Latest news with #SuuntoRaceS
Tom's Guide
3 days ago
- Tom's Guide
Garmin Forerunner 570 review
The Garmin Forerunner 570 is a great sports watch that offers reliably accurate tracking and a host of useful training and smart features. It's also gorgeous, with upgrades to the AMOLED screen and a range of colors available, making it the best-looking Garmin watch I've tested. However, it is very expensive. The Forerunner 570 is $100 more than its predecessor, the Garmin Forerunner 265, and a lot pricier than rival watches from other brands, like the Suunto Race S and Coros Pace Pro. Given that it lacks some important features you can get on the best sports watches at a lower price, like offline maps and ECG measurements, the Forerunner 570 relies too heavily on its attractive design to justify its price. The Garmin Forerunner 570 launched on 15 May 2025, and all models of the watch cost $549.99 / £459.99. It comes in two sizes — 42mm and 47mm — and there are three colors available for each size. It is the successor to the Garmin Forerunner 265, with Garmin changing the first number in the name to make it clearer that the Forerunner 570 sits between the Garmin Forerunner 165 and the new Garmin Forerunner 970 in its range. The Forerunner 570 is $100 more than the Forerunner 265 cost at launch, and the older watch is now regularly available for $349. It's also expensive compared to mid-range watches from other brands, with the Coros Pace Pro and Suunto Race S both costing $349, and the Polar Vantage M3 costing $399. Forerunner 265S Forerunner 265 Forerunner 570 (42mm) Forerunner 570 (47mm) Price $449 $449 $549 $549 Case size 41.7 x 41.7 x 12.9 mm 46.1 x 46.1 x 12.9 mm 42.4 x 42.4 x 12.9 mm 47 x 47 x 12.9 mm Screen size 1.1 inches 1.3 inches 1.2 inches 1.4 inches Resolution 360 x 360 pixels 416 x 416 pixels 390 x 390 pixels 454 x 454 pixels Weight 39g 47g 42g 50g GPS battery life 24 hours 20 hours 18 hours 18 hours Smartwatch battery life 15 days 13 days 10 days 11 days Touchscreen Yes Yes Yes Yes Speaker/Mic No No Yes Yes Garmin is not a company known for making bold design statements with its watches, so the bright bezels you see on some models of the Forerunner 570 are a move that separates the watch from the rest of its range. I tested the 47mm Forerunner 570 with a yellow bezel and translucent white and turquoise band, and loved the look of the watch. The white 42mm model with a raspberry bezel is another standout in the range. The bezel is made from aluminum, which gives the Forerunner 570 a more premium feel than the Forerunner 265. All in all, the design updates are significant, and there are still black models available in both sizes for those who dislike the more colorful styles. Along with brighter colors, the watch also has a brighter AMOLED display than the Forerunner 265. The nits aren't specified, but I found it to be more vivid on the wrist than the older watch, and easier to read in bright sunlight. The Gorilla glass display is also larger on the new watch, and the 1.4in screen on the 47mm Forerunner 570 is as large as any in Garmin's sports watch range — it's the same size as the display on the 51mm model of the Garmin Fenix 8. It's still a lightweight watch that's comfortable to wear 24/7, and it's good that there are two sizes available; the 47mm is a pretty large watch, so those with smaller wrists might prefer the 42mm model. The Forerunner 570 houses Garmin's Elevate Gen5 heart rate sensors, which are the latest and best optical sensors in the brand's line-up and have proved more accurate (for me) in testing multiple watches than the Elevate Gen4 sensors on the Forerunner 265. However, despite this Gen5 sensor being used to take ECG measurements on other Garmin watches, including the cheaper Garmin Venu 3, the Forerunner 570 isn't able to do this. Other sensors include a barometric altimeter and pulse oximeter, and the GPS chipset allows for dual-band tracking. You can pair external sensors via Bluetooth and ANT+, including cycling power meters. Another new feature of the design is a microphone and speaker, which you can use for voice commands and to take calls. The Forerunner 570 has a 5ATM waterproof rating suitable for pool and open-water swimming, and 8GB of storage. This is mainly for music rather than maps, with offline maps being one of the biggest missing features on the watch. Compared with the Forerunner 265, the Garmin Forerunner 570 has 23 new sports modes, including obstacle racing, gravel biking and several new outdoors-y modes, like fishing, hunting and rucking. Another new addition is Garmin Coach's Triathlon training plans, which you can use to help you prepare for a multisport event, and you can also now