Over the last few weeks I’ve been testing out the new GoPro Mission 1 Pro camera, which is part of a larger lineup of cameras taking advantage of their more recently announced GP3 chipset. Over the past few years, GoPro has struggled to compete in certain aspects of the action cam market. This camera has been heavily looked at as a make-or-break moment for the company. And at the moment, after using it for a bit, it seems like GoPro is poised to deliver a strong market-leading camera. If nothing else, the specs certainly win in virtually every category. But, that’s getting ahead of ourselves.

There are three models of the newly named GoPro Mission 1 series, which presumably replace the previously assumed Hero 14 name. They are as follows:

GoPro Mission 1 Pro: The camera this post is about
GoPro Mission 1 Pro ILS: The exact same camera, but with a DSLR-style camera lens mount (Micro 4/3rds), ILS stands for Integrated Lens System
GoPro Mission 1 Base: Almost an identical camera to the Pro, but with slightly reduced frame rates. It still does 8K and everything else, with exact differences listed below in the next section.

In terms of shipping, the Mission 1 & Mission 1 Pro will start shipping May 28th, with the Mission 1 Pro ILS coming later in Q3. Additionally, there’s a host of other accessories coming, including a new wireless mic system (like DJI & Insta360’s), along with much more.

In this post (heavily through the above video), I’m primarily going to look at all the new features/specs. This isn’t a review for one key reason: GoPro isn’t allowing media to publish footage from the units. That’s because the firmware isn’t complete yet, and is still a few weeks away from completion. The company says there are notable changes/improvements still on the way to image quality (including in low light mode, underwater modes, and Log modes), hence the hesitancy to have full footage out there. Which is too bad, because frankly, the current footage I have is still pretty stunning. Nonetheless, once my full review drops, it’ll include comparisons on final production firmware/etc… Plus, as always, you’ll be able to download boatloads of my footage to check out for yourselves.

With that, let’s dive into things.

What’s New – Mission 1 Pro:

In many ways, the Mission 1 Pro will feel pretty familiar to GoPro Hero 13 Black users, though there’s just an absolute boatload of little differences at every turn – from the slightly larger size and weight, to the slightly revamped user interface, to the slightly larger display. Plus, of course, what really matters: The dramatically different internals, resulting in much higher resolutions and frame rates. So, let’s dive into how they’re different:

– Substantially upgraded image sensor size to quad-bayer 1” sensor (from 1/1.9”)
– Switched to new GP3 SoC (basically the brains of the camera)
– Added 8K/60fps support (Linear/Wide, both 16:9 & 4:3)
– Added 4K/240fps support (previous limit was 4K/120fps for GoPro/DJI/Insta360)
– Added 1080p/480FPS support (previous limit was 1080p/240fps for GoPro/DJI/Insta360)
– Added 1080p/960FPS burst support (up to 10 seconds)
– Added dedicated low-light video mode, up to 4K/60
– Added Open Gate Mode, which is simply a marketing term for what GoPro already had (more details below)
– Increased rear screen size to 2.59″ (from 2.27″)
– Significantly increased button depth/pop-out to use with gloves/etc (far more than any action camera)
– Made buttons equilibrium buttons, which means water passes under them to prevent sticking at certain depths
– Increased water resistance rating to 20m (from 10m)
– Added camera lens hood (removable sun shade)
– Added subject tracking video mode (tracks subjects in frame and follows it)
– Added new ‘Modes’ option (can now customize which modes are enabled/disabled, e.g., video, timelapse, etc… a bit different than previous custom settings)
– Added new Sport POV mode, which accounts for dynamics a bit more (e.g., a previous GoPro in a fast-moving car might incorrectly shift due to g-forces at turns)
– Added Diving Mode, which both corrects water coloring automatically, as well as changes stabilization behavior
– Added Motion Blur options (similar to those seen in GoPro Max 2)
– Added New GoPro Enduro 2 battery (but still backwards compatible with Hero 13 batteries)
– Added Battery Fast Charging (80% in 20 mins, then after that, depending on thermal scenario, roughly another 20 mins. Thermal changes mean faster in ideal conditions, but slower in hot conditions. Overall, the battery charges slightly longer than the competition because it’s literally a bigger battery at 2,150mAh, versus Insta360 being 1,800mAh and DJI being 1,950mAh)
– Added new rear microphone
– Changed microphone positions so now two in the front, one on the side, and one on the back. The two in the front provide better stereo audio.
– Added ability to playback recorded audio on connected Bluetooth device (e.g., headphones)
– Added ability to playback camera beeps on connected Bluetooth device (e.g., headphones)
– Added ability to record RAW Audio file (in 32-Bit Float, 24-Bit PCM)
– Added dedicated audio control panel dashboard
– Added generic USB-C mic support (no proprietary GoPro USB-C mic required anymore)
– Added ability to record all camera microphones + external microphones separately in configurable panel
– Added new ‘Max’ Bit Rate option (240Mbps on Max, 180 Mbps on High, and standard at 120 Mbps)
– Added dedicated GP-Log2 recording option for color (also still have separate ‘flat’ color option, note that log curve is different to Log1)
– Still 10-bit recording option like GoPro has had for years
– Added dedicated ‘Cinematic’ recording option for color (purely changing color matrix)
– Added 2x/3x/4x Digital Zoom option (simply crops into the full 8K sensor size accordingly)
– Added Image Tuning option (Balanced, Sport, Face, Underwater: Configures slew of other settings automatically)
– Added Shutter Speed Range option (in addition to both auto and fixed previously, can now specify a range)
– Added ISO Range option (in addition to both auto and fixed previously, can now set a range)
– Adds 50MP photo mode including RAW support (or, you can just take 44MP stills from 8K video at up to 60FPS)
– Added 8K to Timelapse & TimeWarp options (replacing 5.3K)
– Added HLG HDR to TimeWarp options
– Added ability to do dual Timelapse Photo+Video (see ‘Odds & Ends’ section below)
– Increased airflow battery life claim to 315 minutes (over 5 hours)
– Increased non-airflow battery claim to also 315 minutes (over 5 hours)
– Massive increases in all battery charts, see chart below
– Added ability to display capture info during shooting on screen (e.g., shutter speed/ISO/EV/WB)
– Added new anti-flicker setting that automatically detects the frequency of the lights around you
– Front screen size remains the same size
– GPS remains the same (can be disabled if you want)
– Combo-mount remains the same (GoPro/Tripod/Magnetic)
– Removed 2.7K & 5.3K resolution options entirely
– Removed 8:7 aspect ratio option entirely (back to using 4:3 aspect ratio instead)
– Removed HypeView mode (though, the SuperView mode is actually wider now, see photo comparison below)
– Doesn’t support existing GoPro Hero 13 Black Lenses (they physically don’t fit due to the much larger sensor size)
– Increased weight to 206g (from 159g), or 214g with the lens hood.

