Suunto Vertical

The Suunto Vertical is the latest launch from the Finnish brand, designed especially for everyday training and mountain sports. In RUNNEA we have already tested it, and here we tell you about its main features and those advanced functions. With its wide range of advanced features, durability, autonomy and versatility, this device is the ideal companion for your adventures and workouts. But is it on par with the Garmin fēnix 7?

Design and display

The design of the Suunto Vertical is robust and durable, weighing 74g (that's 2.61 oz) and measuring 49 x 49 x 13.6 mm (1.93 x 1.93 x 0.54'"). The case is made of glass fibre reinforced polyamide, while the bezel is grade 5 titanium, ensuring strength and durability. The lens is made of sapphire crystal, resistant to scratches and shocks. The strap is made of silicone, and it's comfortable and adjustable.

The high-resolution color display (280 x 280 pixels) offers excellent readability even in direct sunlight, making it easy to use in any situation. In addition, it has different customisation options, so you can adapt it to your preferences and needs.

Maps and navigation

One of the most outstanding features of the Suunto Vertical is the inclusion of free, detailed maps of the entire world, with a scale of up to 1:50,000. This is especially useful if you enjoy exploring new routes and locations. In addition, the watch also incorporates features such as route and POI tracking, as well as the ability to import routes from other apps and devices.

Possible improvement: However, the map navigation could be more intuitive; the zoom function is somewhat cumbersome.

Battery life

The Suunto Vertical stands out for its impressive battery life, with up to 85 hours of use in GPS mode and up to 14 days in watch mode. This device has improved power efficiency by incorporating a dual-frequency GPS system and solar charging option. The Titanium Solar Forest model is the most advanced in this regard, with a high-performance solar charging lens that ensures longer battery life for your adventures.

Sport and training functions

The sports watch has more than 80 pre-installed sport profiles, including hiking, mountaineering, trail running and ski mountaineering. In addition, it is compatible with external sensors, such as heart-rate bands and power meters, for even more accurate data.

Suunto Vertical also includes the "SuuntoPlus" function, which provides specific information and metrics depending on the sport you are doing. For example, in mountain activities, it displays data such as cumulative altitude, elevation gain and vertical speed.

For runners, Suunto Vertical offers a number of specific functions that will allow you to improve your performance and help you achieve your goals. These include adaptive training cues, interval training, heart-rate measurement from the wrist or with a compatible belt, and detailed statistics such as calories burned, Peak Training Effect and recovery time.

In addition, the watch estimates your fitness level (VO2 max) and provides you with tools to analyse your training load and recovery. You can access a logbook with exercise data and long-term training summaries, allowing you to keep detailed track of your sessions and progression. After each workout, you can also record how you felt, which will help you understand the relationship between your emotions and your performance.

Specific functions for running

Adaptive training guidance:
Suunto Vertical provides real-time exercise guidance based on intensity and duration, adapting to your fitness level and goals. It also features an automatic training plan to improve your fitness level, consistently and effectively.

Interval training:
This sports watch guides you through your interval training, allowing you to set specific intervals according to your needs and goals. Interval training guidance during training facilitates effective and personalized workouts.

Heart rate measurement:
Suunto Vertical measures your heart rate from the wrist and is compatible with Bluetooth Smart heart rate belts. With a compatible belt, such as the Suunto Smart Heart Rate Belt or Suunto Smart Sensor, you can get RR interval data.

The watch displays heart rate in beats per minute and is capable of recording heart rate while swimming. In addition, it provides a real-time heart rate graph and displays real-time average heart rate.

Training statistics:
Suunto Vertical records the calories burned during your workouts and calculates the Peak Training Effect, an indicator that shows the impact of a training session on your aerobic capacity. It also estimates the recovery time needed after each session and allows you to set personal heart rate zones.

Fitness level and VO2 max:
The watch estimates your fitness level, expressed in VO2 max, which helps you better understand your performance and progression.

Training load:
Suunto Vertical provides useful tools for analysing your training and progress over time. It features a logbook with exercise data and an exercise summary with lap data, allowing you to track your sessions in detail. In addition, it displays training load with totals by sport, which helps you understand how you are distributing your efforts between different activities. The training diary also provides long-term summaries, making it easy to identify trends and patterns in your performance and effort.

Training recovery:
Suunto Vertical also helps you manage your recovery effectively. It estimates the recovery time needed for each workout, and provides a daily view of recovery time on the watch. This information is crucial to ensure that you recover properly between sessions and avoid overtraining or injury.

Post-workout feedback:
After each workout, the watch allows you to save information about how you felt. This feature is useful for understanding how your emotions and physical sensations influence your performance and how they change over time in relation to your training and recovery.

Water resistance and connectivity:

The Suunto Vertical is water resistant to 100 meters, making it suitable for water sports and rainy days. It also features Bluetooth Smart connectivity to sync your data with the Suunto app and other platforms.

However, some users have commented that, although the sports and training functions are extensive, the watch can be a bit complicated to operate for those unfamiliar with such devices. It would be desirable for the interface and menu to be more intuitive to make it easier to use for a wider audience.

When you purchase the Suunto Vertical Titanium Solar Forest, you will receive the sports watch, a charging cable and user documentation.

What are the expectations of the new Suunto Vertical?

We at RUNNEA firmly believe that Suunto Vertical, Suunto's new sports watch, is targeting an increasingly wide audience: those who are looking for outdoor adventures and need reliability and battery life. We are talking about a heart rate monitor that we predict will have a clear outdoor philosophy, which is a perfect model for trail runners and mountaineers.

We are facing a somewhat more robust design than editions such as Suunto 9 Peak and more similar to the Suunto 9 Baro. With its classic three side buttons and with great sports and satellite tracking capabilities. For its part, we are talking about a heart rate monitor that we expect to arrive with solar charging for greater outdoor autonomy and with a slightly larger screen than the 12 inches of its most famous models. All this together with a much faster and intuitive interface.

Suunto Vertical ideal runner

This new Suunto heart rate monitor is great for outdoor activities, such as trail running, hiking, skiing and mountaineering. Therefore, it will fit perfectly with runners who are looking for an aesthetically attractive model prepared for a mountain adventure.

In short, a new range that will hopefully come with surprises and cover each and every one of the needs that mountain lovers expect. Perfect distance and altitude measurements, great autonomy, resistance and durability, lightness. And all this, if possible, at a relatively affordable price. We'll see what the company has in store for us during the month of May.

RUNNEA's opinion

The Suunto Vertical has been praised for its durability, autonomy and versatility, making it an excellent choice for lovers of mountain sports and running. Although its price is high, the features and performance it offers justify the investment. Some users have highlighted the watch's energy efficiency, thanks to the dual-frequency GPS and solar charging, as a great advantage compared to other similar devices on the market. However, we have also mentioned some aspects that could be improved, such as map navigation and the user-friendliness of the interface and menu. Despite this, most reviews agree that the Suunto Vertical is a high-quality sports watch, with advanced features and a long battery life, making it an ideal device for adventurers and mountain sportsmen.

In short, the Suunto Vertical is worth considering if you're looking for a rugged device with a wide range of features and a long battery life for your adventures. While some aspects could be more intuitive, overall, the features and performance it offers make it a worthwhile investment