When you delve into the world of outdoor and adventure gear, the conversation inevitably steers towards GPS smartwatches. Among the myriad of brands, Garmin and Suunto consistently emerge as frontrunners, renowned for their robust features and reliability. For anyone looking to invest in a top-tier GPS smartwatch, the question isn’t whether to choose a smartwatch, but often which brand and model will best suit their needs. Both Garmin and Suunto produce exceptional devices that often outperform general-purpose smartwatches, especially in demanding outdoor environments. The real challenge lies in discerning which brand, and specifically which model, offers the optimal balance of features and performance for individual users.
To provide clarity in this often complex choice, we’ve put two flagship models head-to-head: the Garmin Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar and the Suunto 9 Peak Pro. The Garmin Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar, priced at $999, represents the pinnacle of Garmin’s adventure smartwatch line, while the Suunto 9 Peak Pro, at $549, stands as Suunto’s premium offering, emphasizing sleek design and robust functionality. This detailed comparison aims to definitively determine which of these brands and models reigns supreme in the realm of adventure smartwatches.
How We Tested These Smartwatches
Our testing methodology was designed to mirror real-world usage, ensuring a comprehensive and unbiased evaluation. The Garmin Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar became a constant companion for three months, enduring daily training sessions in preparation for a demanding gravel cycling race. Following this intense period, the Suunto 9 Peak Pro took over for a couple of months, accompanying a diverse range of activities from gym workouts and running sessions to biking expeditions and a challenging backcountry ski trip in the Colorado mountains. Both smartwatches were also tested across various national parks and forests, tracking everything from sleep patterns and daily activities to calorie expenditure and step counts.
Still seeking a definitive verdict, we then embarked on a unique phase: simultaneously wearing both watches for three weeks. This side-by-side comparison was crucial for objectively assessing accuracy, comfort, and feature richness. This dual-watch approach, while drawing some curious glances during group rides, provided invaluable data for a direct and unbiased comparison.
Suunto v. Garmin on one wrist
Similarities Between Garmin and Suunto Smartwatches
Both the Garmin Fenix 7x Sapphire Solar and Suunto 9 Peak Pro share a foundation of solid smartwatch capabilities. They seamlessly integrate with smartphones, managing notifications and enabling music and podcast control directly from the wrist. Accuracy is paramount in GPS watches, and both excel with real-time GPS tracking, alongside comprehensive fitness metrics, from heart rate monitoring to calorie burn estimation. Sleep tracking is another shared feature, providing insights into nightly rest, and both boast impressive battery life, even under continuous GPS usage. The touchscreens on both devices are responsive and incorporate a practical screen lock during workouts, requiring button operation (five on Garmin, three on Suunto) to navigate features – a welcome feature over touch-sensitive screens when dealing with sweat or wet conditions, a common issue with devices like the Apple Watch. Water resistance to 100 meters is standard in both, assuring durability for water-based activities.
However, the form factor presents a notable contrast. The Garmin Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar is undeniably large, featuring a 55-millimeter face that often attracts attention due to its size, although 42 and 47-millimeter versions are available for those preferring a less imposing size. Its design strongly evokes a robust adventure watch, similar in appearance to a classic diver’s watch. Conversely, the Suunto 9 Peak Pro presents a more understated profile with a 43-millimeter face, closer to a traditional watch size, and features a subtle black band and bezel, with options for customization including a titanium casing and tan band for a more distinctive look. Weight also differentiates them, with the Garmin at 89 grams and the Suunto considerably lighter at 64 grams, impacting wrist feel and comfort during extended wear.
Battery Life Comparison
For adventure enthusiasts, battery life is a critical factor in a GPS smartwatch. Daily charging can be restrictive, especially on multi-day expeditions, and impedes continuous sleep tracking. Suunto claims up to 21 days of battery life for the 9 Peak Pro in standard smartwatch mode and 40 hours with constant GPS use. Garmin boasts even longer endurance for the Fenix 7x Sapphire Solar, citing 28 days in smartwatch mode and an impressive 89 hours in GPS mode. Real-world testing revealed that neither watch faltered in battery performance. During a nine-day simultaneous wear test, encompassing varied GPS usage including multi-hour bike rides, the Suunto closely matched the Garmin, finishing with 29 percent battery remaining compared to Garmin’s 37 percent. While manufacturer claims might be slightly optimistic, both watches reliably met the demands of extended use without needing frequent recharges. Charging speed is also commendable in both, with Suunto reaching full charge from empty in just an hour, and Garmin completing a full charge in two hours.