Phew…got all that? Good, cause the reality is that there’s more I probably didn’t find yet, or wasn’t pointed out to me. For example, I haven’t even tackled the ILS-mount version yet, nor any of the new accessories. And on a daily basis, I’m finding new features deep in the menus. I’ll cover accessories (older ones and newer ones) down below.

The only difference between the Mission 1 and the Mission 1 Pro is frame rates and the extent to which you can do open gate (4:3). Specifically:

8K Frame Rates: The base model tops out at 8K/30FPS, whereas the Pro model goes to 8K/60FPS

Open Gate: The base model tops out at 4K/120FPS (4:3), whereas the Pro model lets you do Open Gate up to 8K/30 (4:3). Remember that Open Gate on this camera is 4:3.

Slow Motion: The base model tops out at 4K/120FPS, whereas the Pro Model goes to 4K/240FPS. And for 1080p, the base model can do 1080p/240FPS continuously, whereas the Pro model goes to 1080p/480FPS (continuously).

Burst Slow Motion: The Pro Model can burst to 1080p/960FPS, whereas the Base Model doesn’t have that mode.

Everything else is identical according to GoPro. I don’t have a base model unit yet, so I’ll have to take their word for it at this point.

In terms of pricing, here’s where things stand:

One thing to keep in mind is that the GoPro Subscription is $59. That gets you unlimited storage backups for your GoPro at original resolutions, along with some accessory discounts, a few app features, and a few other things I’m forgetting. More critically though, it gets you $100 off the camera price. So simply subscribing for the first year alone is probably worth it. Also, they’re doing some sort of deal for pre-orders where basically if you order soon you get the new accessory grip tossed in for free.

With that, let’s dive into the size comparisons.

Size Comparison:

Here’s a simple lineup of the camera and how it compares to the two other main competitors, along with the Hero 13 Black. First up, from the front:

Now from the top down:

And again, for comparison, the weights are as follows (as measured on my little scale with SD card and battery inserted):

GoPro Mission 1 Pro: 208g (+6 for lens hood)
GoPro Hero 13 Black: 159g
DJI Action 6: 150g
Insta360 Ace Pro 2: 178g

I dive into my thoughts on the weights down a bit lower, but in short, I don’t really notice the larger weight in the real-world in terms of holding/mounted/etc… But obviously certain applications like FPV probably would.

Battery Chart:

This is an easy section, below is the official battery chart:

Now, obviously, this isn’t a full review. As such, I haven’t tested everything yet. And more importantly, the firmware isn’t final yet; that’s still a few weeks away (since the camera doesn’t start shipping for another 5 weeks). Still, on the random beta firmware I have, I tested out 4K/30 outside in the sun, and got the 3 hours it spec’d at above. Likewise, I also tested 8K/30 (16:9 outside just prior to sunset and it got 1hr 25mins (so about 11 minutes longer than spec, but spec technically calls for 4:3 which would consume more battery). The temp was basically 70°F/21°c with still air. All settings left at default, and GPS/Bluetooth both on.

And then finally, I did a long battery test last night, in 1080p/30 (with all default settings), and it got 4hr 57mins. Officially, the 1080p spec at 5hrs as far I know, specifies GPS is disabled, whereas I had it turned on (because I went with defaults). Point is, all of which is just nuts-incredible. These times are blowing away other action cams on the market.

Of course, if you know me, you know I love a good overheating test. Historically speaking, I’ve made every GoPro, DJI, and Insta360 camera overheat in the right scenarios. Anyone who says they can’t is lying to you, to sell something. The question is: When does a camera overheat, why does it overheat, and does it matter?

I’ll dive into all that down the road. Plus, by then the weather temps will be a bit more toasty. However, that’s never stopped me from hotboxing my bathroom to over 100°F to test cameras out.

Finally, on the battery bits, it’s notable that the GoPro Hero 13 batteries and Mission 1 batteries are interchangeable. However, they are not identical. The Hero 13 uses an Enduro battery, whereas the Mission 1 uses an Enduro 2 battery. That newer battery has fast charging, which does 0-80% in 20 minutes (and I validated that), and then trickle-charges the remainder. It’s a massive step-up from the previous GoPro batteries taking forever (hours) to charge. Point being though, you can use a Hero 13 battery in a Mission 1 camera, and vice versa. It just will only fast-charge the newer batteries in the newer camera (or a newer upcoming fast charger).

Accessory Tidbits:

There’s a boatload of accessories coming for the Mission series, some due to practical requirements of previous generation bits not fitting, and some totally new things. First up, let’s look at previous accessories and where things stand for the Mission 1 Pro:

GoPro Hero 13 Batteries: Yes
GoPro Mounts: Yes, all mounts/adapters
GoPro Magnetic Contacto Charging Door: Yes (exact same)
GoPro Hero 13 Black HB Series ND Filters: No (physically doesn’t fit over sensor)
GoPro Macro Lens Mod: No (physically doesn’t fit over sensor)
GoPro Anamorphic Lens: No (physically doesn’t fit over sensor)
GoPro Max Lens Mod 2.0: No (physically doesn’t fit over sensor)
GoPro Hero 13 Black Media Mod: No (camera too big)
GoPro Hero 13 Black Battery Charger: Yes, but slow speed charging, not high speed
GoPro Hero 13 Black Dive Case: No (camera too big)

I’m sure there are other things I’m missing, but that’s the main gist of stuff. GoPro says that if it could have been made compatible, they would have kept it (like the side door, battery, mounts, etc…), whereas if things were physically different (such as the larger 1” sensor size), then that broke certain accessories.

Of course, there’s a boatload of new accessories coming, many of which are improved. For example, the new Media Mod has a revamped mic system, external timecode support, and no longer requires you to take it off a mount to change the batteries (finally!). I went through most of the accessories in my video, so just to recap that, they are:

GoPro Mission 1 Series Grip: $99
GoPro Mission 1 Series Media Mod: $149
GoPro Wireless Mic Kit (with 2 transmitters and Receiver): $159
GoPro Mission 1 Series ND Filter 4-Pack (ND8/16/32/64): $99
GoPro Mission 1 Series Underwater Housing (to 60m/196ft deep): $59
GoPro Mission 1 Series Vertical Mount Adapter: $29

In addition, there’s still the GoPro Gimbal from last year, which is compatible here, and you can add roughly a 200g lens payload to that with the ILS version. Also, not officially yet listed are things like a fast-charging battery hub, a GoPro Volta 2 grip, and more.

In my video, I covered most of the above, though I didn’t include the GoPro Underwater housing; a bunch of you have been asking about it. I’ve got one coming in the mail, and will start putting it on dives in the next week or two. The notable change here is a secondary GoPro mount for vertical mounting (many people, including myself, will often mount an action camera atop another camera rig underwater; this extends that to vertical shooting).

Likewise, I didn’t include the vertical mounting adapter in my video above.

Ok, with that, this section is now complete. Instead, let’s move into things that didn’t quite make it to my main video above.

