(My Ambit3 Full In-Depth Review is now published! Swing on over to that post for all the full details and analysis!)
This morning Suunto has announced their latest endurance and multisport watch, the Suunto Ambit3. The watch incrementally builds on previous generations of the Ambit in what has been a roughly 12-16 month release cycle for the company. The Ambit3 when it’s available in September 2014 will add mobile phone integration such as workout uploading and smartphone notifications, while also including support for Bluetooth Smart sensors and heart rate while swimming.
I’ve been using a few beta units of the Ambit3 for a fair bit of time now and thus have a good understanding of many of the new areas. But because the watch and the mobile app experience are still very much beta (almost two months until public availability), please do understand this isn’t a review. It’s more of a ‘preview of new things’ coming. As such, things could change. They could get better, or, they could get worse – that’s the nature of beta. Historically speaking however Suunto actually is one of the stronger companies when it comes to releasing relatively bug-free software. Further, they have a nearly perfect record for releasing products and firmware updates on time per the dates they’ve set (unlike most all of their competitors). Thus, I remain optimistic on their ability to execute here.
With that said, let’s dive into what’s new and notable. In my final In-Depth Review (which would be in early September), I’ll cover all the regular stuff that’s not new. But as a general rule of thumb everything from the Ambit2 is available in the Ambit3 (unless noted below).
The Hardware & New HR Strap
At first glance you may be wondering if I mistakenly took photos of an older Ambit and not the Ambit3. But in reality the external hardware is actually virtually indistinguishable from past units. It’s the internals that have been tweaked. Most notably, the addition of a Bluetooth Smart chipset to replace the ANT+ chipset that was in there. Further, they have roughly doubled the internal storage capacity.
It’s this Bluetooth Smart chipset that enables connectivity to the phone, as well as Bluetooth Smart sensors. Though, that does come at the cost of lack of connectivity to ANT+ accessories.
Beyond that the unit is identical to past units. For example, there is no new vibration motor (for vibrating alerts), nor shifts in storage capacity (Update: Suunto has corrected to say it’s roughly a doubling of capacity in the Ambit3) – both common complaints about both first and second generation Ambit units.
In addition to the Ambit3 watch, Suunto is also releasing a new heart rate strap, which is substantially smaller in the pod-department than their previous strap:
This new strap is different in a few ways. First is that it’s Bluetooth Smart (rather than Suunto ANT like previous straps). This means it can connect to Bluetooth Smart capable devices (including the Ambit3), such as phone apps or 3rd party devices.
Second, the strap has a totally new connection design between the pod and the strap. Suunto hopes to make this a bit of an industry standard. Though, at the moment it appears to be just them (everyone else is using a slightly different standard with wider connection points).
But the real secret to the strap is that it’s able to store data while you’re swimming. I’ll dive into this capability later in the swimming section, but the unit is able to store heart rate data while swimming and then automatically re-sync that data in a few seconds when it comes back within range of the watch.
The New Features
Now that we’ve covered the hardware side, let’s talk on the software pieces. As you’ll see – that’s where all the new goodness hangs out. In order to keep things simple I’m going to provide a bulleted list here, and then I’ll walk through these features in more detailed sections below.
– Heart Rate While Swimming
– Bluetooth Smart Sensor Support (Power/Speed/Cadence/Heart Rate)
– Daily Activity Monitoring (aka activity tracker)
– Smartphone Workout Uploads
– Smart Phone Notifications (i.e. calls/texts/Facebook/etc…)
– Ability to use Ambit3 GPS as source for phone display (i.e. on bike handlebars)
As you can see, lots there – but especially lots on the mobile side.
The singular item that was removed however is ANT+ sensor support. The unit does not include ANT+ support. They decided that for the modes they were looking to utilize it would have required two chips being in the unit (a separate one for ANT+ and one for Bluetooth Smart) – which would have required additional architecture/battery considerations. I’ll cover some of my sensor thoughts in the Bluetooth Smart section below though on this.
While there’s a ton of new features coming, it isn’t however a complete overhaul of the watch. Areas like the display/screen, look and feel, and core functionality of the watch actually don’t shift dramatically from the Ambit2. It’s in many ways easiest to think of it as an Ambit2 with Bluetooth Smart and a whole bunch of cool phone-connected features. Well, except heart rate while swimming – that’s device-centric, new, and cool.
Swimming Heart Rate
The Ambit3 introduces the ability to track heart rate while swimming. It does this in conjunction with the new Suunto heart rate strap that enables storage of your heart rate while underwater. The strap then will burst transmit the stored data to the watch when it can get back in range.
See, neither ANT+ nor Bluetooth Smart can transmit more than a few centimeters (an inch or so) underwater. The signal simply doesn’t work (unlike older analog signals used in some products). So by Suunto moving to a store and forward method it can catch-up your heart rate data anytime you come back to the wall of a pool (such as below).
While swimming the data generally won’t be up to date, it’ll just show your last heart rate value on the watch. I found that sometimes I’d get lucky and if I placed the unit slightly to the left on my chest it’d actually catch-up every few laps (not stopping) and I’d get an updated heart rate value. But for the most part it only caught up at the end of the set when I stopped and put the two close together (either above or below water).
What’s cool is it then actually draws out your heart rate (if you have the graph view enabled) on the watch – just like an etch-a-sketch. It takes about 1 second per 1-minute of heart rate data to draw. Here’s a fun little video I shot last night of it. Sorry it’s fuzzy, the pool lady was yelling at me to hurry up and get out of the pool at closing time.
This data is then available post-swim on Movescount, where it’ll show up just like heart rate on any other activity:
(Note: You’ll see a few cases of where the data dropped and it flat-lines, that’s where I didn’t realize the HR strap had flipped over due to water pressure as discussed in a moment.)
And all of that it time-sync’d to your actual swim lap metrics as well. Thus making the Ambit3 the only watch on the market today that can do both swim lap/distance/stroke metrics and heart rate recording. Down the road the Polar V800 will also do the same as well once they implement swim lap/distance/stroke tracking metrics.
Now, the only catch here remains the actual heart rate strap. I’ve always had issues with keeping the heart rate strap on my chest while swimming. In particular when I push off the wall, it often ends up down by my waist. No matter how hard I tighten it. I’ve tried putting it on my back, twisting the fabric, all the usual tricks. In the case of the above swim I was fixing it every few laps and pushing off very gently (not realistic).
For women that’s not a problem because your swimsuit top tends to keep it in place, but for guys it can be tough. And no, I refuse to wear a top at the pool while swimming – there’s enough antics in my usual pool as it is without me adding to it.
Finally, note that the swim support will work just the same in openwater. Except there you won’t get a HR ‘update’ mid-swim unless you stop to let it sync. Still, it’ll easily record everything from your outdoor swim (including a map) for later access online.
Bluetooth Smart Sensor Support
The Ambit3 swaps out the ANT+ sensor of the Ambit1/Ambit2 for a Bluetooth chipset, enabling it to connect to Bluetooth Smart sensors that adhere to the Bluetooth Smart standardized device profiles for sensors. This means that it can connect to the following Bluetooth Smart sensors/accessories:
– Bluetooth Smart Heart Rate Straps
– Bluetooth Smart Cadence-Only Cycling Sensors
– Bluetooth Smart Speed/Cadence Only Cycling Sensors
– Bluetooth Smart Power Meters
– Bluetooth Smart Running Footpods
There are a number of companies that make devices in each of these categories, from Wahoo Fitness to Stages to PowerTap to Mio, Scosche and many more. As part of my in-depth review I’ll include a compatibility chart for what I’ve tested myself as far as 3rd party sensors go. To date I’ve done testing with the Wahoo cadence sensors and a variety of heart rate straps. And my updated PowerTap cap with Bluetooth Smart just arrived in, so I’ll be trying that out soon too.
Below for example is a workout showing cadence (upper portion in white) using the Wahoo RPM2 with the Suunto Ambit3, all via Bluetooth Smart. The workout was a brick, hence why I’ve just selected the first portion that was bike-specific.
Of course, those with ANT+ will be left out in the cold here. The Ambit3 doesn’t contain ANT+ support for sensors, which means neither your existing ANT+ (3rd party) sensors nor even existing Suunto-ANT sensors will work. Said differently: No previous Suunto sensors will work with the Ambit3.
