Suunto Announces the Race 3S Smartwatch Alongside New AI Coach Subscription Service

Finnish sports watch manufacturer Suunto has officially announced its latest wearable, the Suunto Race 3S. Designed with a smaller form factor, the new device arrives with a notable price increase that has quickly become a central talking point in the fitness technology community. Alongside the hardware release, Suunto has introduced a new subscription-based platform called Suunto AI Coach, which funnels upcoming app features into an ongoing service model. Following several weeks of testing across a variety of outdoor activities and endurance workouts, reviewers are closely examining how the new device performs, how its features stack up against the competition, and whether the company can justify its premium pricing strategy.

The Suunto Race 3S brings several incremental updates over the existing Suunto Race S, which received continuous firmware support through the spring. Among the notable hardware changes, the peak display brightness has doubled from 1,000 nits to 2,000 nits. The lens cover material has been upgraded from Gorilla Glass to sapphire crystal glass, while the bezel transitions from stainless steel to titanium. Under the hood, the device incorporates an upgraded optical heart rate sensor and a faster Apollo 510 processor. Battery performance has also seen improvements, with dual-frequency GPS endurance increasing from 30 hours to 38 hours, single-frequency GPS lasting up to 45 hours, and daily smartwatch mode extending from nine days to twelve days.

Internal storage has doubled from 32GB to 64GB, enabling support for offline music playback via MP3 file transfers, though the device does not support offline streaming services. Additional hardware tweaks include support for up to three concurrent SuuntoPlus apps within a single profile, an official case size increase from 45mm to 46mm, and a weight reduction from 60 grams to 56 grams. On the software side, the watch inherits features previously rolled out to the Suunto Race 2 over the summer, including a tide widget, expanded map labels for road names, water bodies, and mountain peaks, and ascent as an exercise target. Suunto has also confirmed that a new Race Planner feature will arrive later in the year. However, the retail price has seen a substantial jump, moving from $349 USD to $599 USD, and from 349 EUR to 499 EUR, depending on the region.

Unboxing the Suunto Race 3S reveals a package consistent with the company’s recent product launches. The retail box contains the watch pod, a standard strap, a braided magnetic charging cable, and introductory documentation. The updated magnetic charging cable represents a welcome improvement over the previous model, offering a secure connection that avoids the alignment issues seen in earlier versions. Assembling the watch involves attaching the standard straps to the main pod, a quick process before initial setup and pairing.

Navigation across the Suunto Race 3S relies on a traditional three-button layout combined with a touchscreen interface. The upper-right button accesses the sport menu, the central digital crown allows users to scroll through menus and pinned widgets, and the lower button functions as a back and escape control. The left side of the case remains completely bare. The 2,000-nit display provides clear visibility in bright sunlight, though power-saving algorithms tend to dim the panel quickly after a wrist gesture. Despite strong overall brightness, the watch lacks a physical LED flashlight, a feature found on the comparably priced Suunto Vertical 2, leaving users to rely on a screen-based illumination option instead.

Daily activity tracking includes standard metrics such as step counts, sleep duration, and heart rate variability status. Sleep tracking generally aligns closely with competing wearables, while core physiological data is gathered by the newly designed optical heart rate sensor on the rear case. The expanded 64GB storage capacity primarily serves offline music storage, as the company’s mapping system remains highly optimized and requires significantly less space. Because Suunto does not integrate with major third-party streaming providers, users who wish to listen to music must manually transfer MP3 files to the device via a USB connection and pair Bluetooth headphones directly to the watch.

When engaging in sports and outdoor activities, pressing the upper-right button opens the workout panel to search for GPS signals, heart rate lock, and external sensors. The watch supports numerous sport profiles, customizable data screens, and concurrent SuuntoPlus applications. Users can also load navigation routes and follow pre-planned courses directly on the wrist. Map management is handled via Wi-Fi through the companion smartphone app, allowing users to download specific regional maps as needed.

During active workouts, the navigation system provides clear on-screen prompts and audible alerts for upcoming turns. While map rotation and orientation updates occur smoothly, zooming in and out frequently reveals temporary black rendering tiles while detailed map graphics load. Elevation profiles and climb tracking function reliably throughout structured sessions, and completed workouts automatically sync to the Suunto smartphone app before pushing data to third-party platforms like Strava and TrainingPeaks.

Field testing of the new optical heart rate sensor indicates a significant performance improvement over previous Suunto generations. Across varied activities, including hilly running routes, long trail runs on technical terrain, and gravel cycling sessions characterized by frequent stops and starts, the sensor maintains strong accuracy when compared against a reference chest strap. GNSS performance is similarly solid, maintaining accurate tracks in open environments and rural areas, while facing typical multi-device accuracy challenges in dense urban settings surrounded by tall buildings. Elevation tracking remains stable across extended outings, and battery consumption closely tracks official specifications, delivering multiple days of use under regular training conditions with always-on display settings enabled.

Alongside the hardware release, Suunto has introduced the Suunto AI Coach subscription service, designed to leverage historical and current user data to provide personalized race planning and training insights. The service is launching alongside the Suunto Race 3S, with buyers receiving a three-month complimentary trial before transitioning to a paid model, though final subscription pricing has not yet been detailed. The introduction of paid AI features has drawn scrutiny regarding long-term costs, even as the company moves to support broader platform tools for its user base.

The release of the Suunto Race 3S presents a complex picture for the brand. While the hardware incorporates welcome upgrades, including a brighter display, sapphire glass, a titanium bezel, and a vastly improved optical heart rate sensor, the substantial price increase positions the watch against significantly more advanced market competitors. Reviewers note that while the device performs admirably in the field, its pricing and feature set may face stiff competition from alternative options currently available in the endurance sports watch market.