The sad demise of Suunto into Apple :(

Michael Carson

as long time Suunto use, who purchase it because it was not a Garmin/Fitbit or Apple product and it has the brilliant https://www.movescount.com/apps apps and programming language to make what we needed. I see I have to keep my Ambits running for every as I can’t bay a Suunto 7 or 9 as they don’t serve the purpose of a customisable endurance watch.
This is despite the fact the hardware is nice on the new products. The software is disappointing and Google fit for soccer mums. (Sorry soccer muns)

Is every one happy to looks the “apps community”?

fazel

@Michael-Carson wait…so evolving into Apple but with Google software? You’re not super consistent in your criticism…

I actually think Suunto should look towards Apple’s resurgence for some guidance. Focus on creating their own stuff (tight software/hardware integration), avoid feature bloat, and make sure the features offered are rock-solid. Don’t add stuff until it’s been tested 2x more than other companies. Make a product worthy of big margins. But whatever…

surfboomerang

@Michael-Carson To me it is not very clear why you can’t switch from the ambit to a different different device.

You are right that there is a very big difference between an outdoor/multisport watch (suunto, garmin, coros… ) and a smartwatch (apple, Samsung, Huawei…). But if I compare the ambits with the outdoor watches, what are you missing that prevents you from switch?

The suunto 9 does everything the ambit does except apps.
The suunto 7 is more customizable, but lacks battery lifetime. The ambits however also had around 8-12hrs of GPS time if I remember correctly.

But if it is the apps you are looking for, there are plenty of Garmon devices can do that for you.

So maybe if you sum up what you want, people here can help you find the right watch. But I’m not sure what you’re looking for right now.

Fenr1r

@surfboomerang said in The sad demise of Suunto into Apple :

The suunto 9 does everything the ambit does except apps.

Nope. Different navigational capabilities at least.

The suunto 7 is more customizable, but lacks battery lifetime. The ambits however also had around 8-12hrs of GPS time if I remember correctly.

Up to 200hrs with the Ambit 3 Peak.

Dimitrios Kanellopoulos

@Fenr1r what ? max 18h and not all of them

surfboomerang

@Fenr1r 200h in ultra mode, but it lacks fused track capabilities the s9 has.

Fenr1r

@surfboomerang On “GPS time”, you were comparing Ambits with the S7, not S9. Each Sx got their own line.

Did your “ultra mode” for Ambits refer to the setting name, the specific sport or just the general sense of a maximum? It’s sometimes hard to tell what folks mean. (I bought an SSU thinking the last was the case when I guess Suunto meant the second.)

The maximum battery mode for the A3P is “OK” not “ultra”. And while FusedTrack may be truly great for ultra-marathons (all the detail you need for c.140hrs), “OK” is perfectly OK for 200hrs of some activities other than ultra-marathons.

Not to say it wouldn’t have been nice to have had an A3 with FusedTrack but that’s still up to 60 hrs more without recharge.

Dimitrios Kanellopoulos

@Fenr1r Ultra mode on the ambit is not accurate in distance not even compared.

that said its silly to debate on such and issue.

we are not trying to “degrade” the ambit but those (including the spartans) if you didnt walk / run / bike in a straight line have inaccurate modes for distances. Do they have a use ? Sure to know roughly where you have been. And that is ok.

So yes the battery life for a normal use of the watch of ambit is ~18h max (as the S7 without fused track and in most activities and little usage + the Spartans).

However the s7 can go further but also in running it’s less than 18h wihtout a fused track. That is due to much shaking etc. long story.

surfboomerang

@Fenr1r I meant ultra as “OK” mode, but that is not the point.

My point is that all watches have different functionalities and also their pro’s and con’s. Which could fit the needs of @Michael-Carson if we know exactly what he is looking for.
As I read his post, he is looking for a highly customizable endurance watch. The S7 is highly customizable with the apps, the S9 has good battery life. But both watches don’t have a combination of them.

So maybe a Garmin Fenix would fit his needs, but we need to know what kind of apps/datafields he is looking for…

Fenr1r

@Dimitrios-Kanellopoulos “Silly to debate”? Heresy! And the OP didn’t specify what was meant by “endurance”. As @surfboomerang last posted.

Sure to know roughly where you have been. And that is ok.

“OK” was the word I used.

“Roughly” can be superior if “endurance” means duration.

Take an S7 and an A3P out for a multiday hike. Just the watches, not watches+charger. The comparison was about watch battery life.

Keep walking for seven days. Record your daily moves.

Sync your activities and look at the resulting tracks on a map. Or the stats on a QS graph.

Which watch served you for most of that trip and which was dead weight for most of it. Which was more accurate in total distanced walked?

You know how you find it hard to see the necessity for >10m altitude accuracy? Well, 2min fixes are an adequate trade-off for 200hrs.

Dimitrios Kanellopoulos

I wont continue here. Its difference usage. Sure in “expedition” mode A3 is better. But the OP doesn’t ask that from my understanding

Fenr1r

@surfboomerang Absolutely on all counts. And I could be as wrong about “endurance” as I was (probably) about “Spartan Ultra”. But just in case … clarification seems worthwhile.

Brad_Olwin

@Fenr1r Just to mention another limitation of the Ambits…there is no possibility to sync offline so once you fill the watch memory you will lose recording data. If you are out for more than 200h and have no internet your hosed. The Spartans and S series will sync offline as long as you can keep a phone charged allowing you to record as long as you want. So I’ll argue the S9 wins here.

Fenr1r

@Brad_Olwin I see your point and you’re absolutely right with your specified circumstances. However, I would make 2 objections: it depends on what you are recording and the presence of the (charged) phone.

If you’re not recording HR data and that table of yours from the other thread applies, you remain unhosed (thermal leggings excepted) for the duration.

Phones (and chargers) carried on activity were not included in the original comparison. (Althought the S7 was - and that you will have to re-charge to match even the S9’s life.) Firing up BT and screens on both purely to xfer activities is going to take a hit on battery life.

For those happy to make that trade-off in weight/battery life, however, that is a massive S9 win (along with all the extra 'net-free settings adjustments and S-style route-creation and Android POIs).

But for longer, simpler (if one’s OK with that), lighter (w/o phone): the A3P still stands tall.

Aleksander H

@Brad_Olwin said in The sad demise of Suunto into Apple :

@Fenr1r Just to mention another limitation of the Ambits…there is no possibility to sync offline so once you fill the watch memory you will lose recording data.

Didn’t the ambit 3 have offline sync . Seem to remember having that when I went hiking in 2016(ish).

sartoric

@Aleksander-Helgaker
yep, the 3 and 3p are BT.
I guess here the discussion is more “general” and related to “offline” sync.
MC app sync wasn’t offline, you needed to be connected to the web.

Janfi

@surfboomerang said in The sad demise of Suunto into Apple :

The suunto 9 does everything the ambit does except apps.

AFAIK there is no real structured workouts feature on newer Suunto watches. And as a “reliable” partner, Suunto decided to remove this feature and throw it to trash for A3 owners , except with Suunto Apps, which is something really different in easy to use terms function.

So yes, when Suunto removes some valuable features on the Ambit line, we can see that S9 does almost everything that ambit does.