If you want better flashlight usefulness
Choose Suunto Race 2. It scores 5.0 vs 4.3 for flashlight usefulness, with a 4.0 overall score.
Suunto Vertical 2 Review
Bottom Line
Choose the Suunto Vertical 2 if you want long AMOLED battery life, accurate GPS, offline maps, and a rugged flashlight-equipped outdoor watch. Skip it if you need rich smartwatch apps, payments, calls, onboard music, or a smaller daily watch.
Best for
Best for endurance runners, hikers, trail users, and outdoor athletes who prioritize battery life, GPS accuracy, offline maps, rugged hardware, and a wrist flashlight over smartwatch extras.
Not for
Not for shoppers who want a smaller everyday smartwatch with deep app support, tap-to-pay, onboard music, call handling, rich notifications, or the most polished navigation ecosystem.
Verdict
Reviewers largely describe the Suunto Vertical 2 as a serious outdoor watch that finally pairs Suunto’s endurance reputation with a bright AMOLED screen. Battery life, GPS accuracy, maps, build quality, and the LED flashlight are the clear strengths, and several reviewers found the app and training/recovery data cleaner than before. The tradeoff is that it remains more adventure tool than full smartwatch: payments, onboard music, richer notifications, SOS smarts, and Garmin-depth ecosystem support are limited or absent. Comfort also depends on wrist size, strap fit, and tolerance for a heavy 49mm case.
Feature Scorecards
Summary
51 reviewed features-
Very positive 4.5-5.018 (35%)
-
Positive 3.5-4.420 (39%)
-
Neutral 2.5-3.46 (12%)
-
Negative 1.5-2.46 (12%)
-
Very negative below 1.51 (2%)
Pros
-
Battery life was the strongest point of agreement: reviewers repeatedly called it class-leading or excellent for AMOLED, with a few real-world caveats versus claims.
-
GPS accuracy was one of the strongest themes, with reviewers repeatedly calling land-based tracking accurate, rock-solid, spot-on, or near-perfect.
-
Display quality was one of the strongest positives, with reviewers repeatedly praising the AMOLED screen as bright, sharp, vibrant, clean, and modern.
-
Charging convenience was a major improvement, with reviewers praising the stronger magnetic charger, better clip, and reliable connection.
-
Value for money was generally positive because the watch delivers strong outdoor performance at less than some Garmin rivals, though some reviewers flagged competition and higher titanium pricing.
-
The flashlight was widely considered useful or even essential, but several reviewers criticized early software behavior, access flow, or clunky controls.
Cons
-
Onboard music storage was repeatedly criticized or marked absent, with reviewers noting no offline music despite the available storage.
-
Contactless payments were a clear missing feature and one reviewer explicitly docked the product for no tap-to-pay wallet.
-
Size options were a weakness because one reviewer specifically criticized the single-size approach.
-
The app ecosystem was a weakness relative to Garmin, with reviewers calling out a lack of deeper training ecosystem or rich smart features.
-
Wi-Fi connectivity was mainly discussed through map downloads, where reviewers ran into a fiddly process or setup failures.
-
Notification handling was mixed: alerts could arrive reliably, but reviewers repeatedly noted read-only limits, short previews, no images, or reduced iPhone behavior.
Compared With Category Average
Compared with other Smartwatches, this product is above average in charging convenience, reliability, operating system experience, near average in companion app quality, button controls, below average in safety features, contactless payments, size options.
Comparison summary
51 compared features-
Above average 0.4+ pts higher23 (45%)
-
Same as average within 0.3 pts15 (29%)
-
Below average 0.4+ pts lower13 (25%)
Largest category differences
| Attribute | This product | Category average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| safety features | 2.0 | 3.9 | -1.9 |
| contactless payments | 1.0 | 2.8 | -1.8 |
| charging convenience | 4.9 | 3.3 | +1.6 |
| size options | 1.5 | 3.2 | -1.7 |
| smartwatch features | 2.0 | 3.5 | -1.5 |
| onboard music storage | 1.5 | 2.9 | -1.4 |
| app ecosystem | 2.3 | 3.6 | -1.4 |
| step counting accuracy | 2.5 | 3.8 | -1.3 |
Consider This Instead
If you want better comfort
Choose Suunto Run. It scores 4.7 vs 3.6 for comfort, with a 4.0 overall score.
