Suunto Vertical

Full specifications, features and battery life for the Suunto Vertical, the brand’s first watch with onboard maps.

Manufacturer Suunto
Type GPS multisport adventure watch
Series Vertical
Released May 2023
Price at launch Steel: €599 / $629 / £560. Titanium: €799 / $839 / £735.
Predecessor None specific. Suunto’s first watch with onboard maps.
Successor Suunto Vertical 2
Dimensions 49 x 49 x 13.6mm
Weight 74g

Specifications and features as at launch.

Coros Vertix 2s
$399
from £247/377€
Get it now Amazon logo +other retailers

Expert opinion | Specifications | Battery life | Features | Further reading

Expert opinion

GNSS accuracy tested as the best on any sports watch tfk had used to that point, using a dual-frequency, four-constellation chipset. Heart rate accuracy was usually unacceptably inaccurate on tfk’s own wrist, though optical HR results vary by individual. Solar charging comes from a roughly 1mm ring around the outer bezel edge rather than the full display surround, and its real-world contribution could not be verified: recorded data did not reflect several hours of direct sunlight the watch received during testing. The watch supports no ANT+ pairing and no two sensors of the same type paired simultaneously, a limitation for triathletes running multiple power meters or heart rate sources.

Specifications

Display
Type MIP (memory-in-pixel). Size and resolution not stated in official materials.
Physical
Case options Stainless steel or titanium, ridged titanium bezel
Lens Sapphire, solid rather than a coating
Solar charging Yes, via a narrow ring around the outer bezel edge
Fast charging 10 minutes for up to 10 hours of GPS recording; 90 minutes for a full charge
Environmental testing MIL-STD-810H
Sensors and positioning
GNSS Dual-frequency, 4 constellations
Optical heart rate Included; accuracy inconsistent in testing
ABC sensors Altimeter, barometer, compass
Connectivity and battery
Wireless Bluetooth only. No ANT+, and no simultaneous pairing of two sensors of the same type.
Maps Onboard, non-routable, 3 styles (normal, dark, high contrast), 5 zoom levels, contour lines
App ecosystem SuuntoPlus. Up to 2 third-party apps usable per workout.
Battery, Performance mode 60 hours, 85 hours with solar
Battery, Normal/Endurance mode 90 hours, 140 hours with solar
Battery, Ultra mode 140 hours, 280 hours with solar
Battery, Tour mode 500 hours, up to 30 days with solar

Battery life

Suunto’s claims scale with GNSS mode: 60 hours in Performance mode (4 constellations, dual-band) rising to 500 hours in Tour mode (position logged roughly every two minutes), each extended further with solar input. In testing, remaining-time estimates were unreliable at low battery, and neither battery drain nor solar gain were recorded in the activity data, which Suunto has said it is aware of.

Features

Full feature detail is covered on the Suunto specifications index.

Navigation

  • Onboard maps, non-routable, shown as a picture layer beneath any active route rather than an intelligent routing engine
  • Three map styles: normal, dark, high contrast
  • Five zoom levels with contour lines
  • Maps can be viewed without starting a logged activity

Training and recovery

  • Training load, training stress and workout intensity tracking
  • Recovery tracking, including subjective ‘feeling’ feedback
  • Daily coach, updated after every sleep, workout and day
  • Workout planner with external service linking (e.g. TrainingPeaks)
  • Strava live segments shown on the watch
  • Race-specific app profiles for duathlon and swimrun
  • Decoupling, aerobic ability, FTP and Cooper Test assessments

Other

  • Display-based flashlight, intended for in-tent use rather than wayfinding
  • Weather widget, refreshed hourly from a paired smartphone
  • Voice feedback through paired earphones

Coros Vertix 2s
$399
from £247/377€
Get it now Amazon logo +other retailers

Further reading

Related

Vertical 2 replaces the MIP display with AMOLED, drops solar charging, and adds an LED flashlight, at the cost of a shorter battery claim.

Vertical 2 specifications