2018-06-25 10:02:00
At the end of 2017, I received from Suunto the first of the prototypes of what is the new Suunto 9. Until its launch date there have been three other new versions, which brought both hardware/aesthetic changes and firmware changes. The new Suunto 9 becomes the top of the range of the manufacturer’s watches, coming to displace Suunto Spartan Ultra from its place. We will see what it gives me as a watch both for my training and for daily use as a watch.
General Impressions
Suunto 9 shares a platform with the rest of the models in the Spartan range (except the Trainer). That is, the vast majority of “basic” components such as the screen, motion sensors, barometer, although not its GPS receiver chip, which has gone from being a Qualcomm (old SirfStar) to using a Sony chip. The advantage of using the Sony chip is lower energy consumption in one of the elements that consumes the most in this type of device. The barometric sensor has also been updated to a more recent hardware version, in order to achieve better measurements (especially on flat terrain). The programming environment, and therefore the firmware generated, is the same as that of the Spartan series, so it cannot be ruled out that Suunto 9 functions will be added to the Spartan line in the future (although not officially confirmed).
In initial GPS accuracy tests that I have done, the Suunto 9 with its new Sony GPS chip is a step behind in accuracy in areas with good GPS signal. Incomprehensibly, where there is no good GPS signal, the results obtained are better than those of the Spartan range, at the level of the iconic Ambit3. Perhaps in the future this situation will change, but at the launch date and with the final firmware the situation is this. Either way, as I’ve been doing with new product launches, I’ll be posting a definitive GPS accuracy benchmark with all the data from it in the future. This is so since it has only been a few days since the fw with which Suunto 9 will go on the market has been “frozen”.
New functions
The Suunto 9 is a clear evolution of the Suunto Spartan Wrist HR Baro, so we initially started with all the features that Suunto Spartan users have in their latest firmware update. This is an important fact to note, as when going from the Ambit3 series to the Spartan series, we all assumed that the new Spartan would have the same features as the Ambit3 plus some new ones. The reality is that it was not like that, and even today there are functions of the Ambit3 that are not present in the Spartan nor in the Suunto 9.
FusedTrack
This new technology is possible due to the change in the GPS chip and it is an option that can never be ported to the Spartans, as the Qualcomm chip does not have this support. This type of technology is similar (if not the same) that the Garmin Fenix 5 and Forerunner 935 incorporate based on their gyroscope.
The operation is transparent to the user. If a power mode is chosen in which GPS is not activated at all times (see the next point in this entry), FusedTrack detects changes in direction based on clock movements and helps to better trace the route that is actually taken. He has continued.
This option is only activated in sport modes related to walking or running (running, trail running, trekking, hiking…) and not other sport modes (bicycle, ski, kayak…)
My impression from the tests that other Suunto testers with whom I am in contact have been able to do is that on some occasions it improves and on others it does not. I haven’t done intensive testing since this option only activates in the lowest power modes.
energy profiles
The energy profiles allow us to adjust the energy consumption that our watch will have in order to have a clear vision of how long the battery will last. There are four different modes: three are standard (Performance, Endurance, Ultra) and one is custom. The custom is based on the options related to energy consumption that we can activate/deactivate in the custom sport mode from Movescount. Basically it is the quality of the screen data, backlight, vibration, sounds, FusedTrack, GPS quality and GPS position recording interval.
Based on the standard energy profiles, we can obtain a theoretical maximum duration of 25, 40 and 140 hours of activity recording. Many times, even if the watch is at 100% charge, slightly lower data is displayed…
Power profiles can be changed during an activity by accessing the options menu (long press the middle button)
Or just before starting an activity quickly by pressing the upper right button (or also through the options menu – lower button)
I personally only recommend using our own profile or the Performance since the quality of the rest is quite poor.
Nuevo Power/Activity watchface (a.k.a. Hero Watchface)
It is necessary to explain how this watchface works because it is not very intuitive, really. Let’s start from the inside out.
The face of an analog clock showing the time. At the top of that inner sphere of the analog clock, there is a field in which we can alternate between day, sunrise, sunset and current altitude.
Next we have a circular indicator in the form of a solid color bar that shows us the current battery charge percentage (redundant data, since at the bottom we see the same value but in percentage.
Finally, we have an outer ring in the form of a dashed bar, which will fill up as we record activities throughout the week. In this way, on Monday before doing any activity it will be empty. The ring represents our weekly goal of active hours (adjusted from the watch itself); if we do more the indicator will remain at 100%
GPS accuracy
As I usually do, in a few weeks I will post a specific GPS accuracy test. For now, I can anticipate that at the time of its announcement, the Suunto 9 is not as accurate as a Spartan in areas with a good GPS signal. As I mentioned at the beginning of this entry, however, in areas with a poor GPS signal, I have obtained very good results repeated over time. This situation is a bit disconcerting but the data that I have obtained with the final fw is that. If Suunto, with the collaboration of the manufacturer of the Sony chip, manage to improve the results in areas with a good signal, in terms of GPS precision this watch would be practically at the level of the Ambit3, which is one of the best compliments that can be said of a clock ????
Comment that there is a great improvement in open water swimming with respect to the Spartan range. Discussed with the Suunto technicians, this is because Sony has worked a lot on the precision of this type of activity.
Examples of errors in areas of good GPS signal:
Example of Suunto 9 vs Spartan in an area with a very poor GPS signal:
Suunto 9
Spartan WHR Baro
versions
At the moment there is only one version of Suunto 9, which comes in White or Black. the bevels
they vary a little from one color to another, although aesthetically they follow the same line. Both with sapphire crystal and weighing 81 grams. The silicone strap has quick release pins just like the ones that were present on the Suunto Spartan WHR Baro.
To end
I was surprised by the Suunto 9 that “it just brings more battery life”. Had they included software from the training tracking system that the Suunto S3 includes, it could still justify a new model, but by not including it, it comes with pretty much the same as we have in the Spartan line. That being said, the Suunto 9 currently has the longest duration of activity tracking, which may be the key feature many users are looking for.
In my opinion, if I already had a Spartan Ultra I would not buy the new Suunto 9 unless the battery life fell short. In case you need a new watch, it is an interesting option if you like the brand, its aesthetics and you want to have an oHR sensor.
Many kilometers to all!
Are you thinking of buying
If you are thinking of buying a Suunto 9 on Amazon because of the guarantees and the service it offers, you may want to buy it using the link below. If you buy this or another product on Amazon using this link, at no cost to you, Amazon buys me a beer 😉
#impressions #Suunto