Now in my discussions with Suunto I made it clear that this was a pretty big deal – especially for triathletes. And in theory they have two paths to address this. The first is to partner with someone like 4iiii’s and ensure that Viiiiva compatibility will solve the problem. The Viiiiva can act as a bridge between ANT+ devices and Bluetooth Smart watches like this. It sorta-works for certain combinations today with the Bluetooth Smart-only Polar V800. But it’s not perfect and there are many holes. That requires both companies to work together to address at least the most common scenarios.
The second option is that Suunto could do something similar themselves using the heart rate strap they will ship with the Ambit3, which contains the latest chipsets that are capable of running dual ANT+/Bluetooth Smart (to be clear, the heart rate strap is capable, not the watch). Thus they could build that capability into their own strap, which would instantly give them complete control over compatibility and also give them without question the most versatile triathlon watch combination on the market that appeals to the broadest possible audience. I know what I would do if I was in their shoes…
Smartphone Integration
With the addition of Bluetooth Smart to the unit the Ambit3 gains connectivity straight to your phone. In doing so they’ve opened up a number of different scenarios for phone integration with the Ambit3. Some of these areas are ‘common’ to what we’ve seen in other watches (such as uploading workouts), yet others are entirely new takes on ideas, like using the GPS from the device and the phone as the data screen. In order to cover all the concepts I’ve divided them up into a few sub-sections below.
Note: As of July 2014, Suunto will be making the iOS app available upon release for compatible Bluetooth 4.0 devices (iPhone 4S and higher). For Android, they are targeting “2015”, but haven’t specified at this point if it’ll be January 2015 or December 2015.
Uploading Completed Workouts/Settings Configuration:
(Preemptive note: All these screenshots are BETA level, and unfinished. Think of it like a strawman without the clothes. They haven’t added the layer of ‘pretty’ yet.)
First up is the most common of tasks, which is the automatic uploading of completed workouts via Bluetooth Smart to your phone (and then onwards to Movescount online). Like numerous other watches on the market the unit will transfer completed workouts via Bluetooth Smart from the watch to the phone. The length of time it takes for this to complete varies a bit, but usually about 30-60 seconds depending on how many sensors you might have paired and the length of the ride.
A few moments later this information then shows up on Movescount, the online site from Suunto that acts as your training log.
And because Suunto recently added automatic synchronization to Strava, your workouts will near-immediately show up on Strava as well:
Next, you can configure sport profiles and settings from the app. This allows you to decide which sports show up on the Ambit3, and the settings for those different sports. Further, you can configure global watch settings like languages as well in here.
Even better is that you can also tweak display field settings directly from the app. So I can configure and change data pages and what metrics are shown on any of the sport profiles:
Because the app isn’t quite finished yet it’s unclear how deep the settings will go in terms of sports configuration on the app itself (for example things like recording time). However, what’s cool is that you can actually use the Movescount mobile version of the website to tweak any ‘non-included’ settings – and then that gets immediately pushed back to your Ambit3 as soon as you press sync again (all wirelessly via your phone). I actually just did that tonight standing poolside at the swimming pool after I remembered I needed to change a setting. Took all of a few seconds.
Smartphone Notifications
Next the Ambit3 will display smartphone notifications when within range of your phone. These notifications can include text message notifications, incoming phone call notifications and anything else that uses the notification center.
For example, here’s a notification that an incoming message just arrived:
Now the notifications are just that – notifications – they aren’t actionable other than dismissing them. Meaning you can’t answer the phone call or do anything from there.
The notifications can be set to ‘On’ or ‘Off’, and will simply chirp (if audio alerts are enabled) when a new notification comes in.
This is similar to how the Fenix2 works, with the only difference being that this doesn’t impact one’s ability to record sensor data. Note that I don’t yet have a clear idea of the battery life impact here. I’ll be doing some testing as they get closer to final release. But it definitely appears far better than the Fenix/Fenix2 in terms of me having left notifications enabled on one unit that’s been sitting off to the side of my desk for days now with notifications enabled and it doesn’t seem upset in the battery department.
Using the phone as a display:
Next we have one of the most ‘unique’ features on the Ambit3, which is the ability to link it to a smart phone and have the phone act as the display. This is actually the exact opposite of what most companies are doing with smart watches, where the watch displays what the phone wants. And actually, Suunto is doing both.
So why is this useful? Well, it allows you a much bigger screen than the Ambit3 is, which can be useful for something like cycling if you put your phone on your handlebars. In this case your watch will act as the GPS receiver and the phone will be the display.
This is better because it reduces battery drain on the phone since GPS is off (albeit the screen is on, which burns even more). Still, I think it’s an interesting twist and I suspect folks might have some cool scenarios here.
Finally, it should be noted that the app can also simply record activities without the Ambit3. In doing so it’ll allow you to pair with sensors and you’ll get standard metrics like speed/distance/etc… But, for most people there’s a million other apps that can do that – so the interest is primarily in connectivity to the Ambit3.
Photo Integration, Movies and Data Overlay
Last up in the phone integration feature is the ability to do data overlay photos with data from the watch or phone. This is sorta like the action cam videos you see, but with data coming directly from the Ambit3 and then using your phone’s camera:
Afterwards the photo has some activity metrics overlaid onto it.
From there it will get associated to a given activity in Movescount, which means that it can then get pulled into a gallery based on your ride. Now, these photos can then end up in automatically generated ‘movies’ that showcase your ride. I saw a couple of early alpha-version clips created when I met with Suunto and it as a pretty good start to things.
It would show your route being played back in real-time on Google Earth and then show included photos along the way that you took – all geostamped to the correct location.
At present the beta app build I have isn’t quite building my movie, so I’m left with what might be possibly be the funniest/best error message I’ve ever seen. Normally I don’t share too many error messages from beta stuff because that’s the nature of beta – but this is awesome enough that I don’t think (hope) they mind:
In any case, drama aside, I’ll try and see if I can get a movie to share/post of what it looks like.
Daily Activity Tracker
Next up we’ve got an included daily activity tracker. This is effectively taking a FitBit and stuffing it into the Ambit3. But more than that though, it takes into account your total activity including exercise. It’s actually very much like the Polar V800 in this respect.
Though, also like the Polar V800 at this point it (frustratingly) doesn’t display your exact steps or walked distance – but rather just displays a bit of a bar graph and chart. We had some good discussions about it though, so I’m optimistic they’ll see the light in terms of being the perfect blend of activity tracker and sport tracker (and that said blend is best executed with steps listed).
(Above would show a graph identical to that of the recovery chart two photos above, with the day’s activity, it’s just that I took the photo in the morning.)
These displays are easily accessed by just tapping the ‘Next’ button on the right of the screen, and are one tap away from the regular time screen. Ideally I’d be able to just press ‘view’ though and see my total steps for the day at all times along the bottom (just like the Garmin FR15 can).
As you can see though – without question the merging of daily activity tracker and full endurance sports watch is most definitely the future (or rather, the present). I don’t expect we’ll see any more major sport/running devices being made that don’t include both sides of the equation.
Models, Versions & Availability:
The Ambit3 is much like the Ambit2 in that it comes in a few flavors and versions. The two fundamental versions are:
Ambit3 Sport: Everything the Peak has except the barometric altimeter
Ambit3 Peak: Top of the line unit with a barometric altimeter
So basically, it’s just like Ambit2 and Ambit2 S. There is no ‘R’ version at this point for the Ambit3 (that was the cheaper running edition).
Price-wise, things remain in the same ballpark as before with the exception that there’s a Sapphire edition offered which just swaps out the glass for a different sapphire mineral glass:
Ambit3 Sport: $400 (+$50 for HR strap)
Ambit3 Sport Sapphire: $500 (+$50 for HR strap)
Ambit3 Peak: $500 (+$50 for HR strap)
Ambit3 Peak Sapphire: $600 (+$50 for HR strap)
As with my thoughts on previous Ambit versions, no, I don’t think it’s worthwhile to buy the Sapphire edition – but that’s just me. I’ve never heard of anyone actually hosing up the glass on their Ambit1 or Ambit2 because they didn’t have the Sapphire edition. Just keepin’ it real.
Finally, Suunto is saying September 1st for availability of the editions above.
