Suunto Race vs Garmin Venu 3: a side-by-side tech comparison

Lookin for a sporty watch? Two intriguing options are the Suunto Race vs Garmin Venu 3. The first, with its October 2023 release, positions itself as a robust tool for serious athletes. In contrast, the Garmin Venu 3 series, introduced in August 2023, appeals to a broader audience, balancing fitness tracking with smartwatch functionalities and health monitoring.

Essential reading: Top fitness trackers and health gadgets

This comparison piece delves into the nuances of these devices, contrasting their design, functionality, and technological prowess. Let’s dive straight in.

Key takeaways

The Suunto Race and Garmin Venu 3 series each carve out their niche in the wearable tech market, offering distinct experiences to their users. The Suunto Race, priced between $450 and $550, is a powerhouse for athletes, providing robust features and a durable build for demanding physical activities. The Garmin Venu 3 series, with a uniform price of $450, offers a well-rounded package, blending health monitoring, fitness tracking, and smartwatch features. It’s a versatile choice for those who want a single device that can transition seamlessly from a workout session to daily life.

View on Suunto, Garmin; View on Amazon (Suunto Race, Garmin Venu 3).

Jump to

Hardware
Technical specs
Features
Bottom line

Suunto Race vs Garmin Venu 3: Hardware

Look & feel

Starting with design, and the build quality of these devices reflects their intended use and target audience. The Suunto Race, with its options of a titanium or stainless steel bezel and a fibre polymer case, coupled with Sapphire crystal glass, exudes a robust and durable feel, suitable for rigorous outdoor activities. In contrast, the Garmin Venu 3 series opts for a uniform stainless steel build across both the Venu 3 and Venu 3S models, offering a sleek and stylish design that blends well with both athletic and casual wear.

Size options vary significantly between these models, allowing users to choose a watch that best fits their wrist. The Suunto Race presents a singular, relatively larger size of 49 x 49 x 13.3 mm, which might appeal to those who prefer a substantial, more noticeable watch. On the other hand, the Garmin Venu 3 series offers more versatility with the standard Venu 3 measuring 45 x 45 x 12 mm and the smaller Venu 3S at 41 x 41 x 12 mm, catering to different wrist sizes and preferences for watch face size.

Physical buttons are an essential aspect of user interaction with the device. The Suunto Race features a digital crown and two flat buttons, providing a tactile and intuitive interface. The Garmin Venu 3 and Venu 3S also incorporate three physical buttons, ensuring easy navigation and quick access to features without overcomplicating the design. But it doesn’t have a rotating crown.

Display, colour options, water resistance

When it comes to the screen, all models boast AMOLED displays, known for their vibrant colors and sharp contrasts. The Suunto Race offers a 1.43-inch screen with a 466 x 466 pixels resolution, providing clear and bright visuals. The Garmin Venu 3 has a slightly smaller 1.4-inch screen but nearly matches the resolution at 454 x 454 pixels. The Venu 3S reduces the screen size further to 1.2 inches with a 390 x 390 pixels resolution, which might appeal to those who prefer a more compact display.

Water resistance is a critical feature for sports and outdoor enthusiasts. The Suunto Race leads in this aspect with a 10 ATM rating, indicating a higher level of water resistance, suitable for swimming and diving. The Garmin Venu 3 and Venu 3S are no slouches on this count. They are rated at 5 ATM, which is still adequate for most water-related activities but might not be suitable for deeper diving.

Finally, color options allow users to personalize their devices to their taste. The Suunto Race offers a more limited palette with All Black and Titanium Charcoal, emphasizing its focus on functionality and outdoor use. In contrast, the Garmin Venu 3 series provides a broader range of colors, including Whitestone and Black for the Venu 3, and French Grey, Pebble Grey, Sage Grey, Dust Rose, and Ivory for the Venu 3S, catering to a wider array of personal styles.

Sensor technology

As far as sensor technology, the Suunto Race is equipped with a heart rate sensor, an optical pulse oximeter, a barometric altimeter, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and a compass. This tech provides a comprehensive suite for tracking various health and fitness metrics, making it an ideal choice for athletes who require detailed data for their activities.

In contrast, the Garmin Venu 3 and Venu 3S models come with the Gen 5 Elevate heart rate sensor, an accelerometer, an altimeter, a compass, a gyroscope, a Pulse Ox sensor, a thermometer, an ambient light sensor, an ECG, and a temperature sensor. The inclusion of the ECG and temperature sensor in the Garmin models marks a significant advancement, offering more in-depth health monitoring capabilities. This makes the Garmin Venu 3 series particularly appealing to users who prioritize a holistic view of their health.

Regarding GPS connectivity, the Suunto Race stands out with its GPS (L1 + L5 Dual Frequency), GLONASS, GALILEO, BeiDou, and QZSS support, offering a more precise and reliable tracking experience, especially in challenging environments. This dual-frequency GPS is particularly beneficial for activities like trail running or mountain biking, where accuracy is crucial.

