Coros Apex 2 and Apex 2 Professional evaluate: barely in need of nice

I first noticed a Coros watch on TikTok. Within the video, an ultramarathoner strapped on a bunch of multisport watches for an absurdly long term to check which had the most effective battery. I’d anticipated Garmin to take the cake, however to my shock, it was a Coros watch — by a decent margin, too. Curious, I dug round on the web and located Coros watches had a popularity for additional lengthy battery life, affordable costs, and a few quirks you’d anticipate from a comparatively new model discovering its footing. That’s largely been my expertise with the $399 Coros Apex 2 and the $499 Coros Apex 2 Professional. 

Whereas this isn’t the flashiest replace, there are some vital enhancements over the first-gen Apex and Apex Professional, together with longer battery life and extra correct GPS and coronary heart charge monitoring. Coros added a devoted backlight button, and the straps now resemble Apple’s nylon Sport Loop. These are all good updates, however a number of points I had with the Coros Vertix 2 are nonetheless current. There’s nonetheless no turn-by-turn navigation or music streaming, and the digital crown is annoying to scroll with. For some athletes, these sorts of tiny inconveniences could be a dealbreaker.

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The Apex 2 and Professional are mainly the identical watch. I’ve been testing each for the previous few weeks, and I depend on the completely different colours of my evaluate items to inform them aside. The expertise and software program are an identical. The Professional is larger and has barely higher specs — however not by a lot.

The Apex 2 has a 43mm case and a 1.2-inch always-on LCD show, which is widespread for health watches, because it maximizes battery life and is seen in direct daylight. (Although that does imply it’s much less vibrant.) The Professional has a 46mm case and a 1.3-inch show. The Apex 2 is 12.8mm thick, makes use of 20mm straps, and weighs 42g with the nylon band, whereas the Professional is 14mm thick, makes use of 22mm straps, and weighs 53 grams. The Apex 2 has 8GB of onboard music storage to the Professional’s 32GB. The Professional is clearly greater, however you possibly can see from the notification textual content on this picture that it doesn’t make an enormous distinction in readability. The button controls are an identical and straightforward to be taught: the highest button is to activate the backlight, the underside is the again button, and the center crown is for scrolling and accessing the principle menu. The one gripe is I hold forgetting to long-press the dial to unlock the display.

It’s the identical story for wearability. Each have been light-weight and didn’t snag on my winter coat sleeves. I may put on each for sleep monitoring with no issues. I most popular the smaller Apex 2, however solely as a result of I pressured myself to consider it for this evaluate. The Professional is larger and thicker, nevertheless it’s barely noticeable.

Right here’s what else they’ve in widespread: sapphire glass shows, touchscreen assist, titanium bezels, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi, 5ATM of water resistance, the flexibility to concurrently join with 5 satellite tv for pc positioning techniques (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou, and QZSS), the optical coronary heart charge sensor, “EKG” sensor (extra on this beneath), SpO2 sensors, 3D compass, thermometer, barometric altimeter, gyroscope, and altimeter. In addition they have the identical coaching options and good options. Each assist the identical third-party apps, like Strava, Komoot, and Adidas Working. You may see the place I’m going with this.

In comparison with that lengthy checklist, listed here are the notable variations except for dimension:

• The Professional has multiband GPS assist for extra correct distance monitoring in difficult environments
• The Professional has preloaded international offline maps. On the Apex 2, you need to obtain them.
• The Professional has one additional sport profile: multi-pitch climbing.
• The Professional has longer battery life.

Even so, a lot of the Professional’s additional options aren’t that a lot of a step up. Multiband GPS is nice, however I don’t contemplate it completely vital until you frequent areas the place you wrestle to get a dependable GPS sign — city facilities, for instance. It’s not an enormous problem to obtain an offline international map if you wish to save an additional $100. (If you need topographical maps, you’re going to need to obtain them anyway.) For those who don’t already know what multi-pitch climbing is, I doubt you’ll use that sport profile anytime quickly.

Probably the most vital distinction is battery life. The Apex 2 has an estimated 17 days of regular use to the Professional’s 30 days. It will get 45 hours of ordinary GPS in comparison with the Professional’s 75 hours. That tracks with what I obtained in testing. It’s been greater than two weeks since I first fired up the Apex 2 and Professional. My Apex 2 died on day 16, whereas my Professional continues to be kicking at 52 %. Regardless of the way you take a look at it, both watch will seemingly outlast the competitors. Garmin and Polar watches, for instance, get someplace between seven to 14 days, whereas Fitbits get 5 to 10 days.