The Garmin Fenix 7x Sapphire Solar incorporates solar charging technology, which Garmin suggests can extend battery life by up to 33 hours under ideal sunlight conditions. During sunny desert cycling tests, this feature likely contributed to battery preservation. However, the practical benefit of solar charging is conditional. In environments with limited direct sunlight, such as heavily forested areas, the solar capability may offer minimal advantage. Prospective buyers should consider their typical usage environment and whether the added cost for solar charging justifies the potential, albeit variable, battery life extension over the already substantial battery performance of both the Suunto and the non-solar versions of Garmin models.
Battery Life Advantage: Garmin, though the real-world benefit and necessity, especially considering the price premium, is debatable for many users.
GPS and Navigation Capabilities Compared
Navigation is a key differentiator between these two smartwatches. While both offer robust GPS capabilities, their navigation features vary significantly. Both the Garmin Fenix 7x and Suunto 9 Peak Pro utilize multiple global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) to ensure precise location tracking, significantly outperforming smartphone-based GPS tracking in accuracy and reliability. Side-by-side testing showed near-identical distance and elevation measurements for runs and rides, confirming comparable GPS accuracy. Route uploading for turn-by-turn directions is also supported by both devices.
However, Garmin’s Fenix 7x excels in navigation functionality, featuring preloaded TopoActive maps. These detailed, color topographic maps allow users to follow routes with a clear understanding of the terrain. The larger 55-millimeter screen of the Fenix 7X enhances map usability, making it genuinely practical for navigation directly from the wrist. In contrast, the Suunto 9 Peak Pro offers a more basic map screen that displays the route track but lacks topographic details, limiting contextual awareness of the surrounding landscape. The topographic maps on the Fenix 7X proved invaluable during backcountry explorations, such as an off-trail hike in Joshua Tree National Park, where the detailed mapping aided in route maintenance and direction, proving crucial for confident navigation in unfamiliar terrain.
GPS and Navigation Advantage: Garmin, due to its superior preloaded topographic maps and more detailed navigation features.
Fitness Tracking Features
The Suunto 9 Peak Pro distinguishes itself with an extensive array of pre-programmed sports modes, boasting 95 different activity profiles, accommodating everything from mainstream sports to niche activities like paragliding and even “mermaiding.” This broad selection ensures users are likely to find and accurately track virtually any activity they engage in.
Garmin, while highly capable in fitness tracking, adopts a slightly different approach. The Fenix 7x is more oriented towards adventure and outdoor sports out-of-the-box, with preloaded modes focusing on activities like kayaking and backcountry skiing. Basic sports modes such as running and cycling are not immediately available and require users to add them through the settings. However, Garmin offers extensive customization, allowing users to add a vast range of activities, including specialized options like breathwork and horseback riding.
Post-workout data presentation also varies. After workouts, the Garmin Fenix 7x provides a detailed summary, including max and average heart rate, calories burned, time spent in heart rate zones, training status, and recovery recommendations. The Suunto 9 Peak Pro offers a more streamlined summary, focusing on workout duration, average heart rate, max heart rate, calories burned, and recovery time. Both watches seamlessly integrate with platforms like Strava, enabling automatic activity uploads post-workout, provided initial connection setup is completed.
Customization of data displays during workouts is a strong feature in both watches. While requiring some initial setup guided by user manuals, both Garmin and Suunto allow users to prioritize and customize the metrics displayed during activities. For example, real-time heart rate, distance, speed, and duration can be prominently displayed, with additional metrics accessible via screen scrolling. The larger display of the Garmin Fenix 7x provides a notable advantage in readability of these metrics during activities, potentially negating the need for a separate bike computer for cyclists.
