Suunto's flagship is good for the planet, but not a major upgrade
Suunto has launched a new version of its Suunto 9 Peak Pro – its flagship GPS sports watch, equipped with monster battery life.
The Suunto 9 was delivering insane battery numbers before the Garmin Enduro was even an idea, and the new version carries on.
As we saw on the original Sunnto 9, it features three power modes, which will affect the level of accuracy you’ll get. Suunto claims 40 h in Performance mode, which is the best mode for running. You’ll get 70 h in Endurance mode, better suited to long trail runs and endurance events. And then you can crank up 300 h in Tour mode, so you can record entire expeditions in a single activity.
The Suunto 9 Peak Pro can connect to four satellite standards, and up to 32 satellites simultaneously, according to the company. However, it stops short of offering multiband L1 and L5 connectivity, which we’ve seen on the top Garmin smartwatches and the new Apple Watch Ultra. In testing, we’ve seen improved accuracy using multiband in built-up areas, so it will be interesting to see how it stacks up.
Suunto seems to have done work in slimming down the new Suunto 9, and the 10.8mm thickness is substantially thinner than rivals such as the Fenix 7. And it still packs in MIL-STD-810H levels of toughness, including 100m water resistance.
There’s also an improved user interface, with bigger icons, so it’s easier to use when you’re out in the wilderness.
Suunto has bigged up the sustainability element of the new Suunto 9 Peak Pro. It’s manufactured using 100% renewable energy in Finland, and in its lifetime will only use the same amount of CO2 as driving a petrol car 44km.
The Suunto 9 Peak Pro launches on 25 October 2022. There are several finishes, with stainless steel (£429) and titanium (£549) options.
