The Suunto Ambit3 Vertical is the company’s latest addition to their Ambit3 GPS lineup. It is more robust than the other members in the lineup (Peak, Sport and Run) and offers a new set features which are not available in the others. There is also another distinctive feature of the Ambit3 Vertical which is the new low-profile GPS antenna which eliminate the bump at the bottom the of the watch face; making it now less bulky. Other extra features include vibration alerts, altitude profile and real time route tracking.
The Ambit3 Vertical is second only to the Peak model but is more packed than the Sport and Run models. It is intended for serious runners especially the long distance trail runners who puts an emphasis on their overall elevation performance and hill performance. Its has an excellent build quality. The watch features a steel bezel, a strong polyamide casing, a mineral crystal glass and a soft-silicone strap.
The Vertical is also lighter than the Peak. Because the bulky bump at the bottom of the watch face is removed (thanks to low profile GPS antenna), the Vertical looks just like a normal watch. The watch is equipped with its FusedAlti combination of GPS and barometric pressure data for a more accurate tracking. The barometric functionality of the watch is only intended for tracking the changes in the altitude without having to switch to the pure barometer mode if you want to check out the weather. These features are what makes the Vertical completely different from the Peak as it puts emphasis on elevation-focused trail running.
The vibration alert is a nice addition to the watch although I find it very weak that I almost can’t feel it when it vibrates. Another thing I find frustrating with the Vertical is the inconsistency of its connectivity, the watch is programmed to auto sync with Movescount app after a workout is saved, but during my testing the watch fails to sync up more than 25% of the time. Yes, you can try to manually sync it using Bluetooth but this too fails most of the time.
Key Features
- GPS
- FusedAlti combined GPS and barometric altimeter
- Vibration and sound alerts
- Speed, pace, distance
- Route navigation and track back
- Compass
- Heart rate (with strap)
- Interval workout planner
- Activity based recovery time (with HR strap)
- Sleep recovery test (with HR strap)
- Quick fitness test (with HR strap)
- Route planner with topographic map
- Download maps from Suunto Movescount or any other online source
- Real time route altitude profile on watch
- Real-time hill incline percentage
- Altitude profile and total ascent visualization graph
- Vertical gain totals per day, week, month and year
- Compatible with Stryd Running Powermeter
- Compatible with Bluetooth Smart power sensors
Pros
- Has very good tracking accuracy.
- Excellent battery life.
- Easy to setup and use.
Cons
- Connectivity issues.
- The vibration alert is imperceptible.
Conclusion
The Suunto Ambit3 Vertical is made for what we call as “ultrarunners”. This watch has robust feature set that you don’t usually find in any other GPS sports watch. It’s good for runners who wants to explore unfamiliar trails, routes and race courses. It’s even better for runners who wants to get a very good amount of information about their vertical statistics and performance.
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