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Suunto 7 vs Suunto Core Alu

Suunto 7

184 reviews

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Suunto Core Alu

Budget Pick

in Fitness Watch

Suunto Core Alu

21 reviews

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#5 most mentioned

Reddit · r/smartwatch

Best Bang for the Buck

OutdoorGearLab · Best Altimeter Watch of 2022

Best Non-GPS Altimeter Watch

Switchback Travel · Best Altimeter (ABC) Watches of 2022

Great fitness tracking capabilities

Smartwatch features

Design and build quality

Great features

Comfortable to wear

Accurate instruments

Intuitive menu system

Sleek look

Not great battery life

Inaccurate GPS and heart rate tracking for some users

Large size may not be suitable for everyone

Not suitable for outdoor use due to scratches and damage

Dim display even when backlit

Battery life could be better

Verdict

The Suunto 7 has received mixed reviews, with many praising its fitness tracking capabilities and smartwatch features, but criticizing its battery life. The watch's design and build quality have also been noted as positives, while some have expressed concerns about its accuracy in GPS and heart rate tracking. Overall, the Suunto 7 is a solid option for those looking for a fitness-focused smartwatch, but its battery life may be a dealbreaker for some.

Verdict

The Suunto Core Alu is a great watch for backpackers, photographers, and international-traveler types. It has an intuitive menu system, is comfortable to wear, and has accurate instruments. However, it is prone to scratches and damage if used outdoors, has a dim display even when backlit, and the battery life could be better.

Reviews by Topic

Our analysis shows how reviewers feel about different topics. Please note these are not full reviews.

Fit

Is the Suunto 7 still worth it?

I loved my Garmin for its fitness features however the smart features are not great, and smart features are important to me. Navigating through the various screens and functions is slow and clunky and not as efficient as a touch screen/button combo. I love how the Suunto 7 has 4 buttons as well as touchscreen. If Garmin up their game in relation to smart features and a touch screen I'd quite easily go back but I don't think they will

Positive

reddit.com/r/WearOS

Attractive, functional watch – with needed improvements. Please rate, if helpful.

The Amazon.com main image might have you think the display is a purple hue, but it is gray at all angles. Having said all that – if you need a watch for highly critical missions, this watch will likely fall below the range of functional necessity. However, if you need a backpacking, casual or travelers watch, you should be really happy with this watch

Battery Life

Decent Smart Watch

Battery life is pretty weak. It does not have a barometric sensor, I guess the 9 has that feature. So it does not track flights of stairs, not a huge deal, but it was used to that on the Garmin. Also, the fact that I need to use 2 different apps to make the watch communicate with my phone seems really 2nd rate

Good watch with some shortcomings.

I was hoping to love this, but a few things bother me. The good: comfortable to wear, accurate instruments for a watch, sleek look, intuitive menus (subjective) The bad: battery life, prone to scratches/damage if used for its' intended outdoor purpose, fairly dim display even when backlit. At added cost, I would love to see a fortified solar version with a reserve and a backup battery. Water resistance is decent, but no where near my Casio Mudman 9300, which was half the price and put up with a LOT more abuse

Comfortability

Old WearOS watches won't be able to be upgraded to the new Wear software platform!

OS updates is really nice to have and it will be a dream of the update gets pushed to Suunto 7 and other watches but if Google fixes Google Assistant issues and keep reciving app updates I will be fine to continue using my Suunto 7 even if the new OS is not pushed throug. . I personally think It's more important to fix Google Assistant and refine current apps than the actual OS update.

Neutral

reddit.com/r/WearOS

very comfortable watch

The altimeter is a bit complicated and requires input to calibrate on a regular basis. Temperature appears to be biased by being on your arm and is not ambient. These are no big deals for me, i am enjoying the watch, and it is very comfortable to wear.

Comfort

Do WearOS watches normally get OS level updates? Or should I assume buying even a new WearOS watch like the Fossil Gen 5E now probably won't get WearOS 3 update?

Overall, I think you are safe going with fossil, just don't expect the update right away.

Positive

reddit.com/r/WearOS

Very disappointed

Even without the button problem battery life is just less than a year. Looking for a new watch. I've not babied this watch but I've not pushed it too hard either. I think Suunto can do better than this

Durability

I wanted to love the Suunto 7…

Mind you, on day 2, I only had one weight-lifting and rowing session (with no GPS function used) and the watch went from 100% in the morning, down to single digit percentage by the end of the day. I used no other smartwatch features during this time other than notifications. Even loving everything else about the watch, I can’t rely upon a watch that I will have to charge throughout the day. It’s just unacceptable

Excellent Watch

Plus I go swimming daily in the in-ground pool with the watch on without issue. The band is holding up good as new, the face of the watch has no scratches, and all of the buttons work perfectly. After three months of everyday use I have zero complaints about the watch. Glad I bought it

Design

Awesome Smart Watch for an Active Lifestlye

The styling is muted yet refined with a tough outer layer. The only issue I have been able to find is the battery life. When being used for certain activities it drains very fast if not in battery save mode. Other than that I cant really complain

excellent watch

The watch itself is fantastic, The watchband is very comfortable and the features are fairly easy to figure out. Very cool design and a watch I plan to have for years to come. Just be prepared to have to hound the shipping company every step of the way.

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