Can Suunto 9 Peak Pro Keep Up with Garmin Fenix 7?
By Naila Syifa
Updated May 2024
Garmin Fenix 7 Series is a popular high-end multisport GPS watch that offers advanced features and performance. Suunto 9 Peak Pro is a sleek and lightweight alternative that aims to challenge the Garmin Fenix 7 in terms of functionality and features.
How do these two sports smartwatches stack up against each other? Let's take a closer look at their key specifications and features.
Key Takeaways
Suunto 9 Peak Pro loses to Garmin Fenix 7 in terms of comprehensiveness in features and depth of health and training data, but it has some edges with the free offline maps and a built-in flashlight available in all models, while the Fenix 7 only offers these features in the more expensive variants. Suunto 9 Peak Pro also has a sleek, stylish design compared to Fenix 7's sporty and bulky look.
Suunto 9 Peak Pro
Premium Sleek Multisport Watch
✓ Military-Grade Durability
✓ HRV, Blood Oxygen, Adaptive Training Guide
✓ Multi-GNSS Support
✓ 4 Intelligent Battery Modes
Garmin Fenix 7 Series
Premium Fitness and Outdoor Watch
✓ Health & Training Features
✓ Road & Trail, Ski Resort, Golf Course Maps
✓ Safety & Tracking Features
✓ Solar Charging Options
#1 Price
Suunto 9 Peak Pro
Both Suunto 9 Peak Pro and Garmin Fenix 7 are available in many variants. Each variant comes with different pricing. However, in general, the Suunto 9 Peak Pro is more affordable than the Fenix 7.
Suunto 9 Peak Pro starts at US$549 for the standard model with a stainless steel bezel. The more premium models with Titanium Grade 5 bezels cost US$699.
Meanwhile, the Garmin Fenix 7 Series starts at US$649 for the base model. Some more expensive models add options for titanium bezels, sapphire lenses, solar charging capabilities, and additional Pro features at higher prices. The most expensive one is the Fenix 7X Pro Sapphire Solar, which retails for a very high price point of US$999.
#2 Design & Display
Garmin Fenix 7 Series
While both watches share a similar round face, they have different feelings and aesthetics. Garmin Fenix 7 looks more rugged and sporty, while the Suunto 9 Peak Pro has a more stylish and sleeker appearance resembling a typical lifestyle watch than a dedicated sports watch.
However, both models are on par when it comes to durability, guaranteeing military-grade durability that can withstand the toughest outdoor conditions. Both watches are also waterproof to 100m, making them suitable for water sports and swimming.
Suunto 9 Peak Pro
Suunto 9 Peak Pro boasts a small, thin, and light design with only 43 mm case diameter, 10.8 mm thickness, and 64 g weight, making it one of the most compact and lightweight premium sports watches on the market. The watch is specifically intended for people with small wrists who want a high-performance sports watch without the bulky look.
Garmin Fenix 7 Series offers more flexibility with the option to choose from 3 sizes: the 7S, 7, and 7X. The smallest 7S model is almost as compact and light as the Suunto 9 Peak Pro. However, all sizes have a thickness of over 14 mm, so the Suunto 9 Peak Pro is still winning in terms of sleekness and low-profile design.
#3 Health & Wellness Features
Suunto 9 Peak Pro
Both watches share a few common health-tracking features, including heart rate monitoring, blood oxygen (SpO2) tracking, sleep tracking, and stress monitoring.
Garmin Fenix 7 adds a women's health tracking feature, as well as an additional ECG app in the Fenix 7 Pro models, which can detect signs of atrial fibrillation (AFib). These aren't supported in the 9 Peak Pro.
In addition, Garmin Fenix 7 has more comprehensive sleep data and analysis. Aside from sleep quality score and duration, the Fenix 7 offers detailed insights into your sleep stages, including the duration of Deep, Light, REM, and Awake, as well as how the stages change throughout the night.
Garmin Fenix 7 Series
The Fenix 7 even detects daytime naps, so you get a complete picture of your sleep patterns. In the Garmin app, you can also further check your respiration rate and blood oxygen saturation levels during sleep for more insights.
The Suunto 9 Peak Pro, on the other hand, only displays the duration of your Light Sleep and Deep Sleep without a detailed breakdown of how the sleep stages change throughout the night. It doesn't detect naps, but it does provide a sleep quality score to help you understand your overall sleep performance. In the Suunto app, you can also see your average heart rate as well as HRV measurement during sleep.
#4 Sports & Training Features
Garmin Fenix 7 Series
Suunto 9 Peak Pro and Garmin Fenix 7 are both equipped with an extensive selection of sports modes and apps, allowing you to track a diverse range of activities. From running, cycling, and swimming to hiking, triathlon, and beyond, each activity offers tailored metrics and insights. This enables you to monitor your performance and progress more precisely, taking into account the unique requirements of each sport.
For certain activities like surfing, golfing, and skiing, we recommend the Fenix 7 over the Suunto 9 Peak Pro. This is because Garmin Fenix 7 offers dedicated features for these sports, such as compatibility with Surfline Sessions for surfing, Garmin Autoshot for automatic golf shot tracking and analysis, as well as SkiView maps for over 2,000 ski resorts worldwide.
However, for snorkeling and mermaiding, Suunto 9 Peak Pro is more recommended. The watch's dedicated depth meter can display your current and maximum depth up to 10 meters underwater. Garmin Fenix 7 can also be used for snorkeling and surface swimming, but it doesn't have a depth gauge to measure your underwater depth, making the 9 Peak Pro a more attractive option for underwater activities.
