Suunto 9 Offers 120 Hour GPS Tracking, Solid Construction

- June 10, 2018

Suunto has recently announced its newest smartwatch offering, the Suunto 9. One of the key features of the Suunto 9 is its three intelligent battery modes, dubbed as the Performance, Endurance, and Ultra modes. The tech company claims that Ultra battery mode can offer a battery life of up to 120 hours with GPS tracking turned on, while the Performance mode offers up to 25 hours of battery life. Meanwhile, the Endurance mode allows the wearable to last between 40 to 60 hours on a single charge. The smartwatch automatically reminds users to switch to a more frugal battery mode once it detects that the battery charge has gone low. The Suunto 9 also uses the information obtained from the person's activity history to inform users when they need to fully charge the wearable. The company also developed the "FusedTrack" algorithm, which reduces the power consumption and improves the tracking accuracy of the smartwatch by combining the data from the GPS with the data from the motion sensor.

The manufacturer further claimed that the Suunto 9 should survive being submerged at a depth of a hundred meters underwater, while the wearable's sapphire crystal glass ensures that the device is relatively more resistant to scratches than watches protected by regular glass. The Suunto 9 features more than 80 different sports modes and it also offers a number of weather functionalities including storm alarms, temperatures, and times of sunrise and sunset. Like many other smartwatches, the device also features notifications for calls and messages, step counters, sleep tracking, and monitoring of calories burned by the user. The smartwatch is also capable of monitoring the user's heart rate as well as the interval between every heartbeat (RR interval), although these functionalities require a heart rate belt accessory that is purchased separately. People can pair the smartwatch with the Suunto app, which can be downloaded from the Google Play Store. The app allows users to track and share data like their activity history, sleeping patterns, and heart rate.

The Suunto 9 is available in two color options, which are Baro Black and Baro White, and unlike the Suunto 3 Fitness smartwatch, the Suunto 9 sports a touch display with a resolution of 320 by 300 pixels. The device is now available for pre-order with a price tag of $600 and it will ship starting on June 26. Meanwhile, the heart rate belt accessory will be available for an additional $50.