Odds & Ends (both Good & Bad):

This section has two pieces. The first is things that aren’t in the camera that I was kinda hoping would be. The second half of this section is things I meant to mention in my video, but just forgot amidst those 60+ new items.

First up, the things that aren’t there. None of these are dealbreakers to me, but some of them are more important than others. Here they are:

– No uploading to NAS/etc support: While GoPro does have GoPro Cloud (which I love as a backup, with my 7.6TB of GoPro footage up there right now), DJI’s inclusion of NAS support in their Action 6 is a game-changer for my workflow. I just know the footage is always there and handy. They also added support for Google Drive. I really want to see GoPro add this, heck, even if it’s either just on the Pro series cameras, or just on those with a GoPro subscription, etc…

– No built-in storage: Unlike DJI’s semi-recent push to add built-in storage to all of their cameras/drones, there’s no extra 60-100GB of storage on the camera in case you forgot your card. Again, this isn’t designed to fully replace your SD card, but there in case you pop out the card and forget to put it in. That said, with the prices of memory absolutely skyrocketing right now to unseen historical levels, the obvious real-world tradeoff is how much extra you want to pay for your camera.

– No FindMy support: Again, Insta360 has this, and it’s definitely handy in a pinch. It’s not going to solve a camera on the bottom of the ocean, but it does solve one that somehow got lost on a trail.

– It’s not lighter: To state the obvious, I think this is the heaviest GoPro the company has ever made. In the real world, doing endurance sports and such, I haven’t noticed that difference. Then again, I’m also used to carrying like 4 cameras at once, so…yeah. That said, if you’re an FPV person, this does have real-world implications. Still, it’s *super-clear* that the trend here from all three companies (DJI/Insta360/GoPro) is to basically have one beefcake camera, and then another camera line that’s much smaller. Right now, obviously, the Hero 4K Lit isn’t GP3 powered and is very far behind the image-quality and feature competition compared to Insta360 & DJI (though, unlike those, it is fully waterproof for a day at the beach). My assumption here is that GoPro comes out with a smaller cam replacement by the holidays, but we’ll have to see.

Beyond that, my only real disappointment in using the camera day-to-day is not having the 5.3K mode. Simply because I’m not really sure I always need to shoot in 8K. It just takes up a bunch of space. Sometimes, I want that resolution for editing later, but other times, I don’t really care for 8K, but want a bit more resolution than 4K, when I plan to take screen grabs from it (e.g., a still from a run for Strava). Still, all the other new features (especially the battery charging), vastly overshadow these gaps for me compared to the Hero 13 Black (or any other past GoPro camera).

Moving on, I totally forgot to list a few things in my video I meant to list. First up is that there’s a nifty new screen on the Night Effects page, which shows you a preview in real time of the effects, specifically of the Star Trails. This way, after the first 30 seconds, you can see whether or not you’re vaguely in the right position for the shot. Here’s a hand-held cell-phone photo in the dark of the back of the screen atop my roof, so you can roughly understand what I mean:

Next, there is no longer a HyperView mode (there is Hyperlapse, which is totally different and is basically a moving timelapse). HyperView was a wider view than SuperView, on the Hero 13 Black that was 151° FOV for HyperView vs 138° FOV for SuperView. It was primarily used in higher-speed shots, such as on a chest mount, while mountain biking. Anyways, point being, that option is gone.

But on the bright side, the new SuperView is actually wider. I don’t have the exact FOV handy, though I just stacked the two cameras atop each other, and you can see clearly that the Mission 1 Pro is wider (look at the helmet position, as well as my handlebars).

Also, there’s zero difference in the FOV when I switch to 8K mode on the Mission 1 Pro (or to 5.3K on the Hero 13 Black).

Next, in the Timewarp & Time Lapse areas there are a few new nuggets. On TimeWarp they’ve added HLG HDR and 8K (8K replaces 5.3K), including the new Max Bitrate option. But more interesting is Time Lapse, where they’ve added a new dual photo+video option (others have had this for a while). This is handy because you can export out the totally finished video file (1080p/4K/8K), as well as concurrently write the original image files (JPG, or JPG+RAW).

I love this, because it allows you to basically get the easy-button video up front, and then if you decide you want the individual photo files (perhaps for reframing, reprocessing, etc…), you can do that. If you work with timelapse stuff a bunch, you know that there’s a boatload of work when dealing with potentially thousands of files, so having that quick video upfront to decide whether or not the timelapse is worth more time investment is super useful.

Note that you can see this is only available in Time Lapse, and not Time Warp, because TimeWarp (which is for moving camera situations) is applying processing based on the sensors in the camera itself to even out all the bumps/wobbles/etc…

Wrap-Up:

Again, this definitely isn’t a review. Until I get final firmware and can evaluate the final image quality (and other aspects), that’ll have to wait. Still, as it stands right now, I can divide things up into basically two camps. The first camp is the specs on paper, and all the changes to features/etc. In that realm, this is a massive step-up. Not just a step-up for GoPro, but frankly a huge step-up for the action cam industry. Be it battery life, sensor size, resolutions, frame rates, bit rates, or any other more minor feature, these are major jumps here.

Looking at the second camp of things, where I feel the camera sits in terms of development, things are looking pretty strong. Of course, they’re still 5 weeks away from shipping, though the firmware is expected to be finalized in about 2-3 weeks. I certainly haven’t had any crashes, and my collection of footage is nothing to be upset about. I’ve only seen a handful of minor UI bugs (some of which were even fixed over the weekend). But as always with any company, that road to the final firmware can have unexpected bumps.

Either way, I’ll definitely be buying up one (or two) of these to add to my stable, and it’ll likely end up being my main action camera going forward. Over the last 1-2 years, I’d mostly used the GoPro Hero 13 Black as my main daytime action camera, and then the Insta360 Ace Pro 2 as my main low-light/night action camera (as well as sometimes daytime camera when I wanted better sports sensor data integration). Once I get to later in May, we’ll have to see how that shifts.

With that – thanks for reading!

Suunto has been on one heck of a roll this year, but especially the last 6 or so months. Specifically, when it comes to new features via firmware updates. Back in January we had a major firmware drop, then last month (March), they opened wider the Suunto App Store platform and new apps, and now yet again we’ve got another huge firmware update.

In fact, I’d argue that some of these changes are the most notable ones we’ve seen in a while. We’ve got (finally) the ability to broadcast your heart rate so 3rd-party apps/devices can connect to it (including things like bike computers), as well as the totally out-of-left-field option to pair up to a Garmin Varia radar device. Plus, a huge slate of other tweaks in between.

New Firmware Update Features:

Now, in this case, I’ve been traveling for the last nearly two weeks, and unfortunately, I don’t have a Suunto watch with me. I thought I threw one in the pile (I generally always have one watch of each brand with me when I travel, for things just like this), but I can’t seem to find the Vertical 2 in the bag of a dozen watches I have with me. Sigh.