To get that glorious battery life, Coros made a number of tradeoffs. The obvious instance is the show. Multisport watches usually go for memory-in-pixel LCDs as a result of they require a lot much less power, nevertheless it means you don’t get a snazzy OLED display. Though they’re very readable in direct daylight, the dimmer screens is usually a problem indoors. Fortunately, each watches now have devoted backlight buttons, in order that’s much less of an issue.

While you stuff a bigger battery right into a watch, you’re sacrificing room for different elements. Neither watch has a mobile radio or an NFC chip for contactless funds — two essential elements when you’d reasonably go away your telephone at house. In addition they lack emergency SOS options, which means you’ll need to hold your telephone on you if that’s a priority.  

However the true kicker for me is music. I don’t know any runner who doesn’t hearken to some type of audio to get within the zone. (Runners who can go for hours with out any podcast, music, or audiobook are to be feared.) Each watches have onboard storage for MP3 information, however that’s not useful in 2022, quickly to be 2023.

I don’t keep in mind the final time I curated an MP3 library, although if I needed to guess, it’s been about 13 years. As of late most individuals stream their music or obtain offline playlists from Spotify or Apple Music. Most main smartwatches — together with Garmins — have adopted go well with. Coros doesn’t assist any music service. Except you actively keep an MP3 library — or are actually connected to no matter you have been listening to in 2004 — that’s the identical as not having onboard music. Coros says the {hardware} within the Apex 2 and Professional may at some point assist streaming by way of an over-the-air replace. That may occur, however I wouldn’t financial institution on a characteristic which may not come for months or years, if ever. 

Like many fitness-first watches, the Apex 2 and Professional are mild on good options. You get the fundamentals like notifications, alarms, timers, and smartwatches. You too can discover your telephone by way of the watch and vice versa. That’s it. You may see calls, however you possibly can’t take them from the wrist, and there are not any fast replies. Overlook about digital assistants, third-party apps, or the aforementioned contactless funds or music streaming. It’s not essentially a con for the Apex 2 and Professional’s supposed viewers. Some would possibly even view it as a professional. However in order for you a watch that’s equally good as a productiveness device, these watches ain’t it. 

On the flip facet, the Coros app has loads of coaching metrics to ooh and ahh over. That features staples like elevation, common coronary heart charge, time spent in coronary heart charge zones, tempo, energy burned, and temperature. For runners, Coros consists of stride size, working energy, and cadence. The Coros EvoLab tab within the app gives training-specific metrics like your VO2 max, threshold tempo and coronary heart charge, and working efficiency. The Apex 2 and Professional additionally add a “new” metric known as effort tempo, which is successfully grade-adjusted tempo. That’s additionally the place you’ll discover your fatigue, base health, and coaching load information to assist gauge whether or not that you must take some restoration time. For those who actually wish to get into it, the EvoLab tab has a muscle heatmap, shops your private information, and gives race prediction occasions.

Most health watches have these metrics or variations on them, however there are two areas the place the Coros app stands out. First, it’s much less chaotic than the Garmin Join and Polar Circulation apps. These apps are nice however may be tough to navigate for newcomers. The Coros app provides a a lot gentler introduction to coaching metrics with a way more streamlined design. Second, Coros means that you can create customized energy coaching exercises. (You may program your personal working, biking, and swimming exercises, too.) A number of multisport watch apps gloss over energy coaching or are clunky at recording reps. This allows you to specify your objectives for every transfer, the burden used, and the size of your relaxation interval. Plus, you possibly can hold observe of which muscle mass you labored out with the muscle heatmap I discussed earlier. The preloaded train choice has quite a lot of widespread workout routines, however you possibly can add your personal in the event that they’re absent. I did it for the yoga-inspired energy and mobility coaching plan I’m on, and it labored nicely.

Nonetheless, Coros’ platform is finest for runners. Not solely is there an emphasis on working metrics in EvoLabs, Coros’ coaching platform, however you need to full a number of street runs to get your preliminary metrics. Different actions gained’t rely, although you should utilize EvoLabs information for different actions as soon as it’s unlocked. Each these watches have eliminated assist for ANT Plus. Many equipment assist each Bluetooth and ANT Plus, however some cyclists could be irritated since a ton of biking equipment are optimized for ANT Plus. One other factor I used to be shocked by: I couldn’t observe my yoga flows. Yoga isn’t an “outdoorsy” exercise, nevertheless it’s a well-liked lively restoration train. (I don’t wish to be a runner with hamstrings so tight I can’t contact my toes.) I can observe it on each different multisport watch I’ve not too long ago examined. This isn’t to say the Apex 2 and Professional are horrible for different actions. It’s not! It’s simply finest for runners.