My Thoughts:
On the whole the Ambit3 is hardware-wise an incremental upgrade over past models, however, software-wise it’s just starting to crack the door open a bit. Their work on the mobile phone app could end up being really impressive (it’s still a bit early to tell). I’m loving the fact that I can quickly and easily change data fields from the phone, versus past units requiring me to be at my computer. On the flip side, competitors’ units allow you to change that directly on the device.
The implementation of smart notifications and mobile uploads brings it inline with functionality found on Garmin’s Fenix2 multisport watch, and the reverse usage of having the phone use the unit to capture metrics is definitely a unique Suunto feature. And lastly, the heart rate while still having swim metrics makes them the only one in that camp – at least for a short while.
It’ll be interesting to see how the activity monitoring piece plays out, both from Suunto and Polar. I think they’re both half-way there with what people want (or at least, what 348 people seem to ask for in the comments every day on the Fenix2 review), but the inclusion of steps and related metrics is the end-goal there – both on the device but also on Movescount (online and app).
There are however some areas that I think Suunto overlooked in the Ambit3, that I suspect may hurt them medium and long term. First is the lack of vibration alerts – which has been commonly requested. Second is that the app as of today doesn’t have live tracking, nor is that in the immediate plans. It remains to be seen whether areas like course/navigational transfer via phone will make the app cut. Lastly, the on-unit capabilities in custom workout creation and virtual partner remain sorely behind both Garmin and Polar (among others) these days. I had really hoped to see some improvement in those areas.
Given that the unit won’t be available until September, that’s probably a better time to see what the final competitive picture looks like for triathlon watches for the year ahead (since this season will basically be over by then). I suspect by the end of the year Garmin will have announced/released their FR910XT successor, and Polar will have made progress against their planned firmware updates. Thus my guidance largely remains the same as it was just 2-3 weeks ago in my 2014 Summer Recommendations: See how the landscape evolves over the next few months.
With that – thanks for reading and feel free to drop any questions below.
Found this first look useful? Or just wanna save 10%? Here’s how:
Hopefully you found this first look useful. At the end of the day, I’m an athlete just like you looking for the most detail possible on a new purchase – so my thoughts are written from the standpoint of how I use the device. The posts generally take a lot of hours to put together, so it’s a fair bit of work (and labor of love). As you probably noticed by looking below, I also take time to answer all the questions posted in the comments – and there’s quite a bit of detail in there as well.
I’ve partnered with Clever Training to offer all DC Rainmaker readers exclusive benefits on all products purchased. You can read more about the benefits of this partnership here. You can order the Ambit3 or accessories through Clever Training using the link below. By doing so, you not only support the site (and all the work I do here) – but you also get to enjoy the significant partnership benefits that are just for DC Rainmaker readers. And, since this item is more than $75, you get free US shipping as well. Note of course since it’s a pre-order, the timelines might change depending on when Suunto releases.
Ambit3 Sport (Heart rate bundle variant just select drop-down)
Ambit3 Sport Sapphire (Heart rate bundle variant just select drop-down)
Ambit3 Peak (Heart rate bundle variant just select drop-down)
Ambit3 Peak Sapphire (Heart rate bundle variant just select drop-down)
Thanks for reading! And as always, feel free to post comments or questions in the comments section below, I’ll be happy to try and answer them as quickly as possible.
I LOVE IT
Its not and upgrade from ambit 2.
Like you said, it will hurth them.
TL;DR
They dropped ANT-support in favour of becoming a smartwatch.
Not really. They dropped ANT+ in favor of support Bluetooth Smart sensors. If they wanted to be just a smartwatch they could have done that with a dual chipset. But they wanted to be a ‘master’ device (in BLE terms), which means they would have had to have gone with two chipsets.
I have to say I don’t see a problem being a Bluetooth only device.
I now use a Scosche dual ANT/BTLE HR sensor, a Wahoo RPM dual cadence sensor and I use a Wahoo key with my iphone or sometimes my Viiiiva HRM to bridge my Powertap power meter to my phone, or to my 310xt or edge 705.
This watch might make me consider getting the BTLE Powercap for power meter. I like the boxes Suunto has ticked with this watch (phone integration and HR swim data).
is it posibile to bridge from a Garmin ANT+ Sensor to the Ambit 3 with the viiiia Belt without using a i-phone?
I purchased an Ambit 2 about 3 weeks ago. While I like the watch and the potential functional ability I have NOT been able to get the moveslink software to load and function on my computer. I am better than most with a computer, and not being able to connect the watch to to moves count account essentially takes 90 percent of the function away from the watch. I have contacted Suunto on the phone 3 times and they were NO help. Thye told me to try a new computer. I also tried to get support via email, wich was also no help. If anyone out there knows how to fix this I am all ears! I like the watch and if I could get it to connect than I will keep it.
My worry is that with the new watch comming with a whole new way to connect to movescount there will be no support for the watches without Bluetooth.
I had a Garmin 405 and had no problems with making the connection. Should I send this Ambitt2 back?
Please help! Matt
Suunto has historically supported all devices well after they are stopped being made, same as Garmin and Polar. I don’t think there’s any real concerns there of that.
As for them telling you to get a new computer…well…that’s a whole different issue. An issue which is more relevant probably on the Ambit2/2S post.
Hi Matt,
many users had (I think, as You dont describe the problem with details) similar issue.
Moveslink2 simply “stopped working”, is this Your case?
This has sthg to do with admin rights. The solution for me (and many others) is not the most convinient but it does work. You need to uninstall Your current Moveslink2 and run setup again, but this time, right-click on setup and choose “Run as Administrator” and follow the process as previously.
The Moveslink2 after installation is complete, will open automatically and will work!
The problem is that if You will shut down Your PC and start again, Moveslink2 will fail again :-/ You need to repeat installation as Administrator every time after restarting Your PC – this is a bummer. I just keep my PC always on and set it to sleep mode instead of turning off.
You will find more info on related review.
cheers, Adam
I used to have problem with installing Moveslink and Moveslink2. In every case I had do go to device manager (after installation) and choose “update driver” pointing to folder,where moveslink.exe or moveslink2.exe is located.
I initially had the same problem of not being able to install Moveslink.
And like Homer Simpson, was beating my noggin against the wall over-and-over. “Doh!”
I then remembered a solution for another stubborn program that would not install from “Internet Explorer” which gave an error message.
I instead used “Chrome” and Moveslink finally installed successfully.
(I suspect “Firefox” might work too.)
Cheers.
It’s Monday, I can’t wait for the final review!!!
Me too! ;)
I wonder if they plan to release some of the features to the old line of Ambits. Activity tracking for instance. Both Ambit2S/R and Ambit2 are more than capable of this. Other than that it seems like a good incremental update. Vibration motor is still missing. I probably won’t upgrade from my Ambit2 R so I’m only hoping we receive some of the features.
I would too like to see the activity tracker in my Ambit2.
+1 for Activity Tracking on Ambit 2
+1 for activity tracker as well. Would make my Ambit 2 that I just bought much better!
I hope so, apparently the only difference is the radio so there souled not be a reason not to give an update to Ambit2 users
Unfortunately they will not add the activity monitor to Ambit2 / Ambit2 S. It’s all about marketing.
Ray, what’s the back light like? One of the gripes I had with my previous Suunto was a really bad back-light. It was ok (just) when static, but it was terrible when running in the dark. If Garmin Forerunner 910XT’s back light on full power is a 10, this was about a 2 (and I’m being generous). Sorry if you’ve covered this in a previous review
It’s the same as previous Ambit’s, but I find that it’s quite strong – no problems there for me (not sure if you’re talking a previous Ambit or another Suunto device).
Ambit2 backlight is quite solid. For running in the dark I turn it down to ~20% as 100% is far too bright. you may need to re-set your contrast and/or whether you’re black on white or white on black to get it to your liking.
Hey Ray,
Just thinking, how would this compare to having a 2R, but linking it to a viiiiva strap? That way, the strap could talk ANT+ to the watch and BLE to the phone?
It’s a bit different because the Viiiiva is ANT+ sensors to BLE sensors, not BLE to ANT+. Thus the Viiiiva can’t talk between a watch and the phone because it doesn’t understand that language. Rather, it just re-broadcasts sensors from ANT+ to BLE.
