 This Product
Suunto Race 2 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  Best Bang for Your Buck | Best on a Tight Budget |  Best Battery Life for the Price | ||
| Price | $499 List Check Price at REI | $479 List Check REI (on sale!) | $300 List Check Price at REI | $249 List Check REI (on sale!) | $249 List Check Price at REI |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | A premium watch for training and navigation with outstanding battery life, it just has a limited feature set | A premium training watch with full maps and multi-day battery life at a price well below flagship models | A compact smartwatch that brings flagship Garmin training features to an accessible price point | A GPS watch that delivers near flagship-level accuracy and features at a fraction of the cost, making it the best value for athletes focused on performance over smartwatch extras | An ultralight running watch that delivers leading battery life at this affordable price point |
| Rating Categories | Suunto Race 2 | Coros Apex 4 | Garmin Vivoactive 6 | Suunto Run | Coros Pace 4 |
| Accuracy (30%) | |||||
| Activity Use (20%) | |||||
| Everyday Use (15%) | |||||
| Extra Features (15%) | |||||
| Wearability (10%) | |||||
| Battery Life (10%) | |||||
| Specifications | Suunto Race 2 | Coros Apex 4 | Garmin Vivoactive 6 | Suunto Run | Coros Pace 4 |
| Measured Battery Life with GPS | 54 hours | 63 hours | 20 hours | 19 hours | 40 hours |
| Measured Charging Time | 68 min | 101 min | 118 min | 78 min | 93 min |
| Music Options | Control only | Downloaded control, storage | Control, storage | Downloaded control, storage | Downloaded control, storage |
| Touchless Payment? | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Sensors Included | Heart rate, altimeter, barometer, compass, blood oxygen level, thermometer | Heart rate, barometric altimeter, accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, thermometer, blood oxygen level, electrocardiogram | Heart rate, accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, thermometer, blood oxygen level, ambient light | Heart rate, altimeter, barometer, compass | Heart rate, barometric altimeter, accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, thermometer, blood oxygen level |
| Screen Type | AMOLED | MIP | AMOLED | AMOLED | AMOLED |
| Watch Face Material | Sapphire Crystal | Sapphire Glass | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 | Gorilla Glass | Mineral Glass |
| Bezel Material | Stainless steel | Titanium Alloy Grade 5 | Anodized aluminum | Stainless steel | Fiber reinforced polymer |
| Battery Life Claims | Smartwatch Mode: Up to 18 days Standby TIme Mode: Up to 30 days All Systems: Up to 55 hours Power Saving: Up to 200 hours |
All Systems: 65 hours - 17 hours with music Dual Frequency: 41 hours - 15 hours with music Daily Use: 24 days |
Smartwatch mode: Up to 11 days (up to 5 days display always-on) Battery Saver Smartwatch mode: Up to 21 days GPS-Only GNSS mode: Up to 21 hours All-Systems GNSS mode: Up to 17 hours All-Systems GNSS mode with music: Up to 8 hours |
Training: All battery modes battery promises 20hrs / 30hrs / 40hrs |
All Systems: 41 hours - 14 hours with music Dual Frequency: 31 hours - 12 hours with music Daily Use: 19 days |
| Model Tested | Stainless steel | Standard | Standard | Standard | Standard |
| Size Tested | One size only | 46 mm | One size only | One size only | One size only |
| Measured Body Diameter | 50.0 mm | 50.0 mm | 42.0 mm | 45.6 mm | 49.0 mm |
| Measured Thickness | 14.0 mm | 14.0 mm | 13.0 mm | 14.0 mm | 16.0 mm |
| Measured Screen Width | 40.0 mm | 33.0 mm | 31.0 mm | 34.0 mm | 31.0 mm |
| Measured Weight | 2.6 oz | 2.3 oz | 1.3 oz | 1.3 oz | 1.1 oz |
| Navigation | Detailed, back to start | Detailed, back to start | Back to Start | Breadcrumb, back to start | Breadcrumb, back to start |
| Sleep Tracking | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Water Resistance (Max Depth) | 100 m | 50 m | 50 m | 50 m | 50 m |
| Main Software App | Suunto | Coros App | Garmin Connect | Suunto | Coros App |
| Compatible with Other Software Ecosystems | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Battery Type | Rechargable lithium ion | Rechargable lithium ion | Rechargable lithium ion | Rechargable lithium ion | Rechargable lithium ion |
| Case Material | Glass fiber reinforced polyamide | Fiber reinforced polymer | Fiber reinforced polymer | Glass fibre reinforced polyamide | Fiber reinforced polymer |
| Strap Material | Silicone | Silicon or nylon | Silicon, nylon, suede, leather, ComfortFit fabric | Nylon textile | Silicon or nylon |
| Tools Required to Change Band | No | No | No | No | No |
| Warranty Offered | 2 year | 2 year | 1 year | 2 year | 2 year |
The Suunto Race 2 arrived with a massive software overhaul, and Suunto's number-one priority for this updated watch: improved heart rate accuracy. We tested the stainless steel version, which has a larger, 1.5-inch AMOLED display that's bright enough to see in direct sunlight.
