ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The Suunto Race 2 is available with a stainless steel frame for $499, or a titanium frame for $599.
- The Race 2 offers long battery life, extensive customization, personalized coaching, and reliable accuracy.
- There is no support for subscription music or payment systems and the app store is limited primarily to sports apps.
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I went many years without testing Suunto products, but last year’s Suunto Race grabbed my attention and impressed me with its combination of value and performance (in most areas). I’m pleased to say the company’s latest offering, the Suunto Race 2 has improved in the major area of my concern: heart rate accuracy, while adding a few other elements to make it one of the best sports watches available today.
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The next-generation optical heart rate sensor on the back of the Suunto Race 2 provides much more accurate heart rate readings, approaching other watches I compared it to. GPS accuracy remains spot-on, and the battery in the Race 2 has been increased by five hours to a total of 55 hours in performance mode with dual-band GNSS.
The new Race 2 has a slightly larger 1.5-inch AMOLED display, compared to 1.43 inches on the Race. It’s also brighter, with a peak brightness of 2000 nits — easy to see in all lighting conditions. Even with that larger display and longer battery life, the Suunto Race 2 is 0.8 mm thinner and a bit more comfortable on the wrist. If you want the lightest possible watch, the titanium model weighs just 65 grams, but will cost an additional $100.
Matthew Miller/ZDNET
You can only pin a single widget to a swipe left from the watch face action, but you can add a host of widgets available when you swipe up or spin the digital crown. The top and bottom buttons can also be customized with regular actions; I have mine set to the alarm clock and flashlight utilities, respectively. Simply press and hold to initiate these actions.
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One reason I like using the Suunto flagship watches is their customizable support that reminds me of Android phones. There are more than 115 sports modes on the Race 2 and with each one you can set up data screens optimized for your training. Suunto has a vast SuuntoPlus Store with watch faces, apps, and services that significantly extend the functionality of the watch.
The Engo 2 AR sports glasses work very well with the Suunto Race 2 and having key metrics in front of you keeps you focused on the road ahead while reaching your best times. I plan to soon test out the snorkeling metrics of the Suunto Race 2 in Hawaii now that these metrics sync to the video output from the Insta360 X5 camera.
Matthew Miller/ZDNET
The smartphone application has also been greatly improved, with an awesome new dashboard display on the Home tab that gives you the ability to customize the widgets when you launch the app. Suunto now has my favorite user interface on the smartphone and I plan to continue testing it with more running, hiking, biking, and more.
Matthew Miller/ZDNET
Similar to Polar, Coros, and Garmin, Suunto has a coaching function called Suunto Coach that provides you with different workout plans. I recommend starting with a few basic running or fitness plans and then step through the personalization options to create a customized one.
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These options include setting how many hours you want to train in a week, which days you want to rest, which sports you want to focus on, and any days you want to include strength training. I was thrilled with the process and the resulting training plan that was set up for me by Suunto Coach, as this feature is one of the best parts of the watch.
ZDNET’s buying advice
Suunto impressed me with the Race sports watch in 2024 and improved a key element with the Race 2 while enhancing the experience with a larger, brighter display and increased battery life.
If you’re looking for a sports watch that’s heavily focused on performance metrics and custom coach plans then the Suunto Race 2 is definitely a watch worth consideration. It is priced below Garmin and Polar watches with similar functionality, but is clearly focused on health and wellness more than smartwatch functions.