create structured multisport workouts to follow — in the past, you could only create workouts for a single sport like running or cycling. All of the sports modes are customizable and show a wealth of data throughout activities. The detailed training analysis you get afterwards can help you ensure you're working at the right level to get fitter and faster. A new addition on the analysis front is training load ratio, which trickles down from more expensive Garmin models and shows the balance of your recent training against your long-term chronic training load. The Forerunner 570 can also estimate how well adapted to heat or altitude you are, which has been another feature available on more expensive Garmin models previously. It also estimates your race times, VO2 max and how ready you are to train each day. There are some features you don't get on the Forerunner 570, such as the new running tolerance stat and running economy tracking introduced on the Forerunner 970. But it's a comprehensive sports watch that will satisfy athletes of all levels with the data it offers. To test the heart rate accuracy of the Forerunner 570, I compared it to the reading from a chest strap on each of my runs, using the Garmin HRM200 and Garmin HRM600 linked up to other watches. For GPS accuracy, I compared it to several other watches during my testing, including the Garmin Fenix 8, Forerunner 970 and Forerunner 265, and looked at the GPS tracks after runs to check for errors. After around 150 miles of running and 80 miles of indoor cycling, plus various strength and yoga sessions, I've yet to see a significant error in either GPS or heart rate tracking from the Forerunner 570. It has matched the heart rate reading from a chest strap more or less beat for beat and produces reliably accurate GPS tracks, including at a twisting city half marathon, where it was more accurate than the Forerunner 265. The Forerunner 570 is designed to be worn 24/7 and tracks stress, steps, calories, active minutes and floors climbed throughout the day, plus sleep and heart rate variability (HRV) overnight. You can set targets and display the stats that matter to you most on your watch face, and you can also turn on move alerts to notify you if you're stationary for long periods. The combination of sleep tracking and overnight HRV measurements has been a good indicator of how well I've rested each night, too. Any kind of extra stress on the body, like a few too many alcoholic drinks or illness, both of which have cropped up during my time with the watch, impacts HRV in particular and lowers your sleep score. In contrast, healthy living and reliable bedtimes send them shooting up, which is a useful extra motivation to focus on getting better sleep where possible. The bright display on the Forerunner 570 does hit its battery life hard, and I had to charge it every three to four days when having the always-on screen enabled. That's with daily outdoor runs, other workouts and notifications coming into the watch. It's less than I get from the Forerunner 265, which lasts me four to five days with the always-on screen enabled. When I toggled on the raise-to-wake setting for the display outside of activities, the watch lasted me over a week on a charge, so you can extend its battery life quite easily, if you're prepared to forego the convenience of the always-on screen. It still outlasts smartwatches like the Apple Watch Series 10 comfortably, but other AMOLED sports watches, like the Suunto Race S and Coros Pace Pro, last longer on a charge. The Forerunner 570 backs up its smartwatch-style looks with several useful smart features, including NFC payments, MP3 music storage and the ability to link up with streaming services, including Spotify and Deezer, so you can transfer your playlists to listen to on the watch without your phone. These are all features available on most Garmin watches now, but the mic and speaker on the Forerunner 570 are not so common across the range. You can use these to take voice notes, give commands like 'start a timer', and interact with your phone's voice assistant. It also has access to the Garmin ConnectIQ app store, which has a few useful apps and extra data fields for your activities, and you can now adjust the font size on the watch to be larger. While it isn't a full smartwatch, lacking cellular connectivity and the huge app stores available on Apple and Android wearables, the Forerunner 570 covers the most important bases. When it comes to smart features, Garmin devices are well ahead of Suunto, Coros and Polar. The Forerunner 570 has Garmin's Incident Detection and LiveTrack safety features. Incident Detection can notify your emergency contacts if a fall is