Suunto Vertical: Solar charging & cartography powering new outdoor watch

Suunto has released a high-performance outdoor watch, Suunto Vertical, to compete with the likes of the Garmin Fenix 7. It comes with next level accuracy, offline maps and solar charging.

Tracing back to the release of the Suunto 9 and Suunto 9 Baro watches in 2018, the company continued to innovate with the  Suunto 9 Peak in June 2021 and the Suunto 9 Peak Pro in October 2022. Now, they have set the stage for the next release in the series.

Suunto Vertical – what you need to know

The Suunto Vertical has a visually stunning and technically advanced design. It is available in two different versions. One is made of steel and costs €599. The other is made of titanium and costs €799 (check price on Amazon).

The watch has a screen resolution of 280×280 and a colour display that is 1.4 inches in size. That’s a nice bump up from the Suunto 9 Peak and Peak Pro which only feature a 1.2-inch screen. But this also means the diameter of the watch is quite large at 49mm.

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Additionally, Suunto offers the device in two different weight configurations. They come in at 74 grammes for the titanium model and 86 grammes for the steel version.

Suunto has designed its watch to be able to withstand the harshest environmental conditions possible, as they build it to military-grade standards. Like its predecessors, it comes with water resistance down to 100 meters.

Increased accuracy, offline maps

Notable features include the presence of Dual Band GNSS instead of the Single Band GNSS found on other Suunto watches. This has the ability to connect up to all five major satellite systems via Dual frequency. Such a configuration ensures a faster and more reliable signal.

The watch’s capabilities in the realm of mapping are another of its selling points. Users have the ability to download maps for offline use onto the watch via Wi-Fi. Map your route, points of interest and then use bread crumb navigation to keep on the right path. There are three different background styles from which to choose from: high contrast, outdoor, and dark. Users of the Suunto Vertical will always have access to up-to-date maps that are accurate and comprehensive. This is thanks to the fact that it is powered by MapBox and relies on the openstreetmap infrastructure.

Solar charging, battery saving modes

One more feature that sets the Suunto Vertical apart from some of the competition is its ability to be charged via solar power. This is available only for the titanium model. In performance mode, the watch promises an increase in autonomy of up to thirty percent on sunny days.

What’s more, the Suunto Vertical provides a variety of battery saving modes to accommodate different activities and user preferences, including the following:

• Performance: up to 85 hours when using the maximum amount of solar power and up to 60 hours when using dual-frequency GPS and all sensors.
• Endurance: is measured at up to 140 hours with maximum solar usage and up to 90 hours with normal GPS and all sensors.
• Ultra: Up to 280 hours with maximum solar usage and up to 140 hours with reduced GPS power consumption.
• Tour: 500 hours for the most fundamental location tracking; unlimited with efficient use of solar energy.
  

In addition to this, the watch comes with 97 sports modes and the capacity to connect to two separate external sensors at the same time. Because of this, the Suunto Vertical is an excellent option for individuals who use supplementary devices, such as power metres or Stryd.

The company has made a point of emphasising its commitment to the use of 100% renewable carbon-free energy in its production process. Which means the Suunto Vertical is a step in the right direction for customers who are concerned about the environment, thanks to its ability to be charged by solar power and its efforts to have a minimal impact on the environment.

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