Multisport GPS Watch

The Ambit3 recreation from Suunto is a GPS watch that tracks multiple sports activities, together with jogging, biking and swimming. The watch may be paired with a coronary heart charge sensor that statistics statistics at some stage in workouts on land and in the water.

I examined the white Ambit3 recreation and heart fee sensor, which retails for about $370 on Amazon. The watch is likewise to be had in different colors — along with blue and black — for a chunk extra cash (between $380 and $420). if you're involved about cracking the Ambit3's crystal face, you could shell out $460 for the Ambit3 game Sapphire, which features a hard-to-spoil and superclear sapphire face.

The Ambit3 is greater highly-priced than the $250 TomTom Multi-recreation aerobic, some other watch that tracks jogging, cycling and swimming. however, the Ambit3 is a higher choice for swimmers than TomTom's multisport watch, considering it may monitor your heart rate underwater and may track swimming metrics (along with strokes and intervals) in open water. you may additionally use the Ambit3 as a every day hobby tracker, though the watch only measures your usual stage of activity, now not person steps.

The Suunto Ambit3 is a top notch tool for athletes, but its advanced swim capabilities are what truly set it other than other multisport GPS watches. This watch can track your heart charge underwater, a function that just a few different multisport watches can fit, and it could acquire records about open-water swims. I thought the Ambit3 was cumbersome, but the watch became nonetheless comfortable to put on, and its large face became easy to study while i was exercise.

still, the Ambit3 is not without its flaws. I every so often had hassle getting the watch to sync with my smartphone after a workout, and Suunto's Movescount app, which is best to be had for iOS, is a bit bare-bones as compared with apps from competitors like Garmin and Polar. you furthermore mght can not pair the Ambit3 with heart fee monitors and different sensors via ANT+, the wireless era that we could a sensor share records with an eye. The Ambit3 only pairs with sensors thru Bluetooth smart, which some facts-loving athletes can also find demanding.

the primary aspect I noticed approximately the Ambit3 sport was its length. At 2.eighty two oz. (eighty grams), it is quite a chunk heavier than other GPS watches in this category, such as the Garmin Forerunner 920XT, which handiest weighs 2.1 ounces (60 g). but in spite of its bulk, the Ambit3 changed into secure to put on at the same time as i used to be exercise. I even wore it at some stage in the day — as i might with a widespread interest tracker — and once in a while forgot I had it on.

because the face of the watch is so huge, it's smooth to study at a look while i used to be jogging or biking. And thanks to the watch's great backlight, I had no hassle seeing it underwater. The Ambit3 game I tested was white and was mainly designed for ladies, consistent with Suunto's internet site. but as stated, the watch is a ways from dainty. In reality, the "girls's" Ambit3 I examined is the same length as all the other Ambit3 recreation watches by Suunto. If a small watch is what you are looking for, you is probably disenchanted.

The 4 buttons at the Ambit3 are clean to press, even underwater—which is a great factor, given that you have to scroll thru quite some menus to track your sports. The coronary heart rate strap that pairs with the watch is likewise comfy to wear. I had no trouble with it after I wore it strolling and swimming. however, men (who in all likelihood aren't sporting anything on their chest whilst swimming) might locate that the strap slips down the chest in the course of swim workout routines, in line with a overview from DC Rainmaker.

The Ambit3 also helps you to receive notifications from your cellphone for your watch, simply as a smartwatch could. you can see incoming calls and texts at the watch, but you may not be capable of respond to them. i found that this selection simplest labored whilst the Movescount app turned into open on my telephone. This wasn't difficult, however it did take me some time to parent out why my watch wasn’t showing notifications well from my cellphone.

The battery existence in this watch is right, lasting for approximately 15 hours in GPS mode. I handiest had to fee it once all through my week of the usage of it for each GPS and non-GPS-enabled sports.

not like most fitness trackers that i've reviewed, which simplest hook up with a cell app through Bluetooth, the Ambit3 additionally connects to Suunto's net-primarily based software through USB. To get started out with the watch, you may want to down load this software program and additionally pair the Ambit3 with your smartphone thru Suunto's cell app. i found that syncing the watch with the app after my workout routines changed into commonly very sincere. i was happy to have this option instead of continually having to plug the watch into my pc to switch statistics.

