Suunto 9 Peak vs Garmin Fenix 7X: Sports Watch Comparison

Gear · Published 1/13/2023 ·

A friend of mine recently bought a Suunto 9 Peak.

I was curious what makes it so good.

INFO

Suunto 9 Peak

Dimensions: 43 x 43 x 10.6mm / 1.69 x 1.69 x 0.42”

Weight: 62g / 2.19 oz

Bezel material: stainless steel

Lens material: sapphire crystal glass

fenix 7x

Device size: 51 * 51 * 14.9mm

Weight: 89g

Display size: 1.4”

Display type: sunlight-readable, transflective memory-in-pixel

Lens material: Power Sapphire

Storage: 32GB

Band size: 26mm

Design

Yeah… the Suunto is just gorgeous ^^; thin, light, and sharp-looking. The Fenix, on the other hand, looks like some kind of military watch. The Peak 9 is definitely the slimmer of the two, and its wrist strap is a touch narrower too — I think women would really like the look of it. For men, the Garmin probably suits better, but that’s purely personal taste.

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Even on a closer look, it’s a really well-made product. The water resistance rating is high too — 100-meter water resistance seems to be standard these days. It supports IPX8-rated water and dust resistance. It doesn’t offer QuickFit like Garmin does, but the strap-swapping method actually looks even more convenient. There’s something genuinely clean about that solid side profile. The one thing I’m curious about is whether it works well with gloves on.

Performance

Both are dedicated sports watches. They’re a different breed from the Apple Watch or Apple Watch Ultra that people most often compare them to. Look at the screen quality and it’s no contest — they fall far short of the Apple Watch line. But it’s precisely because they use those lower-quality screens that they can offer battery runtimes measured in days, or even close to a month. And the fact that they can run for nearly 40 hours with GPS going is something the Apple Watch simply can’t touch.

How you’d use it

A sports watch isn’t the same as a smartwatch. Its main job is managing your workout history — what kind of performance you put up during a workout, how the course you just covered went, which route you’ll take next, how steep the grade is, and so on. Sure, the Apple Watch can offer similar features through its app store. But the real questions are how soon an app that fits your needs will show up, and how well it’ll be kept updated — that’s what should guide your choice. Like a smartwatch, it can relay some of your phone’s notifications, but replying instantly or using voice commands to turn services on and off doesn’t really work. You need to know this going in. To borrow a trendy phrase, it’s all about pick your battles and focus.

Thank you.

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