84 The Great OutdoorsAugust 2021
Suunto
7 Titanium£ (^429 52) g
smartwatch functionality; third-party app support;
OS mapping possible; very light; well-made
poor battery life; inconsistent user interface; bulky;
expensive
Case size: 50x50x15.3mm
Screen: 1.39“ AMOLED colour, tap/raise to wake
Battery life (GPS on): 6-12 hours depending on app
used, or 1-2 days in smartwatch mode
OS grid ref? yes, with third-party app
Mapping: yes
Operation: touchscreen and buttons
suunto.com/en-gb
This smartwatch runs Google’s Wear OS, which means that
a wide variety of apps can be installed, including outdoor
apps such as Outdooractive (which supports OS mapping
and grid references). This watch is more likea smartphone
than others tested, with Google Assistant support and many
other built-in apps.
The watch itself is well-made and lightweight, with a titanium
shell, but feels bulky on the wrist. Operation depends mostly on
touchscreen swipes and taps. The display is large, bright and
vibrant. It looks great indoors but less good in full sun, and the
raise-to-wake feature can be slow to respond. If set to always-on,
it drains battery very quickly.
Suunto’s activity recording and mapping lives in a separate
set of menus on the device. Downloaded maps are fine for basic
outdoor use, with contours and some paths, but not as complete
as OS maps. Tracking is accurate and reliable. The Suunto phone
app is quite buggy and won’t work properly without an internet
connection, although it will sync to Apple Health and Strava.
GPX files can be imported and exported. Confusingly, certain
fitness metrics will only sync with Google Fit instead of Suunto.
Battery life is poor. Even with the screen set to ‘time out’ in
seconds, I rarely achieved the 12 hoursadvertised, and often
had to charge the watch every day. Overallthis is an attractive
device in some respects, but it’s hard to recommend for anything
more than occasional hill use.
Garmin
Enduro
£ 799 (titanium model 57 g
tested) or £ 700 (steel)
mega battery life; excellent strap; lightweight;
customisable
very expensive; no maps; solar adds little to
battery life
Case size:51x51x14.9mm
Screen: 1.4“ transflective colour, always-on
Battery life (GPS on):65-80 hours, or 40-55 days in smartwatch mode
OS grid ref? yes
Mapping:none
Operation: buttons
garmin.com/en-gb
This is a serious watch for serious athletes, and for the
steep price you will get phenomenal battery life and
stellar build quality. Even with daily hikes and runs I
couldn’t drain its battery in less than two weeks. The
watch is big and chunky but made from lightweight
and durable materials. Overall it is similar to the fenix
6 Pro Solar, but with a larger screen, longer battery life,
a different strap and no mapping. The strap (nylon and
Velcro) is very comfortable and easily the best of all the
watches tested.
Like the fenix, solar charging does work, but it only adds
a small boost to the battery and won’t makea difference
for most people. The Enduro can be used for advanced
navigation, just like the Instinct Solar and fenix, but no topo
maps are available – a battery-saving measure.
This is the watch to buy if you have exacting, specific
needs and demand battery life at all costs, but it is mainly
aimed at endurance athletes. If you run multi-daymountain
marathons then this is worth a look, but for most walkers it
is not the best choice – at this price, walkers will be better
served by a fenixmodel with built-in maps.
Gear comparative review