Can’t understand the politics behind vibration alerts and storage! People say they want it and Suunto say NO. Only Apple can do something like that and survive. No one else!!!!!
I think the vibration omission is due to space and internal design. I think they have to completely redesign the internals (this is costly) or use a smaller battery. I think that for most people they rather have a big battery than vibration.
The storage thing is a bit strange although it is quite possible that the storage is integrated on the board and they have a lot of stock left from the Ambit2. It could also be the case that they would like to have one platform to support and thus keep it as similar as possible. I would not be surprised if the Ambit2 is here to stay or maybe it will be re-branded as the Ambit Ant or something similar. Since so many people invested money in ANT+ gear
Regarding “No vibration alerts”: Guess they are already planning Ambit4 (starting next year) ;)
Joachim
I agree. Vibration alerts are actually one of my deal breaker features. It’s a shame too as I have been quite disappointed with Garmin’s latest efforts and am looking to change loyalties, but being a little hard of hearing (especially to the tonal beeps that these watches emit) means that I’m not buying a product without vibration alerts.
Has the release date been switched from July 14th to September or it has always been set there? D’oh… I don’t remember right now…
It’s always been September 1st.
The storage is a bit of a show-stopper for me. One thing I do need from a watch is for it to handle a full week’s walking, in reasonable detail, with no chance of getting the data off the watch. Given the kind of trips I go on, phone connectivity might be enough to take care of this.
Strange that they have done so many difficult things (I can imagine some triathletes switching to Suunto just for the pool HR), but not this simple one.
Tris are already out of the picture and not needing HR. We use the pulse at the neck and multiply.
Suunto already employs the Memory Belt which, though discontinued, is a lot more comfortable than this new HR strap + watch combo because you don’t need to have the watch on you basically (it’s in the T1 bag) and you’ll still have all the swimming HR data.
You could certainly leave the watch in the bag here if you wanted to as long as you initial the pairing on the activity first.
A “bit” off topic but Polar V800 handles this (“..with no chance of getting the data off the watch..”). As long as you have a phone (at current iPhone/ipad. Android planned Q4) you can sync “locally” to phone. No need for phone to have connectivity. It´ll sync to central server when it becomes available.
Question for Ray
Are you able to add activity profiles on the watch? Like for say, add “roller ski” as an activity and it will upload that as “roller ski” on movescount?
With added instantaneous activity upload not having all sport profiles on watch is a pain in the ass for me as a multi sporter. I have to manually go to the website and change activity, then go to Strava and change aswell. Removes the fun of automatic upload. Important for me!
You can create activity profiles on the web/phone and then it sync’s to the device. So with the phone app you can change/create the profiles there and then sync them immediately.
Would a Polar H7 HRM work with this strap, apart from being able to store HRM data?
Yes.
I’ve just bought a garmin 910xt… I should have waited…
Nah – your 910XT is a very capable device that will bring you many miles of happiness.
What about support for Android (app, notifications, etc)?
Hi Ray! Thanks for the post.
Some questions:
Still having sirf GPS or they change to mediatek?
Same weight than ambit2?
Some improvement in battery life?
None of those have changed to my knowledge.
On weight, I measure it a few grams heavier than the Ambit2 at 86g, but I need to double-check my Ambit2 number.
My Ambit2 weighs 93g!
You probably have the saphire version then? It´s a couple of gr heavier then the ones without.
I’d like to see the face of suunto users with lot of ant+ sensors.
I have a 1100 $CAD ANT+ indoor cycle trainer (Powerbeam PRO). My face is abolutely not red with anger, but also, my money is staying in my wallet, I’m simply not upgrading to Ambit3 because of that !
Haha Ray, you were soooooooo silent when you were asked about the Ambit3. I would’ve bet both of my arms for that you had one already testing.
Nice job as always.
+1. He is really good at keeping things under wraps.
So Ray, how’s testing with the 920xt going? lol!
Hopefully the 920X comes with memory in the HRM (long enough to last a 2.4 mile ironman swim).
Just saying.
Not really sure how I feel about this. Bluetooth phone capability is a game changer but all that aside I’m not really sure if it’s worth upgrading from my Ambit2. I’ve been waiting for the Ambit3 since the Fenix 2. I figured Suunto would go over the top because of that watch. Seems like they only did the minimum. I want to try out the Fenix 2 but there seems to be a host of problems with it. I guess there’s no winning this year.
Hey Ray,
Does the watch now offers a proper workout builder (similar to Garmin’s)? I mean, if you want to build a interval workout, with warmup, intervals and so on, will the Ambit3 be able to do it? Without using apps.
Thanks,
Hugo
No, same as Ambit2 there.
Thanks, that’s a bummer.
Keep it on going.
+ 1
“Lastly, the on-unit capabilities in custom workout creation and virtual partner remain sorely behind both Garmin and Polar (among others) these days. I had really hoped to see some improvement in those areas.”
I fully agree. That’s the only reason why i keep using Garmin stuff today (’cause both the 620 and the Fenix 2 have some annoying bugs)
Hi Ray,
Is this something Suunto could address and change by the time the device hits the market, as it’s simply a software/app issue?
Yes, they could, but I don’t expect to see that happen in the next 45 or so days.
Can you sync moves to your phone & change settings without an internet connection? That would at least alleviate the storage problems with multi-day hikes.
A “bit” off topic but Polar V800 handles this (“..with no chance of getting the data off the watch..”). As long as you have a phone (at current iPhone/ipad. Android planned Q4) you can sync “locally” to phone. No need for phone to have connectivity. It´ll sync to central server when it becomes available.
Changes can be made using app on iPhone/ipad.
Hi Ray. Any info on whether the app will be available for android as well as iphone at the point of release? Obviously only for compatible phones, mines a nexus 5 so should be good to go providing they release for both platforms.
Recently, I got to compare the Garmin Fenix and the Ambit 2 side by side. Surprised by the difference in screen contrast, in favor of the Fenix.
I assume the screen contrast is the same on Ambit3 as Ambit2? What are your thoughts on screen contrast for the Ambit watches compared to the Garmin Fenix?
Yes, the screen contrast is the same on the Ambit3 as the Ambit2.
Note however that most people find the screen between the Fenix2 and Fenix(1) quite different, due to the fact that the Fenix2 only offers an inverted mode and not a regular mode.
Is the zoom in nav mode still 200m max?
Thanks!
Hi Ray,
As always, great preview non-review!
Just wondering whether you think its worth the upgrade from the Ambit2 given its now discounted price tag? Do you think any of these software updates will be available on the Ambit 2?
Cheers
Steve
Watch data visible on phone > ideal for the bike section of a triathlon if you ask me!
Definitely interesting. Would also be nice if I could pair it with my Wahoo RFLKT+ for easier display on my bike.
I’ve had the same thought- would love to be able to use the RFLKT as a second screen for a BTLE watch while cycling. I had the same thought regarding the Polar V800 and asked the Polar guy on the slowtwitch forum about that, but never heard a response. I’d be curious to know if it’s at least possible to enable second screen support of some kind.
The Ambit 3 certainly seems to bolster Polar’s argument that BTLE, not ANT+ is where the market is heading. I’d guess by the end of the year both the Ambit 3 and V800 are going to be great offerings.
i don’t own a RFLKT, but I was f.e. thinking of a cheaper smartphone (with a Quadlock or so) as a sort of ‘permanent’ second screen for my bike.
I’d be great that there would some sort of automatic recognition, so that when you transit from T1 to Bike, your data would automatically appear on the smartphone…
With regards to using a phone to display bike data during a tri…. Isn’t the use of a phone (for whatever reason) banned during a triathlon?
Owning a Garmin Fenix, here are my thoughts on the Bluetooth possibilities.
1. Downloading workouts and tracks from phone to watch is cool.
2. Uploading workouts from watch to phone is cool.
3. Notifications from phone displayed on the watch is cool (the first 2 hours)
4. Battery drainage when leaving BT on is drastic. 24 hours from hero to zero in watch mode.
Even if Suunto has managed to achieve better battery life, it remains to see by how much. If the price of going wireless is cabling up the watch 7 das a week, who’s buying that concept?