I did have to re-pair the Ambit3 with my phone one time. at the same time as this changed into inconvenient, I locate that I nearly usually have Bluetooth issues with the wearable devices I evaluation. on occasion, the connection among the device and cell device simply needs to be reestablished. any other trouble with the Ambit3 is its lack of compatibility with Android devices. Suunto has not but launched its Movescount app for Android, although guide for this operating machine is due out next month, consistent with the organization.

Suunto's cellular app, Movescount, within reason simple to navigate. when you sign up, you will see how a whole lot time you have logged at the Ambit3, what number of energy you've burned whilst working out and how a ways you've traveled whilst wearing the watch. you could view details for every of your workout routines and, if GPS is enabled, you'll be capable of see a map of your path inside the app. regardless of those features, i found the Suunto app to be the least facts-rich of all the multisport GPS watch apps i have tested. The app for the Polar V800, for example, breaks down every mile you log with the watch in extreme element. to see greater in-intensity statistics from the Ambit3, you will ought to log in to Movescount on a pc and view your stats on line.

The Ambit3 makes use of GPS facts for all outside activities, including strolling, biking and open-water swimming. i discovered that the watch picked up the GPS sign in no time when i used to be near my domestic inside the suburbs. within the town, I had a chunk of hassle round very tall homes (think midtown big apple), however no issues in greater open areas (in particular in parks).

The Ambit3 is one of the best multisport GPS watches in the marketplace to be able to monitor your heart charge at the same time as you swim within the pool or in open water. You may not in reality be capable of see your coronary heart price information as you swim, however when the exercise is over, you could view your average coronary heart charge consistent with lap in the Movescount app or on line. only a further watch I reviewed collects coronary heart charge records throughout swims: the Polar V800. at the same time as Polar's multisport GPS watch is also a exceptional choice for swimmers, i discovered it become a piece hard to installation, and it wasn't as correct as the Ambit3 at detecting what stroke i was using while swimming in the pool.

The Ambit3 is designed to feature as a schooling tool for those who frequently have interaction in more than one kind of workout. in case you simply need to music your runs, then you definately likely don't need all the functions this watch gives, nor do you need to pay $330 for a GPS watch. however if you're a triathlete or you like to spend part of some time inside the pool, then the Ambit3 will give you all of the facts you need on land and inside the water. For swimming, this includes it slow according to lap and general time swimming, stroke charge, stroke remember and automatic stroke detection (meaning the tool can inform the difference among freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly), stroke efficiency or SWOLF, heart price, and tempo and distance in miles or kilometers. For running, you could tune some time, pace, cadence and heart price. biking information includes time and pace, but you can additionally pair the watch with a spread of sensors to song things like motorcycle strength (a device that measures the strength output of the rider) and aerodynamic drag. A complete listing of features and sensor compatibilities may be found at the Ambit3 product web page on Suunto's internet site.

one of the moves against the Ambit3 is that it can not pair with ANT+ sensors. this means you'll need to purchase Bluetooth clever sensors to use with the watch. whilst this wasn't a hassle for me (i used to be most effective interested in gathering heart fee data with the Bluetooth clever coronary heart fee sensor that got here with the watch), it could be a trouble for those who do not want to shell out even extra cash for additional sensors to pair with the Ambit3, which include bike energy meters or running foot pods (gadgets that degree tempo and distance whilst you're running on a treadmill).

Ambit3 users can take benefit of the numerous ways to proportion stats and hook up with other Suunto-toting athletes. you could create a profile on Movescount with facts that consists of your age, desired activities and vicinity. Then, you can discover the interactive map to look other Suunto users on your area and add capacity competitors in your scoreboard (a web page that indicates your overall time and distance spent education with the Ambit3).

Suunto's community features quantity to a small social network, in which you may be a part of corporations, get statistics about races and other local occasions, and see the way you degree up towards different athletes. i found these capabilities to be a good deal greater inspiring than a notification on my telephone or a congratulatory e-mail, that is what number of fitness-tracking agencies goal to motivate and inspire their users.

you may also share statistics from Movescount with famous third-birthday celebration apps, like Strava, and you could import facts from different accounts (ones with Polar or Garmin, for example) to Movescount, the use of apps like MXActivityMover. As with maximum wearable gadgets, the information you track with the Ambit3 may be shared instantly together with your lovers and followers on social media. And in case you really want to electrify your following, you could even create a shareable "movie" inside the Suunto app that shows a 3D map of your exercising route alongside your stats.