Suunto: Two new Garmin smartwatch rivals spotted before rumoured August releases
It seems that Suunto has at least two Garmin rivals in advanced stages of development. For context, the company teased a few days ago that at least one smartwatch would be launching later this month. Now, the Japanese Radio Authority has certified a pair of new smartwatches that are believed to be replacing the Race and Vertical (curr. $399 on Amazon).
Surprisingly, the regulatory body has included extensive pictures of both smartwatches, which we have embedded below. From these, it looks as if Suunto has made various design changes from the Race and Vertical with more band colours from which to choose. Moreover, both the Race 2 and Vertical 2 have different sensor layouts, which suggests that Suunto has adopted a new PPG sensor for this year's releases.
On top of that, Suunto has rearranged the charging pins on both models. Thus, the company may distinguish the pair from their predecessors by integrating faster wired charging. Other changes like an Ambiq Apollo510 chipset are seemingly planned, too. Meanwhile, a Norwegian retailer indicates that the Race 2 could retail for over 30% more than the Race S, which would correspond with launch pricing nearing $599 for some SKUs.