Also, who really need to get incoming spam/ mail / facebook / sms notifications on a tiny screen, when you have to pick up the phone to respond to it anyhow? LIke said, cool for the first two hours.
For me, the most important BT feature would be to activate/ deactivate BT with one touch of a button. Eventually one-touch activate, then deactivate automatically after 2 minutes inactivity. This only to download/ upload workouts etc. Garmin Forerunner 220 handles this brilliantly, and shows that at least someone has understood the term ‘wireless’.
It’ll automatically do the upload via BT, which can be enabled separably from notifications. So basically it can do the same as the FR220 there.
So when I finish a hun/ride, i just press “Upload” on the watch, and it starts to upload instantly? I recall that on my Edge 510, i had to pull my phone out of my pocket, and accept the bluetooth connection before it could upload.
I just want to press “Upload” on the device and when i get my breath again, it’s on Strava :-)
Actually, you don’t even have to press upload. Assuming you have it configured to sync automatically, it’ll just do it automatically after you save an activity. Donezo, on Strava a few minutes later.
Sounds great – thanks :-)
Hi again Ray.
What’s the ETA of the In-Depth Review?
Thx
It would likely be early September, once there are final units and final firmware/software.
Thx
Wow I am disappointed. Love the ambit2 but the fenix 2 has better functionally. I was so holding out for an updated ambit with vibration alerts. What’s the point of having smartphone integration for notifications when an informative vibration alert won’t even occur? Daily activity tracking is the flavour of the month and would be handy but is not that much of an issue. Custom workouts. Again would be handy. Even buying Bluetooth sensors I could live with.
No vibration is a deal breaker for me. Actually quite bummed about it. Guess I will stick with the fenix 2 after all despite it’s issues. Shite.
My sentiments exactly. Such a shame about no vibration but i guess they didn’t want a hardware change?
Ray, anyway they could change their minds and add vibration alerts for the final product?
Very unlikely given that’d require a hardware change and at this point they’ve tweaked very little in the hardware in the last 3 years (Ambit1 > Ambit2 > Ambit3). And with delivery of new products set for 45ish days from now, it’s far too late in the HW cycle to change things.
Thank you Ray. I still can’t find any info about it on Suunto websites!
+1: I think Bluetooth smart is the way to go although some ANT devices owners won’t be happy but they had to do the move sometime.
+1: Adding HRM while swimming is a great plus for swimmers
-1: Too bad Ambits still don’t have vibration alerts
Any idea about the weight of the Ambit3 Sport?
Does the bluetooth smart chipset and the activity monitoring reduce battery life or can you still get 16h in run mode with GPS set at best precision?
Will there (probably) be an Android version of the smartphone app at release date?
Battery life still remains the same (though, I haven’t validated that myself yet).
:(
No ant+ support and no vibration equals no Ambit3 for Thomas.
In the bluetooth world, is it possible to connect 1 sensor (i.e. Hr) to 2 devices? (i.e. Wrist computer and bike computer?)
Not today, though down the road once devices start using and implementing BT4.1 it is possible (no devices are doing it today on the sensor side that I’m aware of).
Will the current BT 4.0 chips be upgradeable to v4.1 via firmware updates? And if yes do you think the major vendors will push those capabilities to this current generation of devices or will they be delayed until the next major redesign/upgrade?
As always Ray-thanks!
It’s possible for many chipsets, but most of the companies I’ve talked to aren’t looking at doing that and instead looking at it as a next-gen product thing. I don’t know what Suunto’s plans are there.
Thanks Ray for the insight.
Local REI guys wanted to know where I got my info so, hopefully, there will be a few more “eyeballs” coming your way.
Steve
So does this mean if you have, say and armbit 3 and a bike computer, the hrm strap won’t send data to both of them at the same time??
Yes, I believe that’s right: BT is not broadcast like ANT+.
That’s a real pain for me: I like to have various gadgets picking up my ANT+ sources: Edge, Ambit 2, Android app on phone, partly for redundancy, partly because some are better than others at different things.
e.g. one might give me a better display on the bike, another might be good at a particular post-processing task, and a third might be better for archival.
Correct, virtually all Bluetooth devices/sensors on the market today will only allow a sensor to connect to a single device at once.
Down the road BT 4.1 capable sensors will be more like ANT+ in allowing multiple devices. Meanwhile, Polar has attempted to bridge this gap with their “re-broadcasting”. Except, it doesn’t actually work (specifically with 3rd party devices, and only a portion of the time with actual Polar devices).
Oh, this I didn’t know. So why the push to BT if it’s not as energy efficient as ANT+ and limited to only one device? Would the same limitations (one device only) exist with 4iiii’s Viiiiva ANT+ to Bluetooth Smart Bridge & Heart Rate Monitor or a similar device?
It’s just as energy efficient as ANT+.
The reason companies are pushing Bluetooth Smart is because of phone compatibility. While ANT+ is on many Android phones, it’s not on the single phone companies care about: The iPhone.
For Viiiiva compatibility, it would come down to Suunto and 4iiii’s working together. I’d see it more likely that Suunto would do something solo.
There are many reasons to push Bluetooth over closed technologies. Some of them are
– Open, anybody can download specifications
– Secure, authentication, encryption, privacy
– Robustness, long CRC, AFH
– Reliability, links are two way and that opens new possibilities
– Coexistence with other wireless technologies is taken care off
– Collocation and management when you put e.g. 20 radios very close in a cell phone
– Royalty free
– Price of components, there are billions of devices produced every year
– Democratic organisation, 23 5000 members
– High penetration in consumer devices
– The road map for Bluetooth is very interesting and there are many exciting things coming for sports.
Niclas
Thanks Ray for this review.
Are there any rumours to include activity tracking into Ambit2 by firmware update? I think technically it is possible …
I’m thinking to move from Garmin to Movestick becasue I broke strap om my old FR50 and now I’m using GarminFit on my Sony smartphone for tracking. But what relly disturbs me is number of bugs introduced by Garmin into GarminConnect. Seems they don’t know about quality assurance procedures for making software. Now I don’t have any cadence chart anymore, and as far as I see on their forum this is not only my personal trouble.
No Vibration is very bad.
But HR at swimming is great. I’ve a mio link. Works the mio together with ambit3 so i could use it for swimming with HR?
Hmm, I’m not sure offhand, I’ll have to test it in the pool to see if it does a check for the Suunto strap or not when in swim mode. But, because it’s beta I’m going to hold off there in case something changes between now and September (wouldn’t want you making a purchasing decision and have it be the opposite in the end).
And are they likely to release firware update to enable heart rate monitoring fo 2s ? I have a mio link and 2s
There’s pros and cons to doing that. The pros are obvious (it would help some people), but the cons are tricky. For those un-informed on the details (approx 98% of the population), it introduces a case where people believe that a regular HR strap will pair and function underwater – when it fact it won’t.
This in turn increases support calls and causes frustrated customers. Ultimately, this is the primary reason why companies like Garmin and Suunto don’t enable it while swimming.
If new suunto belt will be selling separately , then they must be enabling it for ambit 2s as there will people willing to use it with the current watch.
The thing is will it receive simultaneously from mio link which is not saving data but streaming instead..
The watch firmware will probably might exclusively made for the brands hr strap.
Except the new HR strap only transmits Bluetooth Smart, not ANT+. Thus, it won’t work with the Ambit2. I’m sure it’ll simply list on packaging it’s not compatible with older units – completely normal.
This is shame then..
They are replacing ANT+ with Bluetooth and calling it a new generation watch when there is nothing radically new.
For me the killer feature was heart rate monitoring in the pool and current product line is technical wise capable of doing it. But, as ambit 2s is being old with the so called new ambit 3 they will not be updating the firmware and not giving new features.
Bluetooth replacment is good step forward but common it is not enough to ditch the current watches..
who cares the facebook alerts, calling alerts as you will already have to take out your mobile from your packet to answer. Lets leave it bluetooth headphones, no need to see it on the watch.
Still no optical sensor for heart rate monitoring, chest straps are not comfortable and probably in the pool it will be very less conveient than a optical monitoring wrist watch like mio link..
I’m interested in the smartphone capabilities but I’m an Android user. What are Suunto’s plans regarding Android support? If Android is supported, are they planning to make use of Android’s Notification API or is that iPhone only for now?
