Garmin and Fitbit better watch out: new Suunto 7 sounds like a beast of a running watch

Just in time for CES 2020, Suunto revealed its latest iteration fintess wearable, the Suunto 7 "state-of-the-art smartwatch with adventure-proof GPS sport watch features for a no-compromise approach to wearable technology".

The new Suunto 7 sports a Qualcomm Snapdragon WearTM 3100 processor and "delivers a seamless integration of Wear OS by Google for an experience that supports sports and everyday life in one, streamlined interface".

In case you can't wait for the new Suunto 7 to be released:

• Check out Suunto's store on Amazon UK
• Check out Suunto's store on Amazon US

The Suunto 9 is regarded highly among ultra distance runners due to its excellent battery life and battery management options, not to mention its ruggedness. Last year's Suunto 5 didn't quite tick all the right boxes so we are hopeful the Suunto 7 will deliver a better experience.

The Suunto 7's will most likely be a competition for the Garmin Fenix 6 Pro, Garmin's beast of a smartwatch that has way too many features for any mortal to ever use. It might also challenge the Garmin Instinct and the Polar Vantage V, the former one of the fastest growing new running device used on Strava. 

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Suunto 7 release date and specs

The Suunto 7 will be available from 31 January 2020 at www.suunto.com and select retail partners like wiggle.com.

As for specs and notable features, the new Suunto 7 "brings over 70 sport modes, from running and cycling to skiing and surfing, with accurate exercise tracking, music controls on the watch and access to the Suunto app for detailed training insights while delivering up to 12 hours battery life in continuous GPS Tracking mode".

Even more excitingly, the Suunto 7 will feature offline outdoor maps for 15 different activities. These maps will be displayed on an "ultra-bright OLED touch-sensitive display". The actual resolution of the screen has not yet been confirmed but given the look and the weight (70 grams) of the Suunto 7, we reckon it will be at least on par with the Suunto 9, which boasts a 320 x 300 pixel display.

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Thanks to the Android operating system, the Suunto 7 "delivers proactive and personalized help from Google Assistant, secure payment options with Google Pay, and personalised coaching from Google Fit", as well as access to thousands of apps on the Google Play store.

The up to 12 hours battery life in tracking mode is not too shabby but it definitely isn't a for the Suunto 9's 120 hours Ultra mode. The Suunto 9 doesn't actually track all that much in Ultra mode, mind, so it's not necessarily a loss.

The Suunto 7's bezel is made out of stainless steel, the watch case is reinforced polyamid and it comes with a choice of three different 24 mm watch strap materials: you can choose from silicon, leather or textile. The Suunto 7 also features Gorilla Glass so it can probably withstand some bashing around.

The Suunto 7 uses a combination of GPS, Glonass and Galileo so there is hope it will track movement outside fairly accurately. There is also a built-in barometer and – of course – wrist-based heart rate tracking as well.