detected during an activity, or if you hold the light button down, LiveTrack allows you to share your location with key contacts during activities. You can also use the watch to follow breadcrumb trails for routes sent over from the Garmin Connect app, with turn-by-turn directions, but you don't get offline maps on the Forerunner 570. This is a feature Garmin still reserves for its top watches, starting with the Forerunner 965 and Forerunner 970, while other brands, including Coros, Polar and Suunto, have made maps available on mid-range watches that are cheaper than the Forerunner 570. Garmin's maps and routing features are the best available on sports watches, so it's a disappointment that the Forerunner 570 doesn't get them, given the price increase and the fact that it has storage that could be used for maps. Unless you are completely won over by its design, which is a welcome change from Garmin's traditional styles, I don't think the Garmin Forerunner 570 is a smart buy at full price. That's even though I certainly enjoyed using it and have no complaints about its performance. There are simply better value options within Garmin's range and from other brands, in my opinion. There are some useful upgrades on the Garmin Forerunner 265, including a better HR sensor. But the 265 is what I'd buy for $200 less, because it's still a great sports watch with an attractive design. Perhaps an even more compelling alternative is the Garmin Forerunner 965, which is only $50 more than the 570 at full price and often reduced to $499. It has maps and longer battery life than the 570, though it lacks the 570's mic and speaker. The Suunto Race S and Coros Pace Pro are not as good-looking as the Forerunner 570 but offer better battery life and offline maps at a much lower price while also being reliable sports trackers. I love what Garmin has done with the design of the Forerunner 570, but its good looks needed to be backed up by more features to justify the high price.
Tom's Guide
13-05-2025
- Tom's Guide
Suunto Run review: a great value AMOLED sports watch for runners
The Suunto Run is an impressive entry-level AMOLED sports watch that offers great value to runners in particular, undercutting the best running watches in its category like the Garmin Forerunner 165 and Coros Pace Pro. While it doesn't have all the features available on pricier watches like the Suunto Race S and Suunto Race, lacking offline maps for one, the Suunto Run does introduce some new features to the brand's range, like music storage and a track run mode. In my testing I've found the Suunto Run to be a reliable running buddy thanks to its accurate GPS tracking and extensive training analysis. In my Suunto Run review, I'll explain why I think it's a great budget-friendly option for new and experienced runners alike. The Suunto Run launched on 13 May 2025 and costs $249 in the U.S. and £199 in the U.K., making it $100 cheaper than the Suunto Race S and also more affordable than the best entry-level AMOLED running watches from other brands, like the Garmin Forerunner 165 and Coros Pace Pro. Suunto Run Suunto Race S Garmin Forerunner 165 Coros Pace Pro Price $249/£199 $349/£299 $249.99/£249.99; $299.99/£289.99 (Music) $349/£349 Size 46 x 11.5mm 45 x 11.4mm 43 x 11.6mm 46 x 14.15mm Display 1.32in 466 x 466 AMOLED 1.32in 466 x 466 AMOLED 1.2in 390 x 390 AMOLED 1.3in 416 x 416 AMOLED Bezel Steel Steel or titanium Polymer Polymer Screen Gorilla glass Gorilla glass Glass Glass Weight 36g 60g (steel), 53g (titanium) 39g 37g (nylon band), 49g (silicone band) Water resistance 50m 50m 5ATM 5ATM Battery life (watch mode) Up to 12 days Up to 9 days Up to 11 days 20 days (6 days always-on) Battery life (GPS) Up to 20 hours (dual-band) Up to 30 hours (dual-band) 19 hours (all-systems GPS) 38 hours (all-systems), 31 hours (dual-band) Storage 4GB 32GB 4GB 32GB The Suunto Run comes in four colors — bright red, black and light grey as well as the lime yellow-green watch I tested. It's a thin and lightweight watch that comes with a nylon strap, which makes it feel even less intrusive and more comfortable to wear 24/7. You can also swap this strap for any 22mm band. Unlike most watches at the cheaper end of the market, the Suunto Run is not completely made of plastic, having a thin steel bezel. It is mostly plastic though, but feels well-built and it's waterproof to 50m. The watch has three buttons, one of which is a digital dial you can use to scroll through menus and data screens, along with the 1.32in AMOLED touchscreen. While the screen seems a little less bright to my eye than the ones on the Suunto Race and Suunto Race S despite having the same specs, it's still clear to read in all conditions, including