Review on 🌍 Ultimate GPS Performance Tracker: SUUNTO Ambit3 Peak HR Running GPS Unit by Matthew Maxwell

A few months ago I decided to find a replacement for my 2 year old TomTom Runner. It was a good watch and did a great job, but TomTom just didn't develop the entire platform/ecosystem other than the basic hardware and a basic training analysis website. At the same time, in the last 3-4 months I have started using swimming and road cycling as a supplement to cross training. Neither of these actions can be accurately measured with my old watch, so the decision was made that I needed a new, better watch. /day by reading reviews, comparing prices, reading forums etc. After all this madness I've narrowed it down to Ambit3 and Fenix3 which are head to head competitors almost every feature. However, in the weeks leading up to the purchase, I realized that the Fenix3 had serious unresolved issues. Since Garmin was literally not responding and it wasn't clear if the bug was fixed in the firmware or if it was a hardware glitch, I just lost interest. I'm not the type to drop a bunch of Franklins in hopes that a developer can fix a critical bug (which, to my knowledge, they haven't officially acknowledged). Anyway, when I decided on Ambit3, it was all about the version (peak or regular) and color (black, blue, etc.). After thinking about it for a day or so, I settled on the Peak version. First impression: The watch is huge! Definitely not subtle and quite substantial. I'm 5ft 10in, 180lbs and they look pretty big on my wrist. At the same time, it can be said that it's built like a tank and can easily withstand undue stress :) However, you can say that Suunto designers at least _tried_ to make this behemoth more handsome and easier to carry. Smooth curves, the watch itself is curved, following the rounded shape of the wrist and very comfortable and tight straps. The initial setup was very easy. Step-by-step instructions and wizard-like menus make it easy to get your watch up and running in about a minute.*** NOTE. BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO PAIR YOUR PHONE, UPDATE THE FIRMWARE OF YOUR Ambit3 USING THE USB CABLE AND MOVESCOUT. Otherwise IT WILL NOT PAIR PROPERLY ***This watch has an amazing level of customization and many features that you can tweak to your liking, but you can only do most of it through the mobile app. At the time of writing this article, they have yet to release an Android version of the companion app. So if you have an Android device, you might want to wait a couple of weeks before shelling out money on this watch. The iOS app itself looks great and, again, is the primary means of getting the most out of your watch. The Movescout website is fantastic in my opinion. I've seen workouts on Training Peaks, Strava, MapMyFitness, etc. None of these were as clean and well presented as Movescout. I am very happy with it. The GPS tracking for running/cycling is really great and very accurate (tested on measured routes). Haven't tried it on unmarked trails yet so can't comment on the possibility. It supports all Bluetooth 4.0+ devices, such as B. my Sosche hearing monitor, the pairing is immediate and hassle-free. Another interesting thing is the "smart" capabilities of the watch. When paired with your phone, it will show notifications as they arrive. It's such a useful feature, at least for me. 95% of my runs and workouts are in or around town during the week. So it's great to be able to do this while also seeing who is calling, texting or emailing from work, and you can really make a decision on whether it's important or urgent enough to stop and respond (SPOILER: hardly ever). Please note that you cannot answer or control your music through Ambit3 like a full-fledged smartwatch can. But having only one notification covers almost 100% of my use case, so +1 from me. movecout also has a variety of 'apps' that you can 'download' to your watch, and if you're tech savvy you can even create your own. The temperature/thermometer is consistently 10F higher than it should be. Haven't found a good way to calibrate this yet, but I'd say it's the only sore spot I have. The compass works great and since it is not based on GPS, it can be used reliably at any time. It's pretty easy to calibrate. The altimeter/barometer is an interesting thing. Calibration can be difficult unless you are at sea level and in good weather to establish a reference. You can use GPS altitude, but that defeats the purpose of having these sensors on board. Overall, I am very satisfied with my solution and can only recommend it. My only warning: don't expect to use this as a 'casual' watch as, as mentioned, it's quite durable.