features for outdoor enthusiasts and fitness aficionados. Its dual-band GPS, offline mapping, and impressive battery life, especially with solar charging, make it a compelling choice.
