Suunto9 Peak Pro or Garmin Fenix7?
-
My Ambit2 broke when changing the battery. Now I’m looking for a replacement.
I’m hesitating between the Suunto9 Peak Pro and the Garmin Fenix7.
The Garmin has many more options and better data analysis. I think the design of the Suunto is much nicer.
Does anyone have experience with both watches?
I have to say honestly that Suunto has caused bad blood with me after their digital transformation, which I also take into account in my decision. -
@awinkel
do you know the garmin platform and how it works?
I haven’t used garmin in a while. I think there are pros and cons on both sides.
this is of no help, I know… for me this question is similar to the question android or iOS -
Not yet. But the fact that Garmin offers a website to view data is a big advantage anyway.
With Movescount you could always view that well, but in the Suunto app I miss the details. You can’t zoom in to certain points to see what your HR, interval etc were.
Another advantage of the Garmin is the navigation options. That’s really extensive. -
@awinkel it’s certainly a personal choice as it depends on your likes/dislikes and more importantly on what you use the watch for, but I had a Fenix 7 and sold it for a S9PP - and am happy about my choice (which I explained a bit here: https://forum.suunto.com/post/110240)
-
@jw-cou Thanks for the link. I missed that topic on the forum. I found some really useful comparisons.
-
@awinkel PM me if you like. I was intrigued by the Epix 2 ( I would not buy a Fenix) because of the screen. I bought one and used it for 8 months and then sold it. I had a love/hate relationship with the firmware and app. The watch was great. I would be happy to elaborate. This was prior to the 9PP release and my top choice would be the 9PP, However, I have been in the Suunto ecosystem for a long time so I am sure that I have some bias or preference. They are very different from each other.
I should say that the Garmin was “death by a thousand cuts” as no one thing was a problem for me but a lot of small things added up to me deciding I did not want to use the watch anymore.
-
@awinkel For me it’s not the Fenix 7 but the Forerunner 955, basically a Fenix 7X made of plastic and without a sapphire glass. Before Christmas, I wanted to buy a watch and had narrowed my options to the F955, the S9PP and the Coros Apex 2 Pro… finally I chose the S99P because I found it heavily discounted, at just 350€, but finally I am returning the watch because of the awful OHR sensor data, which doesn’t work at all on my wrist.
So I bought the F955 to replace the 9PP, and well, the design is better on the Suunto because of the materials used, the GPS accuracy on the Suunto at the highest setting is comparable to the F955 accuracy at the second highest setting (the F955 has an even better dual mode which beats the 9PP GPS accuracy), and for the OHR sensor well as I said on the Suunto it didn’t work for me and on the Garmin is fine. The 9PP battery lasts longer.
Regarding the data on the watch and on the app, Garmin offers much more data especially about health and training status, but I still prefer the Suunto App, with less data but better displayed. The F955 has a lot more of useful options for trail running and navigation like maps, ClimbPro, Up Ahead, etc.
I would say that if you don’t want too much data nor maps, and Suunto’s OHR sensor works for you, get the 9PP; if that’s not the case, get the Fenix.
-
Seriously, if you ask advise to buy a Suunto or a Garmin on SUUNTO forum, I’d suggest you to buy a polar or coros.
-
@zhang965 I disagree.
I expect that there are not only fanboys on a forum and people are are mature enough to give honest responses. So far, the reactions match my expectations. -
@dmn23 That’s a good advice! I hadn’t considered looking at the Forerunner yet. I certainly will take a look at it.
Too bad the OHR sensor didn’t work. It would have saved you a lot of money, because the Garmins are not very cheap…
Thanks for sharing your experience with both watches. Really helpful! -
@Brad_Olwin Is the display size of the Suunto not too small if you’re used to the Epix’s large screen?
-
@awinkel
what you need to consider: you’ll hear unhappy customers the best. only few people who are happy will shout it out loud. I have tried several watches.
the worst OHR were S9B and Polar Grit X Pro.
S7, peak and pro were the most accurate in my case and close or equal to chest strap measurements. -
@awinkel said in Suunto9 Peak Pro or Garmin Fenix7?:
@Brad_Olwin Is the display size of the Suunto not too small if you’re used to the Epix’s large screen?