bright sunlight. Under the hood there's an altimeter, pulse oximeter and the same GPS chipset as the pricier Suunto models, which offers dual-band tracking for better accuracy. The Suunto Run also has a new optical heart rate sensor that promises greater accuracy than the sensors on the Suunto Race and Race S. You can connect to external heart rate sensors and running foot pods via Bluetooth, as well as headphones, but you can't link cycling power meters to the watch, with Suunto reserving that feature for the more expensive multisport watches in its range. I was able to connect the watch to a chest strap and headphones at the same time without problems during my testing. There is only 4GB of storage on the watch, which will limit the amount of music you can store on it. This is a lot less than you get on the Suunto Race and Race S, but they need the space to store offline maps, which aren't available on the Run. The Suunto Run has 34 different sports modes including open-water swimming and a new track run mode that offers much better distance and pace tracking than GPS alone. I'm a track regular and use this feature a lot of Garmin, Coros and Apple watches, so I'm pleased to see it arrive on the Suunto Run. Suunto hasn't said if/when it will be brought to the Race S and Race watches, but I'd hope it would be a standard feature across the range. You can also create your own sports modes and it's now easier to customize the data you see during activities than in the past with Suunto using the partner app. Using the app you can also create interval workouts and send them to the watch to follow on your wrist, but you can't use SuuntoPlus sport apps on the Run, only on Suunto's more expensive watches. These apps are basically extra data pages you can have in an activity for certain purposes, like tracking the hills you've climbed or see live Strava segments. I find them complicated and rarely use them with any Suunto watch, and on a watch designed to be simple like the Run, I think leaving them off was the right call. However, some of the features they bring to the watches should be native data fields, in my opinion. Once you've done your workout all the data feeds into the extensive training analysis available on the watch and in the Suunto app, which is powered by TrainingPeaks. The data is presented colorfully on the watch using widgets, and once you get your head around terms like chronic training load there's a lot you can glean from it to judge your efforts in training to get fitter without pushing too hard. However, to the uninitiated it can be a little hard to unpack owing to the heavy use of acronyms and graphs rather than short text summaries. The Suunto Run uses the same Sony GPS chipset as the Suunto Race and Race S and has been as reliably accurate as those watches during my testing for distance and pace stats. I compared it to several other watches during my runs, including the Garmin Fenix 8, and checked the GPS tracks afterwards, and the Suunto Run matched up closely to the other watches and didn't produce any notable errors on the tracks. The heart rate accuracy was also mostly good and an improvement on my experience with the Suunto Race and Race S, both of which were rarely correct for me during testing. I compared the Suunto Run's readings to those of a chest strap monitor in all my workouts, and for the most part it was spot on for bike rides, strength and yoga sessions, but did go wrong occasionally during runs, reading too high. It has been spot on during my last few runs, including an interval session, but if you plan to use heart rate to guide your effort during workouts, or simply want the best data going into the training analysis on the watch, I'd pair a chest strap myself, something I do with pretty much every watch owing to the fallibility of optical heart rate tracking. As well as being a sports watch, the Suunto Run also tracks your daily activity, recording your steps and active calories buried, as well as notifying you if you've been sedentary for two consecutive hours. The step counts were consistently noticeably lower than other watches measured during my time testing the Suunto Run, something I've also noticed with other Suunto watches. This could be down to the sensitivity of the pedometer on the watch, or what Suunto classes as a step, but if you're something who aims to smash a step goal each day, it might be a cause of frustration. I also found that the sleep tracking was prone to errors, sometimes recording that I only slept three to four hours when I'd slept seven or eight, or showing my whole night as light sleep with no spells in deep or REM. However, during the time I was testing the watch I did have