Race 2 - What a beautiful watch!
I’ve been a Garmin user for the past two years, using the Epix Pro and Fenix 8. While both watches were great, they had some really weird software bugs and were overkill for my running and strength training needs.
Recently, my Fenix 8 had annoying issues that required three replacements, all of which exhibited the same problems. Garmin offered me a refund, which gave me an opportunity to try another brand. I’ve always loved Suunto’s design, both hardware and software.
So, I ordered the Race 2 Titanium and here are my observations from Garmin:
Design:
The watch is light and comfortable to wear, even though it’s larger than the Fenix 8 AMOLED 47mm. Its slimmer profile and weight make it less obtrusive on the wrist.
The industrial design is clean and beautiful. The buttons have a great feel (better than the Fenix 8), and the scroll wheel works well.
Display:
The display is bright and sharp. I could see the pixels on the Fenix 8 (I’m pretty sure they changed suppliers since the Fenix 8’s launch, because the replacement I got had a worse display than my year-old Fenix 8), but I couldn’t see any individual pixels on the Race 2. I can’t emphasize how much better the display is, even though they’re mostly similar on spec.
UI and overall OS performance :
The UI is clean and simple and has a better design language overall. The font sizing is on point, and everything is clear and easy to read. Less is more is really the principle here.
Watch faces are much better than on the Fenix. While they have less customization, almost every one of them is well-thought-out design-wise. There are no 1990 gradients or complex backgrounds; instead, there’s clear typography on black or simple backgrounds. From a design point of view, this aligns perfectly with my preferences.
There is zero stuttering or lag while scrolling the menus compared to the Fenix 8. Also, maps are 10x more smooth when panning and zooming. On the Fenix 8 that was painfully slow. The difference between those two watches on that point is night and day, Garmin watches pushed the limit of the processor for far too long, and for what they charge customers this is unacceptable IMO.
Battery:
The battery is great. I’ve been using it for the past four days and am still at 53%. I’ve run every day since I got the watch, and I use AOD and all sleep metrics.
What I’ll miss:
Music:
I used to run with just my watch and listen to music through Deezer on it. I’ll have to carry a phone, but that could be seen as a plus since it adds security (for emergencies) and saves battery. It’s also nice to take pictures occasionally.
Garmin Coach:
I used to train with Garmin Coach, so I’ll have to find a way around that.
Recovery and performance metrics:
I’ll need to get used to all the new metrics: TSB, CTL, and TSS. I think the Garmin Coach was a bit more intuitive.