Reviews

SuperFlo75

Sounds like, from reading the V3 review, that the race gps is better than the V3, but the optical HR is bad during workouts. Worse than Garmin, Polar…
Why should the test be different from the further tests? The gps was tested very good also for SV. The OHR was tested not so good also for SV. As far as I can read it‘s the the same sensor and gps modul for SV and SR? I don‘t think OHR can get much better with a software update and as far as I know, the tester stays the same, I think

lessthanmore

@SuperFlo75 For GPS the antenna design is very important and different between SR and SV. The GPS accuracy of the SV is slightly better than the one from the SR.
The OHR is the same. However, as the hardware design is different (and the weight) the sensor will work also differently.

mikekoski490

@lessthanmore said in Reviews:

@SuperFlo75 GPS antenna design…is different between SR and SV. The GPS accuracy of the SV is slightly better than the one from the SR.

Curious where this is documented? Thanks!

lessthanmore

@mikekoski490 Here’s the scientific stuff with formulas and magic: https://hexagondownloads.blob.core.windows.net/public/Novatel/assets/Documents/Papers/effectofantenna/effectofantenna.pdf

https://gge.ext.unb.ca/Resources/gpsworld.february09.pdf

You could also read Ray’s review of the new Polar watch:

“Now, what’s more notable here is Polar’s changing of their antenna design. Most of these companies are actually using the same GPS chipset in their watches, yet their performance is significantly different. Take Garmin vs COROS for example. Both have used the exact same chipset in their multi-band watches, yet Garmin’s GPS performance in those dual-frequency watches is universally agreed upon by reviewers as superior. Similarly, when Polar launched their Ignite 3 a year ago with multi-band/dual-frequency), it didn’t do well at all GPS-wise.
Why? Antenna design.
It’s incredibly critical to good GPS reception, particularly in challenging environments. In a recent conversation with another watchmaker, Suunto, they talked about how fractions of a millimeter made the difference between incredible performance and unacceptable performance. Of course, companies can’t just copy/paste this from Garmin (and even Garmin can’t copy/paste to themselves), because each watch case/bezel/materials design is different – and all of that impacts accuracy.”

Discussion from the “other side”: https://forums.garmin.com/outdoor-recreation/outdoor-recreation/f/fenix-5-series/128225/antenna-design---fenix-5-5s-vs-5x-vs-chronos-vs-fenix-3#pifragment-1292=1

/edit: Oh, I just saw you only quoted the part with SR vs SV. I don’t know if there’s documentation of it. But it was mentioned here in the forum that the firmware is different: https://forum.suunto.com/post/130076

wmichi

Not a review, just first initial thoughts.

https://youtu.be/bVQSeA_Hp04?si=sf8YyGgOEcV18T_q

Very positive.

Egika

@lessthanmore said in Reviews:

You could also read Ray’s review of the new Polar watch:

*"Now, what’s more notable here is Polar’s changing of their antenna design. Most of these companies are actually using the same GPS chipset in their watches, yet their performance is significantly different.

There is another “why” to this:
While different companies are possibly using the same GPS chipset, at least Suunto is getting a dedicated FW for the GPS chips they are sourcing from the manufacturer.

tuxella

Not a review either, but an interesting interview (in French) with someone working at Suunto from a knowledgable reviewer: https://www.nakan.ch/wp/2023/11/08/podcast-s01-e07-concevoir-une-montre-gps-de-sport-avec-kevin-croq-de-suunto/

Tieutieu

@tuxella said in Reviews:

Not a review either, but an interesting interview (in French) with someone working at Suunto from a knowledgable reviewer: https://www.nakan.ch/wp/2023/11/08/podcast-s01-e07-concevoir-une-montre-gps-de-sport-avec-kevin-croq-de-suunto/

Yes I’ve created a thread about it. Very intersting to listen !

gizmo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u22oVs0VTNY
It’s not that bad on my watch, but unfortunately it’s bad overall…

Andrea Paissan

A question arises spontaneously… Why does a company like Suunto (that I love) market a product with such a painful HR sensor? Mystery

wmichi

@Andrea-Paissan I don’t know. But I think it’s bad because they are using their own algorithms and there is simply a lot more work needed to make it usable for most users. Wasn’t the 9PP the first watch where Suunto started to use their own algorithms for the OHR sensor?

Either way, I would never rely on the findings of other users about the OHR of a watch. Especially for intervals. There are too many parameters of the watch user (skin tone, hair,…) at play. Even if it’s bad for Fit Gear Hunter, it might work well for others.

As long as it’s accurate out of workouts and especially during the night, I am good with it. For everything else: H10 or Verity Sense.

duffman19

Here it is - https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2023/11/suunto-race-amoled-in-depth-review.html

Tieutieu

@duffman19 said in Reviews:

Here it is - https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2023/11/suunto-race-amoled-in-depth-review.html

I don’t really get why he says that the SR is “much better” than the SV, pointing news features that will arrive (most of them) also on SV.
Except the amoled and rotative crown, there is not much differences.

Dušan Ković

@duffman19 “update on Monday”

v.sacre

@Tieutieu Based on DC table about features contained for both models, Vertical won’t have:

running estimate and HR run threshold
sleep stages and naps

But I really don’t know on what assumption DC made this table…

Tieutieu

@v-sacre said in Reviews:

@Tieutieu Based on DC table about features contained for both models, Vertical won’t have:

running estimate and HR run threshold

sleep stages and naps

But I really don’t know on what assumption DC made this table…

Except a “marketing” decision, I also don’t know what hardware limitation would avoid to have this on the SV.

One thing I noticed is that the possibility to have - not yet obviously - heatmaps on SR. On that point I would understand that screen resolution of the SV could limit it.

duffman19

@Tieutieu said in Reviews:

I don’t really get why he says that the SR is “much better” than the SV

I think Ray really likes his AMOLED screens, so the Race wins on that alone. I’m still a fan of the MIP because I find light-emitting watch screens distracting when I’m not using them for sport.

Patrick Löffler 0

Any ideas what else we get, besides improvements in the lag, with Monday’s firmware update?

taziden

@Patrick-Löffler-0 said in Reviews:

Any ideas what else we get, besides improvements in the lag, with Monday’s firmware update?

We get the end of “When will be the november update?!” and that’s priceless.
Of course, it will soon be replaced by “when is the next update” but for a few hours, we’ll have peace.

Patrick Löffler 0

@taziden said in Reviews:

@Patrick-Löffler-0 said in Reviews:

Any ideas what else we get, besides improvements in the lag, with Monday’s firmware update?

We get the end of “When will be the november update?!” and that’s priceless.
Of course, it will soon be replaced by “when is the next update” but for a few hours, we’ll have peace.