Still, some very solid updates in here, so I wanted to get the news out. Here’s the full list for the Suunto Race 2, Suunto Vertical 2, Suunto Race, and Suunto Race S.

Sport Features:
Added Pool swimming drill sets
Added Lap button control for interval timing
Added Heart rate broadcast from watch to other devices
Added Manual laps swim with auto intervals

 

Training & Physiology Features:
Added HRR recovery test after the workout (also as field for sport modes)

 

Outdoor & Navigation
Watch map with place names, contour line elevation, location icons (not in Suunto race)
Added Navigation map & climb views bottom tooth customization
Added distance and climb zooming with Climb Guidance
Climb guidance shows section when fully zoomed in
Added Smart Turn-by-turn navigation with notifications and automatic zoom
Added Off route guidance with distance and direction back to route
Off route detection improved
Added Track back to follow same path back
Map data updated

 

User Experience Features/Tweaks
Added Use of mixed units
Added Touch screen option for sport modes
Added Notifications & Sounds management for daily/sports
Added Indonesian Language support
Added Easier data picker with looped numbers
Added Abiltiy for Autolap to be muted when interval is on going

 

Daily Use Features
Added Day specific alarms
Added Sunrise time displayed in morning report

In addition, there are a slate of things that started rolling out last week (March 31st) to the Suunto App, which is applicable to more devices as well:

Suunto App Training & Physiology

Training plans in training and in progress view in app
Heart rate recovery info in workout (new watch feature)
Strength sessions with Suunto AI Coach
Feeling and fatigue graphs in recovery tab

 

Suunto App Sport Specificity

Added more dive data in logs (around environmental features, visibility, and buoyancy)

 

Suunto App Outdoor & navigation

Added Offline Map with route planning
Elevation data updated

New Suunto Apps

Now, this is where there are some even more interesting ones, specifically the ability to connect to Garmin Varia Radar (via Bluetooth), and the ability to connect to Concept 2 rowers (PM5).

Starting with the Garmin Varia Radar bits, this is compatible with the RTL515, though I assume it also works with the RVR315 and RCT715, all of which support Bluetooth connections. However, I’d be skeptical that it works with the newer Varia 820, since that requires a secure Bluetooth Connection, and Garmin says they don’t plan to release the protocol to 3rd parties for that. Note that, technically speaking, this app is developed by a 3rd-party developer.

Next, there’s another new 3rd-party app called ErgSync, which pulls in your data from a Concept 2 rower (PM5), including SPM, Watts, Distance, and more. I’ll give this a whirl as well when I get back home.

Beyond that, there are a few more new apps that are worthwhile mentioning that have been launched in the last week (or some even launching today):

Table Tennis, Notes, Manual Interval+, Live VKT, Live KM, GAP Mate, Anchor Alarm, Climb Log

Got all that? Good. Also, further below is a 45-minute run-through of the features from one of Suunto’s long-time product leads, which goes through all the features in depth.

With that – thanks for reading!

Found This Post Useful? Support The Site!

At the end of the day, I’m an athlete just like you looking for the most detail possible on a new purchase. These posts generally take a lot of time to put together, so if you're shopping for the Suunto Vertical 2, Suunto Race 2 or Suunto Race S or any other accessory items, please consider using the affiliate links below! As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, but your purchases help support this website a lot.

Suunto Vertical 2

Amazon REI

Suunto Race 2

Amazon REI

Suunto Race S

Amazon REI

And of course – you can always sign-up to be a DCR Supporter! That gets you an ad-free DCR, access to the DCR Shed Talkin' video series packed with behind the scenes tidbits...and it also makes you awesome. And being awesome is what it’s all about!

COROS has just announced its Spring 2026 firmware update for watches, which brings in two key features, along with a pile of other features. The biggies are the addition of what COROS is calling ‘Hill Alerts’, which is more or less what Garmin calls ClimbPro, and then adding in Pace Strategy, which is more or less what Garmin calls ‘PacePro’. But, there are some differences (both better and worse), that are worth exploring. And I’ve been able to use these over the last few weeks, including in a race, to see how it handles.

However, beyond that, there’s a slate of additional smaller features that are worth mentioning, these are:

– Added Weekly Distance Widget
– Added Hyrox Workout support (officially called ‘Hybrid Fitness support’)
– Added increased font size support for more seasoned athletes
– Added Pause menu, which provides additional details about the workout
– Added passcode support (to unlock watch)
– Added in-app [rock] Climbing summary screen
– Added Media Controls for COROS Dura (bike computer)
– Added Race Predictor Trendline
– Added sync with Zwift (one-way to Zwift only, for structured workouts)

I’ll quickly include some screenshots of some of those smaller ones down below, but for now, let’s get into the two major features.

As for which watches get which features, here’s a run-down of that:

As you can see, it’s basically all the current-gen watches and one generation behind watches, with a handful of older watches getting some features.

Hill Alerts:

We’ll start with this one first, since it’s probably the most straightforward to explain. Hill alerts are essentially a ClimbPro-like feature that automatically displays the climb details for routes in either Running, Trail Running, and Hiking modes (only, not cycling). As with Garmin/Suunto/Amazfit (on wearables), it requires a course/route to be loaded first. Which in turn requires that to be done through the smartphone app. Again, this is largely consistent with what Suunto/Amazfit has, though Garmin can do this using on-watch generated routes.

With that said, there are some areas of this that are better than Garmin, specifically the smartphone app screen, which handily shows the upcoming climb details (Garmin doesn’t have that) in the app itself. Here you can see the route on a recent trail race I did, showing those climbs detailed out:

From there, you’ll send the route to the watch just like any other route. There’s nothing special you need to do here, it just happens for any route that you sync from app to watch. At which point, off you go on your run. Below, for the other photos, I’ll show a shorter trail run I did.

Once you’ve started your route, you’ll see a full elevation profile of the route at all times.

Then, as you approach a climb, you’ll see an alert that the climb is nearby, along with a new screen showing details about the climb.

This new screen lists the following:

– Climb number (e.g., 2 of 4)
– Distance to top of climb
– Ascent (elevation to top of climb)
– Current gradient (%)
– Time in run (workout timer)

This is interestingly similar to Garmin but different in a few minor ways (some good, some bad). Here are the two side-by-side:

You’ll notice the following slight differences:

– COROS shows the current gradient, Garmin shows the average gradient of the climb
– Garmin shows current vertical speed, whereas COROS shows current workout time (Garmin shows this at the top too)
– COROS uses a red arrow for up, and Garmin uses a green arrow for up
– COROS & Garmin differ very slightly on exactly where the top is, but that’s normal
– COROS includes descents in the total climbs, whereas Garmin splits/counts those out separately

For the most part, I don’t really have too many preferences for any of the above. I think I slightly prefer the COROS approach of showing current gradient over entire climb average gradient, though realistically I’d rather have gradient average remaining on the climb (as the cycling computers usually do). But I definitely prefer Garmin’s approach of showing vertical speed, as opposed to just workout time.

