The Ambit has been Suunto’s flagship watch for a few years now, and I’ve been using the original model for 2 years on backcountry skiing and mountain biking trips. I’m still very happy with it’s functionality, and frankly find it hard to imagine how it can be improved. Well, Suunto has since come out with the Ambit2, and now the Ambit3 was revealed at the Outdoor Retailer 2014 Winter Market, and will soon be gracing the wrists of mountain adventurers.
So what makes the Ambit3 new and different? Suunto says it has all the components and features of the Ambit 2, but makes every function like tracking, recording and showing off your epic trip even easier.
Suunto is coming out with two new models: the Peak and the Sport. The Ambit 3 Peak now monitors your activity level (sort of like a pedometer) to calculate recovery time. In the past, you had to wear a heart rate monitor to get any of that sort of data. Now, the Ambit takes everything you do into account, even if you’re just walking around town. Also, the heart rate monitor (Suunto calls it the Smart Sensor) has been updated so you can use it to track heart rate while swimming.
Connectivity is the big update to the Ambit3. With it, you can now transfer data and customize the watch wirelessly by using Bluetooth. If you have a iPhone or iPad, you can use them as a secondary display for the watch, thereby receiving text messages to your watch. Imagine you’re on a mountain bike ride, but you’re expecting an important text. Your phone is in your pack, and you stop riding to pull it out of your pack every time you hear it go off. Annoying, right? With the Ambit3, you can simply check your watch to see who’s texting without missing a single pedal stroke.
In addition, the Ambit3 can be paired with the new Movescount App so you can do things like create photos with data overlays, and even create and share a movie of your adventure on social media.
Other updated features of the Ambit3 Peak include:
- Up to 50 hour battery life while using GPS
- Water resistant up to 100m
- Barometric altitude, automatic alto/baro profile
- Pressure/temperature indicators
- storm alarm
- weather trend indicator and sunset/sunrise times
- total ascent/descent and vertical speed based on air pressure
The Ambit3 Sport has many of the same functions, but is more for the urban adventurer than the serious mountaineer. Best used for activities like cycling, running or swimming, the Ambit3 Sport has the following features:
- Up to 25 hours battery life while using GPS
- Water resistant up to 50m
- GPA-based altitude, total ascent/descent and vertical speed
- Records multiple sports in one exercise