Suunto has officially announced its latest wearable device, the Suunto Race 3S, introducing a compact form factor paired with a significant, and controversial, price hike. Alongside the hardware release, the company has launched a new subscription service dubbed the Suunto AI Coach, which serves as the integration point for upcoming mobile application features. Having spent the last few weeks thoroughly testing the Suunto Race 3S across a diverse range of athletic activities, reviewers and industry observers are left examining how the entire ecosystem functions and whether the Finnish brand can justify the steep new price tag. The new Suunto Race 3S arrives with a brighter display, increased internal storage, and several software updates that bypassed the existing Race S model earlier in the summer. While these incremental updates are certainly welcome, the changes do not represent a radical departure from the previous generation. Among the physical modifications is an upgrade in materials, shifting from a stainless steel bezel to a titanium bezel, which contributes to a slightly lighter overall build while increasing the official case size by a millimeter. Read Also: Wahoo Returns to the Running Market with New Apple Watch App and Training Platform Wahoo Re-enters the Running Market with a New Apple Watch App and Training Ecosystem Putting the device through its paces across everything from standard road workouts to rugged trail sessions provides a clear picture of how it holds up against the broader competitive landscape of recent hardware releases. What’s New in the Suunto Race 3S As an upgrade to the existing Suunto Race S, the release of the Race 3S leaves some notable gaps in the product naming convention. Notably, there was no Suunto Race 2S, and paradoxically, there is currently no larger Suunto Race 3 companion model available. When questioned about the absence of a standard or larger Race 3 variant, company representatives offered no comment, leaving the question open as to future product line expansion. Ignoring the routine firmware updates that the original Suunto Race S continued to receive until recently, the hardware and software modifications for the new model present a clear list of changes. On the hardware front, 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, and the bezel material shifts from stainless steel to titanium. Internal upgrades include an updated optical heart rate sensor, a faster Apollo 510 processor, and expanded battery longevity. GPS battery life has increased from 30 hours to 38 hours in dual-frequency mode and 45 hours in single-frequency mode. Daily smartwatch battery life jumps from 9 days to 12 days, and internal storage has doubled from 32GB to 64GB. The expanded storage brings support for offline music playback utilizing MP3 files, though streaming service integration remains absent. Additionally, the device now supports up to three concurrent SuuntoPlus apps within a single profile, up from two. The official case size increases slightly from 45mm to 46mm, while weight decreases from 60 grams to 56 grams. Most notably, the retail price escalates significantly from $349 USD to $599 USD, and from 349 EUR to 499 EUR. While certain spec sheets mention NFC, this functionality is restricted exclusively to the Chinese market, with no contactless payment options available elsewhere. On the software side, the device inherits features previously rolled out to the Suunto Race 2, including a new tide widget, expanded map labels featuring road names, water bodies, and mountain peaks, and the addition of ascent as an exercise target. Furthermore, Suunto has announced a forthcoming Race Planner feature slated for release later in the year. This upcoming tool aims to incorporate weather analysis, historical training metrics, and anticipated race-day conditions into the planning ecosystem without requiring the separate AI Coach subscription. Unboxing and Hardware Impressions The unboxing experience for the Suunto Race 3S remains consistent with recent product packaging from the manufacturer. Inside the box, users find the watch pod, a standard band strap, paper documentation, and a braided charging cable. The magnetic charging cable marks a noticeable improvement over the hardware included with the original S model, which frequently suffered from physical misalignment issues during charging sessions. Assembling the watch requires attaching the standard straps to the main pod, a quick process before the device is ready for daily use. The Basics and Daily Usability The Suunto Race 3S relies on a traditional three-button layout combined with a responsive touchscreen interface, allowing users to navigate the operating system using either input method. The upper-right button opens the sport menu, the middle digital crown scrolls through lists and accesses pinned widgets during daily wear, and the bottom button serves as a back and escape command. The left side of the case remains completely bare of physical controls. The 2,000-nit display remains legible under bright sunlight, performing well even in demanding outdoor environments. However, when viewed alongside contemporary devices released around the same time, it becomes apparent that many competing products utilize brighter panels exceeding 3,000 nits while retailing for substantially lower prices. Power-saving algorithms on the Suunto device can occasionally appear overly aggressive, dimming the panel quickly after a wrist gesture, though visibility is generally maintained. Noticeably absent from the Race 3S is a dedicated physical LED flashlight, a feature present on the similarly priced Suunto Vertical 2. Users must rely on a screen-based illumination mode instead. Navigating through the customizable quick-access widgets reveals smooth transitions, though minor interface lag can occasionally appear despite the inclusion of the upgraded processor, highlighting the ongoing importance of software optimization over raw hardware specifications. Daily health and wellness metrics, such as sleep tracking and heart rate variability status, align closely with industry standards and comparable wearables. Sleep tracking generally matches actual rest and wake times within a narrow margin of error. The expanded 64GB storage capacity primarily accommodates offline music storage via direct USB file transfers, as modern streaming services like Spotify are unsupported. Users can pair Bluetooth headphones and manage local playlists, though this workflow appeals to a niche demographic of users managing local audio files. Sports Usage and Mapping Accessing workout profiles is initiated via the upper-right button, which opens the exercise panel, automatically loading the previous sport mode and initiating GNSS satellite acquisition and heart rate locking. The interface supports a wide array of sport profiles, navigation courses, and SuuntoPlus applications. Users can enable up to three concurrent SuuntoPlus apps within a single profile. Map management relies on Wi-Fi downloads through the companion application, allowing users to select and transfer specific geographic regions. While map rotation is fluid and free from rendering glitches, zooming in and out frequently exposes temporary black square tiles as the device processes detailed map data. While minor map rendering delays are common across the industry, the appearance of solid black placeholder tiles detracts from the visual fluidity of the interface. Workout summaries and post-exercise analytics are displayed clearly on the watch interface and synchronized automatically with the mobile app and third-party platforms such as Strava and TrainingPeaks. Accuracy of Heart Rate and GPS The newly integrated optical heart rate sensor, featuring six LEDs and four photodetectors beneath curved sensor glass, demonstrates a marked improvement over previous Suunto iterations. Testing across varied activities, including rolling terrain, steep descents, and technical trail runs, shows the optical sensor tracking closely against chest strap references with minimal deviation. GPS tracking performance remains stable across open environments, matching the reliability of competitive multisport watches, though dense urban environments with tall buildings present typical multipath challenges for all tested wearables. Elevation tracking and battery longevity metrics align closely with official manufacturer specifications, even when utilizing multi-frequency GNSS and navigation features. Suunto AI Coach Subscription The introduction of the Suunto AI Coach subscription service brings advanced, data-driven race planning and coaching insights into the ecosystem. Currently operated entirely through the mobile application, the feature utilizes historical and real-time training data to generate customized guidance. Race 3S purchasers receive a three-month complimentary trial, though the long-term pricing structure has not yet been finalized by the company. Alongside this paid service, Suunto has announced plans for a free data platform accessible to all users, aligning with broader industry trends toward hybrid free and premium digital coaching models. Wrap-Up The launch of the Suunto Race 3S presents a complex value proposition for endurance athletes. While the device benefits from a durable titanium build, a brighter display, expanded storage, and a vastly improved optical heart rate sensor, the steep price increase positions it directly against significantly more advanced hardware competitors. The inclusion of niche features like offline MP3 support and a higher price point without corresponding leaps in cutting-edge display technology or integrated physical flashlights leaves the device in a challenging competitive tier, despite its underlying athletic performance strengths. Post navigation Suunto Announces the Race 3S Smartwatch Alongside New AI Coach Subscription Service