However, there is one notable difference I encountered on the trails, which is that when you go off-course, the COROS Hill/Climb screen instantly disappears, whereas Garmin’s stays there but doesn’t update. That means that if you’re on a parallel trail (for any number of very valid reasons), with Garmin you can roughly know how high to the top. Whereas with COROS, it disappears entirely. Hopefully, COROS can make a change here to keep both the full course profile and specific climb active, regardless of whether you’re still on the specified route.

Finally, note that COROS does indeed show descents as well:

Otherwise, these worked reasonably similarly in my tests, with only minor climb detection/triggering differences here (which is normal when comparing any of the companies that do ClimbPro-like features, including Wahoo/Hammerhead/Garmin/Suunto/Amazfit, and now COROS).

I’d argue that at current, this implementation is a bit better than Suunto’s implementation, which doesn’t include any gradient coloring (e.g., just shows the entire climb profile always as red).

Pace Strategy:

Next, is COROS’s Pace Strategy feature, which lets you load either a specific course, or a given distance (e.g. half-marathon), and then get pacing guidance both in-app, and on the watch. This can account for terrain, as well as positive/negative splits. Further, for ultra events, it’ll also account for a decrease in your pace automatically over time. Though the company notes that predicting how much people fade (or death-march), over time can be tricky at the individual level.

I’m first going to show you three specific slides from COROS, before showing you my actual data during the race. The reason? These specific slides actually show the breadth of the feature really well, whereas my specific race is more limited. First, below you can choose a given distance, then select your goal time or pace, and then adjust whether you want to have positive/neutral/negative splits.

But where it gets more interesting is if you load up a course. This rather painful course is a great example of this:

In particular, above you’ll notice how it’s dividing up the segments based on the terrain, and substantially changing the pace goals. COROS also shows the time at each waypoint, which again, Garmin doesn’t do at all (though equally, Garmin recently released time checkpoints/cutoffs aimed at Ultras, which COROS doesn’t do at all).

Next, below you can see how this divides this up even better:

Finally, if you don’t like the pace it’s assigned for a given split, you can manually adjust it. I did this for my half-marathon, to add in a bit of a buffer for the first few KM due to crowding. The downside, though, is that this won’t re-adjust the rest of the splits to still hit your goal time.

With all that noted, you’ll send the Pace Strategy guide to the watch from the app, and then you’ll see it load up from the running menu.

In my case, I had created a Pace Strategy a few weeks ago for a half-marathon I was pacing my wife on. She had been sick the weeks prior, so this was definitely going to be a yolo hail-may attempt, and to be honest, she almost pulled it off. In our case, we decided to start with tapering expectations and just go with a 1:35 total time (which is below her PR and goal times, but realistic given the previous weeks of failboat).

To begin, there are essentially three screens that have relevant data here. There’s this one, which is like a summary screen showing estimated finish time, distance left, average pace, and activity time:

This one shows heart rate, pace, target pace, and whether you’re ahead/behind.

And finally (but probbably most importantly), this one that shows up each split, showing your current split distance, and if you’re ahead/behind. Here, at KM18-19, we’re 13 seconds behind, with a lap pace of 4’42/km.

Overall, this all worked just fine; I don’t have any complaints here.

And I think the ability to customize the splits in more detail than you can with Garmin is a nice touch, as well as some of the depth that COROS goes into around fading and such is pretty cool (though I haven’t been able to really dig into that in an ultra real-life event either).

The Other Features:

Now, as promised above, I’m just going to quickly run through a slate of smaller features and some of the imagery from COROS. I’ve used some of these, though not all of them. The ones I used worked just fine.

Here’s the new weekly distance widget, along with the COROS Dura Media Controls:

Then there’s the Hyrox support that’s not called Hyrox support (since Amazfit has that official partnership):

Followed by the increased font size and pause options, the pause options are kinda interesting in that it basically shows an end-of-run summary of the workout when you tap “View Workout”. Except that you aren’t done yet. It’s kinda neat.

Then there’s passcode support and climbing categorizations:

And then finally, the Zwift integration.

This piece isn’t live yet, and I’ve gotten conflicting information from Zwift & COROS on what’s actually enabled. In one instance, Zwift says it’s one-way,  COROS says it’s two-way, at the moment it’s sounding two-way, but maybe not fully two-way. I’ll keep updating accordingly, once it actually goes live.

For reference, when it comes to Zwift-partner integrations, there’s specifically three components:

1. Syncing of completed Zwift rides back to the partner (COROS)
2. Syncing of upcoming structured workouts from the partner (COROS) to Zwift
3. Having outside rides from the partner device (COROS), count for streak/etc credit in Zwift

COROS is saying this should go live in a week or so, so again, we’ll see what actually gets lit up at the end of the day.

Still, it’s cool to see COROS gain this, and cool to see Zwift expanding this.

Wrap-Up:

I think the most notable piece here for COROS isn’t adding a bunch of (very handy) features that their key competitors already have. Instead, I think the key thing here is that they’re adding them to prior-gen watches (one generation behind), which their key competitor simply doesn’t do anymore. To me, that’s the most important message.

In terms of the features themselves, I’m a huge fan of ClimbPro and use it a ton, and COROS’s implementation is similar enough that it easily fits the bill as a COROS-based alternative when using their watches. Something I didn’t have before.

Thus, kudos COROS, on really nailing this update!

With that, thanks for reading!

In this episode, we chat about the new Garmin Varia RearVue 820 cycling radar and why it may actually be “too good”.

For those not subscribed to the FIT File (it’s free!) via your regular podcast app or on YouTube, here’s a quick post with the highlights from the most recent episode.

Thanks to Precision Fuel & Hydration, where you can get 15% off your first order.  Additionally, check out their free Fuel & Hydration Planner.

As a reminder, here’s where you can find the podcast:

• The FIT File on YouTube.

And then for the audio-only version, you can find it here:

• Apple Podcasts
• YouTube Music
• Spotify
• RSS Feed

Thanks for listening!

Zwift has just announced (most of) their slate of spring/summer 2026 announcements, which they dub ‘This Season on Zwift’. This will essentially cover most of the announcements until their annual fall episode by the same name, usually in September.

Like last year, these announcements also coincide with the Zwift Community Live event held for its second year here in Mallorca (Spain). This event is designed to be a Zwift community get-together for outdoor riding, with various product updates about Zwift, and having Zwift users being able to interact with the product teams and other well-known cycling people.

In any case, here’s what’s new coming up over the next 5 months. Some things have launched recently (now with more details), some are coming in the weeks ahead, and some are still a few months away.

New Paris Roads Coming:

On June 26th, Zwift will be releasing new pavement on the Paris map, which adds in the famed Sacré-Cœur route that was featured as part of the 2025 Tour de France, as well as portions in the 2024 Paris Olympics. As part of the Olympics, this route immediately became a massive fan favorite, and now you’ll be able to ride it within Zwift.