I don’t really care that much about incoming email and messages but I’d love to be able to skip and pause songs from the watch rather than having to take the phone out of my pocket in order to manage it (I’m an inline skater and dealing with the phone with wrist protections is a pain in the ass). I know a Bluetooth headset can do that but I still haven’t found one which is comfortable, sweat proof and with good enough sound quality (all BT headsets I’ve tried have weird sound delays and pitch shifts which annoy me to no end), so I always end up using wired earbuds.
Anyway, I already own an Ambit 2 but the 3 doesn’t seem to be worth an upgrade for now (I’ve had the Ambit 2 for 6 months as of today). I’m also looking forward to Google Wear; so far no GW device can match the Ambit’s ABC capabilities but I wouldn’t be surprised if a new device tries to do so in a year or 2.
+1 on Android support. Would love to know where they stand on this. Android has close to 80% mobile OS market share. Time to get with the times, Suunto.
link to gsgtelco.com
I’m getting clarification on the Android piece, hang tight.
That said, don’t use 80% mobile OS market share, it’s a non-relevant number. Companies instead look at adoption within their target market space. So using that 80% is inclusive of cheap phones sold in China where the consumer is never going to buy an Ambit3 (or any other device).
Fwiw, Android market share to DCR sits at 28% for the past 30 days. In general, since this is the target audience, it’s probably pretty indicate of the actual mobile share for this market segment (actually, it might be a tiny bit high because I tend to get slightly more technical users here who sometimes prefer Android).
Fair point, well made.
Out of curiosity, what’s the iOS share for DCR over the same period?
iOS is 69.23%
Windows Phone at 2.1%
Blackberry at .3%
And the rest (.1%) is random things like Symbian and ‘unset’.
Woohoo. I am part of the .3
Curious how you come up with these numbers. I am an Android user, but rarely ever read the site with my devices. I’m usually on the PC.
I often find the site a bit (very small bit) annoying on the phone/tablet.
Also, it seems like a lot of these products favor iOS. I would think the moment is hard to overcome. There’s a lot of iOS, so we’ll focus on iOS, creating more momentum, …
Would love to see some real numbers about top line Android (GS4/5, M8,…) vs top line Apple (not the C). But it seems like neither side wants to really reveal anything at this point in the game.
The numbers are from Google Analytics – which is pretty much the industry standard for measuring site analytic data.
For model numbers, some companies specify models, but Apple does not. So for Apple devices I get a breakdown of iPad vs iPhone, but not iPhone 5S. For most Android devices I get a breakdown of exact Android model (unless they’ve omitted it).
Fwiw, if you come to the site on a mobile device you should get the mobile theme, which should make these fairly easy.
I don’t get the option for the mobile theme for DCR when I visit on my S3 and I find it a pain to navigate as well.
Interestingly on my iPhone 5 I always get the desktop mode of your site. When I go to the site via Twitter post like this morning to read this post I get the mobile view.
Very odd. If you go to the page normally (not from Twitter) and scroll to the bottom do you see an option to switch to mobile mode? If so, does that ‘stick’ the next time you return?
Yeah it does stick. And if I go in private mode I got mobile view. I cleared my cache and up in return got mobile view. I must have switched to desktop in the past and Safari just remembered that setting going forward until cache clear. So looks like it’s working as you intended :-)
Seriously, +1 for Android support.I’ll be blown away if they can’t figure out how to make an APK (Application) for this on Android. High end Android Phones costs almost as much as Iphones. 650.00+ for Android phones.
Again on the font…Very kewl font. I’ve loving it.
P.S. Please tell me the countdown timer is still at 99 hours?
For all those who wonder why companies develop first for iOS before Android, one should read this: link to techcrunch.com
As a developer myself, this sums up perfectly the frustrations in developing for Android. It’s simply a mess. It has nothing to do with how much the respective devices cost.
A recent study also suggest more developers prefer Android over ios. Source link: link to androidcentral.com “.. pulling together data from more than 10,000 mobile developers (including some of you) across 137 countries.” “The strength of iOS isn’t surprising, even if its global marketshare of 16% pales next to the explosive growth of Android at 79%”
Availability of apps I want is the number one reason i’ll always be iOS. Everywhere in this market I look I see people (rightly perhaps) complaining that there’s no Android compatibility yet. Or at all. I’m aware of the various reasons, but what use is killer hardware (better than Apple at times) without the ability to use the apps and accessories you want to use? I wonder, what is the reason Android users don’t switch?
Your numbers for Android use isn’t really high:
link to deviceatlas.com
I’m not sure you can use browser use to equal target market share. Using a smart phone for browsing the web is very different from using it to track an activity. The browser use is merging tablet and phone use which is a problem because tablets much easier to browse the web with from the bigger screen while also much less likely to be used to track athletic activity as they are kind of big to easily carry.
No Ant+ support is a showstopper and I believe it will hurt them, particularly as the current Suunto Ambit2 S/r etc does support Ant+
Hey Ray,
Would you say there is a chance that some of the not-hardware related new features (such as the daily activity tracking) will make it onto the Ambit 2 or should we regard it as EOL?
as Ray noted it correctly: the two most wanted features of vibrating alerts and memory storage increase are not addressed in Ambit3! HUGE mistake! Also, backwards incompatibility (no ANT/ANT+) is a strange move from Suunto, as this is the same series of product (incremental) and this should simply not happen. Another question that remains to be answered is battery life (both in GPS and no-GPS modes) with BT chipset? Normally in new model You would expect it to improve, but here I am worried we might be proven otherwise :-/
Anyway, I just bought (2months) Ambit2 and am not expecting to buy any new device within 3y or so. I can easily wait for 4th or even 5th generation :-P
As far as memory goes, their new app will take care of that, as you’ll be able to upload all your moves into your phone. I’m pretty sure my phone can hold a lifetime (literally) of moves and routes.
Noooooooo. I was hoping for vibration alerts and it would have been perfect. Darn. Aside from bluetooth connectivity there isn’t much of a change. They could have at least gotten rid of the ugly nub on the side of it.
Rob, they definitely dropped the ball on vibration alerts. I’ll be sticking with my 910xt for the foreseeable future.
Dear Rob,
Could you please give me a hint why this vibration is so important. Isn’t just “beep” sound alert is enough? Really I do not understand, or I have overlooked something. Thanks for clarification.
“comfortable” is better word here I guess.
Vibration alert is simply more comfortable and also reliable, speciallty in race conditions.
Imagine having a mobile with only one ring tone and no vibration alert, and travelling in crowded bus with everyone having pretty much similar mobile. Now at one point half of mobiles go off. How do You know it;s Yours or not?
With vibration alert and device on Your wrist, You always know it;s Yours.
Plus, You can listen to music any loud You want.
So, it;s just more comfortable then just beep.
For folks who run in the city (like myself), vibration alerts are fairly critical because it’s often difficult to hear the beeps.
I would add practicality. Imagine biking in 20-30mph with traffic. In those situations, I can barely hear the 910xt alerts (which are louder then both the Fenix 2 and Ambit2s alerts).
Another time is running/riding in a group. Most people don’t want to hear your alerts.
Given that the Ambit3 will be a bluetooth master, couldn’t Suunto (or someone) produce a coin sized vibration device that you could wear on your other wrist. Even better, they could have a bluetooth earpiece (perhaps just one) that would pump alerts directly into your ear.
I am disappointed by the lack of Ant+, but if Suunto were to build an Ant+ translator into the heart rate strap, there is no reason they could not also componentize other features that people want. How about a visual alert to clip onto glasses? I am sure there are many other options.
Hi Ray, could you please post a photo showing the connections of the HR sensor to the HR stap? The current “Comfort belt” works very well, but the connection (push buttons) Polar used on the “Soft strap” do not work all that well when you use the strap a lot in my experience. I would really like to see Suunto’s solution.
No problem, just uploaded a photo of the pin connectors on the HR strap, it’s within the ‘Hardware’ section above: link to dcrainmaker.com
Ray
Am i right in thinking that if you bought the HR version then you could get Run Cadence from the watch so would not need to invest in a replacement footpod for my ANT+ unit. And the watch would use GPS for pace and distance.
Or has the problem of the footpod overriding the GPS been overcome?