GPS accuracy on the Race 2 was strong. On our known 2-mile course, the watch tracked 1.96 miles, landing within the expected range for this terrain. The track shape was clean on open roads and held together well under tree cover, consistent with the dual-frequency performance we saw across the premium watches in our lineup.
Suunto cited improved HR accuracy as its number-one priority for this generation, and it hit the mark – the mean difference between the Race 2 and a Polar Verity Sense armband was only 2.4 BPM. We noticed the same lag during our warm-up as other comparable watches, with heart rate readings running a bit high before converging around the 15-minute mark. Once it settled, the sensor on the Race 2 tracked our heart rate reliably across varied effort levels, cleaning up previous issues with accuracy at the start of activity and during descents.
The 1.5-inch AMOLED screen on the Race 2 is one of the brightest in our lineup, making it easier to see data fields and maps even under the harsh midday sun. Processing speed has doubled from the original Race, and the difference is immediately noticeable when scrolling through menus or panning across maps. Fully detailed maps are available offline, and they now feature larger directional arrows, clearer points of interest, and a north-up orientation option. When you zoom in fully, it's still a bit hard to see the trail on the map, but the overall navigation experience is greatly improved with the Race 2. You can now simultaneously run three SuuntoPlus apps during an activity, including intensity monitoring. Improved running dynamics with real-time feedback make it possible to adapt things like your cadence or vertical bounce during a run.
The Suunto app continues to improve, offering a cleaner interface that is easier to navigate than Garmin Connect, though it has fewer features overall. Sleep tracking now includes sleep phases, and the AI Coach provides training recommendations based on your recent activity load. The Race 2's notification handling remains a sore point: alert beeps cannot be silenced independently of full Do Not Disturb mode, which means you either hear every notification or none at all. There are no message replies, no speaker or microphone, and no music or payment options. However, the absence of a subscription paywall means all features are available upon purchase, which is increasingly rare in this category.
The Race 2 adds AI Coach training recommendations, an expanded SuuntoPlus ecosystem with more than 100 partner apps, and a passcode lock for added security when you take off your watch. Beyond software additions, the hardware extras are minimal: there is no flashlight, no music storage, no NFC for payments, and no speaker or microphone. For athletes who want a focused training and navigation tool without the distractions of a full smartwatch, the Race 2 is a deliberate choice. For anyone who wants to leave their phone at home, it is a limitation.
The stainless version we tested weighs 2.6 ounces, while the titanium option drops to 2.3 ounces – both are comfortable to wear all day. At 14mm thick, the Race 2 keeps a relatively low profile for a watch with such a big screen. The 22mm silicone strap is comfortable and dries quickly. Charging from empty to full takes approximately 68 minutes, which is the fastest in our lineup and a genuine advantage for athletes who need to top up between sessions.
We measured 54 hours of battery life in All Systems mode, which delivers some of the best battery endurance we've seen from a watch with a bright, AMOLED screen. It takes just over an hour to fully charge the Race 2 from zero. The redesigned magnetic charging cable reliably snaps into place, a marked improvement over previous generations.
The Race 2 is not a smartwatch: you can't listen to music, make phone calls, or use it for contactless payments. But for runners and athletes who want accurate heart rate data, easy-to-read maps, and the confidence of a 54-hour GPS battery, the Race 2 earns its spot among the top performers in our lineup.
The Race 2 shares the same software platform as the Suunto Vertical 2, but the more expensive Vertical 2 adds a dedicated LED flashlight and even longer battery life, making it the better choice for multi-day expeditions. The Garmin Forerunner 970 offers music and contactless payments, though it has a significantly shorter battery life than either Suunto watch. The Coros Apex 4 offers the best of both worlds – maximum battery life with full maps and music storage, though the tradeoff is a MIP screen that's not nearly as bright as the AMOLED display on the Race 2.