This will include 13KM of new tarmac and cobblestones, including a KOM finish at the Basilica, and three new sprint segments with 10+ new routes.

While Zwift hasn’t released the full map yet, I have seen the rough route, and it’s essentially blending the previous route to/from Sacré-Cœur, along with the upcoming 2026 Tour de France route that takes a different approach back to the Arc.

I’ve mocked up on the Tour de France 2025 route the pieces that are totally new, previously new, and forever existing. I’ve greyed out the non-relevant parts.

The existing Zwift map is the lower half, the usual TdF finishing loop. The entire upper right portion is the Olympics & 2025 TdF route. And then the 2026 piece will be that little segment going from the Arc, up to the 17th. Zwift says they’re gonna create a crapton of routes out of these roads.

Either way, this will finally take the Paris map and give it some life beyond the well-worn circuit. I’d love to see them continue to expand this towards other areas as well; there’s just so much potential there.

Gravel Mountain:

Launching on April 6th, there will be a new event-only gravel circuit, in a “red-rock environment” as seen above/below. Zwift says this route will include ultra-wide roads, corner berms, and more, and is designed specifically for gravel bikes (in terms of selecting to ride those bikes within the game). This is a short-format circuit, designed for multiple loops.

The first opportunity to ride this will be from April 6th to May 3rd, as part of the Pas Normal Studios Racing Series (Pas Race Series). Note that this is specifically a new route, but not a new road.

There will be two new routes within Gravel Mountain, which is within the Makuri Islands. There are also new gravel bikes coming, as part of 13 total new bikes covering gravel/road/TT (and 13 new wheels).

Personalized Recommendation Engine Details:

This ‘Next Up’ feature has been slowly rolling out over the last many months, and is now available in English to all riders. This has been providing specific workout recommendations based on a slate of things, and as part of this, they’ve outlined what’s included in powering those recommendations. The inputs as of spring include:

– CTL
– Fitness Score
– Activities from 3rd party devices imported in (specifically any outdoor bike/run workouts, but not currently other cardio types)
– What types of rides you tend to do on certain days (e.g., longer rides on weekends)
– Your longer-term 30-day and 90-day averages
– The goals you’ve specified in Zwift
– Your FTP profile, and how that relates to everything listed above

At this juncture, they are not looking at 3rd party plans connected to Zwift (e.g., TrainerRoad), as they are instead deferring to that plan (meaning, if you have a day off from that plan, there’s probably a good reason for it). For example, you can see below within my own account, I have a TrainerRoad workout coming in for today. I can override that by choosing ‘Tune’, but otherwise that’s what Zwift is saying I should do.

The key message out of this is actually that they are seeing this as laying the foundation for things in the future.

In addition, starting in late April, they’ll be giving simple recommendations on outdoor rides. Zwift says they will continue to incorporate your outdoor rides into the platform, now just with the existing importing of outdoor rides, but looking forward to encouraging you to ride outside sometimes (and still get credit for that in Zwift).

The details of this are still a bit fuzzy, but they said they’re going to start pretty basic, and scale-up over time. They are keenly aware of Strava’s recent failboat around this, gone wrong.

Week Ahead Planning:

As part of this forward-looking planning, starting from late April you’ll be able to add routes, workouts, and rides to your schedule for the next week ahead using the Zwit Companion App. You can see a short animated example of this below, showing moving around these components.

At launch, the following types are supported:

– Cycling & Running Events
– Cycling Workouts
– Cycling Routes
– Robopacer Rides
– Challenge Tasks (TdZ, Route of the Week, etc…)

In addition, any scheduled workout coming from a 3rd-party platform will automatically appear as well, such as those from TrainerRoad or Xert.

Beyond Level 100:

Starting in April, you’ll be able to go beyond level 100 for cycling, and from 30 to 50 levels for running. In terms of the cycling side, there’s no specific ‘top’ anymore, but rather, it’ll just sorta continue forever. Zwift says right now they’ve envisioned into the “multiple hundreds” of levels.

For context, when they look at all the existing Level 100 riders today, they anticipate it’s plausible someone gets to level 200 within a year, based on looking at the top-riding people, but it sounds like that’s in the single-digit number of people total.

Once someone reaches Level 100, they’ll get a little orange slash/mark/stripe on their profile and ‘Zwifters Nearby’ name tag in-game.

They noted that everything in-game is unlocked from level 100, there aren’t any further unlocks (e.g., at level 125). In talking to Zwift, it sounds like there was a lot of internal conversation on how to handle not only the transition beyond level 100, but how levels exist beyond that. For the most part, they’re seeing the arrival at Level 100 as *the* key milestone, with stripes beyond that. As they didn’t want to create a scenario for people below level 100 (most Zwifters) that would make it pointless to achieve Level 100.

Expanded HUD Customization:

Zwift will be expanding its configurable HUD for workouts specifically (separate from the standard HUD) in May, with a total of 13 biometrics to choose from in four customizable slots.

The configurable metrics will be:

– Cadence (RPM)
– Average Power
– Heart Rate (BPM)
– Energy Burned (CAL)
– Power to Weight (W/KG)
– Kilojoules (KJ)
– Stress Points (SP)
– Core Temperature (DEG)
– Heat Strain Index (HSI)
– Weighted Power (WP)
– Power Balance (L/R)
– Average W/KG

Keep in mind, this is all separate from your other always-on fields, including current power, target power, heart rate, time, distance, etc… And again, this is specific to be applied to workout mode.

Garmin Scale Weight Sync:

This is a quickie, and technically not likely to be finished by summer, but Zwift did at least commit to it now. Zwift confirmed that weight sync from Garmin weight scales will likely be coming this fall (at the latest). This means you’ll be able to step on your Garmin Index Scale, and then have it update your Zwift weight. (Side note: That scale is currently on sale).

Further, Zwift has also announced that they’ve unfudged the existing Withings WiFi scale weight sync (which was having a rough go of life), and that by the end of next week, it should be finished backfilling data for everyone and be functional again going forward.

While one can debate all day long on weight cheating and such with Zwift racing, the basis here is actually more interesting than focused on race weight cheating. It ensures that aspects like the inputs to fitness trend tracking are fully aligned. Meaning that someone could be having theoretical flat-lines in power (watts), but equally be losing weight at the same time. Thus, in reality, their watts/KG is increasing, but unless they were manually updating Zwift, Zwift might incorrectly think they’ve stagnated.

So, while yes, there are aspects here that can help with Zwift racing fairness, I get the feeling from Zwift that they are far more interested in other scenarios long-term.

Overall, this is a huge list of new things coming for the spring/summer, plus there’s a slate of other events/camps/etc that I don’t tend to cover as much (I usually focus on the software and hardware sides).

With that – thanks for reading!

