Watch out Garmin—Suunto has released its first Wear OS smartwatch

Fitness enthusiasts have a few options in the market to choose from: the cheaper fitness trackers like the Mi Band 4, pricier smartwatches like the Apple Watch, and premium activity trackers like Garmin‘s smartwatches also in the mix.

Suunto’s watches probably fall into the last category, and one of their main rivals is Garmin—that’s considering price points and features. Now, the company is launching its first Wear OS-based smartwatch, the Suunto 7, which could theoretically offer users the best of both worlds.

This would make the Suunto 7 one of the more “outdoorsy” Wear OS smartwatches, with GPS tracking, offline outdoor maps, heart rate sensors, an altimeter, sleep tracker, and over 70 exercise modes combined with the perks of Google’s Wear OS. You’ll get access to Google Assistant, Google Fit, and Google Pay where it’s supported.

In keeping with its fitness enthusiasts target market, the Suunto 7 will come with Suunto Heatmaps across 15 activities, which makes the smartwatch a standalone device without an accompanying smartphone—or even if there isn’t internet connectivity.

Battery is pretty decent for a Wear OS smartwatch—but is relatively poor if you compare it to some of Garmin’s devices. You’re looking at 48 hours of battery life for normal usage, while you can get 12 hours if you’re in GPS tracking mode.

Perhaps the relatively poor battery life can be partly attributed to the OLED touch-sensitive display (Garmin’s premium watches don’t use touch-screens). And the Suunto 7 is apparently built to withstand some pretty harsh conditions, with the 1.97 display made from Gorilla Glass.

Powered by the Snapdragon Wear 3100, the smartwatch is water resistant at up to 50 metres, and weighs 70g. Pre-orders begin on the 6th of January, and prices will start at US$479 (about RM1,965). It’s rather expensive, but if you’re in the market for a Wear OS device that still retains some of the more enthusiast-centric features that a Suunto would have, perhaps it’s a viable option for you.

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