Two years after the launch of the Suunto Spartan, the Finns announce the launch of their next top of the range, the Suunto 9. I have had the privilege of following the development of this project, receiving several prototypes of it from a very early. I am going to comment on what I have seen so far, waiting to be able to launch My First Impressions, in which, as usual, I will do a more in-depth analysis.
With this announcement, Suunto remains faithful to the current line of launches of new watches or model updates in the sector, which is usually approximately two years.
I have decided to make this entry in the form of a question/answer because I think that this way we will all have a clearer understanding of what this new model will bring.
What news regarding the Spartan line does it bring?
Changes have been introduced in the hardware, as well as in the firmware of the device. The firmware on which version 2.0 of the Spartan line has started to work. The changes focus on the replacement of the GPS receiver, which is from Qualcomm (formerly SirfStar) to Sony. This change sees battery life skyrocket to almost 24 hours in maximum precision mode. In addition, a function called FusedTrack has been added that improves the tracks of the route obtained for profiles related to walking and running sports (trail running, running, trekking, hiking…). A great improvement has been introduced in the open water swimming record, now being one of the watches that most faithfully measure distance and record track, on the market
Who is this new model for?
In principle, the same segment as the Spartan plus users who want to record activities without charging the watch running for up to more than 100 hours (even more depending on customization), sacrificing enormously the distance data and the track obtained. According to specifications, the duration would range from 25 hours in Performance mode to 120 in Ultra mode
Will it have at least the same functions as the Spartans?
Yes. The new Suunto 9 has as standard the same functions as the Suunto Spartan Wrist HR Baro plus others that belong exclusively to Suunto 9
What are these new features?
Will it have maps for navigation like the Garmin Fenix 5X?
No, the navigation is exactly the same as the Spartan range
Is it a Spartan 2?
No, it’s not officially a Spartan 2 although it could have been. Shares the same platform as the Spartan although there are hardware changes
Will there be Spartan 2?
Suunto has not confirmed or denied this option, but my opinion is that in the near future there will not be
Are there any hardware changes from the Spartans? Because?
Yes, there are hardware changes. Specifically, there is a new GPS chip (it goes from Qualcomm to a Sony) and the barometric sensor evolves (a minor change).
Does the GPS accuracy improve with the new Sony chip?
Why aren’t you more forceful saying that the GPS quality is very poor?
Because the current firmware is still in beta and because in my experience Suunto has always fixed these kinds of problems. As an example, the Ambit3, which in its development phase had a very poor GPS quality. We all know now that it is the reference in terms of track quality and distance in areas with poor GPS signal
Will the new features of the S9 also be added to the Spartan range in the future?
Suunto has not officially confirmed it. At the software level, they are compatible
Will there be more firmware updates for the Spartan range?
No official confirmation from Suunto
Will it only work with Suunto App or will it also work with Movescount?
It will work with both, although it is necessary to avoid having both installed at the same time on the phone because they could cause clock resets (also happens with Spartans)
It is very similar to a Spartan Wrist HR Baro. What differences are there?
The GPS chip is different, moving from a Qualcomm (old SirfStar V) to a less power consuming chip from Sony but unfortunately, at launch, also with less GPS accuracy in areas with poor signal. In addition, the barometric sensor, being the same models, also presents a small hardware evolution. Lastly, the Suunto 9 comes with sapphire glass (thanks Francesc for reminding me ????)
I have bought a Spartan Ultra. Should I trade it in for an S9?
Depends. If you use the watch mainly for open water swimming, the difference in terms of the quality of the track you have followed is much higher. That aside, IMHO no, unless you really want to have heart rate on your wrist (knowing that it’s not as accurate as your usual HR treadmill). Dimensions and weight are similar. Also at the time of launch the new GPS chip that Suunto 9 incorporates is noticeably more inaccurate in areas with poor GPS signal
I have bought myself a Spartan Wrist HR Baro. Should I trade it in for an S9?
I personally would say no because you get very little improvement in return
I have a Garmin Fenix 5/Forerunner 935. Should I trade it in for a Suunto 9 for the renowned GPS accuracy of Suunto watches?
No, if you want to change it thinking that Suunto 9 will give you more precision than your Garmin Fenix 5/Forerunner 935, don’t do it. In my tests, at least as of the date of the announcement, the Suunto 9 has a GPS accuracy comparable to that of the Fenix 5/Forerunner 935, which is noticeably lower than watches in the Spartan range (my accuracy ranking)
In what colors is it available?
In black and white. The bezel changes a bit on both models
¿Es compatible con Strava Live Segments?
No, incomprehensibly these days, but it’s not compatible with Strava Live Segments
To end
Suunto’s new top-of-the-range product is called Suunto 9. From my point of view, it adds little more than the previous Suunto Spartan Ultra Stealth since the new features are minimal, the battery life during an activity (not so in clock mode) yes it is higher but it is lost due to GPS accuracy
Many kilometers to all!
Are you thinking of buying
If you are thinking of buying a Suunto 9 on Amazon because of the guarantees and the service it offers, you may want to buy it using the link below. If you buy this or another product on Amazon using this link, at no cost to you, you make Amazon buy me a beer 😉
