Suunto Wing: One minute evaluate
Wing is Finnish model Suunto’s first foray into one of the best bone conduction headphones market, and whereas it might be dominated by Shokz (previously AfterShokz), there’s clearly room for extra gamers right here.
Suunto is finest identified for making a few of the finest working watches, together with the Suunto 9 Peak Professional, and it brings with it a wealth of outside expertise which actually reveals in Wing. It’s well-designed in that it feels robust and constructed to face up to no matter you’ll be able to throw at it.
The addition of a carry-case that doubles up as a charger is sensible, because it extends battery life to greater than 20 hours, which is ideal for ultra-endurance athletes or off-grid fanatics. It’s uncommon to search out in related bone conduction headsets, and it’s good to see tech widespread in one of the best exercise earbuds make its approach right here.
Plus, the choice to position customizable LED security lights on the flanks is proof that Suunto actually understands its viewers. These are individuals trail-running within the wilderness or forging new pathways on the weekends.
The largest problem going through bone conduction expertise is the sound high quality and anybody making the leap from revered in-ear or over-ear headphones will seemingly be disenchanted. However the further spatial consciousness afforded by open-ear headphones designed for out of doors sports activities sadly comes with a bit audio high quality compromise and it’s the similar story right here.
Suunto Wing: Specs
| Element | Suunto Wing |
| Value | $199 / £169 / AUS $319 |
| Weight | 33g / 16oz |
| Case materials | Silicone & titanium alloy |
| Battery life | 4 hours, 30 hours with case |
| Water resistance | IP67 |
| Bluetooth vary | >10m |
| Supported audio codecs | A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP |
Suunto Wing: Value and availability
- $199 within the US
- £169 within the UK
- FROM $319 in Australia
Suunto Wing is, fairly predictably, available for purchase from the model’s personal web site, the place it retails at $199 / £169 / AUS $319.
Suunto additionally sells through on-line retailers, reminiscent of Amazon, though inventory has been a bit patchy at time of writing. Failing that, it is usually out there through some open air and sports activities retailers, reminiscent of BikeInn, however costs are standardized throughout the board, so it’s at the moment tough to discover a discount.
The one variable out there to the client is shade, with Suunto Wing coming in both a stealthy all-black providing or a barely extra noticeable black and pink. Each pack the identical price ticket: greater than the Shokz OpenRun Professional, its nearest competitor.
Suunto WIng: Design
- Light-weight, robust titanium alloy construction
- Three-button controls
- Daring design, enticing pink colorway
Most bone conduction headphones look largely the identical: the final theme sees two buds that sit simply in entrance of the ear, conjoined by some form of metallic band that’s lined in a softer materials so it doesn’t rub on the again of the neck.
To that extent, the design of the Suunto Wing is nothing revolutionary, however it feels altogether extra premium as quickly as you elevate it out of the equally bougie field. The Suunto branding is daring and the colour selection appears good, significantly with the pink highlights on the mannequin that I examined.
Suunto opts for a titanium alloy construction, lined in mushy silicone, for its band, which proves each light-weight and difficult. The buds that conduct sound to the interior ear through a sequence of vibrations are additionally lined in mushy silicone and really feel snug towards the pores and skin.
Management is taken care of by a trio of buttons that, though small, are straightforward to find as soon as accustomed to the system. The primary multi-function button on the right-hand earbud takes care of most performance, as it’s attainable to reply calls, play music, and skip tracks with a mixture of clicks.
Arguably coolest of all are the three pink LEDs that sit on both aspect of Wing, which may be turned on or off (or cycled via the assorted flashing modes) by long-holding the amount down button, or via the Suunto smartphone app when the headphones are paired. For some purpose, it jogged my memory of The Predator’s laser-targeting imaginative and prescient.
Lastly, and maybe what units Suunto other than rivals, is the distinctive charging dock that not solely shops the headphones neatly when not in use, but in addition provides further battery energy each time the Wing is mounted. It’s a slick piece of design that options its personal pink LED lights that reveal the cost degree of each the dock and the headphones.
Suunto Wing: Options
- 20Hz bone conductive expertise
- IP67 water resistance score
- Three hours of audio on 10-minute cost
The expertise that powers Suunto Wing is housed throughout the two buds on the finish of the band. These then sit on the jawbone of the wearer and ship frequencies within the vary of 20Hz～20kHz via the bone construction and into the interior ear.
