Suunto Race S general discussion
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@matt-r I would say that where Race S is manufactured doesn’t play a big role at all. I have Finnish made and Chinese made both in stainless steel and also titanium one from china and they are identical. Build quality and way the watch works is similar, only difference is that Finnish made has crown lot stiffer than Chinese made.
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@matt-r said in Suunto Race S general discussion:
Hello everyone,
First of all, I’ll start by saying that I’ve been a Suunto user for 2 years – I was using my old Suunto 5. After such a long time, even though the watch works fairly well, I decided to treat myself to a new one. I chose the Suunto Race S.
What it “offers” was enough for me to upgrade from my previous usage, but hey, we need to evolve.
How wrong I was…Suunto Race S – the CN version – sorry for the term, it’s a waste of money. At least with the update 2.37.48, because that’s the update the watch forced right after starting it and connecting it to the app.
I don’t even know if what I’m going to describe below is related to the update, the place of production, or just the overall terrible watch…
First, what’s already been mentioned on the forum – the sleep tracking doesn’t work. At all! Neither naps nor night sleep – nothing. What does this mean? There’s no way to collect data for HRV…
Second – the heart rate for the whole day is not correctly transmitted to the app. The same goes for steps. I suspect, because these three pieces of information are all in one place – recovery – something’s wrong with the app vs watch function.
So, in my case, the entire “recovery” panel ends up being empty.
What’s even stranger, the running steps are shown on the app in the “steps” tile, but they are not included in the “Activity” tab.It’s hard to believe this watch is so popular…?
I read a statement in this discussion: “Suunto is not Garmin.” Maybe, I don’t know what Garmin is like and I’m not interested. But I SPENT MY OWN MONEY to buy from this manufacturer, and explanations that “it’s not that accurate” – sure, it might not be precise, it doesn’t have to be – BUT IT DOESN’T WORK AT ALL!
Someone said: “Well, you should measure heart rate with a chest strap anyway.” Sure, I’ve been using it from the start, but then why does the manufacturer include it in the watch, so heavily advertising the HRV feature, if it causes so many problems? Wouldn’t it have been better to make a true RACE watch – without all the “extras,” but with 100% working RACE features – let’s call them sport functions – save the space for a bigger battery and there you go, a “perfect” watch.
Instead, I got a new piece of junk, which from my point of view is worth less than my old Suunto 5.You can criticize me – maybe everything works fine for you, maybe it’s because of the production being moved to CN? What about the watches you describe that “everything works” – where are they made?
I don’t know… I know one thing – I am VERY DISAPPOINTED with this purchase. Since the watch was bought at an electronics store, I can’t return it.
Maybe I’ll just stir up a storm in a teacup, I don’t mind. Maybe this will make the manufacturer PAY ATTENTION THAT SOMETHING IS SERIOUSLY WRONG.
MattI have my resting hr set to 60bpm and do not have any issues to track sleep or naps. Race S for me is the best watch to track sleep compared to Fenix 7 and 8 cause those sometimes struggle at least for me.
So try setting resting hr bit higher, mine actual resting hr is about 50bpm so 60bpm setting in watch works flawlessly. For steps when running, those are shown on activity tab and steps tile and in watch also and seems to be again for me quite accurate as well, tested with taking 500 steps and watch recorded 496. -
@far-blue well said!
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Double sided power meter pedals for cycling. Does the Race S support them?
I am thinking to move to Race S from Garmin Epix gen2. Other option is to buy a cycling computer (Magene, iGPSPORT or Bryton). I have priced out from Garmin. Considering the fact every company has software and hardware issues why to pay more. I need only the basic: clock, alarm, timer, record my rides with power meter and navigation where the map orientation is quick and precise like on Suunto wathces. I do not need on watch rerouting. I tried it on Garmin Edge 530 and on my FR945, FX6-7 and Epix. It is usless for me in the woods. Structured workouts with zone alarm would be nice but as I relised it is better on a cycling computer. I tried it on my watch but is it is suboptimal to check my wrist frequently. -
Suggestion to add font size adjustment feature to the Suunto Race S
Dear Suunto Team,
First of all, I would like to congratulate you on the excellent work you have done with the Suunto Race S. I recently purchased this watch, and I am highly impressed by its precision, design, and functionality. It is clear that a lot of effort has gone into creating a high-quality device for sports and outdoor enthusiasts.
However, I would like to suggest a feature that I believe would significantly enhance the user experience, particularly for people like me who love sports but face some reading challenges due to age-related presbyopia. Currently, the watch does not allow users to change or adjust the font size of the menus and notifications. This can be particularly challenging for those who do not wear glasses during sports activities, as it makes it difficult to read important information while on the move or in varying light conditions.
It is surprising that this functionality, which is common in other electronic devices such as laptops, eBooks, and smartphones, is not available on such a high-quality watch. Even other sports watches in similar or lower price ranges offer font size customization, improving accessibility and overall user experience.
Therefore, I strongly encourage you to consider adding this feature in a future software update for the Suunto Race S. Allowing font size adjustments would not only benefit users with vision challenges but also position the Suunto Race S as an even more competitive product in the market.
I hope you find this suggestion useful and that you consider its implementation. I remain available to provide further feedback if needed and thank you in advance for your attention to this proposal.
Best regards
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One thing that has to be changed are the resources. I have to “play” like almost 2 weeks now to find the right heart rate. If I use my lowest heart rate from night of about 46 bpm, the resources never drop below 50% and I’m never stressed. Why can’t this be automated like Garmins body battery, and we have to waste our precious time to find the right value? This has to be updated soon.