Amazfit New Products & Earnings Call:

As I’ve said many times, I love reading through earnings call transcripts. Legitimately, I do. There’s always so much good stuff in there, especially when analysts ask questions (even dumb questions often elicit interesting information). In any case, Zepp (the official name of Amazfit) had their investor call on Monday, and there were a few tidbits worth noting. Because this is a tech tidbits post, I’m not going to go very deep on these, all of which were said by the company’s CEO, Leon Deng.

– The Amazfit Helio Band is their most popular product. It’s easy to see why, it’s generally speaking pretty darn good for the price. Leon Deng said in the call, “Helio Strap has made a great performance and a debut in 2025. The most popular, if not the most popular, products in our portfolio.”

– A new Amazfit Helio Band 2 is coming in the second half of the year (e.g., July-December). He didn’t say anything more than that, except, “On the other hand, we’re also working on the next generation of those as we stay tuned for the second half of this year.” The conversation was in response to Amazfit noting they basically couldn’t make enough of the Helio bands in 2025, from a manufacturing standpoint.

– Other T-Rex products would come in 2026: Given Amazfit announced the T-Rex Ultra 2 a few weeks back, and a T-Rex 3 Pro last September 2025 (and T-Rex 3 in January 2025), I’d assume this would be a T-Rex 4 and T-Rex 4 Pro. I wonder at some point when they’ll flip the script, and do ‘Pro’ first, then Non-Pro (to drive sales of the higher-end, and usually higher-margin model).

– Revenue is way up, saying “In the last quarter of 2025, our revenue rose to $85.2 million, up 43% year-over-year, upper end of our guidance range. For full year 2025, revenue million, representing a 41.8% year-over-year growth.” Rapid growth at this stage isn’t really a surprise, as always, sustaining said growth for any small company is trickier. Still, they expect growth in Q1 at 30-43% over last year.

Beyond those items, there wasn’t much else there. Some chat about increases in memory cost and such, but nothing that was that concerning for them. Also, some talk about them continuing to expand paid influencer relationships/sponsorships, which has long been the cornerstone of Amazfit’s growth and marketing strategy. Hopefully they can find a way to do that, while some of those influencers make those partnerships a bit more transparent than they are today.

GoPro GP3 Video Footage:

Above, a video from GoPro with footage from a new, unannounced camera using their announced GP3 chipset. I wrote a boatload about that chipset a week or two ago. Sadly, there wasn’t much interesting in the earnings call that followed a few days after that (except that they expect strong revenue from said new cameras with said chipset).

In any case, obviously, that footage looks pretty darn incredible for a GoPro. Knowing GoPro pretty well, I’m going to take a swag that this is fully actual footage from the camera (save any color correction/tweaks/etc, as any other edited video might have). Meaning, I don’t think this is AI-tweaked off-camera in post-production. If there’s any supposed AI stuff on-camera (like what their competitors do), fine, that’s on-camera. Anyways, worth the 23-second watch.

Notably, GoPro has confirmed the first camera having this will be in Q2 (e.g., April to June). Whether that’s a GoPro Hero 14, a GoPro Cine-type cam, or some other GoPro camera line remains to be announced. That said, GoPro is listed as a vendor at NAB this year (mid-April), which is the massive industry conference for film/video tech, so that would align pretty well.

HoverAir Aqua:

Because I’m on a roll of things, I figured I’d mention I’ve started testing this drone. I bought this last summer, and it’s finally starting to ship now, and so far it’s a blend of ‘super effing cool’ and ‘needs some usability tweaks’.

In short, the HoverAir Aqua is a fully waterproofed drone. You can take-off and land in the water, you can throw it out into the water upside-down, and it’ll so-called ‘turtle flip’ itself, and then take-off and follow-you. You can (and should) wear a beacon on your shoulder, which lets it follow you better in case it loses contact for any number of reasons. Likewise, you can control the drone with the beacon. The drone, batteries, and controller are all fully waterproof (and you can even wash the inside battery compartment too). Here’s a silly quick example of throwing it into the water, and then letting it orbit around me on a semi-windy day.

Video quality ranges from really good to so-so, depending on the lighting. I find it can struggle a bit with really bright highlights (like against the rocks/cliffs), but otherwise it is pretty equivalent to something like a $300 DJI drone (e.g., DJI NEO 2). It’s not too bad in the still from below (taken from the video above), but it can be a bit worse in other areas.

In any case, a full review is coming pretty soon. Want to get a few more scenarios, but was just waiting for some weather bits to sort themselves out.

That said, for those in the US, realistically, this drone isn’t coming to the US. Without going down the entire rabbit hole of the current US drone fiascos, the long story short is that any FCC approvals that weren’t done prior to December, aren’t happening for non-US drone companies (of which, there are no meaningful consumer ones). This impacts not just DJI, but also HoverAir, Insta360/Antigravity, and more. But again, totally separate. HoverAir didn’t get that FCC approval done before then, and the path to getting on the approved list is near impossible at this point for a Chinese company. HoverAir is giving refunds to those who requested it, or if you have a friend in Canada/etc, you can simply ship there and pick it up accordingly.

DJI Avata 360:

Finally, I figured I’d mention this one briefly. It looks interesting for sure. I’ve got the Antigravity drone, which is also 360, though I suspect the DJI one will solve some of the issues that the Antigravity one has (namely the range is rough, and being unable to use a regular controller is rough).

At the moment, the DJI Avata 360 is due to start shipping on March 26th. We’ve had a bunch of mostly paid DJI influencer things released last week, all of which required approval for each video from DJI (and then also approval on what they could and couldn’t say). So realistically, we don’t know what the gotchas are yet. Though frankly, I don’t expect a ton of gotchas on this, since the core drone tech is well-established by DJI, and then equally, the 360 side is mostly well-covered by their existing 360 camera (and they solved the biggie from the action cam, which was non-replaceable lenses).

I’ll be picking one up, though travel schedules will make that messy initially. It remains to be seen exactly which ActiveTrack features it has (it definitely has some, based on some of the videos). But again, more to come there too.

With that – thanks for reading!

Garmin today has announced a new WhatsApp integration that lets you compose and reply to WhatsApp messages/threads directly from the watch. The integration is done via a new Connect IQ app, which can be loaded on more recent Garmin watches.

I had a chance to give it a whirl, so I figured I’d outline what works (and what doesn’t). With that, let’s dive into it.

Download and Setup:

First up: checking whether your watch is on the list. In short, if your watch was released in 2025 or 2026, you’re good. But unless it was the Fenix 8 in 2024, you’re likely out of luck. Here’s the list as of launch (which I don’t expect to expand to older devices):

D2 Air X15
Enduro 3
Fenix 8 Series
Fenix 8 Pro Series
Fenix E
Forerunner 570
Forerunner 970
Tactix 8 Series
Venu 4 Series
Venu X1
Vivoactive 6

Once you’ve passed that gate, the install process is pretty quick. On your phone, navigate to the Connect IQ app, and you’ll see WhatsApp at the top of the list. Or, you can use this link. Within that, it’ll install it on your watch. It’s installed in a similar place as other full apps/sport apps (like Garmin Share), rather than a widget/glance.