This leaves the ear canal open to pure sounds from the atmosphere, making bone conduction expertise so much safer to make use of if you want your wits about you – i.e. path working and even biking on a busy street.
Constructed robust, the Wing has been IP67 rated for water, mud and muck resistance, that means they are often submerged in water as much as a most depth of 10m for round half-hour. Granted, they aren’t totally waterproof and as such, aren’t bought as a tool to lap the native pool in, however can deal with most different conditions. Suunto has additionally applied a microphone into the design, which permits the wearer to make and obtain hands-free calls.
There may be additionally head motion management that provides the choice to reply or reject incoming calls and skip tracks with numerous head actions, like nodding or shaking your noggin. That is totally controllable via Suunto’s smartphone app and you may simply flip the function off in case you don’t prefer it.
Once more, the ability financial institution that comes with the Suunto Wing is pretty novel, because it provides an additional 20 hours of music playtime to an already spectacular battery life and delivers three hours of audio through a fast 10-minute cost. It’s sufficiently small, unobtrusive and designed to fend off the worst of the weather, so may be shoved in a backpack or bundled into some bike baggage and brought alongside for the journey.
Suunto Wing: Efficiency
- Higher audio than Shokz
- Tangible vibration
- Fends off rain
If you happen to check Suunto Wing back-to-back with its closest rival, which on this case is arguably the Shokz OpenRun Professional when it comes to value and options, Suunto’s providing comes out on prime of the audio high quality battle.
Bass is dealt with higher and the general expertise isn’t as tinny. However let’s be actual, the sound high quality continues to be fairly dangerous. I discovered that I needed to pump music as much as excessive volumes to listen to it over the final noise of site visitors or the frenzy of timber flowing previous on a gravel experience.
The mind is intelligent, and it tunes into the bone conduction expertise after a couple of minutes, doing its finest to dam out ambient noise till it’s required, however I nonetheless couldn’t get into my favorite musical tracks and playlists.
As a substitute, I opted to binge podcasts and audiobooks as a most popular distraction when out on a boring run or lengthy hike. The sonic spectrum of a podcast is extra restricted than, say, a Slipknot monitor, so I discovered it a lot simpler to tune into. With music, I discovered my mind tuned out after some time and sometimes stopped listening altogether, with music turning into a form of faint backing monitor.
One other problem that blights bone conduction expertise is elevated tangible vibration at increased quantity. In different phrases, you’ll be able to bodily really feel the headphones shake in case you flip issues up too loud, which may be off-putting.
By way of match, I discovered them snug and safe. The design is such that they don’t bounce or rub across the again of the neck when jogging, path working or collaborating in different energetic duties. They’re additionally robust, and can face up to a good quantity of rolling across the backside of a fitness center bag with out worrying about offering a further carry case.
As regards to water-proofing, I didn’t need to check these in a pool, seeing as they don’t seem to be actually marketed as waterproof headphones, however the IP67 score states it will possibly fortunately bear “quick durations of immersion”. I can say they’ll fortunately fend off a deluge if you end up out working. In reality, I can’t keep in mind a run I’ve been on within the final month that hasn’t been damp and dismal.
Suunto Wing: Scorecard
| Class | Remark | Rating |
| Worth | It’s actually not the most cost effective pair of bone conduction headphones on the market however the construct high quality is nice. | 3/5 |
| Design | Slick appears and that further charging dock is a bonus. However nothing revolutionary. | 4/5 |
| Options | Fingers-free calling and the power to work together with head motion make this a winner. | 4/5 |
| Efficiency | Good sound for open-ear headphones, wonderful battery life and strong development. | 5/5 |
| Complete | A worthy Shokz rival and an amazing pair of bone conduction headphones general. | 4/5 |
Suunto Wing: Ought to I purchase?
Purchase it if…
Do not buy it if…
Additionally think about
| Element | Suunto Wing | Shokz OpenRun Professional | H20 Audio Tri Multi-SPort |
| Value | $199 / £169 / AUS $319 | $179.95 / £159.95 / AUS $319 | $149.99 / £129 / AUS $225 |
| Weight | 33g | 29g | 33g |
| Case materials | Silicone & titanium alloy | Silicone & titanium | Plastic |
| Battery life | 4 hours, 30 hours with case | 10 hours | 7 hours |
| Water resistance | IP67 | IP55 | IPX8 |
| Bluetooth vary | >10m | >10m | N/A |
| Supported audio codecs | A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP | A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP | MP3, WMA, and Apple iTunes’ M4A |