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@jannis totally agree with you!!!
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@Koldo-Larrea I can not be more agree: https://forum.suunto.com/post/144414
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I believe that people who buy this type of watch belong to a certain economic level, but above all, they are usually mature, adult individuals. This implies, among other things, that their eyesight is not the same as it was at 20 years old. This is something to seriously consider when launching a product like the Suunto Race S, which is not known for having the largest screen on the market.
On the other hand, I find it hard to understand why, on virtually any electronic device, regardless of the screen size, you can adjust the font size to improve the user experience. Paradoxically, a sports watch, which has a smaller screen than most other devices, does not include the option to change font sizes to make menus and data easier to read.
To make matters worse, I recently watched a video of an older Suunto watch—I can’t remember the model—where you could choose font sizes M, L, and XL, if I’m not mistaken. I can do without the “holiday-themed watch faces,” which are purely aesthetic and trivial, but I truly miss something as fundamental and important as this feature, aimed at improving usability and the user or customer experience.
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Poor Suunto just wanted to give a little joy for xmas with a couple of new watchfaces - which were likely thrown together in a couple of lunch breaks by one of the developers for a bit of fun - and all they get is moaning about wasting resource that could have been used elsewhere. Devs are humans too, remember!
Regarding the small font, it was clear from the point of purchase what size the fonts were and there were lots of video reviews showing the font size so if the font is too small maybe the Race S wasn’t the right purchase. Obviously there’s the larger screen on the Race which would help with readability or there are other watch companies with software that does allow for font size changes.
Adding support for font size changing is, in my opinion, a really complex and time consuming development process because all the ui elements need to be extended to work correctly with the different font size and then extensive testing is needed across all the languages the watch supports to make sure the cropping of text is minimised and all the non-english characters and emojis correctly scale. Furthermore, work would be needed across all the Suunto Plus apps to check and update where needed to handle the additional font sizes.
If the alternative is to offer a watch with a bigger screen and then spend the resource on the long list of other requests for fixes such as turn-by-turn, guided workouts etc. I think you could guess what I’d vote
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@jannis for me for many years adding about 10 beats to my nightly resting HR seemed to yield reasonable resource levels, very similar to Garmins bodybattery. There are many post here in the forum concerning this and techniques how to find out working values.
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@far-blue I absolutely do not share your opinion. There are brands/watches on par with this Suunto Race S, even lower-end models, that include this feature. Any electronic device with a larger screen comes with it by default: smartphones, tablets, e-books, laptops, etc. However, a watch screen is smaller. I find it hard to understand why it doesn’t include this functionality.
If I chose this watch, it’s because it meets all my wants/needs, except for the font size, something Suunto has already incorporated into some of their other watches in the past. We’re talking about a €349 watch; I believe the price alone justifies it.
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@Koldo-Larrea Only some Coros watches support it and I notice the Pace 3 doesn’t even though the Pace 2 does. Also, it only changes the size on workout screens, not the general watch UI. I don’t believe Polar support it at all.
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@Koldo-Larrea I would also like to have bigger font, the joys of getting old!
But I bought the Vertical for what it had, if this was a make it break feature I may well have made a different choice. Too late to complain now!
But maybe this may change in the future. Particularly for standard watch faces. The are very few I can employ now that I can read without glasses that have second counters. Now I think this would be easy as some watch faces are already big digits but generally lack a second counter.
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@Audaxjoe
As a Suunto Vertical owner, do you think a screen not just larger—that much I take for granted—but transflective would look and read better? I use reading glasses indoors, but I don’t wear them while doing sports. However, since the fonts are so small and so close together, I find it hard to read the menus and data. Thanks in advance. -
@far-blue I use the contemporary city watch face for this reason. Have you tried that?
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@far-blue said in Suunto Race S general discussion:
Regarding the small font, it was clear from the point of purchase what size the fonts were and there were lots of video reviews showing the font size so if the font is too small maybe the Race S wasn’t the right purchase. Obviously there’s the larger screen on the Race which would help with readability or there are other watch companies with software that does allow for font size changes.
This is the reason I have a Race and not a Race S. The 9PP was too small, and the Race would have (I guess) been the same.
@Koldo-Larrea said in Suunto Race S general discussion:
@far-blue I absolutely do not share your opinion. There are brands/watches on par with this Suunto Race S, even lower-end models, that include this feature. Any electronic device with a larger screen comes with it by default: smartphones, tablets, e-books, laptops, etc. However, a watch screen is smaller. I find it hard to understand why it doesn’t include this functionality.
A small but important point: they don’t come with it ‘by default.’ It has to be developed as a function of the software offering. With development budgets competing for functionality, if this is not considered essential for sales, or a means of selling more, then it simply won’t be developed. Again: Suunto is a business, not a cool company that provides watches for our ‘pleasure.’
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@Koldo-Larrea In not sure, I have never even seen the race. The Vertical is very easy to read, but I need to wear reading glasses too read the font as it is too small for my age! I have sports glasses with inserts.
It would be great to have larger fonts!
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@ChrisA said in Suunto Race S general discussion:
@jannis for me for many years adding about 10 beats to my nightly resting HR seemed to yield reasonable resource levels, very similar to Garmins bodybattery. There are many post here in the forum concerning this and techniques how to find out working values.
Thank you, i have raised it till 52 bpm, and it’s better, but still not perfect. Really, it should work automatically. Thankfully i have a Garmin too, and try to find the right calibration.
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@jannis Wo stellt man denn seine Ruheherzfrequenz manuell ein?
