For several years now, sports enthusiasts have had a great ally to measure their performance and improve their goals: smartwatches. Smartwatches have become an essential tool for them. But do you know what to look for when choosing the right one? In this review, we tell you the differences and similarities between Suunto 9 Peak Pro vs Garmin Vivoactive 4, two models that, although they are quite similar, have important differences that can change your decision. We tell you all about them in this post.
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Suunto 9 Peak Pro vs Garmin Vivoactive 4: What are the common points?
First, we focus on the key similarities they share:
Measuring basic functions
Like most current smartwatches, both Suunto and Garmin monitor basic functions such as step or kilometre counter, calories burned, stress level, heart rate and more. Both smartwatches also allow you to track your sleep by analysing how long you sleep soundly, how many hours you have slept, or the quality of your sleep.
Sports features
The two smartwatches in our review allow you to monitor your sporting activity in different areas. In fact, the Suunto 9 Peak Pro has more than 95 sport modes installed on the watch, with swimming activities, both in swimming pools and in the open sea, being particularly good.
The Garmin Vivoactive 4, meanwhile, maintains the good performance of the Garmin models and is also capable of monitoring activity in exercises such as swimming, cycling and hiking. This smartwatch performs very well especially in outdoor sports.
Synchronisation with an app
In both cases it is possible to connect the smartwatch with an app through which we can receive important updates, review the history of previous workouts, etc.
Sensors to measure saturation
Another feature they have in common is that both smartwatches can measure blood oxygen saturation, thanks to the VO2 sensor.
Suunto 9 Peak Pro vs Garmin Vivoactive 4: What are the differences?
Having looked at the similarities, we continue by analysing the most important differences between the two smartwatches we are talking about:
Water tolerance
Smartwatches can also be used to monitor your activity in water sports, but for this, you have to look at how resistant they are. In other words, how deep can they be submerged without affecting their performance. The Suunto 9 Peak Pro can be submerged to a depth of 100 metres, while the Garmin Vivoactive 4 has a resistance of 5 ATM, which is about 50 metres.
Connectivity options
The Suunto 9 Peak Pro is Bluetooth compatible, while the Garmin can also sync with WiFi and ANT connectivity.
Display and design
At first glance, it’s very easy to distinguish each watch. The Suunto 9 Peak Pro has a sleeker design, which could pass for a normal, non-sports watch. The dial has a slim bezel, and the strap, made of silicone, comes in a choice of colours: black, green, navy, gold, grey and sand.
On the other hand, the Garmin Vivoactive 4 has a sportier design, with a thicker bezel dial and a more aggressive aesthetic than its rival. In this case, it is only available in black or silver.
As far as the dial is concerned, there is a slight difference in size. The Suunto 9 Peak Pro has a 1.2-inch face with a resolution of 240 x 240 pixels. The Garmin Vivoactive 4, on the other hand, has a 1.3-inch face with 260 x 260 pixels resolution.
Wearing time
Another area where the two smartwatches differ is battery capacity and battery life. The Suunto 9 Peak Pro has a battery that can last up to 30 days when used as a watch alone, a far cry from the Garmin’s 8-day battery life in the same role. And, if we activate the GPS, the battery lasts between 40 and 300 hours in the Suunto, and 6 hours in the case of Garmin.
Price
Financially, there is quite a noticeable difference between the price of the Suunto 9 Peak Pro and the Garmin Vivoactive 4. However, to be fair, the Garmin has been on the market for some time now, while the Suunto is a recent launch. The gap is therefore expected to narrow over time.
Ranking: the most popular smartwatches
Before we finish, we show you which are the best-selling smartwatches of each brand on Amazon:
Suunto
[amazon bestseller = “smartwatch Suunto” items = “5”]
Garmin
[amazon bestseller = “smartwatch Garmin” items = “5”]
Suunto 9 Peak Pro vs Garmin Vivoactive 4: Which is the better sports watch?
Having compared the differences and similarities between the two smartwatches, it’s time to make a decision. Suunto has improved the performance of its smartwatch compared to the previous range, and has focused on the sporting performance of the watch. In this respect, it has managed to catch up with Garmin, the undisputed leader in this sector.
On the other hand, it is worth highlighting the great qualitative leap that Suunto has made in terms of battery life, as it has managed to triple the performance of the Garmin thanks to the incorporation of a new processor. In this sense, if we are going on a trip or spending long periods of time away, it is interesting to have a watch with such a long battery life.
However, our scales are tipped towards the Garmin model because, although the Suunto 9 Peak Pro comes close, the Vivoactive 4 is still one of the most advanced smartwatches in terms of precision and sports training.
So think about what your preferences are and, based on those, make your decision. What we can assure you is that, from a sports measurement point of view, both are excellent choices.