Thin, sleek and stylish, the European design of the new Suunto 9 Peak comes through loud and clear. A watch designed for performance from the titanium backplate up for performance, it also elevates the Finland-based company into a new league, one where data capture for elite athletes is housed in a very light unit.
I ‘ve been testing this watch for 10 days, and while it’s 37% thinner and 36% lighter than its predecessor, the Suunto’ s Baro 9, it’s the speed that it captures data, and delivers it to a smart phone that is really noticeable when compared to an Apple watch.
The device I tested was made of grade 5 titanium and it had sapphire glass face.
The brand say the watch has a new “Nordic design”. I think it’s one of the best designs we have ever seen for a smart watch.
It looks clean, simple, and classy. It’s available in two different styles with four nature-inspired colours: Granite Blue Titanium and Birch White Titanium, made with the aforementioned sapphire glass and grade 5 titanium.
The All Black and Moss Gray styles are made with sapphire glass and stainless steel.
Data capture for running, cycling and walking is excellent but it does appear to have a problem when it comes to swimming which I will explain in my review later this week.
The new device also lasts longer, with the 9 Peak delivering up to 170 hours of functionality, however it does depend on how much GPS polling you’re doing.
A fraction of the weight and bulk of other smart watches I have tested, this device lacks a lot of what was in the Suunto 7, such as coloured maps. Instead, the data is fed to a mobile device for more accurate and informed viewing.
It’s also devoid of third-party software, which in the case of attached Android devices includes Google Wear OS.
This is not a bad thing,. Instead, Suunto have developed their own high-performance software specifically for sporting enthusiasts and it’s all housed in a tiny, almost weightless watch.
The device has 80-plus sport modes, including swimming, running, hiking, mountain biking, and skiing which I will test in Vail early in 2022.
It also features customisable screens to show the most relevant data for the activities you take part in.
Additional software includes Blood oxygen level measurements to help determine acclimation levels at higher altitudes.
– Automatic backlight intensity adjustment depending on lighting conditions
– Faster charging: 100 per cent battery in one hour
– Improved watch strap with new metal fastening pin
– Added watch face that showcases weekly training metrics and inspires new routines
The 9 Peak also sports accurate wrist-based heart rate monitoring, in-depth weather insights, and expansive on-watch navigation capabilities.
One feature that I liked was having the ability to input a route.
Using the watch with the Suunto app, users can plan routes with sport-specific heatmaps and popular starting points.
During a presentation by Suunto management we were able to see how many people using the watch were swimming, running and walking in Switzerland from the data being captured by the Finish Company.
The fast data transfer is because the device has Bluetooth 5 which doubles the sync speed between the watch and the Suunto app.
Pricing & Availability:
– The Suunto 9 Peak in All Black and Moss Gray has a recommended retail price of $999.99
– The Suunto 9 Peak in Granite Blue Titanium and Birch White Titanium has a recommended retail price of $1,199.99
– The Suunto 9 Peak will be available from Harvey Norman, Find Your Feet, Wild Earth and other specialty retailers with additional retailers to be announced shortly.
