Suunto 9 Baro

The Suunto Baro 9 allows users to track data like temperature, barometric pressure, and altitude. As an activity monitor, you can find a sports mode to track nearly any sport.

The Suunto Baro 9 was my first GPS tracking watch, and I'll never return to a life without it. This product is easy to use, packed full of features, and versatile. Whether you'd like to track the number of vertical feet you're climbing in a rock gym or you're keeping tabs on your evening walks, this watch has your back. 

Cost: $599

Weight: 2.86 ounces

The Suunto Baro 9 is designed for performance athletes. While you're wearing this watch, you can expect to accurately track your heart-rate all day long. But you'll also have access to additional health data.

The glass face on the Suunto Baro 9 is made out of sapphire crystal. The bezel material is made out of stainless steel. And together, these materials make this watch one of the most indestructible products on the market.  

You can use the Suunto Baro 9 for normal watch functions like alarms and timers. But it also shows you information like how close you are to meeting your weekly fitness goals and at what time the sunset will be. 

Suunto Baro 9 Features 

The Suunto Baro 9 allows users to track exercises that vary from running to rowing. You can customize sports activities to calculate specific data. And it'll even allow you to track a multi-sport day. 

You can switch the watch faces to several different colors, flipping from green, red, orange, and blue. And, while it is used in conjunction with the Suunto app, it's incredibly easy to keep tabs on things like your weekly mileage, miles per day, and even your mood. 

The Suunto Baro 9 also has a compass, an airplane mode, VO2 max estimates, and a place where you can download maps. This makes the navigation process extremely easy. 

Temperature Tracking

While altitude and barometric pressure were largely accurate on this watch, the temperature was never accurate. I think this might be because the temperature of your body is being detected rather than the external temperature. But this isn't a deal-breaker for me. 

Watch Size

As a woman, It's very difficult to find a reliable GPS watch that isn't half the size of my forearm. The Suunto Baro 9 is still rather large. But despite its size, it's relatively lightweight (2.86 ounces). And the features that this watch offers makes it worth the bulk.

Construction & Durability

I spent the year training for a variety of mountain challenges and I was continuously impressed with this watch's tracking abilities. Not only does it provide accurate GPS tracking, but it's also extremely supportive in just about any environment. In fact, while performing at 12,000 feet in windy and snowy conditions, the battery remained reliable. 

After 12 hours of use in the sports mode, this watch was still tracked my activities accurately. And I regularly showered with this watch and I even submerged it in the lake without issue.  

Design Flaws

The charging cord on the Suunto Baro 9 has a magnetic component that makes me nervous. If you store this product near any other electronics, you risk damaging them due to the magnet. 

Additionally, the buttons on this watch are situated on the right side of the watch. As someone who usually wears watches on my left hand, I found this to be a frustrating feature. There were a few days when a bump of the wrist caused me to pause my activities and I didn't realize what had happened until hours later. But once I switched this watch to my right hand, I didn't encounter this issue again.

Battery Life

Depending on how you use this watch, you can expect to get one to 14 days of use on a single charge. If you keep 24/7 tracking and notifications enabled on this watch, you'll probably get 3-7 days of use out of it. If you use the sports mode for more than an hour or two per day, you might get 1-3 days out of it. Compared to competitive watches, this battery has an average performance. But I like that you can adjust it to extend the life if you need to. 

Sleep Cycle Tracking

This watch also tracks your sleep cycles, giving you insight into poor quality sleep. If you're restless, your watch will tell you. Having access to this kind of information makes it easier to adjust your training schedule according to your body's health. 

Conclusions

I never would've thought that I'd be willing to spend $599 on a GPS watch, but I would strongly consider investing in another Suunto product like this one. As someone who spends a lot of time recreating and training under intense circumstances, having a GPS watch like the Suunto Baro 9 is a complete game-changer. Not only did it give me valuable information about my lifestyle, it also allowed me to engage with my training regimen in a more refined way. 

Background

I acquired the Suunto Baro 9 about a year ago. Since receiving this product, I've tested it across Colorado, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Michigan. The environment, temperature, and altitude varied greatly. And I've logged about 1,700 miles while using this watch.