a trip to Japan, which played havoc with my sleep schedule in general, so the amount of nights I was able to get data from the watch was reduced. The Suunto Run is the first Suunto sports watch to offer music storage, supporting MP3 files that you drag and drop onto the watch via a computer. You can then organise the files into playlists using the Suunto app. I found the process of getting music onto the watch arduous — it took several attempts and resets for my laptop to recognize the Suunto Run was plugged in and it takes a couple of minutes to transfer one album onto the watch. This is not as convenient as the support for streaming services like Spotify offered by Garmin watches, as well as smartwatches, but if you have MP3 files available for music or podcasts then you can listen without needing to bring your phone with you. Along with music storage there are basic smart features like notifications and a weather forecast widget, and users in China can use the Suunto Run for payments using Alipay. You don't get the offline maps available on the Race and Race S, but there is basic breadcrumb navigation on the Suunto Run. Suunto says the Run will last up to 12 days in watch mode, and it offers 20 hours of GPS tracking in the most accurate mode that uses dual-band GPS. If you have the screen set to always-on, you'll have to charge it regularly, however. I had the screen always-on and if I was running every day with the watch I had to charge it after three or four days. This isn't too bad given the small size of the watch and the fact it has an AMOLED display, and you can extend the time between charges by having the screen set to raise-to-wake outside workouts. However, Coros watches in particular last longer, and the AMOLED Coros Pace Pro lasts me five or six days with the screen always-on. It's not perfect, but the Suunto Run does an excellent job of offering the key features runners need at a price that will have alarm bells ringing for other brands. It's an especially good option for new runners, but even as a keen marathoner the Suunto Run ticks all the boxes I need. The equivalent Garmin watch is the Forerunner 165, which costs $299 for the music model, while the cheapest Coros AMOLED watch is the Pace Pro at $349 and the Suunto Run is close to the $229 price of the Coros Pace 3, which has a memory-in-pixel display. However, the Forerunner 165 is often reduced to $249 and it does offer better smart features and a more polished user interface than the Suunto Run. For its part, the Suunto has dual-band GPS and more training analysis than the Forerunner 165, and allows more data screen customization in sports profiles too. Both are great options to consider if you're looking for an affordable running watch. With the addition of the Run, Suunto's range of watches now caters to all levels and price points well. The Suunto Vertical and Race cater to keen athletes, while the Race S is a great mid-range watch with maps and a more premium design than the Run. The Suunto Run is the pick of the bunch for value, in my opinion, and it has a good case for being the best value sports watch available from any brand.
Stuff.tv
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Stuff.tv
WIN 1 of 2 £500 Suunto fitness watch & headphone bundles!
Finnish brand Suunto was founded in the 1930s to make compasses for navigation – the name actually comes from the Finnish word 'suunta', meaning 'direction'. And this month two lucky Stuff readers can each win a two-part bundle of the company's latest tech: a Suunto Race S watch (RRP £325) and Suunto Aqua headphones (RRP £175) – the perfect duo for powering up your performance. Enter the competition now The Race S comes with all the same training features and support for outdoor activities as its big brother the Race, but in a smaller size with increased optical HR and open-water GPS accuracy. And completing the prize is the Suunto Aqua: open-ear bone-conduction headphones that are waterproof down to 5m for 2hrs and allow you to bring your tunes, audiobooks and podcasts into the drink. See for more info on both of these cutting-edge products. How to enter Lusting after Suunto's new sports watch and waterproof bone-conduction headphones? Just head here and answer this question for your chance to win both: The name Suunto comes from the Finnish word for what? A… Adventure B… Direction C… Mountains Terms & Conditions 1 Open to UK mainland residents aged 18 or over. 2 Entries close 11.59pm, 13 June 2025. 3 Prizes are as stated. 4 Prizes are non-transferable. 5 Only one entry per person. Full T s & Cs: Promoter: Kelsey Publishing Ltd, The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Maidstone, Kent ME18 6AL.
