Suunto 5 vs Garmin Forerunner 645 vs FR245 & Polar Vantage V

Hot on the tails of the Garmin product releases, Suunto has announced their latest watch, the Suunto 5, which is launched after the Suunto 9. Rather than name things in chronological order, the Suunto 5 fits in as the mid-range watch of the series.

Amazon has the watch at a pre-order price of £299 whereas its bigger brother, the Suunto 9 is £412 while the cheapest offering, the 3, is £142.95.

If you are ready to part with your hard-earned cash you may be wondering how the new watch stacks up against the competition.

Pricing

The obvious alternative choice is Garmin’s range, with this being priced identically to the new Forerunner 245 Music, but thanks to the competitiveness of the internet you can also get the Garmin Forerunner 645 Music for just £299.99.

Then there is the Polar Vantage M & V. The Vantage M has an RRP of £249 but it is just £202 at the time of writing.  Whereas the Vantage V should be £439, but you can get it for £319.99.

So it is quite a crowded price category, and you have lots of choices.

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Suunto 5 vs Suunto 9

The S5 is basically a cut-down version of the S9, it has a smaller battery, no compass, and no barometric altimeter, but that’s about it, in fact, they have added a few features the S9 doesn’t have. So if you have your heart set on Suunto but can’t afford the flagship device, then this is well worth considering.

The S5 has access to a bunch of FirstBeat features that the S9 lacks and these include:

• Stress tracking metrics
• Body resources (aka body battery) metric
• Sleep quality metrics
• V02Max tracking/metrics
• Adaptive training plans

The S9 is still probably one of the best endurance watched available on the market and it has battery options of 25/50/120hrs (depending on mode) whereas the S5 has 20/40h.

The S9 has a barometer and compass so it will be much better for hiking and climbing.

Suunto 5 vs Spartan Trainer

The S5 is the replacement for the older, but excellent, Spartan Trainer

• Increased battery life from 10hrs to 20hrs in regular modes, and 30hrs to 40hrs in extended modes
• Changed from plastic bezel (base option) to stainless steel bezel
• Changed from plastic screen (base option) to mineral glass
• Added adaptive training plans (not on Suunto 9)
• Added sleep quality metric (not on Suunto 9)
• Added stress tracking metric (not on Suunto 9)
• Added body resources metric (not on Suunto 9)
• Added VO2Max fitness level
• Changed GPS chipset from MediaTek to Sony
• Changed GPS recording track modes from Best/Good/OK to Best/Good
• Added additional GPS options: GLONASS, Galileo, and QZSS
• Added intelligent battery modes: Performance, Endurance, Custom
• Approx. the same weight: 66g for Suunto 5, to 57g/66g/74g for Suunto Trainer variants
• Only can connect to Suunto/Sports Tracker platform/apps (not Movescount)

Suunto 5 vs Garmin

While this has the same RRP of the Forerunner 245 it may not be the best comparison, the FR245 is more of a running watch so lacks some of the multisport features this does.

The RRP of the FR645 should mean that it isn’t comparable to this, but at the moment you can get the FR645 for £299.

However, they are not like for like watches either. If you are a serious athlete doing triathlons or very long endurance events then he Suunto 5 is a better choice with triathlon modes and compatibility with bike power meters, as well as the 40h battery life.

For the average user that enjoys a variety of sports that wants a sort of hybrid smartwatch/multi-sport watch then the FR645 is likely a better choice with its music streaming, NFC payments, and generally superior Garmin ecosystem.

Suunto 5 vs Polar Vantage V

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Another option, again, technically the Sunnto 5 would have been closer in price to the Polar Vantage M, but as that has been out a while now, you could get it for £202, so almost £100 cheaper, or pay an extra £20 and get the Vantage V.

The Vantage V has a lot of similar specs, with some worthwhile extras, in particular, it has built-in running power, so if you are a keen running this could be well worth it. It has a similar battery life of 40h and it also has a barometer.

Movescount

When I reviewed the Suunto 9, they were in the process of phasing out Movescount, and with the launch of this watch, you no longer get access to it. My issues with the Suunto app/Sports Tracker platform was that it didn’t link it with apps like Strava, but since that review, it looks like Suunto have enabled quite a lot of connected services making it much better, and a suitable replacement for Movescount.

Feature Comparison

Table generated via DC Rainmaker

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James Smythe( Editor-in-chief )

I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.

As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.

In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.

I’m proud to share that Vuelio has consistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of the top technology blogs in the UK. With my dedication to technology and drive to share my insights, I aim to continue providing my readers with engaging and informative content.