Suunto launched the Race 3S on October 15. By the morning of October 16, at least five independent reviewers had published full test results, which is fast even by sports watch standards.
The reviews mostly agree on the hardware, and the agreement is good news for Suunto. Where they split is more interesting: heart rate accuracy, which is the exact thing Suunto upgraded and the exact thing you would want a second opinion on.
The GPS Consensus Holds
Every reviewer who tested the Race 3S outdoors came away satisfied with positioning.
DC Rainmaker ran it across runs, rides and city routes and reported "no concerns in any category," noting that even downtown sections between tall buildings performed comparably to Garmin and Apple units tested alongside it. Road Trail Run, testing on Park City roads and trails, called the tracking "spot on" and said the watch is an "accurate class act." The Quantified Scientist's video review, covered by Geeky Gadgets, rates the dual-frequency GPS system as the watch's standout strength across five satellite constellations.
That matters because the Race S was not a watch anyone bought for GPS precision at the margins. Dual-band satellite positioning is now standard at this price, and the Race 3S handles it well.
Where Reviewers Disagree: Heart Rate
This is the real split, and it runs straight down the middle.
Suunto changed the optical sensor for this model: six LEDs and four photodetectors behind 2.5D curved sensor glass, up from four LEDs and two photodiodes on the Race S. Suunto's claim is better skin contact and a cleaner signal.
The positive read. DC Rainmaker calls the new sensor "really darn good in my testing," and "a big jump up over the previous Suunto Race S sensor, which wasn't super awesome." Notably, he verified it on a hilly run with a long steep descent, a scenario that regularly trips optical sensors, and reported zero complaints. ZDNET's reviewer compared the watch against other watches and an arm-mounted sensor and found the heart rate data accurate, and Tom's Guide lists better heart rate accuracy among the watch's key improvements over the Race S.
The skeptical read. The Quantified Scientist found heart rate and sleep tracking "functional but less accurate during dynamic activities and deep sleep monitoring compared to top-tier competitors." That is not a claim that the sensor is bad. It is a claim that at $599 the sensor should be class-leading, and in that reviewer's testing it isn't.
Put both readings together and the honest conclusion is this: the Race 3S sensor is a clear improvement over the watch it replaces, and it is probably still a step behind the best wrist sensors on the market. If you train intervals off heart rate, a chest strap remains the sensible answer.
The Price Is the Unanimous Complaint
Nobody is arguing about the price. They are all complaining about it.
DC Rainmaker's verdict headline is "A Pricey Upgrade," and he is blunt about the display panel: the Race 3S runs a 2,000-nit screen while "virtually all watches released in 2026 are using 3,000-nit panels." The COROS Pace 4 Pro is the comparison he reaches for, with a 3,500-nit, 1.47-inch display for $449, which is $150 less than the Suunto Race 3S.
Tom's Guide reaches the same place from a different direction, calling the Race 3S "a tough sell" against the COROS Pace 4 Pro and Suunto's own Run 2, both cheaper. The price jump is stark in context: the Race S titanium launched at $449 and is now discounted to $329 on Suunto's own site, while the Race 3S arrives at $599.
Our own launch coverage flagged the same problem. The Race 3S sits right where the full-size Race 2 sits, so anyone comparing the two is really choosing a form factor, not a spec sheet.
One note on the numbers, since reviews have not been consistent: Suunto's US product page lists the Race 3S at $599, with the UK at 435 pounds and Europe at 499 euros. A couple of reviews have repeated a $499 figure, which matches the European pricing rather than the US MSRP. We are following Suunto's own product page.
What the Reviewers Actually Praised
Strip out the price argument and the hardware story is strong.
- Battery. 38 hours of dual-band GPS, 45 hours single-band, and 12 days in smartwatch mode. DC Rainmaker verified the daily battery claim at roughly the rated figure, and Road Trail Run calls it suitable for multi-day adventures. Ten minutes on the charger buys about 10 hours of dual-frequency tracking.
