Race 3S Suunto's small titanium racer gains sapphire, and a price rise

What is new about the Suunto Race 3S?

The Race 3S went on sale in the UK on 15 October 2026. It is the compact model in Suunto's Race family and replaces the 2024 Race S. Suunto's own comparison lists the main changes: sapphire glass instead of Gorilla Glass, a 1.32 in AMOLED screen that now reaches 2,000 nits rather than 600, a titanium bezel on every version, a faster Apollo 510 processor and a new optical heart rate sensor with six LEDs and four photodiodes.

Battery life and storage also go up. Suunto quotes 38 hours of dual-band GPS (30 hours on the Race S), up to 12 days as a smartwatch (9 before) and 64 GB of storage (32 GB before). It also launches alongside Suunto's new AI Coach feature for personalised training. The colour range shrinks from ten to three: Black, Feather and Orchid.

How big is it, and how will it wear?

Suunto lists the case at 46 mm across and 11.4 mm thick, 1 mm wider than the Race S and the same thickness. It weighs 56 g on its silicone strap, and Suunto puts the watch head alone at 38 g. The case itself is glass-fibre reinforced polyamide, with the titanium limited to the bezel, which is how the weight stays down.

This is a watch aimed at smaller and medium wrists, on a 22 mm quick-release silicone strap, so swapping to a longer or different 22 mm strap is easy. At 46 mm across, it should sit comfortably on wrists that find 47 mm and larger sports watches too broad. If your wrist is larger and you want a bigger screen, the Race 2 is the obvious step up.

How long will the battery last?

Suunto's figures are:

• Dual-band GPS: up to 38 hours, or 32 hours with the always-on display.
• Single-band GPS: up to 45 hours, or 40 hours always on.
• Power-saving GPS modes: up to 120 hours.
• Smartwatch use: up to 12 days, although the FAQ on Suunto's own product page says around 10 days.

Expect fewer days than the headline once you add daily training and the always-on display. DC Rainmaker and Tom's Guide have both published battery results from their own testing, and they are worth reading if long ultras are your main use.

What sensors and features does it have?

The Race 3S tracks GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou and QZSS on two frequencies. Alongside the new heart rate sensor there is a barometric altimeter, compass, thermometer, blood oxygen sensor and wrist-based running power. Suunto's ZoneSense feature works with a compatible chest strap.

Offline maps are free and worldwide, downloaded through the Suunto app, with contours, roads and place names. DC Rainmaker calls the heart rate sensor a big step forward over the old one.

A few things are missing or still to come. The torch is the screen turned to full white brightness: DC Rainmaker notes there is no LED, unlike Suunto's Vertical 2. Offline music and a race planning tool are promised in later software updates. NFC payments are listed for China only.

How well is it built?

For the money, the materials are good: sapphire over the screen, a titanium bezel and a quick-release strap. Water resistance is 5 ATM (50 m), which Suunto says covers swimming and snorkelling but not diving. The polyamide case keeps it light, though it will not feel as dense as an all-metal watch.

Is it good value against its rivals?

The Race 3S launched in the UK at an RRP of £435, as reported by T3 and Tom's Guide at launch. That is the same for all three colours. It puts the watch close to Garmin's Forerunner 570, which has an RRP of £429.99 on Garmin's UK site, and above the Coros PACE 4 Pro at £389 on the Coros UK store. The Coros has a bigger 47.6 mm case, a 1.47 in screen and a speaker; the Suunto is smaller and lighter on the wrist.

The price rise over the Race S is the sticking point. Tom's Guide lists the jump in price as a drawback, and DC Rainmaker concludes that the watch feels overpriced for what is mostly a hardware refresh.

What is the catch?

Beyond the price, the software has rough edges at launch. DC Rainmaker found the interface more laggy than the older Race S despite the faster processor, and the screen's power saving dims the panel quickly after you raise your wrist. Tom's Guide describes the interface as confusing. Some features, including offline music, are not there yet. AI Coach is free for three months if you activate the watch by 31 December 2026, so check what it costs after that before relying on it.

The watch is too new for meaningful owner feedback, so there is no owners section yet. We will add one once owners have had a few months with it.

“The Race 3S fixes the Race S's dim screen and soft glass, but asks Forerunner money to do it.”