Expected software update support length?
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Hello, my Suunto 5 starts to loose battery capacity. I will need new watch probably in few months. I am looking at Suunto Race and Suunto Race S. Does somebody know how long will suunto support this watch with software updates? I don’t want to buy watch before end of life, but i don’t see any clues about some Suunto Race 2 comming soon. Are this watch near end of life? Released 1.5 year ago.
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@Tomas5 I doubt suunto would announce a new watch ahead of time because of the exact reasons you’ve listed above. I think you should buy the watch for the features it has now, though I understand new updates arw on the way.
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@Tomas5 we are waiting for Suunto Run in the coming days or weeks…. It could be a good Suunto 5 replacement….
Suunto: Race, S9Peak, Spartan Sport Wrist
Garmin: FR745, Edge 530
SA topics:- Guides - https://forum.suunto.com/tags/guides
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As a general principle, buy tech devices for what they can do today and not for expectations of future improvements. For a device like a phone and tablet, it can be useful to know the expected software support time in the event of security updates, where not having them might compromise your device. This is less important, as far as I know, for a fitness watch, which I’ve never heard of an exploit requiring a software update.
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@suzzlo i will see what they will come up with. I miss compass a lot on Suunto 5 so that will be one of must have on next watch. And i like snorkeling depth meter on suunto race, so i would like this feature too. Deffinitely i will check Suunto Run spec when they will arrive.
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@raven i don’t want buy it for promissed features. Every time i buy something it based on current specs. But if you can buy 2 devices. Both of them have exact same features. But one is out of support in few months and another will be updated with new features for next 2-3 years. Which one is better to choose? At least for me its second one with long support.
I know support on watch is not so crucial as support of security updates on phone for example. But still i would like to be able to use new watch faces, future suunto + apps etc. But with unsupported watch it is not always a case.
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@raven This is not a good comparison. You don’t change your watch as often as you change your phone.
It’s worth knowing whether the watch you buy now will receive updates with new features that appear in several subsequent models before you buy another watch.
In the case of Suunto, this is how it currently works, and it’s nice to be a user of, for example, 9PP or Vertical, which received updates that introduced new things, e.g. with Race or Race S.
This is how you gain customer loyalty.
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@Tomas5 I’d rather go with a stable device with known feature set than an unknown. Race S seems like a good replacement if you want something small and are into AMOLED.
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@maszop said in Expected software update support length?:
@raven This is not a good comparison. You don’t change your watch as often as you change your phone.
Depends on the person. Last year I got the iPhone 16 (2024), and my last one was the iPhone 12 mini (2020). In the early days of the Apple Watch I was upgrading it every two years, with the previous watch being passed to my child, and the oldest watch in the sequence sold to offset the cost. My current Apple Watch is Series 7 (2021) and I just recently got the Race S, so that’s four years there, so about equal to my phone upgrade cycle.
I often see people not upgrading their phones for 5-6 years; someone I know is still on the iPhone SE (2020). I think it’s reasonable some highly active fitness enthusiasts upgrade their watches at a higher rate.
I agree it is nice when companies commit to an upgrade cycle time so customers know. However, I think that may also cause people to expect things that may not happen. It might be the upgrades don’t cover the areas a particular person wants. I mentioned elsewhere I’d like to see Suunto support bluetooth FTMS (FiTness Machine Service) connections to gym machines so I can properly connect a rowing machine to get complex data into the Suunto ecosystem. Even if I knew Suunto was going to support the Race S til say 2030 for another five years that does not mean I will get my requested feature.
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@raven said in Expected software update support length?:
someone I know is still on the iPhone SE (2020)
Here I am with an iPhone SE 2016. It was one of the last models you could easily get inside of to replace the battery and other components without a trip to the “genius” bar. It’d be great if I could do that with my Vertical, but I understand the whole waterproofing issue.
@maszop said in Expected software update support length?:
You don’t change your watch as often as you change your phone.
In the meantime, I’ve “tested” way more watches than I care to admit! I guess we all have our thing.
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@Tomas5 I suggest the Race S rather than the Race. The heart rate sensor of the Race is quite poor. The “S” has a better heart rate sensor and is slightly smaller. Otherwise they’re essentially the same.
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This thread got me curious about Suunto’s history, which I did not know much about, so I’ve been doing some research. The following may have errors; I’m using Perplexity to help but have not yet gone through all the citations.
It seems we can make the start of a “modern era” for Suunto with the release of the Suunto 3 in 2018?
