Suunto Race 3S: 56 g titanium watch with 38-hour GPS and AI Coach

Longer battery in a smaller case

The Race 3S is the newest model in the Race series, which Suunto first launched in 2023. According to the company, the watch keeps the long battery life, flagship display and full trail toolkit of the line while moving into a 46 mm case sized for smaller wrists.

Suunto quotes up to 38 hours in dual-band GPS mode, or up to 32 hours with the always-on display switched on. The Race S is rated at up to 30 hours, so the new watch offers up to eight more hours. Additional battery modes go further, including a smartwatch mode with up to 12 days of battery life for everyday wear.

With the silicone strap the watch weighs 56 g, and the watch head alone is 38 g. It has a titanium bezel and a sapphire crystal lens. Inside is the Apollo 510 processor, which Suunto says speeds up response across maps and menus. The optical heart rate module has six LEDs and four photodetectors behind 2.5D curved sensor glass. Pairing a Suunto heart rate belt enables ZoneSense.

Display, maps and trail tools

The 1.32-inch LTPS Hybrid AMOLED display reaches 2,000 nits at 466 × 466 resolution. Suunto says that is more than three times the brightness of the Race S.

Free worldwide offline maps now include contour lines and place names. They download to the watch, run entirely on board and require no subscription. The watch also offers two planning features:

• Climb Guidance shows in real time whether the trail ahead is a climb or a descent, so runners can plan their effort.
• Race Planner builds a personalized pacing plan from the route, the weather and the runner's race goal. Suunto says it is planned for launch via a future app and firmware update, and that features and timing are subject to change.

The watch has 64 GB of onboard storage for maps, routes, training data and offline music. Suunto says offline music will arrive via an over-the-air software update after launch, with timing still to be announced. It offers over 100 sport modes, including running, cycling, swimming, gym work and multisport.

Suunto AI Coach debuts

The Race 3S marks the debut of Suunto AI Coach, an AI-powered conversational coaching experience in the Suunto app. Users can ask questions about their training and receive answers with guidance and visuals such as charts, tables and maps. It can also create structured workouts, training plans and routes. Workouts and routes can be saved in the app and synced to the watch.

"People have more performance data at their fingertips than ever, but turning all that information into something useful can be a challenge," said Daniel Das Bhowmik, VP Product at Suunto. Buyers who purchase and pair a Race 3S can get three months of AI Coach free by activating the watch through the Suunto app by 31 December 2026.

Price and availability

The Race 3S costs EUR 499 or USD 599. According to the release, it goes on sale in EMEA and China on October 15 and in North America and APAC on October 29. It will be sold through Suunto's direct-to-consumer channels and authorized outdoor and running retail partners across North America, Europe and key Asia-Pacific markets.

The press release names the colorways as Orchid, Feather and Black in the body text, while the availability section lists Purple, Grey and Black.

For runners with smaller wrists who want long GPS battery life and offline mapping without a subscription, the Race 3S gives Suunto a lighter option in its flagship line. Some of the promised features, namely Race Planner and offline music, depend on later updates.