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Alternatives guide

Best Alternatives to Suunto Race S

Stay with Race S while lighter Race form factor still covers intermediate / trail training. The 3 alternatives below split on Direct Competitor, Most Similar. Cost of leaving: shorter battery than full Race.

Last updated: 12 Sept 2026 · Next review: Dec 2026

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Suunto Race S

Quick alternatives by need

Best Race S alternatives

How we choose →
  • COROS Pace Pro
    Direct Competitor

    COROS Pace Pro

    8.9 Very Good

    Leave Race S for Pace Pro when direct competitor outweighs the source’s intermediate / trail training bias. Pace Pro centres on intermediate / advanced. You give up Race S spec (display amoled).

    Read review →

    Better than Race S

    • Leave Race S for Pace Pro when a same-role peer outweighs the source’s intermediate / trail training bias. Pace Pro centres on intermediate / advanced. You give up Race S spec (display amoled).
    • Pace Pro advantage: very light for maps + AMOLED
    • Also stronger on: excellent stated GPS battery

    What you give up

    • You leave behind Race S's lighter Race form factor
    • Pace Pro downside: smaller third-party app ecosystem than Garmin
    • Only switch if shorter battery than full Race is a real problem — otherwise direct competitor is optional

    Who should switch

    Move to Pace Pro when direct competitor matters more than protecting lighter Race form factor.

    Who should stay with Race S

    Keep Race S if Smaller, lighter Suunto Race sibling with AMOLED maps for everyday and trail running. is still the honest match and you would only use Pace Pro's direct competitor edge rarely.

    Best for

    • Enough of what is built for without stretching it into another job.
    • Over a generalist when GPS running watch is the weekly filter.

    From € 349

    View prices (1)
  • Polar Grit X2
    Direct Competitor

    Polar Grit X2

    8.4 Good

    Pick Grit X2 over Race S only if polar training/recovery analytics with outdoor maps is the weekly gap. Grit X2 is trail training / advanced; Race S stays intermediate / trail training. Cost of the switch: smartwatch battery (~7 days) shorter than Garmin/COROS peers.

    Read review →

    Better than Race S

    • Pick Grit X2 over Race S only if polar training/recovery analytics with outdoor maps is the weekly gap. Grit X2 is trail training / advanced; Race S stays intermediate / trail training. Cost of the switch: smartwatch battery (~7 days) shorter than Garmin/COROS peers.
    • Grit X2 advantage: polar training/recovery analytics with outdoor maps
    • Also stronger on: sapphire AMOLED and dual-frequency GPS in a compact chassis

    What you give up

    • You leave behind Race S's lighter Race form factor
    • Grit X2 downside: smartwatch battery (~7 days) shorter than Garmin/COROS peers
    • Only switch if shorter battery than full Race is a real problem — otherwise direct competitor is optional

    Who should switch

    Switch to Grit X2 when direct competitor is the shopping trigger and polar training/recovery analytics with outdoor maps shows up more weeks than lighter Race form factor.

    Who should stay with Race S

    Stay with Race S unless direct competitor is a weekly problem — Grit X2 is a different job, not a free upgrade.

    Best for

    • Building a clear role for instead of forcing one product to cover every session.
    • Military-grade durability claims for trail abuse.

    From € 549

    View prices (1)
  • Garmin Forerunner 570
    Most Similar

    Garmin Forerunner 570

    8.7 Very Good

    Leave Race S for Forerunner 570 when most similar outweighs the source’s intermediate / trail training bias. Forerunner 570 centres on intermediate / advanced. You give up Race S spec (display amoled).

    Read review →

    Better than Race S

    • Leave Race S for Forerunner 570 when a similar peer outweighs the source’s intermediate / trail training bias. Forerunner 570 centres on intermediate / advanced. You give up Race S spec (display amoled).
    • Forerunner 570 advantage: bright AMOLED without flagship price
    • Also stronger on: available in multiple case sizes

    What you give up

    • You leave behind Race S's lighter Race form factor
    • Forerunner 570 downside: no full offline maps
    • Only switch if shorter battery than full Race is a real problem — otherwise most similar is optional

    Who should switch

    Choose Forerunner 570 when intermediate / advanced is the week and Race S is only winning on habit — not on most similar.

    Who should stay with Race S

    Stay with Race S if shorter battery than full Race is not biting; Forerunner 570's upside does not cancel no full offline maps.

    Best for

    • Enough of what is built for without stretching it into another job.
    • Over a generalist when GPS running watch is the weekly filter.
    • Available in multiple case sizes.

    From € 449

    View prices (2)

Alternatives compared

Spec comparison of Suunto Race S and alternatives
WatchBatteryGPSMapsWeightScoreBest forFrom
Race SSourceYesYes8.1Enough of what is built for without stretching it into another job., Over a generalist when GPS running watch is the weekly filter.EUR 349
Pace Pro38YesYes378.9Enough of what is built for without stretching it into another job., Over a generalist when GPS running watch is the weekly filter.EUR 349
Forerunner 57018YesNo8.7Enough of what is built for without stretching it into another job., Over a generalist when GPS running watch is the weekly filter.EUR 449
Grit X230YesYes628.4Building a clear role for instead of forcing one product to cover every session., Military-grade durability claims for trail abuse.EUR 549
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Best Alternatives to Suunto Race S · Kitletics