That watch apparently started with OS version 1.0 (appropriate) and stops at 2.19.42 in Suunto’s older UI style. It seems support was 2018-2022, four years.
The new widget based UI was introduced with 2.30.x line with the Vertical and Race. There simply has not been a lot of models with a clear history of continual updates that I can see, and likely part of this may be due to Suunto’s ownership changes.
Compare with Apple, who I know more about, the oldest iPhone supported current iOS 18.4.1 is the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR, all released in 2018.
Meanwhile, the oldest Apple Watch supported by current watchOS 11.4 is the Apple Watch Series 6, released in 2020, as well as the Apple Watch SE (2nd generation).
So we have at least seven years of support for iPhone XS and XR, and at least five years support for Apple Watches. The original Apple Watch (very hardware limited compared to new models) was supported 2015-2018; the Series 4 went from 2018 (watchOS 5) to 2024 (watchOS) for about six years.
My Suunto Race S was released last year 2024. I’d hope to get at least four years of support like the Suunto 3 received (again, if my info is correct) and matching Apple up to six years I think is reasonable. However, I’m not sure I’d want to bet money on any of that.
Here’s a chart that includes most released models since the 3 (although at least the Ocean is missing here, sorry), and I included the Run which has not technically been officially released but it’s not really secret; and the 5 Peak should be in the middle column sigh.
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I can only say I bought Suunto Vertical 2 years ago, and they added so many new things, and speed up interface. Feels like different tool if You use with current software, or took out of the box without updates.
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@MRC01 didn’t know that Race S has better WHR sensor. This is important for me as i usually use only sensor on watch and Suunto 5 is often inacurrate.
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@Tomas5 said in Expected software update support length?:
@MRC01 didn’t know that Race S has better WHR sensor. This is important for me as i usually use only sensor on watch and Suunto 5 is often inacurrate.
Yes, DCRainmaker notes it in his review of the Race S: https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2024/06/suunto-race-s-in-depth-review-smaller-cheaper.html
Depending on the types of activities you do, I’d still recommend a chest strap like the Polar H10 for some activities. In particular, for me indoor rowing, HIIT plyometrics, and dumbbells are times when the wrist is not great for getting accurate heart rate. Additionally, if you want to use Suunto’s ZoneSense feature, that requires a chest strap.
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@Tomas5 Yes, the Race S actually has dual HR sensor LEDs for improved reliability and accuracy. Probably because Suunto recognized the poor performance of the single LED sensor in the Race.
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To echo what others have said, the Vertical has received all the updates that the Race and Race S have received as far as the update notes are concerned. It has truly made it a new watch. Having said that there is no way around the subpar HR sensor. It is truly trash. I do really enjoy using Zone Sense so that has me wearing my H10 every work out so it kind of cancels out all the other issues.
The few times I have used my Race S without the H10 I have been pleasantly surprised that it does really well in my zone 2 runs. I haven’t done intervals with it, but for steady state efforts it keeps up.
I think the question for the future of all the Vertical. Race, and Race S watches is whether or not the new OS that they have coming on the Run will be backwards compatible all the way back to these older watches. There do not seem to be a ton of changes that would make me think that it is not possible with the new OS, but time will tell. Suunto is not like Garmin fishing for every penny they can get. I was pretty upset when they said that the Fenix 8 OS would not work on Fenix 7 or 7 Pro watches even though the Fenix E is the hardware from an Epix. Seemed to me to be a bit of tomfoolery. But then, Garmin is so buggy these days, maybe the bugs were too hard to crush.
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@Stavrogin said in Expected software update support length?:
I think the question for the future of all the Vertical. Race, and Race S watches is whether or not the new OS that they have coming on the Run will be backwards compatible all the way back to these older watches.
If the information that has been leaked is accurate, then it seems a new feature for the Run will be the ability to play music stored locally on the watch instead of only controlling media on a linked phone. Given the Run also appears to be an entry level model with the Race the next step up, it would be weird and awkward if the Race did not also get this local music feature.
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@raven said in Expected software update support length?:
it would be weird and awkward if the Race did not also get this local music feature
Then there would have to be a way to copy music to the old watches… Wont work with the present charging puck (no data channels). Possibly, ahem, possible over Bluetooth, but then oh so slowly!
Based on pictures on Amazon the Suunto Run has a new puck that facilitates the music copying.
I really do not think they will dive into all the pain of trying to patch music onto older watches, and really do not even want them to try. Bug Heaven!
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@Inge-Nallsson Should be an interesting week!