Once installed, you’ll open it up. Again, it’s found in the same place as if you were to go start a sports activity, but scroll down:

From there, it’ll ask you to link it up using a QR code. Interestingly, you’ll do this twice, seemingly as a double-confirmation that you are who you say you are:

Once that’s done, you’ll be logged in, and you’ll likewise see it as a connected device within the WhatsApp app on your phone.

With that, we can start using it.

Using WhatsApp:

Once opened up, you’ll see your 10 most recent conversation contacts, and then within that, the 10 most recent messages for each one.

You can open up a conversation to read text messages, as well as reply/compose a new message.

When you do that, you’ll see the option to type out a message using the mini-keyboard, or, choose from a list of six quick replies.

Meanwhile, when new messages come in, they’ll first show up as a WhatsApp message, kinda like before. Except, now there’s an option to open it up:

When you choose to Open, it’ll open up the message within the WhatsApp App on your watch, where you can then see the full message and reply accordingly. This works fine, though it is somewhat of a double-open step that takes a moment.

When it comes to the message content, it appears that only text comes through. All other imagery is ‘unsupported’, including photos from my phone, stickers, GIFs, and then photos taken from the camera within the WhatsApp app (I tried, just in case it was different):

To me, this is kinda the biggest disappointment. Given that Garmin watch users on iOS are unable to see regular text/iMessage photos (due to current Apple limitations), this would have sidestepped that. After all, Android users can do so without issue on Garmin watches (including replying). But here, the lack of imagery is sorta a big gap, in my opinion. Or, maybe I just like pictures.

Finally, the other gap is that this doesn’t work over LTE on Garmin’s Fenix 8 Pro series of watches, which have a built-in cellular connection. All of this *requires* your phone to be connected to your watch and nearby; otherwise, it just hangs/circles. Still, this can be useful for answering quick texts in the shower (e.g., yes/no), which tends to be the only time I answer something from my watch (mostly on my Apple Watch). Else, I’m going to default to my phone.

Wrap-Up:

Having some level of WhatsApp integration with Garmin has long been requested, and now it’s finally here. I suspect the usefulness of this will depend a bit on how much you use WhatsApp (versus native messaging apps, primarily on iOS), and then how you use WhatsApp. If you tend to have threads with lots of photos, you might not find this as valuable. Whereas if you just want quick text replies, this can be handy when your phone is slightly out of reach (such as in a backpack on a hike, or when you’re in the shower, perhaps in the swimming pool at the end of the lane, etc…).

I’m hoping/optimistic that this is just the first step of this integration, and some of the limitations will go away. I’d love to see this work over Garmin’s LTE connection, since having apps work over that would unquestionably be the future of the company. After all, that’s what consumers expect.

Still, it’s good to see movement on these types of integrations that favor more of the smartwatch-side features, just as it is good to see other new features that favor the sports integrations.

With that, thanks for reading!

Suunto has announced today that they’re now allowing anyone to create apps on their watches, even without opening up a partnership account with the company. This allows anybody to download the also newly-available SuuntoPlus Editor extension for Visual Studio, enabling developers to write, test, and publish apps directly to their own watches. Then, if they want to make that available in the larger SuuntoPlus App Store, they can do that.

As a casual reminder, Suunto was actually the first watchmaker to have on-watch apps – all the way back in 2012. They beat the others by years – Garmin (2014), Pebble (2014), and Apple (2015), though obviously they haven’t quite reached the same popularity as any of those. Part of that is because while Suunto got an early start on apps back in the 2012 range, they subsequently put the whole concept on ice later in the decade, basically killing off their first App Store. Of course, in 2022, they re-launched with select partners, but it never quite had the same ‘anyone can join in’ camp that the first edition had. This changes that.

Oh, also, Suunto has announced a few new apps for everyone (non-developers alike), including a critical gap in their lineup: The Beer Mile App. More on that in a second.

Visual Studio Code Extension

First up, Suunto is releasing their StudioPlus Editor extension for Visual Studio. This is nearly identical to what Suunto themselves is using internally, saying it’s “95% the same” as how they develop apps for their platform. Up until now, in order to gain access to this, you had to be a full Suunto partner. That wasn’t necessarily a huge/high bar, but it was a bar nonetheless. It meant that, practically speaking, hobbyist developers weren’t likely to bother to jump through the hoops (whereas a company with a sensor would).

And as we’ve seen on countless watch app stores, it’s often these hobbyist apps that end up being some of the most popular ones.

Here are the pieces that you can now do without any partner account at all, and then the other steps if you want to escalate; they’ve made those more streamlined and easier:

In any case, Suunto is now on the Visual Studio marketplace, where you can grab the extension, which includes the simulator feature as well.

Once you’ve got that installed, you’ll be able to create apps, test apps, including simulating with test data, and more.

And again, none of this requires a partner account. So that means you’d be limited to publishing it to your own watch, but couldn’t publish it to a friend’s watch (or on the internet).

But, Suunto says if you want to take that next step, they’ve streamlined the process and have a full landing page to apply to publish it to the App Store. This, in turn, gets access to the Suunto Cloud API as well.

From there, you can upload your app into the SuuntoPlus App Store.

All of this seems pretty straightforward and shows Suunto is trying to increase the appeal of developing for their platform. Or at the minimum, aiming to make it more appealing for hobbyists to dabble in creating apps.

Some New Apps:

Now, in addition to the developer-focused items, they’ve also highlighted a few new apps they’ve just published. They are:

Tennis Pro: Can track scoring/points within a Tennis Game:

Beer Mile: There’s perhaps nothing better than listening to a Finnish person explain the concept and strategy of how a beer mile works, in the most factually direct way possible, without so much as a smirk or laugh. Well done. You can watch that at 12:01 in the Suunto video.

Hex Hunter: This is the gamification of going places (over long periods of time), via the GPS on your Suunto watch.

In any case, I’m still back on the beer mile explanation. Also, knowing Janne and the Finnish Suunto crew, I would definitely not challenge him to a Beer Mile. He will almost certainly win. Strongly.

Wrap-Up:

It’s cool to see Suunto expanding out access like this. Specifically, the ability to do things without signing up for yet another account or service. We saw them do the same thing a few months back with their Suunto RoutePlanner site, available to anyone (non-Suunto users alike) to create routes for export to any device on the planet. No account required, just works, complete with heat map access and more.

As for the Suunto app pieces, making it easier for hobbyists to create apps is a huge step towards increasing apps. It may sound trivial, but the difference between someone just casually downloading this and toying around (and creating something super cool), versus having it gate kept between walls is huge. Even if those walls weren’t all that tall to begin with, it’s the thought of the walls that keeps people away. Now that the barrier is mostly gone.

Cool stuff, and as I said recently, most of the changes we’ve seen at Suunto in the last year or so are pretty good for consumers. With that, thanks for reading!