- Build. Titanium bezel switching from stainless steel, sapphire crystal replacing Gorilla Glass, and a case that got slightly bigger (46mm) while the watch got lighter (56g from 60g).
- Display legibility. The 2,000-nit panel is behind the class, and every reviewer still says it is perfectly readable in direct sun. DC Rainmaker's only complaint is that the power-saving dimming kicks in a touch aggressively.
- Storage. 64GB, doubled from 32GB, which is what makes free worldwide offline maps practical.
- Accuracy of the basics. Sleep onset, wake times and HRV status lined up with other wearables within a few minutes in DC Rainmaker's testing.
What the Reviews Confirm Is Missing
A few limitations showed up consistently, and they are worth knowing before you order.
- No contactless payments outside China. NFC appears on some spec sheets but only applies to the China market. DC Rainmaker calls this out directly.
- No music streaming. Offline playback is limited to MP3 and WAV files you load yourself. No Spotify, no Deezer.
- No LED flashlight. The Suunto Vertical 2 has one. The Race 3S does not.
- Race Planner is not there yet. The weather-aware race pacing feature is promised for later this year. Offline music also arrives by update, with no firm date.
- The larger Race 3 does not exist. This one is the biggest open question. There is no Race 2S and no larger Race 3 companion at this point, and when DC Rainmaker asked Suunto about a full-size Race 3, the company offered a variant of "no comment."
Our Read
The review roundup does not change the conclusion we reached at launch, it sharpens it. The Race 3S is a genuinely better watch than the Race S, and the reviewers who tested it hardest agree on GPS, battery and build quality. It is also priced as if it were the best watch in its class when the display panel, the payment support and the heart rate sensor are each a step behind something cheaper.
The heart rate split is the detail to hold onto. DC Rainmaker's testing is the most rigorous of the group and it is positive, so there is no reason to think the sensor is a problem. There is simply not yet a consensus that it is a strength at this price. If heart rate-driven training is your priority, the case for a chest strap is unchanged by this launch.
If you want the trail-running form factor and Suunto's software ecosystem, the Race 3S is a reasonable buy at the right price. At $599 in a market where $449 buys a brighter screen, waiting for a discount or looking at what Suunto does with the full-size Race 3 is the more patient call.
Bottom Line
Five reviews, one clear verdict on the hardware and one clear verdict on the price. The Suunto Race 3S gets the fundamentals right and charges for them as though it also got the flagship details right. It did not. Watch for the full-size Race 3 before deciding, and if you buy the 3S for interval training, pair it with a chest strap.
North American availability starts October 29. Suunto is also working on a screenless band, which leaked through certification filings earlier this month, so the company's product push is not finished.
Sources: DC Rainmaker's October 15, 2026 in-depth Suunto Race 3S review (heart rate sensor testing, "no concerns in any category" on accuracy, 2,000-nit versus 3,000-nit panel comparison, COROS Pace 4 Pro at $150 less, no NFC payments outside China, no music streaming, availability of the Race Planner feature, Suunto's "no comment" on a full-size Race 3, $599 US / 499 euro pricing); Tom's Guide's October 15, 2026 Race 3S review (significant price rise over the Race S titanium at $449 and its current $329 price, "tough sell" against the COROS Pace 4 Pro and Suunto Run 2, better heart rate accuracy listed as a key improvement, 435 pounds UK pricing); ZDNET's October 15, 2026 Race 3S review (accurate heart rate data against other watches and an arm-mounted sensor, 12-day battery, titanium and sapphire build); Road Trail Run's October 15, 2026 Suunto Race 3S review ("spot on" tracking, "accurate class act" verdict, Park City test conditions, 56g weight, 11.4mm thickness, 45-hour single-band battery); and Geeky Gadgets' October 16, 2026 coverage of The Quantified Scientist's Race 3S video review (over 100 sports modes, offline maps and AI coaching as strengths, heart rate and sleep tracking "functional but less accurate" than top-tier competitors during dynamic activity and deep sleep). Reviewer price figures of $499 were not used because Suunto's own US product page lists $599; that price is verified directly on Suunto's site.
