Suunto Vertical

The Suunto Vertical is a rugged adventure watch from the Finnish brand Suunto, introduced in the late summer of 2023. It is built around offline maps, dual-band GNSS positioning, a sapphire-glass touchscreen and very long battery life, and it is sold in stainless steel, Steel Solar and Titanium Solar versions. This article is based on the published specifications and manufacturer information from Suunto's own product page, which shows the Black Lime edition. It describes what the watch offers, which claims come from Suunto, and where the compromises sit for someone choosing between an outdoor-first watch and a smartwatch.

Where the Vertical sits in the lineup

Suunto positions the Vertical as its adventure and expedition model. It sits alongside the Race family, which Suunto describes as performance watches for racing and training, and below the later Vertical 2, which the brand now lists on its site. In the United States the Black Lime edition is listed at 499 dollars, with the solar versions priced higher, and the page shows it as out of stock at the time of writing, so check availability. For comparison with other long-battery outdoor watches, look at the Garmin Fenix 8; the table Suunto Vertical vs Garmin Fenix 8 sets the specifications side by side. The Vertical is a sports and outdoor tool first and a smartwatch second.

Design and build

The case measures 49 x 49 x 13.6 mm and the watch weighs 86 g with its silicone strap. The bezel is stainless steel, the glass is sapphire crystal and the case is made of glass-fibre-reinforced polyamide, with titanium used in selected versions; Suunto says it is tested to US military standards. The strap is 22 mm wide and fits wrists from 125 to 175 mm, with an accessory strap reaching 215 mm. Water resistance is 100 metres, and the watch also has a depth meter for snorkelling to 10 metres, though it is not a dive computer. The operating temperature range is from minus 20 to plus 55 degrees Celsius.

Suunto offers three bezel choices, and the US store shows a Black Lime colourway. At 49 mm and 86 g, the Vertical is large and noticeable, and it is more at home on a trail than at a dinner table. The company says watches are made in Finland or China depending on the production batch, and shipped randomly, which is something to know if origin matters to you.

Display and controls

The display is a 1.4-inch colour matrix panel at 280 x 280 pixels, always on, covered by sapphire glass and operated by a touchscreen with a touch lock, plus physical buttons and a button lock during exercise. A matrix display of this type is generally chosen for readability in sunlight and low power draw rather than for the vivid look of an AMOLED screen, so expect a more functional picture than on a typical smartwatch. The watch has a configurable backlight with automatic brightness. Customisable watch faces, languages ranging from English to Hebrew and Japanese, and metric and imperial units are supported.

Navigation and maps

This is where the Vertical makes its case. The watch holds 32GB of offline map storage and shows outdoor terrain maps with contour lines, water, paths and landmarks in three map styles. Features include route and point-of-interest navigation, a breadcrumb trail, snap to route, ETA and remaining distance, and global heatmaps for 20 sports. Routes can be planned in the Suunto app and synced to the watch. Suunto says maps are free of charge, and the watch also provides avalanche-terrain maps and 3D route planning in the app, according to the page.

Positioning uses dual-frequency GNSS (L1 and L5) with five satellite systems: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS and BeiDou. Suunto calls the accuracy the best on the market, and it quotes reviews that agree, but accuracy depends on terrain and conditions, so treat this as a manufacturer claim. The altimeter combines barometric and GPS data in what Suunto calls FusedAlti, and the watch has a digital compass with tilt compensation, a weather forecast, a storm alarm and sunrise and sunset times.

Battery life

Long battery life is the other headline. In daily smartwatch use Suunto lists up to 30 days, or 60 days with the solar versions, and up to 60 days (one year with solar) in a standby mode with the display waking on wrist raise. In training, the all-systems GNSS mode with multi-band positioning runs up to 65 hours, or 90 hours with solar, while single-band tracking reaches 90 hours (140 hours with solar) and power-saving GNSS modes extend to 500 hours. Suunto says solar charging adds around 30 percent and that it is only available on the Steel Solar and Titanium Solar models. Note that the page also contains a marketing line of 85 hours, which differs from the 65-hour specification, so rely on the technical table. All figures are laboratory tests and will vary with settings.

Training and health tracking

Suunto lists more than 95 preinstalled sport modes, which its marketing rounds up to 115 or more, covering running, cycling, swimming, cross-country skiing and multisport. The watch calculates training load, recovery time, VO2max and Peak Training Effect, and uses heart-rate variability for personalised feedback; the Suunto app offers a Training Zone with AI-based coaching, a workout planner and sharing to Strava and TrainingPeaks. Daily tracking covers steps, calories, sleep stages, stress and resource levels, and the watch measures heart rate from the wrist and supports Bluetooth chest belts, foot pods and power meters. A blood-oxygen sensor is also listed, together with altitude acclimatisation.

Smart features

The smart side is modest. The Vertical shows phone notifications, controls music on the phone and allows predefined replies, but only on Android; it connects by Bluetooth, and Suunto's specification does not list payments, on-watch music storage or cellular connectivity. SuuntoPlus adds sports apps and guides, and the software updates over the air. If you want a rich smartwatch ecosystem, apps and contactless payment, the Vertical will feel limited next to wearables from Apple or Samsung.

What to check before buying

Suunto lists several versions and colours under the Vertical name, and the battery and solar figures differ between them, so make sure the edition you buy matches the numbers you are relying on. The page also states that the watch is made in Finland or China depending on the batch. Availability can vary, and the Black Lime edition was shown as out of stock when this article was prepared.

Who it is for and where it compromises

The Vertical is for hikers, trail runners and mountaineers who value battery life, offline maps and ruggedness, and who are willing to give up smartwatch features. Its compromises are the size and weight, the matrix display rather than AMOLED, the limited smart features and the price. Compare it with the Garmin Forerunner 970 if you favour road running, or with the Amazfit Balance if you want a cheaper all-round watch. You can also browse all smartwatches or the rankings.