Would just then need Bluettoth cadence sensor for the bike to replace the GSC10.
Correct, the Ambit2 and Ambit3 all get cadence information from the wrist – no footpod required.
Update/FYI: I’ve received a correction from Suunto that the storage capacity has roughly doubled in the Ambit3 over the Ambit2. I’ve updated the post above, but just wanted folks to be aware here.
Thanks!
now, if You’ll write that it has double battery life :-P and I will start to regret not waiting heheh.
Good to know they did listen to users at some matters.
Is the Ambit 3 Sport Saphire really pink? Looks like a famle version?
Or is it the same as the Peak version?
Hi Ray, thanx for the post. Nice job as always!
Hi Ray, now it have NORMALIZED POWER??
Thx
I think it’s disappointing that they still use a heart rate strap while the technology is there to no longer do that.
Personally I’m waiting for a watch that monitors the heart rate via the watch (as eg tomtom does) + has the ability to run tracks/courses (import gpx) + has the necessary basic stuff (speed display, interval training).
Wondering which company will be the first to integrate all those features in 1 watch…
Optical sensors seems to be less reliable than HR belts so I guess until someone find solution which would be as reliable as HR belt than we will see major shiffting to all in one watches. Also I think size is key factor..
Firstbeat, the company behind RR intervals-based calories count and training effect in SUUNTO and Garmin, is endorsing the Pulseon optical sensor. So I guess progresses are being made with accuracy of optical sensors. However I prefer a solution a la Scosche where I can wear the sensor on my upper arm. I do not like the integration in the watch that limits the use (for example edge and ambit simultaneous use). Let’s dream of an equivalent mini Viiiva with the bridge!
Small correction: Suunto used to use Firstbeat algorithms (with t6), but not anymore.
Hmm no vibration alerts thats not good :(( I wonder if it would be possible to make vibrating HR belt since BT communication works both ways I guess?
a solution?
link to 4iiii.com
Is there an ‘auto multisport’ function on the Ambit3, like with the 910?
Yes.
Couple questions about HR straps.
How interchangeable are they? Can I use any strap with my fob as long as it’s the same connection?
No, totally different pin arrangement, no interchangeability.
Ray – any comments on instantaneous pace and GPS accuracy? I have a FR220, and the instant pace is slow to update due to the smoothing, and GPS seems to have been a backward step from my 410. These arent show stoppers for the FR220 for me, but I could be tempted to switch over. I dont use Garmin Connect but put everything into SportTracks.
What fields are available ?
(if these things are just as the Ambit2 then I’ll head over to that rewiew…).
I have a video somewhere on one of my cameras I took of the instant pace stability on the Ambit3, seems quite solid to me.
Add vibration alert will be great.
Wow! I was in such a hard spot picking between the original Fenix and the original Ambit, but I went Ambit and then Ambit 2, and I’m continually amazed by what Suunto is putting out.
I do wish Suunto’s online service was as pretty as Garmin’s, but Suunto is definitely a strong company with quality products. No different here with the Ambit 3. I have to say I am totally thrilled by these new features you’re shining light on. My only disappointment is the lack of ANT+. I’m sure you’ve been talking to Suunto, but I would really have to think twice before buying an Ambit 3 – I have so many workout sensors that are ANT+ that I would have to replace… And as much as I love my iPhone 5S, I’m not certain that I want it to be that much more part of my workouts… I actually just use an old iPod Shuffle for my workout music because it’s so inexpensive and I wouldn’t die if it broke vs. my 5S.
I did just recently by the Scotsche Optical HR (wow! best buy in fitness gear ever!!), so perhaps the move to bluetooth will come more quickly for me, but I am disappointed nonetheless that the Ambit 3 will not have ANT+.
Hopefully Suunto will create an Ambit 3+ or something that includes ANT+ later down the line, or reintroduce it in 2015 with the Ambit 4.
As always, thank you so much, Ray, for your terrific work!
I think this is a good point which the manufacturer’s don’t always address. The cost of moving from ANT+/Garmin to Suunto is WAY more than the price of the watch alone
Hi Ray. Nice Review !
How about Size and Thickness ? is it exactly on par with Ambit 2 ?
Thanks
“I’m loving the fact that I can quickly and easily change data fields from the phone, versus past units requiring me to be at my computer. On the flip side, competitors’ units allow you to change that directly on the device.”
– Just for clarification, you cannot change data fields on the watch itself???
Correct.
Seems silly for that not to be a feature on a $400 smartwatch. Is it a software capacity issue or just lack of programming resources?
Sharing, I assume it is a design decision. The data field arrangement on an Ambit series watch is vastly more complicated/feature rich than on a Garmin. On an Ambit2 you can have 10 data screen, each with three main lines. The bottom line can have 5 separate items that can be stepped through without changing the top two lines. And that is available for EVERY different sport setting you have (I think 10 max, but I have never tried). So, potentially, hundreds of settings.
It is not practical to set all of those on the watch itself. (Although, it would be handy to change a few things from time to time).
Doing it on the web is much easier, albeit frustrating for the few times you are stuck without the data you want to see on one particular day.
Garmin united ANT+ & Bluetooth in the FR620. Suunto dropped it – kinda sad if you already use ANT+ sensors…
It’s a bit different in the FR620, because it doesn’t connect to Bluetooth Smart sensors and your phone, just the phone (thus different Bluetooth mode).
Hi Ray,
What about some of the “for explorers” features how are they for the Ambit3. In particular I would like: sunrise/sunset at current location, storm alarm, the ability to scroll back through the hourly temperatures and pressures not just have some unlabeled axis for things like, “how cold was it last night”.
The ability to set routes and upload waypoints in the field from a smartphone WITHOUT INTERNET CONNECTION. Think backpacking away from cell phone coverage. The ability of the app to store and review many uploaded tracks until the phone gets into cell phone range.
From a feature-set standpoint it’s really identical to the Ambit2.
I’ll be checking/validating things like offline connectivity down the road, but since the app is in beta it’s too soon to say.
I was initially super bummed when my Fenix swam to the bottom of Lake Powell. This makes it easier to swallow since now that opens things up to buy this one. Seriously nice looking device.
A possible solution for those craving for vibration: buy the TomTom runner for $139 and run with both.
You also get the possibility to create interval workouts. You even look more sophisticated:)
The price seems a bit on the high end, considering it does not have built-in wrist HR. Especially for the sapphire and peak versions. Everything has Sapphire or Gorilla Glass these days.
I don’t think these prices points are sustainable against the competition from rapidly evolving Android Wear and the imminent iOS wearable. There’s nothing in this Ambit 3 that can’t be easily duplicated in software on a more open, flexible platform.
I don’t disagree on the price piece. I do however think that many people underestimate how hard it is to make a fitness platform that actually works for endurance athletes. It’s one thing to re-create a basic running/cycling app that tracks movement, but to create a full featured app that runs on a smartwatch (or even just on the phone) is actually more difficult than most people realize. Which is likely why to date there have been few (none) good ones.
That said, most of that platform has been highly segmented and fragmented. If Apple comes along with an iWatch and it offers a solid (waterproofed) platform, I suspect app development will take off. But even then I think it’ll take years to rival the functionality of a high-end Garmin or Suunto multisport device.
Agreed, that *is* difficult. I tried programming a steps counter for the Texas Instruments EZ430 Chronos Sports Watch. “How hard can it be to recognize footsteps from 3 axis accellerometer data?”, I thought.
It turned out to be *very* hard and a lot of work. I didn’t even get close to a working steps counter. Many, many hours of work go into these things.
@ Millicent
Yes, I agree, writing a step counter from scratch is hard. But unnecessary, as the work (math) has been done many times. And in the newest products, like the M7 motion co processor in iOS, i believe getting the step count is an API call.
I also agree that the iOS and Android fitness apps for lack the integration and polish of dedicated hardware solutions like Suunto and Garmin, especially for endurance athletes.
I think part of it is unlike the dedicated solution, there has been no desire among developers for one app to do it all. Each app has a market niche it is pursuing.
There are great siloed features across several sports apps, but they don’t talk to one another or flow smoothly into each other the way they do on a good multisport watch.
Even on the dedicated Suunto and Garmin platforms, there is separate code for running, cycling swimming, hiking, navigation and multisport events. It just happens to be very well unified through a common interface and design aesthetic.
