Is there still demand for a modern MIP endurance watch?
-
After few months with Race 2 and previouse owning of Suunto 5 and Ambit 2 here is my opinion.
Amoled has great colors and great refresh rate. But thats it.
Benefits of MIP for me:
It always show time, no need for specific rise to wake move. Even slight move of hand wakes watch and i can see full watchface. This was great in day to day use when working etc.
In night with low backlight is not so agresive agains eyes compared to bright amoled even on low brightnes.
In sport modes always visible even on bike handle no fallback to limited AOD.
In daylight great visibility without higher consumption of battery as MIP doesn’t need any backlight during daytime.I buy watch once in a while so since i bought Race 2 lately. I am not interested in any new model MIP or Amoled in next 5 years. But than if available i would prefer MIP version over Amoled but only if all other spec of MIP watch was same.
Suunto Ambit 2 > Suunto 5 > Suunto Race 2
-
@Brad_Olwin The early fenix models had the options to be sold with or without HRM, but indeed, i don’t think there is a market anymore for sport smartwatch without HRM, the convenience factor is just too good
-
@Brad_Olwin
I totally agree! MIPS are perfectly readable under bright sunlight but in shady areas or cloudy/dusky conditions, they are sometimes really hard to read especially if you are trailrunning or racing flat and you’re wrist is moving a lot. If MIPS need backlight to be readable then you end up with the same delay for activation as with AMOLED.
OHR is also way to error prone and if one would remove the OHR module, one would save a lot of battery while at the same time the battery capacity can be enlarged for the same watch size.
This would probably increase run time a lot and it could be a great sports watch in my eyes -
I don’t think we have a battery problem. I agree that smaller size and less weight would be beneficial though!
t6, S6, Elementum Terra, Ambit 3 Sapphire, Spartan Ultra Copper, Traverse Alpha, S7 Graphite LE, S9B Ambassador, S9P Titanium, S9PP Titanium, Vertical All Black, Race Titanium Charcoal, Race S Titanium Courtney, Run Lime, Race 2, Vertical 2 Titanium
-
@Tomas5 said in Is there still demand for a modern MIP endurance watch?:
It always show time, no need for specific rise to wake move.
In sport modes always visible even on bike handle no fallback to limited AOD.These are the two main things why I miss the MIP display. But that is it. Whenever I switch to a MIP display I have the urge to go back to AMOLED due to the vibrant colors and contrast - AMOLED is much better for my poor eyesight. The only issue is that I don’t like 99,999% of watchfaces in time only mode.
-
@Egika I’m more than happy with the battery life on both my Verticals - 65 h in dual band. Also, I hardly feel the V2 Ti with a nylon strap on my wrist. It’s less than 60 g, so I’m very pleased.
That being said, if Suunto came up with a second gen of 9PP, I’ll totally buy it.
I’ll always have a soft spot for the iconic design of this watch. Absolutely love it. -
@Ecki-D. I like both MiP and amoled. If Coros can make the Apex 4 with MiP in two sizes, why Suunto wouldn’t be able to do same and make MiP V2 in two sizes as well? I’d buy both sizes.
-
@outdoorman i don’t have problem reading MIP yet. I prefer vibrant colors on devices where purpose is watching movies or editing photos. But for watch there is more important for me that screen is always showing time. I don’t like a lot that at office or at home on sofa when i want to check time i must do raise to wake movement every time. Even when I am already in position to see screen but since it is just black. Thats big problem for me but maybe i get used to it. I would prefer if each model was amoled and MIP and users could choose. I will buy next watch in far future. Maybe than will amoled be mature enough to be always on with full watchface without compromises.
-
I really enjoy MIP for how low key it is. It doesn’t blast light like AMOLED. Since I wear my watch 24/7, I like it when it’s low key.
I’m also afraid about longevity it AMOLED. MIP is essentially forever.
S9PP 2.50.28
-
As of yesterday, I’ve switched to Vertical 2.
My initial impressions have shattered my preconceptions.
My tests are ongoing. I haven’t sold Vertical 1 yet. It will be good for my comparative tests. -
I was really against AMOLED, and a big fan of the MIPs display on the 9B and V1 and didn’t think I’d switch to AMOLED.
However I purchased the V2 soon after launch and was really impressed, it is for me with older eyes so much easier to read, the clarity is amazing. I soon sold the V1 realising I really wouldn’t use it again.
The only thing I don’t like on the V2 is the map screen dulling when cycling. If they could resolve this - by having the option of keeping the backlight on the map screen when the watch is on the handlebars - even if it halfs the battery life - would be preferable for me.
I run the watch with AOD and to touch the keys to make the screen active and find the battery comparable to the V1 - it might last a day or two less but it charges quickly and Suunto have finally made a good charger so charging isn’t a chore anymore!
