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The new Suunto Spartan, which we announced the arrival in the Italian market last summer, represents an important model in the smartwatch market designed for sports (or sportwatches as want the latest marketing shouts): minimalist design, robust construction, GPS and cloud system for the analysis of the data collected by the extremely detailed sensors, place it as one of the flagship models of the entire sector.
But this device can also be a choice for those who want a smartwatch that stands out to wear as much as during the marathon as in the office or at the beach with friends.
Sure, the cost it is important, but it is a model that in quality far exceeds the most common normal “walking” smartwatches and for certain types of use it is an almost obligatory choice.
Suunto Spartan, the wrist test
Out of the Spar box tan is presented in an austere way: the model we tested, Suunto Spartan Ultra, comes with the sportwatch and the heart rate monitor, to be worn during activity, since the watch does not have the heartbeat sensor on the inside.
We did the clock installation from Mac, by connecting the terminal to the computer with the cable (with macOS Sierra, the same cable is also used for recharging) and using the software downloadable from the site.
At this juncture just follow the instructions of the App, which has a good interface: in our case it was necessary to repeat some steps to perform the whole procedure, but once the first synchronization was performed the terminal has no longer had problems, as well as the transition to the App for iPhone and Android, which was completely natural.
On the wrist the Spartan imposes itself on whoever looks at it, marked by a case in metal appears austere and minimalist, typical of a sporty and aggressive look. The size is significant and helps to make the device very… visible. We wore Spartan all day, sometimes even to sleep, and despite the shape, after a while we shake hands: it certainly gets noticed by friends and colleagues, who asked us for guidance and information.
The interface is obviously designed for those who do activities, from sports to free movement, because all the interactions are designed to be carried out quickly and even in difficult positions.
The battery life is very good: the documentation speaks of eight continuous hours with the GPS on, while normally used as a simple smartwatch it takes almost a week, even more if used moderately.
This result is obtained with a particular use of the display, which has two states: on, in which all the data are active, with an unmistakable brightness (and if in activity even with GPS active) and off, in which only essential data such as the time are displayed, at a reduced brightness.
In concrete terms, the process works, the battery is optimized and the fact of not having the problem of having to charge the Spartan every night is a good feeling: unfortunately the transition phase is not immediate and sometimes it takes a few moments before moving on to the saving phase. to that of complete visualization (with a compla revolution of what is shown on the display); the time of passage from one state to another, although not dramatic in terms of waiting seconds, is clearly perceptible. A small price to pay for having such a long-lasting battery: however, we underline that this transition from the two states occurs only during casual use, while during a sporting activity the watch always shows the active display at 100%.
The customization of the display, which offers some dials, such as the different clock options, is done directly: vertical and horizontal movements allow you to switch between the menus, but you can also help yourself with the side buttons: there are also shortcuts, such as, for example, holding down the central button for a second opens the command for customization directly (without having to go through the options module).
The management of the menus is good but not perfect: the voices are many and perhaps a simplification would not hurt, as well as a greater affinity with the mobile App, in order to delegate some activities to this, to simplify the control on the wrist.
It's serious
During the activity, which can be activated directly from the dial by choosing both the type of sport and any options on the session, the dial changes to show the most important elements such as relative or absolute times.
In some outdoor sports it is also possible to use the watch as a small map, since we can memorize a route and have the dial show it during the activity, with our position (the process is done from the App), very much useful for those sports such as swimming in the sea or cross country runs in woods or open fields, where it is easy to lose orientation.
Given the absence of a heart rate sensor directly on the terminal, during the activity phases we used the f chest ax supplied. Synchronization with the accessory takes place in a very simple way always from the mobile App, after which everything is activated automatically once the activity has started.
What surprised us most about this model however, despite the good impressions, it is not so much the terminal itself, but the breadth of the details during the detection of the activity and the possibility of managing them later.
The App is a small portal to which we can refer immediately after training, but via the web by connecting to movescount.com we have access to a myriad of data: in addition to time averages, we can compare with other statistics from multiple points of view.
Our knowledge of the subject, meaning the ability to interpret the numbers made available by the portal is absolutely relative and to which we have limited ourselves to a superficial vision, however we can reassure those who want to exploit the Spartan in an area sports semi p professional or professional that the data is entirely sufficient for an uncompromising analysis.
Conclusions
Robust, important, practically proof of everything (from water to cold, from bumps to sand) the Suunto Spartan is the watch suitable for those who do physical activity more than a simple pastime.
Considering the current fashion, we do not deny that the terminal also makes a good impression in the office or on a person's wrist (which is not too small) even outside the activity, but it was obviously not born for this: the possibility of being able to use a heart rate monitor (included) and the data recovered from the portal and made available to users, with the possibility of being crossed with each other, make it a model to really take into consideration for the sports market.
The direct interface options in the display can be improved, as well as the phase shift can be improved of the screen, but in the order of things not so basic data which by the way are only needed when the watch is not in its ideal environment.
You can find Suunto Spartan in some selected watchmakers in the territory , but you can also buy it online, from the manufacturer's website or discounted on Amazon.it
Pro :
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Price: 799.00 Euro
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