If you’ve been a fan of Suunto watches like us, this new Suunto 9 Peak should be cause for excitement. Not only is it adding some hot new features like Blood Oxygen level monitoring and insanely fast battery charging (while still getting up to 170 hours of GPS tracking!), it does so in a body that’s 37% thinner and 36% lighter than before.
Those measurements include temperature and barometric pressure, giving this new model all the powers of the larger Suunto 9 Baro. This means the new Suunto 9 Peak can show altitude through both barometric pressure and GPS (and combine the two for more accurate numbers), along with storm alerts and air pressure graphs. Put it all together and it’ll log vertical speed, total ascent/descent and more…
Suunto 9 Peak for cycling & multisport
For cyclists, it measures heart rate from the wrist and can pair with Bluetooth heart rate belts, too. Combined with the new Blood Oxygen monitoring, the Suunto 9 Peak can estimate your VO2 max, recovery time, heart rate zones, and more. Even better, those added data points let it show your altitude acclimation, a good thing to know if you’re traveling to the mountains for a big ride or race.
It’ll pair with Bluetooth speed/cadence sensors and power meters, too, while using GPS to show your speed. After the ride, it shows all the same data as a typical GPS cycling computer, and can automatically share to Komoot, Strava, TrainingPeaks, etc.
Speaking of Komoot, Suunto partnered with them in 2020 to add all of that platform’s mapping and route creation features to their watches, including the Suunto 9 Peak. So, you can create a route for anything -riding, hiking, trail running, commuting, even overlanding- and sync it to your watch for real-time guidance. A built-in compass shows your heading all the way.
You can check out our full profile of Komoot here to see why you should be using it to map all of your rides. Another feature we love about Suunto’s tracking is the breadcrumb trail…if you get lost, just follow your tracks back to the start!
Runners and triathletes can track footsteps by syncing a Bluetooth foot pod, or just rely on the watch’s cadence and GPS to measure speed and distance. Add the Suunto Smart Sensor for HR tracking while swimming. The Suunto 9 Peak can even track swimming pace in pools and open water, tracking time, stroke rate/count/type, and even stroke efficiency (SWOLF).
In all it has 80+ sport- and activity-specific modes to choose from, including indoor workouts like weight lifting and yoga.
Suunto 9 Peak design and features
The new model comes in two versions – titanium and stainless steel. Titanium models have a polished bezel and come with Granite Blue or Birch White straps. The stainless steel models have an all-black version and one with the polished bezel and Moss Gray strap.
The case is a glass fiber reinforced polyamide to keep weight low. A few other features we appreciate are silent (vibrating) alarms, screen lock option during exercise, and a generally bomb-proof sapphire lens that’s nearly impossible to scratch.
A new Silicone strap adds a metal button that snaps into place, helping retain the extra length without cumbersome loops. Thankfully, it still uses the standard metal hook and catch like a typical watchband so it can’t just flop open like, um, some smart watches with not-so-smart bands.
Other specs and features are:
- MSRP: Titanium models: $699.00, Stainless steel models: $569.00
- Weight: 52g(titanium) 62 (standard)
- Dimensions: 43mm x 43mm x 10.6mm
- Strap: 22mm wide
- Wrist sizes: 125-175mm (accessory strap expands to 215mm)
- Materials: Grade 5 Titanium or Stainless Steel
- Glass: Sapphire Crystal
- Water Resistance: 100m
- GPS Battery Life: 25 (Performance mode) up to 170 hours (Tour mode)
- Normal Battery Life: 14 days timekeeping, 7 days 24/7 fitness tracking
- Recharge Time: 100% in 1 hour
- GPS: GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS, BEIDOU
- Availability: Pre-order on 5/25/21, ships on 6/17/21
Check their website for availability, and some steep discounts and Memorial Day deals on the still-awesome Suunto 9 Baro, watch bands, and other models.