Heart rate monitoring is a critical aspect of fitness tracking. While chest straps are traditionally considered the gold standard for accuracy, wrist-based heart rate technology has advanced significantly. A 2021 study published in Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport validated the accuracy of Garmin Fenix’s heart rate and blood oxygen monitoring under various environmental conditions. Suunto claims its wrist-based heart rate monitor achieves accuracy within 5 percent of chest straps approximately 90 percent of the time. In practical use, comparing simultaneous readings from both watches showed heart rate values typically within a 5 to 10 beats per minute range of each other, with consistent and reliable readings devoid of erratic spikes or delays. For users focused on gauging workout intensity rather than clinical-grade heart rate precision, both watches provide sufficiently accurate and reliable data.
Fitness Tracking Advantage: Suunto, due to its broader range of preloaded sports modes catering to both gym-based and outdoor activities right out of the box.
Sleep Tracking Analysis
Wearable sleep tracking offers valuable insights into sleep quality and recovery. Suunto’s sleep tracking on the 9 Peak Pro provides essential data, including deep sleep duration, average heart rate during sleep, awake time, and an overall sleep quality score. It also tracks and presents the average sleep duration over the past seven days, helping users monitor sleep consistency.
Garmin’s sleep tracking in the Fenix 7x offers a more granular analysis. It includes all metrics provided by Suunto, but adds a detailed bar graph visualizing the timing and duration of deep sleep, light sleep, and awake periods throughout the night. This detailed breakdown allows users to pinpoint exactly when they achieve their most restful sleep phases. Like Suunto, Garmin also tracks sleep trends over a seven-day period, provides an overall sleep score, and identifies the night with the best sleep quality, enabling users to potentially optimize their sleep routines based on observed patterns.
Sleep Tracking Advantage: Garmin, for its more detailed sleep stage analysis and visual representation, offering deeper insights into sleep patterns and potential optimization strategies.
Comfort and Ease of Use Assessment
Comfort and usability are important factors for daily wear smartwatches. Despite its aesthetic appeal, the larger size of the Garmin Fenix 7x can present practical challenges. Its bulkier profile frequently catches on clothing sleeves and edges of doorways and furniture. While constructed robustly with scratch-resistant Sapphire glass, ensuring resilience against impacts, the size can be cumbersome for some users. Opting for smaller Fenix 7 models (47mm or 42mm) mitigates size concerns, but may compromise battery life, with the 47mm Fenix 7 Sapphire Solar offering a still substantial 57 hours of GPS battery without solar charging benefits. In contrast, the Suunto 9 Peak Pro, being lighter and more compact, feels less obtrusive and more comfortable for all-day and night wear.
Usability also differs in button interface design. The Suunto 9 Peak Pro’s three-button system is generally more intuitive and straightforward to navigate compared to Garmin’s five-button layout on the Fenix 7x. Users occasionally report accidental button presses or confusion with the more complex Garmin button configuration, finding the Suunto’s simpler interface more user-friendly.
Comfort and Ease of Use Advantage: Suunto, due to its lighter weight, more compact size, and more intuitive three-button interface.
Final Verdict: Garmin Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar
While both the Garmin Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar and Suunto 9 Peak Pro are exceptional smartwatches, the Garmin Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar edges out as the winner in this comparison, primarily due to its superior navigation features and more readable display. While the solar charging of the Sapphire Solar model may not be a decisive factor for all users, the larger screen size significantly enhances on-the-fly data readability and map usability. The preloaded topographic maps are a standout feature, providing substantial value for outdoor enthusiasts and adventurers who require detailed navigational support. For users prioritizing comprehensive adventure tracking capabilities and advanced navigation, the Garmin Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar is the definitive choice. An often-overlooked but highly practical feature of the Fenix 7X is the built-in LED flashlight, surprisingly powerful for tasks like nighttime navigation in campsites or finding gear in low-light conditions without disturbing others. Notably, a non-solar version of the Fenix 7X is available, offering a $300 price reduction for those who find solar charging unnecessary.
Nevertheless, the Suunto 9 Peak Pro remains a formidable smartwatch. It offers exceptional performance and a sleek design, making it more than adequate for most users’ daily activities and weekend adventures. For individuals seeking a high-performance fitness tracker with reliable GPS and without the need for every advanced feature, the Suunto 9 Peak Pro presents a compelling option, especially considering its significantly lower price point, saving approximately $450 compared to the Garmin Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar.