Suunto 9 Peak Pro
While both watches provide a variety of planning, training, and analysis capabilities, the Suunto 9 Peak Pro offers more limited on-watch training data compared to the Fenix 7. Some data you can view right from the watch include training load, total duration, and recovery time. For other more detailed metrics, you'll have to see from the Suunto app.
In contrast, the Garmin Fenix 7 delivers more comprehensive training features, including training status, training load, training effect, recovery time, and more directly on the watch face. The Fenix 7 even provides personalized daily workout suggestions tailored to help you prepare for upcoming races or events.
Garmin Fenix 7 also offers some Safety and Tracking features, including incident detection, assistance, livetrack, and live event sharing. With these features, your family and friends can get notified in case of emergencies, or if they want to track your real-time location and progress during events or activities. These features can provide added peace of mind and security during your outdoor adventures. It is unfortunate that the Suunto 9 Peak Pro lacks these capabilities.
#5 Maps & Navigational Features
Suunto 9 Peak Pro
Suunto 9 Peak Pro and Garmin Fenix 7 Series support multi-GNSS for improved positioning accuracy in challenging environments. One difference is that while Suunto 9 Peak Pro offers 5 satellite systems, including GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou, Garmin Fenix 7 only supports the 3 first ones.
Suunto 9 Peak Pro also has an edge with its free offline maps for outdoor terrain and satellite imagery, which are available for download directly on the watch. Garmin Fenix 7 Series also offers Garmin TopoActive Maps, which cover road and trail maps with POIs similar to the maps in the Peak Pro. However, the maps are pre-loaded only onto selected Fenix 7 models, while the rest require a separate purchase.
Other than TopoActive Maps, Garmin Fenix 7 also offers SkiView maps for over 2,000 ski resorts worldwide, as well as Golf Course maps for over 42,000 golf courses around the globe. These ski and golf-specific maps are free to access in all the Fenix 7 Series models, making the Fenix 7 a more attractive option for ski and golf players.
#6 Smartwatch Features
Garmin Fenix 7 Series
In terms of smartwatch features, Suunto 9 Peak Pro and Garmin Fenix 7 have so many things in common, making both a great choice for those seeking a well-rounded smartwatch experience. You can receive notifications, control music playback, or even reply to a message with an Android phone.
Suunto 9 Peak Pro has a built-in flashlight, which can be useful in low-light conditions or emergencies. Garmin Fenix 7 Series offers a built-in flashlight feature only on some selected models, so make sure to check the specific model if this feature is important to you.
One typical smartwatch feature that the Suunto 9 Peak Pro lacks is a contactless payment solution, which is available on the Garmin Fenix 7 through Garmin Pay. The Fenix 7 also offers a Jet Lag Adviser feature, which can be useful for people who frequently travel across time zones.
#7 Battery Life
Garmin Fenix 7 Series
Garmin Fenix 7 is winning over the Peak Pro when it comes to battery life. However, different models in the Fenix 7 Series have varying battery capacities. To give you a glimpse, the standard Fenix 7 model can last for up to 57 hours in GPS mode, while the most expensive Fenix 7X Pro Sapphire Solar has a battery life of up to 89 hours in GPS mode or 122 hours in GPS mode with solar charging.
Meanwhile, all variants of the Suunto 9 Peak Pro have roughly the same battery life, offering up to 40 hours in GPS mode. Unfortunately, no solar charging option is available in any of the Peak Pro models, so you can't extend the battery life beyond the stated maximum capacity.
Suunto Intelligent Battery Modes
Suunto 9 Peak Pro stands out with its Intelligent Battery Modes, which allows you to tailor the watch's settings to your specific needs to preserve the battery life. You can choose from 4 predefined battery modes or create your own custom mode, deciding on the optimal balance between performance and longevity.
This feature is similar to the Power Manager feature in the Garmin Fenix 7, which also lets you adjust various settings to extend the battery life based on your needs and preferences. Battery saver mode can also be activated to disable certain features and prolong the battery life even further.
Suunto 9 Peak Pro vs Garmin Fenix 7 Series
Final Thoughts
Garmin Fenix 7 Series
Suunto 9 Peak Pro and Garmin Fenix 7 Series are excellent choices for those seeking a high-performance sports smartwatch. Ultimately, the choice between these two premium sports smartwatches will depend on your specific needs, preferences, and budget.
At a more affordable price point, the Suunto 9 Peak Pro boasts a sleek appearance with many essential health, fitness, navigational, and smartwatch features. It may be losing to the Fenix 7 in terms of comprehensiveness in features and depth of data, but it remains a strong contender, especially with its free offline maps and a built-in flashlight available in all models.
However, if you're looking for the most comprehensive set of features and don't mind the bulkier design, the Garmin Fenix 7 Series is hard to beat. With its advanced health and wellness features, extensive sports and training capabilities, and longer battery life with solar charging on selected models, the Fenix 7 offers a more well-rounded package for serious athletes and outdoor enthusiasts.
If you like to read more on smartwatches, check out our other relevant guides here:
Best Garmin Watches
Suunto Vertical vs Garmin Fenix 7
Suunto 9 Peak vs Peak Pro
Suunto 9 Baro vs Peak Pro
Suunto Race vs Vertical
Suunto Core vs Core Alpha
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