If you want better customization options
Choose Suunto Vertical 2. It scores 4.8 vs 2.9 for customization options, with a 4.2 overall score.
Suunto Race 2 Review
Bottom Line
Choose the Suunto Race 2 if you want a training-first AMOLED watch with long battery life, bright maps and stronger HR than older Suuntos. Skip it if you need rich smartwatch apps, onboard music, payments or the most consistent GPS/HR accuracy.
Best for
Best for runners, trail users and endurance athletes who want a bright AMOLED training watch with long battery life, offline maps and strong sport-tracking basics without a phone-like smartwatch experience.
Not for
Not for users who prioritize onboard music, payments, advanced smartwatch apps, a smaller case, or fully polished health and recovery metrics over battery life and training tools.
Verdict
The Suunto Race 2 comes through in the reviews as a training-first endurance watch with standout display quality, outdoor readability, battery life, and improved heart-rate hardware. Reviewers repeatedly liked the brighter AMOLED screen, stronger build, long GPS endurance, better charger, and capable maps once they were loaded. The tradeoff is that the Race 2 still behaves more like a focused sports watch than a full smartwatch: payments, onboard music, rich notifications, and deep app customization are limited. Accuracy is also not unanimous; heart rate is much better than older Suuntos, but several reviewers still saw outliers, and GPS drew both praise and nitpicks.
Feature Scorecards
Summary
52 reviewed features-
Very positive 4.5-5.020 (38%)
-
Positive 3.5-4.415 (29%)
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Neutral 2.5-3.49 (17%)
-
Negative 1.5-2.48 (15%)
Pros
-
Battery life was one of the clearest strengths, with reviewers repeatedly praising endurance, long GPS runtime, and multi-day use.
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Display quality was one of the strongest points, repeatedly described as bright, sharp, readable, stunning, and easy to use during training.
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Outdoor visibility was consistently excellent, with reviewers reporting easy readability in bright sun and direct sunlight.
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GPS accuracy was generally strong, especially for land workouts, but several reviewers saw small errors, worse open-water results, or a slight step back from past Suunto performance.
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Charging convenience improved substantially, with reviewers praising the redesigned magnetic charger and more secure dock.
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Software smoothness was widely praised as improved, with reviewers noting slicker widgets, smoother scrolling, and little delay.
Cons
-
Smartwatch features were consistently limited, with reviewers repeatedly noting that the Race 2 is training-first rather than a phone-like smartwatch.
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Onboard music storage was a repeated shortcoming, with reviewers noting that offline playback is not available despite expectations for a premium sports watch.
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Wi-Fi connectivity was a recurring map-download annoyance, with reviewers describing slow downloads, cumbersome syncing, or trouble on weak networks.
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Step counting was a recurring weak spot in the evidence, with reviewers saying the Race 2 miscalculated steps or produced very low counts.
-
Safety features drew a serious concern from one reviewer about exposed public activity start and end positions.
-
Calorie tracking was criticized in one review for producing numbers that appeared much too high.
Compared With Category Average
Compared with other Smartwatches, this product is above average in charging convenience, flashlight usefulness, operating system experience, near average in GPS accuracy, heart rate accuracy, below average in safety features, health tracking accuracy, step counting accuracy.
Comparison summary
52 compared features-
Above average 0.4+ pts higher22 (42%)
-
Same as average within 0.3 pts12 (23%)
-
Below average 0.4+ pts lower18 (35%)
Largest category differences
| Attribute | This product | Category average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| safety features | 1.5 | 3.9 | -2.4 |
| health tracking accuracy | 2.0 | 3.9 | -1.9 |
| step counting accuracy | 2.0 | 3.8 | -1.8 |
| touchscreen responsiveness | 2.5 | 4.0 | -1.5 |
| charging convenience | 4.6 | 3.3 | +1.3 |
| smartwatch features | 2.2 | 3.5 | -1.3 |
| calorie tracking usefulness | 2.0 | 3.3 | -1.3 |
| customization options | 2.9 | 4.1 | -1.2 |
Consider This Instead
If you want better health tracking accuracy
Choose Suunto Run. It scores 4.6 vs 2.0 for health tracking accuracy, with a 4.0 overall score.
If you want better touchscreen responsiveness
Choose Garmin Forerunner 165. It scores 4.6 vs 2.5 for touchscreen responsiveness, with a 4.3 overall score.
If you want better value for money
Choose Suunto Race S. It scores 4.8 vs 4.2 for value for money, with a 3.9 overall score.
Compared in Reviews
Products reviewers directly compared with this model, grouped into quick takeaways.
- More expensive: price The reviewer noted the Race 2 is still cheaper than the Garmin Forerunner 970.
- Similar: overall performance and value The reviewer framed the Race 2 as a close match for the Garmin Forerunner 970 at a lower price.
- Similar: GPS accuracy The reviewer found the Race 2 GPS track matched the Apple Watch Ultra almost perfectly.
- Worse: display and mapping feel The reviewer said the Race 2 feels more modern and map-friendly than a MIP watch such as the COROS APEX 4.
FAQ
Is the Suunto Race 2 good for serious running and endurance training?
Yes. Reviewers consistently framed it as a training-first watch with strong battery life, useful maps, broad sport modes and improved heart-rate tracking for runners and endurance athletes.
How good is the battery life?
Battery life is one of the strongest points. Reviewers praised multi-day smartwatch use and long GPS runtime, with several calling the endurance excellent for an AMOLED sports watch.
Is the heart-rate sensor accurate?
It is clearly improved over older Suunto watches, and many reviewers found it reliable enough for regular training. However, several still reported inaccurate readings during hard efforts, early-run lock-on, or certain gym workouts.
Are the maps and navigation useful?
Yes, reviewers liked the offline maps and trail navigation once maps were loaded. The main caveats were slow map downloads, missing labels or POIs in some feedback, and no on-watch rerouting.
Does it work well as a smartwatch?
Only in a basic way. Reviewers repeatedly noted limited smartwatch features, including basic notifications and no onboard music or contactless payments.
Who is most likely to be disappointed by it?
People wanting a smaller watch, rich smartwatch apps, built-in music, payments, or the most consistent health and sleep tracking may find the Race 2 too focused on sport-watch essentials.
Sample Expert Reviews We Analyzed
These are a few of the reviews included in our analysis.
Video Reviews
YouTube - The Run Testers
- Review score
- 4.0
YouTube - DesFit
- Review score
- 4.4
YouTube - Chase the Summit
- Review score
- 4.1
Article Reviews
techradar.com
- Review score
- 4.4
androidcentral.com
- Review score
- 4.3
livescience.com
- Review score
- 3.7
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