If Google Wear or the “iWatch” take off, we may see better integrated products, because much of ground work for integration will exist in the OS.
When I look at my crystal ball, I see the future where Apple takes over pretty huge part of current fittness / health app market. It doesn’t matter if results produced by Apple are correct or not (compared to Garmin, Polar, Suunto etc.). What matters is that if Apple produce hw & sw that looks sexy, is easy to use, gives data that looks correct enough and some good looking features, the masses are going to buy it. With the masses, the majority of it-sites support the phenomenon by giving great review scores without checking if the measured data is correct. Then business analytics add more heat to the soap, and eventually everyone will want iWatch even though it might not provide everything people want (features, data correctness). I bet that even many that now complain that Polar “keeps their fittness data as hostage”, are perfectly happy when Apple does exactly the same.
As an Apple fan, I would love to think they could make a better training/racing device then Garmin, Suunto, or Polar, but I doubt it. I wouldn’t touch an iWatch for my training unless the data was accurate. I suspect that the multi-sport athlete demographic might buy the iWatch, but still use another device for racing/training if the data is not accurate.
Let’s not forget about all the Athletes that don’t want a high resolution, multi-rainbow color watch that only gets 8 hours of battery life. lol.
Gah, the dilemma was bad enough before. “To buy or not to buy” an Ambit 2 was the question. Now the dilemma is worse, for me the Ambit 2 was missing an activity tracker for day to day. So thats solved, win in my book, great addition. But I go away on a hiking holiday (that I wanted the watch for) on the 1st of September, the alleged release date. So to wait and risk it being released and arriving on the correct day! Or to wait for the Ambit 2 prices to drop sufficiently to justify the difference in features. P.S Also an Android user who is interested in support for this device.
Since it uses the phone as a display will it allow me to use my Wahoo RFLKT on my bike, and also swim and run with my phone in my jersey pocket during a tri?
Trying to figure out options to use all BLE, Stages power, keeping phone safely stashed away yet have control and functionality at my wrist.
Thanks for all you do for us!
No, it can’t project onto the RLKFT+. Displaying on the RFLKT+ would require Suunto to leverage the Wahoo Fitness API’s to do so. No doubt they could do that with Wahoo, but I don’t expect to see them do so.
Are there any products (from any manufacturer) in the pipeline that will leverage the wahoo api to project their data on the RFLKT+?
I’m not aware of any. There are certainly apps doing that (on the RFLKT+, the Magellan Echo, and also the Casio STB watch) however.
It’s almost irrelevant how good the Suunto Ambit3 is …. and I do like their products, but… No ANT+, no deal !!!
When will they realize they can open up a new market segment if only they’d support ANT+????
Maybe things will change if BTLE becomes ubiquitous, but for the moment… what am I supposed to do? Change my 4 ANT+ HR straps, my 4 powertap wheels, and all my assorted ANT+ sensors, only so I can use a Suunto??? No !!!! I will remain a garmin user until a Suunto supports ANT+ Simple as that.
No ANT+ is a deal breaker !!!!!!!!!!!
The Ambit is Ant+ so both the Ambit1 and Ambit2 support Ant+. Suunto does support Ant+
The Ambit3 is a departure as neither Ant nor Ant+ is supported.
How odd. Ambit 2 supports ANT+. Get one of them!
I am not a cyclist, so please excuse this ignorant question, but with the ability to use the phone as a display on your bike, does this potentially mean that there is no need to purchase bicycle specific gear; like the Edge series for example? Particularly with respects to those new to cycling or triathlons?
I mean, I doubt that this set up could replace the Edge, but it would allow for a more economical set up and savings for new comers or those who have budget constraints.
Correct. There’s a lot of debate about the utility of doing this due to battery drain, the usefulness of a phone-as-map-source if your app requires data but you ride too far from the towers, the potential for sensor compatibility issues, the phone not being as optimized to the task as a bike computer, the potential to lose your phone to inclement weather or a crash, et cetera. None of these are deal-stoppers as plenty of folks use their phones in this way anyhow, so you’re absolutely right – it can be replace the “need” for a dedicated cycle computer. Ultimately, the cost/benefit analysis will be determined by your own specific circumstances.
The other downside to using your phone as a display device is that it is illegal in USAT events to have a smartphone with you.
Same for events in Australia too. No phones allowed, no excuses. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s near world wide. There may be the odd event that allows it, but not enough to make using your phone on the bike as a viable option.
Do remember however that most cycling events and running events (non-tri) don’t have such restrictions. Further, training doesn’t have such restrictions either.
I’m dissapointed and happy at the same time. Dissapointed because of the lack of workout support. I use it pretty much everyday on my Garmin and it’s something I cannot live without. It’s also disappointing that they didn’t manage to remove the GPS chin which, for me, renders the activity tracking useless as I don’t consider the ambit to be a daily wearer. The lack of vibrate notifications is also bad.
I’m happy though that my Garmin Fenix 1 is still standing strong in today’s competition despite being several years old. I see no reason to buy something else right now.
Still waiting for a garmin fenix 3 with color display, using ant+ ant bt at the same time, more memory, map and routing capability, stable fw and better gps accuracy (garmin, please no mtk gps chip).
Ok, I want it for hiking/biking/mountaineering- not for sports
we will see, what the august will show us….
For me, just with a decent GPS (rather sirf than mtk) and a stable-since-first-release firmware, they got me for their first Fenix3 unit. The rest of the stuff (apart from HR while swimming) is, imho, worthless payload.
> Thus making the Ambit3 the only watch on the market today that can do both swim lap/distance/stroke metrics and heart rate recording
I have been trying a Mio Link placed next to a FR620 in the pool and am getting some sort of HR trace. I haven’t got a FR910 right now but maybe it can do same? If so might contradict your statement (well if you consider the HR “strap” from a 3rd party as “OK”).
Yup, all the Garmin’s can (usually) get reception with a Mio Link directly next to the watch. I’ve done that on many of them. The challenge though is that with the FR910XT and Fenix2 (like the Suunto Ambit2), once you’re in swimming mode it disables the ability to connect to a heart rate sensor. Thus, it’s a case of picking which one you want: Swim lap/stroke/distance metrics or HR metrics while swimming (just time/HR).
Will the Ambit 3 work with my bluetooth Mio Link while in swim mode? Or is the “HR in swim mode” interface somehow unique to the Suunto HR device?
Or even better… I’m hoping for a firmware update to the Ambit 2 that just allows this.
Like others, you lost me at no vibration alerts. Big time deal breaker for me!! Not to mention NO ANT support, and thus having re-purchase sensors. Looking like my F2 will have to carry me for a few years, until the next leap in fitness wearable hits.
Will the HR-strap have enough storage capability to hold 90 min of HR-data from an ow-swim (for example a IM-swim)?
Found the answer myself on offical Suunto Ambit3 page. There is space for 2 hours of HR data!
Regarding field customization: Does the Ambit3 allows to customize the Home screen fields?
I find really frustrating in the Ambit 2 that although I can customize any sport screen, the Home (date/Hour/lower field) is not able to be changed, specially the lower field
Does the Ambit3 have an option to calibrate a foot pod using a numerical value? The T6c had that option and I used it a lot (different shoes, different values).
I run a lot in dense woods and in the rain and GPS signal coverage is not always adequate, but a properly calibrated foot pod is perfect (well, it is for me), so I really miss this numerical calibration function it in the Ambit 1. (Calibrating for a particular pair of shoes now has to be done by altering the distance of a previous run in the log book, but that is a bit of a complicated calculation, I prefer to simply enter a known correction value).
you should know: Suunto in former years did another job than today. Means: When they changed the model t6 into t6c … they gave an upgrade offer … never since last year (no upgrading offer for all the Ambit1 buyers, and now – although most of the customers want vibration alerts – nothing). Of course they doubled the memory amount … but in comparison to other brands not that big point … And therefore I do not believe in numerical calibration functions you want but Suunto …
Joachim, a former big fan of Suunto and still owner of Ambit1 (want to sell it for 222 Euros … no chance), GPS-Pod and some t6 models.
Joachim, do you happen to know by any chance if Garmin offered a discount for Fenix1 owners when they introduced Fenix2?