The Garmin Venu 3 and Venu 3S, while not offering dual-frequency GPS, still provide robust location tracking with their GPS, GLONASS, and GALILEO support. This combination ensures reliable tracking for most outdoor activities and is more than sufficient for everyday fitness tracking and navigation.

NFC (Near Field Communication) and music storage are two features where the Garmin Venu 3 series takes the lead. Both the Venu 3 and Venu 3S models come with NFC for contactless payments and onboard music storage, allowing users to make payments and listen to music directly from their wrist without needing a phone. This integration enhances the convenience factor, especially for users who prefer to leave their phone behind during workouts.

The Suunto Race, however, does not include NFC or music storage capabilities. While this might be a drawback for some users, it suggests a focus more on the core athletic functionalities and less on lifestyle features.

Battery life

The Suunto Race, with its robust design, offers a remarkable battery life that varies based on usage modes: up to 26 days in daily mode, 40 hours in multiband/dual-frequency mode, and an impressive 120 hours in ‘Tour’ mode. This extensive battery life is particularly beneficial for athletes engaged in long-duration sports, ensuring continuous performance tracking without frequent charging.

The Garmin Venu 3 series also steps up in terms of battery longevity. The Venu 3 offers up to 14 days of battery life in smartwatch mode with the display always on, a significant improvement over its predecessor. The Venu 3S follows closely, providing up to 10 days of battery life under similar conditions.

Suunto Race vs Garmin Venu 3: Technical specs

Here’s a detailed tech specs comparison table for the Suunto Race, Garmin Venu 3, and Garmin Venu 3s:

Suunto Race vs Garmin Venu 3: Features

The Suunto Race is designed as a comprehensive tool for athletes, offering more than 95 sport modes, including a unique mode for rope skipping. It introduces nightly HRV (Heart Rate Variability) tracking, providing insights into recovery states and is complemented by Suunto Coach integration for personalized training advice. This focus on diverse athletic activities and personalized training makes it a strong contender for serious athletes.

In contrast, the Garmin Venu 3 series steps up with advanced health monitoring features. Both the Venu 3 and Venu 3S include a new generation heart rate sensor, a skin temperature sensor, ECG and a Pulse Ox blood oxygen saturation monitor. Unique additions like Sleep Coach, Nap Detection, and Jet Lag Adviser offer a more holistic approach to health monitoring. The Sleep Coach function, in particular, provides actionable insights to improve sleep quality.

Smartwatch-type features

Beyond health and fitness, the Suunto Race and Garmin Venu 3 series offer various smartwatch functionalities. The Suunto Race, while focusing more on athletic features, includes smart functionalities like multiple alarms, a ‘Find My Phone’ feature, improved smartphone music control, and a ‘Do Not Disturb’ mode. It also introduces daily widgets and mini widgets for quick access to essential information.

The Garmin Venu 3 series, however, ventures further into smartwatch territory. The timepiece has a built-in speaker and microphone, allowing for phone calls and voice assistant use when connected to a smartphone. For Android users, the Venu 3 offers the capability to view images directly from notifications on the watch, enhancing its smartwatch appeal. And let’s not forget the built-in music storage and ability to make contactless payments.

Suunto Race vs Garmin Venu 3: Price

In terms of pricing, the Suunto Race is available in two model options: titanium and stainless steel, both featuring a sapphire crystal display. Priced at $450 for the steel model and $550 for the titanium model, it offers good value for money, especially considering its robust build and comprehensive athletic features. The Garmin Venu 3 series is priced at $450, consistent with its predecessor, the Venu 2 Plus. This pricing positions the Garmin Venu 3 series as a competitive option, especially given its new health and smartwatch features.

Suunto Race vs Garmin Venu 3: Final thoughts

The Suunto Race and Garmin Venu 3 series, launched in 2023, have both received an excellent reception. The first stands out as a formidable choice for athletes and sports lovers. It is a comprehensive tool that combines robust features with a durable build, designed to withstand the rigours of intense physical activities. Its array of sport modes, advanced GPS capabilities, and rugged construction make it an ideal companion for those who demand reliability and precision in their athletic pursuits.

On the other hand, the Garmin Venu 3 series strikes a balance between functionality and style, making it a versatile option for a broader audience. It excels in health monitoring, with features like the latest generation heart rate sensor, ECG, skin temperature sensor, and sleep tracking, including innovative functions like Sleep Coach and Nap Detection. Coupled with its fitness tracking capabilities and smartwatch features, the Garmin Venu 3 series is a companion that seamlessly integrates into daily life, whether you’re in the gym, at the office, or out on the town.

View on Suunto, Garmin; View on Amazon (Suunto Race, Garmin Venu 3).

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