If you want better smartphone notifications
Choose Garmin Forerunner 165. It scores 5.0 vs 2.6 for smartphone notifications, with a 4.3 overall score.
If you want better contactless payments
Choose Garmin Enduro 3. It scores 5.0 vs 1.0 for contactless payments, with a 4.2 overall score.
Compared in Reviews
Products reviewers directly compared with this model, grouped into quick takeaways.
- Similar: adventure-watch capability The reviewer says the Vertical 2 closely matches the more expensive Garmin Fenix 8 in high-end adventure-watch role.
- More expensive: price The Vertical 2 is portrayed as far cheaper than Garmin Fenix 8 for buyers wanting a flashlight-equipped adventure watch.
- Alternative: budget alternative The Amazfit T-Rex 3 is suggested as a budget alternative with fewer advanced mapping and fitness features.
- Better: battery drain The reviewer’s Garmin Enduro 3 drained less battery in the same hiking window.
FAQ
Is the Suunto Vertical 2 battery life good?
Yes. Battery life was the clearest point of agreement, with reviewers repeatedly calling it class-leading, staggering, or excellent for an AMOLED adventure watch.
How accurate is the GPS?
Reviewers were strongly positive on land-based GPS accuracy, describing it as spot-on, near-perfect, rock-solid, or very accurate across runs, hikes, and challenging terrain.
Is the heart rate sensor reliable?
It is improved, but not flawless. Several reviewers saw accurate readings, while others reported startup wobble, high-intensity drift, or fit-sensitive results.
Does it work well as a smartwatch?
It works best as an outdoor performance watch, not a full smartwatch. Reviewers repeatedly noted limited notifications, no onboard music, no tap-to-pay, and weaker app ecosystem depth than Garmin.
Is the flashlight actually useful?
Yes. Reviewers found the LED flashlight useful for trails, travel, camp, indoor searching, and night use, though some criticized the software controls or access flow.
Is it comfortable for daily wear and sleep?
Comfort was mixed. Some reviewers found it balanced, secure, and surprisingly wearable, while others called it bulky, heavy, or chunky for sleep and smaller wrists.
Sample Expert Reviews We Analyzed
These are a few of the reviews included in our analysis.
Video Reviews
YouTube - TechMagnet
- Review score
- 4.6
YouTube - Dave Does Fitness
- Review score
- 4.5
Article Reviews
gadgetsandwearables.com
- Review score
- 4.1
runnersworld.com
- Review score
- 4.3
livescience.com
- Review score
- 3.9
gearjunkie.com
- Review score
- 3.8
Top Smartwatches to Consider
Good if you want premium running features, long battery life, and maps for under $200. Skip it if you need flawless heart-rate data, multiband GPS, LTE, or richer app support.
Pros: pairing reliability, brightness
Cons: Wi-Fi connectivity, Bluetooth connectivity
Best for accurate running metrics, excellent coaching tools, a bright AMOLED display, and dependable battery life. Skip it if you need offline maps, music storage, contactless payments, multi-band GPS, or...
Pros: step counting accuracy, app ecosystem
Cons: Bluetooth connectivity, pairing reliability
Good if you want a compact, stylish Garmin with strong GPS, comfort, and week-plus battery life. Skip it if you need richer smartwatch apps, onboard music, bright always-on display, or...
Pros: health tracking accuracy, blood oxygen tracking
Cons: ECG functionality, onboard music storage
Best for luxury-watch styling, vivid TAG faces, solid build, and casual smartwatch use. Skip it if you need top fitness accuracy, call handling, LTE, or strong value.
Pros: contactless payments, pairing reliability
Cons: LTE connectivity, call handling