One of many predominant complaints with the first-gen Apex and Apex Professional was wonky coronary heart charge information. This time round, Coros addressed that by including a beefed-up optical sensor. In addition they have a second EKG sensor, nevertheless it’s not used for detecting atrial fibrillation. It’s there to document coronary heart charge variation — the time between heartbeats — with better precision.

I examined each watches towards the Apple Watch Extremely and Polar H10 chest strap. All my coronary heart charge information was constant throughout platforms, no matter whether or not it was a gradual state or interval run. Zero wonkiness detected. (Although, in order for you the most correct coronary heart charge information, nothing beats a chest strap.) 

GPS was extra of a combined bag. Fast refresher: each watches have an improved GPS antenna, however solely the Professional has multiband GPS. I examined each on a number of runs towards the Apple Watch Extremely, which additionally has multiband GPS. The Extremely was essentially the most correct, adopted by the Professional after which the Apex 2. In my screenshots, you’ll see the Coros watches struggled at any time when I ran across the neighborhood lighthouse, whereas the Extremely had no downside. Each watches additionally botched the beginning of my runs, however the Apex 2 actually had me occurring a hilariously twisted journey. 

It’s humorous as a result of, for these runs, I had the $99 Coros Pod 2 paired with each watches. The Pod 2 is a tiny Bluetooth sensor that you simply strap onto your shoe (or waist) to get you extra instantaneous working metrics, resembling tempo, gait, ambient temperature, floor time, steadiness, and stride. Foot pod sensors additionally supposedly improve GPS accuracy, which Coros claims the Pod 2 does in cities.

It clearly didn’t. Or not less than I didn’t discover any distinction between runs with or with out the pod. The Pod 2 might be extra useful to treadmill runners, however in any other case, it didn’t add a lot to my expertise. No less than it was straightforward to arrange with each watches, particularly because it solely works with Coros units.

Even when my GPS maps have been wonky, general distance monitoring was good. My telephone, each Coros watches, and the Extremely have been typically inside a number of hundredths of a mile. Probably the most notable exception was a 3.7-mile run recorded by my telephone. The Extremely logged that as 3.76 miles, whereas the Apex 2 logged 3.88 miles. This occurred to be the run the place the Apex 2 began me off on a wild goose chase, which in all probability explains why. If GPS accuracy is a precedence, the Professional is the higher alternative. 

What I missed most was turn-by-turn navigation. As a directionally challenged individual, I really feel extra snug exploring new areas with turn-by-turn navigation than with out. However when you’re good with maps, it’s not the worst factor for the reason that Coros watches have back-to-start steerage, deviation alerts for if you veer off route, and the flexibility to mark checkpoints. It’s higher than no offline maps — cough Apple Watch Extremely cough — nevertheless it’s one thing to ponder when comparability procuring.

At $400 for the Apex 2 and $500 for the Professional, these watches are on the dearer finish for midrange GPS watches. It’s a bizarre spot to be in, given the competitors. Garmin’s Forerunner 255 prices $50 lower than the Apex 2 and has multiband GPS, lengthy battery life, nice coaching metrics, and contactless funds. The Forerunner 955 is similar worth because the Professional and has extra sturdy navigation, nice coaching metrics, multiband GPS, lengthy battery life, contactless funds, and emergency security options. Each Forerunner watches assist offline Spotify playlists, too. They mainly fill within the Apex 2 and Professional’s gaps for a similar worth.

For me, I’d go together with Garmin since you’re getting extra for a similar worth. However perhaps you’re sick of Garmin’s platform and wish one thing a bit completely different. Coros watches profit from a simplified app, higher energy coaching monitoring, and longer battery life. Regardless of the purpose, I’d decide the Apex 2 when you worth consolation and financial savings. The Professional is best in order for you the very best accuracy and battery life. 

These are good health watches, and it’s straightforward to see why Coros has its followers. However they fall barely in need of nice. Hopefully, future updates will get all of them the best way. It’s particularly spectacular if you do not forget that Coros has solely been within the biz for 4 years. These are second-gen units, and but they’re mentioned in the identical breath as merchandise from corporations which have been round for many years. You simply need to be the type of athlete who’s prepared to miss rising pains. 

Pictures by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge