Suunto Race 3S: A More Compact and Lighter GPS Watch

Suunto unveils the Race 3S, a multisport GPS watch designed for training and trail running. Weighing 56 g including the strap, featuring an AMOLED display rated at 2,000 nits, and offering up to 38 hours of battery life in dual-frequency GPS mode, it boasts a compact design without sacrificing navigation and workout tracking features. Its launch is also accompanied by the introduction of Suunto AI Coach, a training assistant integrated into the brand’s app.

With its 46-mm case, the Race 3S stands out for its design, which is particularly well-suited to slimmer wrists. It combines a titanium bezel with sapphire crystal. It weighs 56 g with the silicone strap and 38 g without it.

The 1.32-inch LTPS Hybrid AMOLED display has a resolution of 466 × 466 pixels and a maximum brightness of 2,000 nits. According to Suunto, this makes it more than three times brighter than the Race S’s display.

The advertised battery life is up to 38 hours in dual-frequency GPS mode and up to 12 days with everyday use. The watch also features a new optical heart rate sensor, equipped with six LEDs and four photodetectors, as well as an Apollo 510 processor designed to improve menu responsiveness and navigation. The 64 GB of internal storage allows you to save maps and training data, among other things. Offline music playback will be added later via a software update.

The Race 3S offers more than 100 sport modes, including running, cycling, swimming, and multisport activities.

Offline Maps and Trail Running Tools

Navigation is one of the features highlighted by Suunto. The Race 3S comes with free, worldwide offline maps that include contour lines and place names. Once downloaded, they’re accessible directly from the watch, with no subscription required.

The brand also announces improvements to GPS positioning, particularly in challenging environments such as dense forests, canyons, and winding trails.

To help manage effort during a race, the Climb Guidance feature provides up-to-date information on upcoming ascents and descents. It allows runners to anticipate the course profile and adjust their pace accordingly.

Another feature, Race Planner, rounds out this suite of tools. It will offer a personalized pace plan based on the course, weather, and race goal, with real-time guidance on race day. It is scheduled to be available in an upcoming update to the app and watch software.

Suunto AI Coach analyzes workouts

The launch of the Race 3S also marks the arrival of Suunto AI Coach in the Suunto app. This conversational assistant uses the user’s training data to help them understand their workouts, track their progress, and guide their preparation.

Responses may take the form of text, graphs, tables, or maps, depending on the question asked. The assistant can also generate structured workouts, training plans, and routes, which can then be saved in the app and synced with the watch.

Suunto is offering three months of access to AI Coach to Race 3S buyers who pair their watch with the app and activate it by December 31, 2026.

Available on suunto.com and from authorized retailers worldwide starting October 15, 2026