Suunto Run reviews

Adrian.S

@isazi It looks like Run is an experimental version for new watch models, e.g., new HR measurement, new GPS module, new native app support, etc.

It’s good to know that track number support will be added to other watches soon.

TrailEyes

Here’s my writeup, with only a week’s worth of testing: https://www.actionhub.com/news/2025/05/13/suunto-run-review-budget-conscious-with-a-bang/

My biggest issue was the GPS accuracy. On every run, it was counting long – sometimes nearly 3% long, which to me is outside of an acceptable deviation. It doesn’t seem that Ray had the same experience though.

Some of the best things with this watch appear to be the training metrics, which I haven’t had a chance to dive into much just yet.

isazi

@TrailEyes I have a similar experience to what you have, Vertical is more precise, but Run is good enough.

Example, I did run a marathon last Sunday: Vertical measured 42.3 km, Run 42.55
Few years ago I would have been excited for such a small error as the Run provides, but I am Vertical spoiled now

cosme.costa

@Adrian.S The GPS module is exactly the same, as far as I have read.

maszop

I guess the software won’t make it to older models, so instead of fixing bugs and developing software for all watches, there will be a new model with new, unfixed bugs every now and then, replaced by another model, and so on.

Drain battery, non-functional WiFi switch, no contour lines, non functional navigation messages, overestimated elevation gain in strong winds, sleep recording problems, no support for advanced workouts, no support for multiple sensors, swim style and distance detection , etc.

Will there be any real bugfix for 9PP, Vertical, Race users, or should they buy another buggy, with unfinished software Suunto watch?

isazi

@maszop as previously said, more than once, all currently released watches are still being developed, actively, with new features and bug fixing.

maszop

@isazi “Said”.
I’m waiting for the word “done”, especially since two years have passed since the release of the Suunto Vertical.

Egika

@maszop what do you mean? "Done’ means no more updates?
Vertical has seen major changes in firmware since it’s release.

isazi

@maszop and on those two years, my Vertical got even better than on release day. For free, as I did not pay any additional money

maszop

@Egika Done means that most of the major bugs have been fixed.
Two years is a rather long time for modern electronics.

Egika

@maszop I am talking of two years of constant improvement.
My Vertical is a work horse and has no bugs that are not working as designed.

maszop

@Egika Let me remind you of what I wrote earlier:

Drain battery, non-functional WiFi switch, no contour lines, non functional navigation messages, overestimated elevation gain in strong winds, sleep recording problems, no support for advanced workouts, no support for multiple sensors, swim style and distance detection , etc.

TrailEyes

@isazi said in Suunto Run reviews:

Few years ago I would have been excited for such a small error as the Run provides, but I am Vertical spoiled now

This, 100 percent. I feel spoiled too!

babychai

so Vertical and Race are still King of the GPS accuracy

Egika

@maszop said in Suunto Run reviews:

@Egika Let me remind you of what I wrote earlier:

Drain battery,

if you still have it with current firmware, there is a setting with backlight wrong or your watch has a hardware issue

non-functional WiFi switch

this has not been there for 2 years, but was introduced with the last FW update. Will be solved with the next one.

no contour lines, non functional navigation messages

this is working as designed, even if the design is poor, it does not qualify as a bug

overestimated elevation gain in strong winds

this is an issue - right. Difficult to solve.

sleep recording problems,

sleep recording as well as WHR are highly individual. No bug, but not ideal accuracy. Same as swim style.

no support for advanced workouts, no support for multiple sensors,

this is by design - no bug

Egika

@babychai I have been running with Race S and Run in parallel. Is was fun to fell the 1km autolap vibrate simultaneously on both arms

Since Run has the same dual band GPS chip, accuracy is not really inferior.

TrailEyes

@Egika Presumably, antenna placement or some other factor could limit a device’s GPS accuracy, beyond just the chip set.

Stavrogin

@Egika I have done the same thing with the Vertical and the Race S. I think at about mile 3 or 4 there was a slight 0.01 variation, but still rock solid. Suunto has had the best GPS of any watch I have ever owned.

raven

I am hoping that many features of the Run will be backported to some older watches, particularly the Race S for me but also the Race and Vertical. I’m coming from the Apple ecosystem, where watchOS updates to older watches are roughly concurrent with new devices. So when Apple Watch series 10 was released last year with watchOS11, that OS version also came to series 9 and others. As an example, in watchOS 11, there was a new Vitals app that summarized a few recovery metrics, and that feature instantly came down to my series 7 watch.

Looking at the Run, a feature like the new Breath widget seems like something that should be backported to older Suunto watches. I understand Suunto might be constricted in terms of development resources, etc. so I wouldn’t expect things like this to immediately be available like Apple’s watchOS does, but I would hope that it would come eventually.

Elsewhere in this group, I’ve commented about my desire for the offline music feature. Looking at the reviews that dropped today, I did see a comment that one way to get music onto the watch is by bluetooth transfer and one can do this from one’s phone using the Suunto app. While the new charging cable can also connect to a computers to allow drag-and-drop transfer (which is new hardware not compatible with older devices), it’s nice that phone/bluetooth is an option, so I’m hoping that’s enough to allow this to be backported as well, although it may be that particular feature won’t make it.

As for the Run overall, I think it’s overall good value, and most of the limitations as I understand them seem reasonable: breadcrumbs instead of full maps, only HRM and footpod sensors and not cycling power meters, etc. makes sense for this device. I still think the sports mode limitation is a bit silly. For example, I use the “Martial Arts” mode to track Kickboxing, which does not seem to be present. However, “Boxing” is present, so I think I’d be able to use that; and furthermore, once uploaded to Suunto app, I could edit and change sport mode there. And Boxing as one of the modes seems weird when Calisthenics isn’t present? Seems there’s more people who would do push ups, bodyweight squats, etc. then would do a Boxing workout or class. Unless these sport modes take a lot of storage space I don’t really get their limitation here when they’ve already been developed, and I think the Run has enough limitations from the Race series already.

Adrian.S

Thanks everyone for your feedback.

I also think RUN is a step in the right direction:

improvements in athletics (track/lane number!),
improvements to the watch interface and usability
the ability to lock the display!!!
improved HR sensor in the watch,

We are waiting for these GOOD changes to be implemented in Vertical, Race, and Race S.

We are waiting for more data editing options on the face, especially on the map widget.

I am especially looking forward to changes in the Android/iOS app and additional health tracking.