ZDNET Highlights
- The Suunto Vertical 2 is available now for $599, or $699 with the titanium casing.
- In addition to the vivid 1.5-inch AMOLED display, it has a very long battery life and has an LED flashlight.
- The watch is only available in one 48.6mm diameter size, flashlight controls are limited, and the pin on the band can be difficult to secure.
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Many of the advanced sports watches I’ve tested are going more towards the “smart assistant” route with hands-free communication, payment solutions, and more. But others are doubling down on health and fitness tracking, like Polar and Suunto, two brands that have made some of my favorite smartwatches I’ve tested over the past two years.
New suunto vertical 2 One of them – building on the features of the Race 2 with an integrated LED flashlight, vibrant AMOLED touchscreen display and better battery life.
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Earlier this year I had the opportunity to test the Suunto Race 2 and found it to be one of the best sports watches available today. For $100 more, the new Suunto Vertical 2 offers a more sturdy build and some additional improvements. Apart from the additional cost, vertical 2 It’s 1mm thicker than the Race 2 while maintaining the same 86g weight for the stainless steel model.
One design difference I’m not a huge fan of is the switch of the middle right button rotating dial to a single button. I enjoyed scrolling through my data with the dial on the Race 2, and with the new buttons on the Vertical 2 I found myself swiping up and down the touchscreen more often.
Swiping up on the display can be easier than rotating a small dial when you’re in the middle of an activity, so it’s only a minor annoyance, but it’s worth mentioning nonetheless.
Ever since Garmin launched a sports watch with an LED flashlight, I wear a Garmin on a wrist almost every day. I find myself using the LED flashlight almost daily for a variety of purposes, and it has become an essential feature for my watches.
We saw Amazfit launch the T-Rex 3 Pro with an LED torch, and now Suunto has joined the party. Unfortunately, the Suunto needs a little more work on usability, as activating the LED flashlight drops the default brightness to 50%.
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The flashlight requires a screen swipe or button press to switch from 50% to 75%, 100%, 25%, red light, SOS mode, breathing white light, or red alert light. There’s no option to set a default light mode and no way to enable certain modes for different workouts, like breathing white light mode while running so you can make others aware of your presence while you run. Given that the hardware and basic functions are absolutely fine, a simple software update will go a long way in improving the feature.
It’s not clear to me what battery magic Suunto is doing, but even with the always-on display on and highest location tracking accuracy, the Vertical 2 should last for 65 hours. For comparison, the similarly sized 47mm Garmin Fenix 8 Pro has the same level of location tracking accuracy and a reported battery life of just 23 hours with the always-on display on.
The Fenix 8 Pro offers significantly more connectivity and costs twice as much as the Suunto Vertical 2. Thus, if you are looking for a sports watch with an AMOLED display and long battery life then the Vertical 2 is perfect for you.
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The Suunto has experienced questionable heart rate accuracy in the past, but this was rectified with the latest sensor in the Race 2 and thankfully the same sensor is in the Vert 2. Heart rate accuracy matched closely with the sensors on my arm and chest, and the Vertical 2 additionally supports connection to those external sensors if you prefer to use those instead.
The model I was sent for testing also includes the pine green watch band seen above. I like the color of the band, but I realize it’s probably not for everyone. Also, the pin you insert into the opening of the buckle is hard to insert, and I didn’t enjoy having to press so hard on the bottom of my wrist to secure the strap.
Instead, I purchased the Suunto Fabric Band because I find these types of bands more comfortable to wear for sleep tracking at night and while working out.
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suunto vertical 2 SuuntoPlus supports the App Store, but most of the apps are utilities for various sports, watch faces, and partner collections, rather than the apps you see on Garmin, Apple, or Google smartwatches. It also supports basic smartphone notifications and if you have a connected Android, you can reply to messages.
One thing of note during my evaluation period is that there is an issue with the Suunto Smartwatch app connecting to the Suunto Vertical 2 on the new iPhone 17 models. Suunto has a notice that it’s working to fix the problem, but I simply used my Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 to test the Vertical 2 for this review and it was a smooth experience.
ZDNET’s shopping advice
Based on my years of using LED flashlights on Garmin watches, it’s no easy task for me to pay an extra $100 to get a flashlight. vertical 2I used it daily during my review, despite the work needed to make the flashlight utility more efficient for regular use.
Battery life is also excellent, and considering how long the watch lasts, it’s one of the few with an AMOLED display, I’m comfortable with the always-on display enabled. Suunto continues to impress and in addition to great hardware, also offers a great app with lots of coaching, guidance and detailed tracking to satisfy those focused on improving their performance.
