With brands mocking the new Apple Watch’s paltry battery life, the killer app for adventure-capable smart watches will be more than just connectivity…it’s going to be how long they’ll last in while running all the tracking and biometric features built into them.
The new Suunto 9 Peak Pro ups the ante from the 9 Peak launched in 2021 by adding a faster processor and more powerful battery to provide more than a week of GPS and fitness tracking per charge.
It keeps the O2 and heart rate sensors, helping you track fitness and acclimatization as you ride up and down the mountains. There’s also sleep monitoring, recovery status, and the usual collection of metrics to help you optimize your training.
The big upgrade here is a battery that’ll give you up to 300 hours of GPS tracking in Tour mode. Other modes include Endurance (70 hours) and Performance (40 hours). Or just use it for baseline health tracking without the GPS and it’ll last about 21 days between charges.
Easy-to-access on-screen settings let you quickly adjust the battery life to suit the adventure at hand, then select the activity and start tracking.
New color coding and more use of white space makes it easier to read during a workout, too. In fact, the entire UI has been updated to make it easier to use the watch’s various features, switch modes, and change settings.
Tracking and Route Guidance
The Suunto 9 Peak Pro connects to four satellite networks (GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BEIDOU) and up to 32 individual
satellites simultaneously for better accuracy when exercising in challenging GPS conditions, like below tall buildings or deep mountain valleys. For mountain bikers, it should improve accuracy under tree cover, too.
Use the app (now available on iPads and Android tablets, too) to create routes and sync with the watch. Use heatmaps, avalanche guidance, and other features to create good routes, then share them after you’ve ridden them as 3D animations.
For multisport athletes, Suunto now syncs efforts with Hammerhead cycling computers, too, making it easier to see all your workouts in one place. And, you can create workouts in the app, then sync them to the watch to perform.
It has eco cred, too
The Suunto 9 Peak Pro is made in Finland with 100% renewable energy, and they’ve offset the entire carbon footprint of the watch’s entire manufacturing process, materials, and even the recharging over its expected lifespan. They say it has total life cycle CO2e emissions of only 16.5 lb (7.5 kg)…the equivalent of driving a gas-powered car about 27 miles.
It can track your bike commute to show how much more CO2 you offset by riding to work. It’s also tough (and thin, and very light), so it’ll last longer and is repairable, too, so in the unlikely event you damage it, it doesn’t need to go in the bin.
Suunto 9 Peak Pro specs
- Thickness: 0.4 in/10.8 mm (excluding HR dome)
- Screen size: 1.2 in.
- Sapphire glass
- Stainless steel and grade 5 titanium case options
- Weight: titanium =1.94 oz (55 g); steel = 2.26 oz (64 g)
- Tested to MIL-STD-810H). List of tests here.
- Daily activity tracking: steps, heart rate, sleep, calories, stress, and more
- Fast charging: 100% battery in 1 hour (10h of training time after charging for 10 minutes)
- Barometric sensor
- Wireless software updates
- Waterproof down to -328 ft (-100 m)
- 97 standard sport modes plus create custom modes
- New snorkeling sports mode that tracks activity data down to -33 ft (-10 m)
The Suunto 9 Peak Pro will be available in six versions, four stainless steel ($549 USD / $699.99 CAD) and two titanium ($699 USD / 899.99 CAD). Available October 25, 2022, with an assortment of aftermarket straps for customization.
