Suunto Race 3S vs Garmin Forerunner 265S specs comparison
The Race 3S is stronger for navigation, durability and longer GPS sessions, with offline maps and sapphire glass giving it a clear outdoor edge. The Forerunner 265S is lighter and benefits from Garmin’s deeper training ecosystem and smarter everyday features. Choose Suunto for outdoor use, Garmin for the broader software platform.
Full comparison
The full record
76 specifications across 6 areas, with 29 genuine differences.
1. Design & display Mixed
Fact
Suunto Race 3S
Garmin Forerunner 265S
Release date
2026-10
March 2023
Physical size
46 x 46 x 11.4 mm
41.7 x 41.7 x 12.9 mm
Weight
56 g with silicone strap; 38 g watch head
39 g
Material
Titanium bezel and case-back; glass fibre reinforced polyamide case; sapphire crystal; silicone strap
Fiber-reinforced polymer bezel and case; silicone strap
Water resistance
5 ATM
5 ATM
Color options
Black, Orchid, Feather
Black/Amp Yellow; Whitestone/Neo Tropic; Light Pink/Whitestone
Display type
AMOLED
AMOLED touchscreen
Display size
1.32 inch
1.1 inch diameter
Display resolution
466 X 466
360 x 360 pixels
Display protection
Sapphire crystal
Corning Gorilla Glass 3
2. Battery & charging Garmin Forerunner 265S
Fact
Suunto Race 3S
Garmin Forerunner 265S
Battery
Rechargeable lithium-ion battery (silicon-carbon)
Rechargeable lithium-ion battery
Battery life
Up to 12 days smartwatch mode; up to 38 h All-Systems GNSS + Multi-Band (32 h AOD); up to 45 h All-Systems GNSS + Single-Band (40 h AOD); up to 120 h power-saving GNSS modes
Smartwatch mode: Up to 15 days; GPS-only: Up to 24 hours; SatIQ (AutoSelect): Up to 18 hours; All-Systems GNSS + Multi-Band: Up to 15 hours; GPS-only with music: Up to 7.5 hours; SatIQ with music: Up to 7 hours; All-Systems + Multi-Band with music: Up to 6 hours
Charging
Provided USB charging cable; fast charging supported
Garmin proprietary charging cable
3. Sensors & positioning Suunto Race 3S
Fact
Suunto Race 3S
Garmin Forerunner 265S
GNSS type
Built-in dual-band L1 + L5 GNSS
Multi-band GNSS with SatIQ
GPS
Yes (dual-band L1 + L5)
Yes
GALILEO
Yes
Yes
GLONASS
Yes
Yes
QZSS
Yes
No
Beidou
Yes
No
Accelerometer
Yes
Yes
Gyroscope
Yes (gyro-assisted compass)
Yes
Barometric altimeter
Yes
Yes
Compass
Yes
Yes
Geomagnetic
No
No
Ambient light sensor
Yes
Yes
Optical heart rate
Yes (6 LEDs + 4 photodiodes; Valencell technology)
Yes
Electrical heart rate
No
No
SpO2
Yes
Yes
Temperature
Yes
Yes
Galvanic skin response
No
No
Microphone
No
No
Speakers
No
No
Vibration motor
Yes
Yes
4. Health & activity Garmin Forerunner 265S
Fact
Suunto Race 3S
Garmin Forerunner 265S
Steps
Yes
Yes
Distance
Yes
Yes
Calories burned
Yes
Yes
Floors
No
Yes
Sports tracking
Yes (120+ sports modes)
Yes
Sleep
Yes
Yes
Heart rate
Yes
Yes
HRV
Yes
Yes
Stress
Yes
Yes
Blood oxygen
Yes
Yes
Respiration rate
No
Yes
Skin temperature
No
No
ECG
No
No
Blood pressure
No
No
Body composition
No
No
Glucose
No
No
Hydration level
No
No
UV exposure
No
No
Calorie intake
No
No
Hyperglycemia risk assessment
No
No
Arterial stiffness detection
No
No
Pulse wave arrhythmia analysis
No
No
5. Smart features Mixed
Fact
Suunto Race 3S
Garmin Forerunner 265S
Smartphone compatibility
Android and iOS
Android and iOS
Operating system at launch
Proprietary
Garmin proprietary
Storage
64 GB (maps + music)
8 GB
Bluetooth
Yes (Bluetooth LE)
Yes
Wi-Fi
Yes (802.11 b/g/n, 2.4 GHz)
Yes
NFC / connected pay
No
Yes
UWB
No
No
Cellular
No
No
Smartphone notifications
Yes
Yes
Bluetooth calling
No
No
Smartphone music control
Yes
Yes
On-board music storage
Yes (offline music playback; post-launch OTA update)
Yes
Voice assistant
No
No
6. Navigation & safety Mixed
Fact
Suunto Race 3S
Garmin Forerunner 265S
Maps
Yes (free global offline maps)
No
Offline maps
Yes
No
Navigation
Offline maps, route navigation, breadcrumb trail and points of interest
Yes
Emergency SOS
No
Yes (paired smartphone)
Satellite SOS
No
No
Fall detection
No
Yes
LED flashlight
No
No
Diving
No scuba diving; freediving/snorkeling depth meter to 10 m
No