The Epix screen is far brighter and easier to read. It is AMOLED and there is no comparison to the Suunto screen. Battery life is 42h max on Epix2 with only GPS enabled, which is a bit less overall than I need. So the battery life for me is a big issue if it isn’t for you the Epix2 screen is amazing. The fenix line is no different than the Suunto in terms of readability. I prefer a smaller watch, the baro and Ambits were too big for me, I cannot sleep with them and they are large to wear as a daily watch. So for me, the 9PP is perfect, although if I do a 200 mi (320k)+ race the battery and storage won’t be enough.
-
@awinkel I own an ambit3 Peak. In the last 3 years I had some skimo trips and trail runs with some guys who have a fenix 6. When we checked the altitude accuracy the fenix was in most cases 40m to high or too low. In my life I had three withe outs and the really good altitude accuracy of the ambit saved me for lots of problems (with compass and paper map). I don‘t know if the fenix 7 is better in altitude accuracy than the fenix 6, but for me that‘s the reason to stay with Suunto. If my ambit would die, I would buy the S9PP.
-
I was in this situation last year where I was looking to upgrade from my aging Suunto 9. On paper the Coros and Garmin watches look like a huge leap over Suunto. So I signed up to their online platforms and imported historical data to demo them. I then had a play of some friends Coros Vertix & Apex and Garmin Fenix & Epix. I even preordered the Apex Pro 2!
Whilst they are great sports watches in their own right, ultimately I found the software on both the devices themselves and online just not for me. Personally, I really like Suuntos iOS app for route creation and the minimalist design of the Peak Pro. I still have my issues with Suunto (lack of maps, small screen, etc), but the competition’s bells and whistles felt superfluous to my specific needs.
I would highly recommend having a play with the Fenix 7 and Garmins platform before deciding on the switch, and if it works for you then great!
(NOTE: I also wear an Apple Watch Ultra so a lot of the smartwatch functionality was already catered for)
Suunto: Ambit 3 Peak > Spartan Ultra > 9 > 9PP > Vertical > Race
-
@jasoncuddy Good point! I have already created a Garmin account. I will upload some data and see what it will brings.
The disadvantage of Suunto is the lack of many data. For example, on movescount we could see the respiration rate, vo2 max and so on.
After their move to the new digital platform we are missing all these data and I really miss you it. -
@jasoncuddy
that’s exactly what I did when I moved from Fenix 3 and Connect to A3PS and Movescount.@awinkel
I think you’re doing it right and you will find the watch and platform that suits you best.
I know that Garmin has more features and more data. It’s a personal thing. -
@awinkel btw I don’t know if you paid attention to surveys and/or if you have suunto app beta, but there’s plenty going on right now in the feature department.
Currently beta has a lot of new suunto apps and a lot more will be coming soon.
Some time ago we filled out a survey regarding smth like a training hub from suunto, I bet you can find this thread in the forum, also with attached screenshots.Still, trying out what Garmin has to offer is a good idea, but maybe wait a month or two before making the final call - no idea when the new features are going to arrive tho.
-
If you speak German, feel free to listen to our podcast RunCookEatRepeat https://runcookeatrepeat.de/magazin-2/ in which we are talking about some watches like Fenix Enduro 2, S9PP, Coros Vertix 2 ans Apple Watch Ultra.
I always try out a new Suunto watch hoping that we get together again, but I sold my S9PP again because of just some little things. One point is the vibration. It feels cheep and rattles (and not only with my watch, also my friends one had this), this doesn’t meet the overall nearly perfect assembly of the S9PP.
The other one is: I use a flashlight quite often (which I realised when I had none) and both Enduro 2 and Apple Watch Ultra have that option. Just convenience, but made the difference.
Another one is the bug with iOS focus mode as described in here:
https://forum.suunto.com/topic/8400/ios-notifications-focus-mode?_=1673164798569I don’t care about the platform itself, because I use TrainingPeaks/WKO and Strava.
I wish you luck finding the watch fitting your needs
-
@trailcafe I agree about the vibration issue on the S9PP.