So for me, no I don’t think I’d purchase MIPs again. And the main reason is clarity when used as a watch. The screen is just so much clearer for me to read. Maybe young people wouldn’t notice this so much…
-
@Łukasz-Szmigiel said in Is there still demand for a modern MIP endurance watch?:
I’m also afraid about longevity it AMOLED. MIP is essentially forever.
This exactly! Suunto 7 amoled was notorious for the burned screen. Has there been any technological development or is it still just about trying to switch the pixels often enough on and off?
-
@Brad_Olwin said in Is there still demand for a modern MIP endurance watch?:
I agree with @maszop but not with a MIP screen because I agree 100% with @sky-runner . What I would love and probably a very small group of people. Make a Suunto Vertical Pro with an AMOLED screen and no OHR. I don’t want OHR and don’t need it. Make the watch a bit smaller (only height so 12mm or so) keep the battery size of the Vertical 2 or bigger. Without the OHR module and the battery drain from the OHR I imagine a watch that is not as bulky but that matches the Vertical 1 Solar for battery life. Make the VP watch as light as possible and we have a true outdoor/mountain expedition/ultrarunners watch. I asked for this awhile ago and I think the cost would far outstrip the user base.
I have basically done this with my V2. Turned off OHR and the thing lasts FOREVER. I charged last week some time, have three hours of training and downloaded the new map for my state off charger and am still at 85%.
-
My v2 tests are ongoing.
My eyes have gotten used to the AMOLED screen. Battery consumption is definitely higher than v1. 3 days of training, walking, and daily use (maybe I played with the flashlight a bit too
) On the 3rd day, the charge was 69%. AOD (Automatic On/Off) was not always on, brightness was medium, otherwise everything else was on. My first impression is that connecting to GPS in dense forests is much faster than v1. I’m continuing to test it. -
so after almost a week the voting is 2:1.
and there are die hard mip fans and people who could be won over by the new amoled technology.I am using both and if I had to decide for one, it would still be mips with solar.
also for the reason of having the watchface visible always and it’s not blinding in the evenings.but… garmin has microled model… what about this technology?
my expectation was that it allows for real AOD, I mean really permanently, and still reaching insane battery life.
when I check the details they either did something wrong or my expectations went all the way in the wrong direction. their fenix 8 with microled has an expected battery life in watch mode of 10 days compared to amoled 29 days -
@freeheeler The vote is heavily biased, because people not interested in MIP simply won’t bother going to this post
About Microled, its more of an evolution of OLED (inorganic, much better lifetime, better color, responsiveness and luminosity).
And in theory slightly improved efficiency, but I think Garmin decided to showcase the bonkers brightness instead (also, the Fenix MicroLED is a sim-enabled watch)…
But its still not transflective (the LEDs have to emit their light, whereas MIP use the ambient light), so it will never reach the same kind of battery life as transflective display -
@Elipsus
yes sure it is biased
I don’t expect suunto to develop another mips watch. I think V2 was a directional signal. else I would be very surprised.I did not see the microled in real yet. the V2 already is very bright and sufficient on sunny days out in the snow or on the waters
-
suunto has a MIP watch that was / (is?) doing relatively OK with the brand’s enthusiastits being bvery positive with it. The firmware has had some issues which the company tried to address (not all that successful) .
The market seems to be moving towards a different direction (than a purists’ watch) and the smartwatches are more than decent in the sports area… I am also struggling to justify using the V1 over my Apple Watch Ultra 3 on the trainings I am doing (mostly running, biking, tennis) and I think Suunto has realized that as well .
On the flip side… , g shocks with LCDs or MIP are also gaining momentum despite having not more much to offer versus suunto/ Garmin etc and their prices are exorbitant…
So I believe it’s the style that matters and the brand perception that keeps people buying things -
In my opinion, with the new update (2.53.42) not coming to the Suunto V1, this is a pretty big letdown for V1 MIP users.
Features like these—especially on the navigation side—have been discussed for years now in terms of how they could improve the V1 experience. Meanwhile, competitors like Garmin, even on MIP devices (Fenix, Enduro, Coros etc.), already offer proper map labels, contour lines, and a much more complete navigation package.
At this point, restricting these updates only to AMOLED models feels less like a technical limitation and more like a deliberate strategy to push users toward upgrading to the V2 just to unlock features that arguably could have been supported on the V1.
It basically comes across as a way to drive repeat purchases from the same user base, rather than fully supporting existing customers—especially when other brands are already delivering these features without forcing an upgrade.Personally, I’ll probably end up moving to an AMOLED V2 device at some point for these reasons, even though MIP would still be my first choice!
Suunto Vertical Ti
Suunto S9 gen1
Suunto Ambit3 peak -
Maybe there’s space for a modern Suunto Core – basically a mix of the Core and some of the Vertical 1/2 features?MIP, GPS, no OHR etc. Outdoor and navigation functions only.
