Overview Here’s my review based on a few weeks of running with the Suunto Peak 9. Because my needs and wants are different from yours, I will start with a brief description of what is important to me. Your mileage may vary! :-) To avoid confusion between the new Peak 9 and the previous 9, I will refer to the new model as the Peak, and the previous model as the 9. I’m 67 and have been running for over forty years and average 75 miles a week. I run marathons and ultras, but do not do triathlons, so I cannot evaluate the Peak 9 as a tri-watch. I do not listen to music or carry a phone when I run, so the Smartwatch features are not important to me. (I did test these, as noted below.) I don’t track sleep or recovery. I’ve been around long enough to know when I didn’t sleep well or have been overdoing my training. :-) I upgraded to the Peak 9 from a Suunto Peak. My other current running watches are the Coros Pace 2 and the Fenix 5X. The Peak is a considerable upgrade from the 9. Lighter, smaller and with a sharper screen. I have skinny antenna wrists, and the Peak doesn’t look ridiculous on my arm like the 9 did. And the Peak does not snag on jackets. Aesthetics; The Peak is a beautiful watch. If Apple designed a sport watch, it would look like this. The buttons have a satisfying click, and the unit seems solid and well built. Controls; The Peak has both buttons and a touch screen. Personally, I do not like touch screens as I find them finicky and not as sharp and bright as a regular screen. Buttons always work, regardless of how many pairs of mitts you have on. That said, the touch screen works, but don’t expect a responsive touch screen like an iphone. And, unlike the 9, the Peak can be turned off. Why Suunto designed the 9 without an on/off switch is beyond me. Watch Interface; The interface is easy to understand and is logical. A few runs, and you will control the watch instinctively. I did notice a slight sluggishness going from screen to screen. My Fenix 5X and Coros were much snappier. This did not bother me-it is microseconds-but did take a few runs to get used to. Ecosystem; Suunto has dropped their web portal and all data and watch management must be done via their phone app. It is a well-designed app, and clean and simple to use, though this is sometimes at the expense of being able to drill into the data as you can on the Garmin and Coros web apps. (The newish Coros web portal is still a bit rough around the edges but is constantly improving.) External Sensors; The 9 is easily integrated with my chest strap and my Stryd footpad. Heart rate sensor; I cannot speak to this, as I have always had issues with wrist-based heart rate, and wear a chest strap. I am very skinny and boney and wonder if I cannot get a good fit. Reviews by others say the Peak has an acceptable reading. Screen; As mentioned above, I found the screen not as bright as a non-touchscreen watch. Granted, the glass is sapphire, which does tend to be duller than traditional glass. But, being clumsy, I’ll happily trade some brightness for durability. Another issue I assume Suunto will address in a future update is the typography. (I’m an OCD book designer fixated on legibility) Granted, my eyes are 67 years old, but I do have 20/20 vision, and I found the use of a thin narrow font on the watch face challenging to read especially when I filled the screen with metrics. The screen is easier to read on my Coros, which is a sub $300 watch. The picture also shows just how large the bezel is on the Suunto-that is a whack of wasted real estate. Battery; I’m training for an ultra, and the long battery life of the Peak is essential to me. Setting battery usage is effortless and does not require deep dives into the system. Smartwatch features: I tested the music control features and notifications with my iPhone XS Max. (Now you see why I don’t run with a phone-beast weighs a ton.) Everything worked as it should. Alerts; The Peak has the option of vibration and sound alerts. The vibration is nice and buzzy, and easily felt. On the other hand, the sound is quite soft, and I often could not hear it in the wind. (I live on the North shore of PEI, and there is always wind.) I realize that the more water-resistant a watch is, the more muffled the beeper is, but I would sacrifice water resistance for a louder beep. If I ever find myself 100 meters underwater out on a run, I will have other things to worry about than water getting into my watch. :-0 ) The Charger; The revised charger unit is a vast improvement—solid connection and almost impossible to screw up. Integration: I use Training Peaks, and the Peak connected seamlessly. I do not use Strava, but I assume that would work as well, as it is a far more popular app than Training Peaks. Snap to route; This was a major factor in my buying the watch. This allows for a more accurate distance and mileage read-out, especially in a city marathon or in rural areas where the satellite signal is often compromised. While I pace by power, it is comforting to know your GPS is spot on. This is not a feature I regularly use, just for races. (I think it would have been more accurate-and cooler sounding-to call it Race Snap.) Should you buy this watch? While only you can know if the Peak is worth your hard-earned $700+, I think it is a good choice for the right person. If you run long distances, the battery management is well worth it. And it is the best looking sports watch I’ve ever owned. While almost twice as heavy as my Coros Pace 2 (a plastic watch), it is quite wearable on a daily basis. My only disappointments is the screen typography, but I think a firmware update will address those. Hope that helps, and see you pounding the pavement!