Suunto Spark Review: A Genuine First Swing — With One Big Caveat

I've been running with bone conduction headphones for years. AfterShokz back when that was still the name, then Shokz Open Run, then Suunto's own Aqua Lite — fully waterproof with onboard storage, genuinely useful for swim crosstraining. Every single one used bone conduction.

The Suunto Spark is the first open-ear air conduction headphones I've run with. And the audio difference coming across is bigger than I expected it to be.

Disclosure: Suunto provided the Spark as a review unit. They had no input on this post or my video.

The basics

$179, matching the Shokz OpenFit 2 at $179.95. Each earbud weighs 9 grams. The build is a memory-titanium loop with silicone coating — it flexes, holds its shape, and nothing moved on any run I put these through. Bluetooth 5.4 with LHDC 5.0, Hi-Res Wireless certified to 96kHz. IP55 for sweat and rain. 7 hours per charge, 32 to 36 hours from the case.

The white colorway is more off-white than bright white — closer to natural, which actually fits the Suunto outdoor aesthetic well. Worth knowing if you're ordering online expecting stark white.

The audio

Coming from bone conduction, the Spark sounds noticeably better. Crisp and clear even at high volume. I listen to audiobooks on most runs and I also put music on — both work well. LHDC 5.0 is doing real work here, and the difference from bone conduction isn't subtle. I'll leave the audiophile breakdown to people more qualified, but the practical version is: this is a meaningful step up.

One thing I did experience: some audio dropout at the start of a few early runs when connected to my Pixel 9 Pro, cutting in and out before stabilizing. Didn't happen when paired with my Garmin or my Suunto watch. Possibly a phone-specific issue, worth flagging if you're on Android with a similar setup.

The voice feedback integration

If you're on a Suunto Run, the watch can route live audio cues — pace, distance, HR — through the earbuds natively. Other Suunto watches need a quick app download from the Suunto Plus store first. Once it's set up, it works well. That's a real reason to choose these over a non-Suunto option if you're already in the ecosystem.

Where I got it wrong

I need to be straight about this. The Spark tracks cadence, ground contact time, and left-right balance from sensors in the earbuds. When I saw that paired with Suunto watch connectivity, I assumed it worked like adding a chest strap for heart rate — a dedicated sensor feeding into your existing workout file and making the data more complete. That's not how it works. Those metrics go into a completely separate activity. A Suunto rep confirmed it with their product team. Two separate files.

That's a missed opportunity. The hardware is there. The sensors are in your ears. If a future version folds those metrics into your actual running activity, this becomes something special. Right now, it's a bonus feature that lives in its own silo.

Who it's for

These make a lot of sense if you're coming from bone conduction and want a meaningful audio upgrade without giving up situational awareness — that was exactly my situation. Suunto users who want live audio cues routed through their earbuds have a real reason to choose the Spark over a generic alternative. If you need something that works equally well at the gym, on a commute, and outdoors, open-ear isn't the right pick. And if you bought these expecting the running metrics to enrich your training data, now you know they won't — yet.

Full review in the video above, including the direct comparison with the Shokz OpenFit 2 and what I'd need to see in a version two.