Garmin user but I have to commend the attractive design of these Coros watches along with their watch face. If Apple were to ever move to round shape, this Apex would be the perfect design imo.
I recently switched from an Apple Watch which except for the short battery life, was okay as a running watch to a Coros Apex Pro. I got a really good deal for the Coros and thought I would give it a try. I had considered the Garmin, but thought operating it would be more complicated than I like. The Coros battery life is phenomenal. It was easy to connect to Strava. The sleep tracking and all the other data have been helpful. Using the dial to scroll to the different functions was easy. I would definitely recommend the Coros.
I would go for Apex2 pro. Because of longer gps activity. For 300, 400, 600, 800, 1200 km bike rides. For run and swim, triathlon, Ironman - any of them would be enough. Thanks for comparison! 👍🏻✨
Garmin is nicer and more shiny but then when you think about what is really important, you will find out that Coros is more practical. Moreover, Coros's Evolab is miles ahead of Garmin Connect that is really not well suited for athletes and just tries to show all data without a particular intention. I'm currently using Garmin but I hate the policy of limited updates so next watch will probably be Coros with their long lasting support. I'm just struggling with their pricing - where Apex 2 is more expensive than GarminForerunner - especially because various discounts on Garmin. There is also a lot of lightly used second hand Garmins but almost no Coros (people not knowing what they want are much more likely to buy Garmin and the they realize that they don't start doing sport just because they bought an expensive GPS watch)
@@moose1689 It can be subjective - but I've never used Garmin Connect to view my history or some long-term gain of activities. I find their training status totally random, estimated race times quite inacurate etc. On Coros I just feel that the metrics correspond better with my own feelings. I really like a graph of hard vs moderate vs easy load for current week and for past 12 weeks - that can pretty well show if the training is balanced or if I'm for example missing my easy runs beacuse of lack of time/laziness. Also their "training status" which roughly corresponds to recovery time is better because it is actionable - there is an overtraining/productive/undertraining interval that reasonably shows how hard is your training. I don't have hard data to support it, but it very much alignes with my feelings/thoughts about my training. That being said, I don't believe too much in magical metricsthat would account for "everything" - sleep, stress, sports etc. because I don't want to wear watches 24/7 and there re just too many variables that can't be captured -> it will just lead to nonsense numbers which is worse tht nothaving any numbers at all.
@@m.topfer Quite similar thoughts on the training status and race estimations. Sometimes I've been feeling fatigued but according to Garming I should be able to train harder. That's why I'm pretty much ignoring the "optimal training status".
I think that Garmin's status is mixture of training load and VO2max but the output is pretty unstable and unactionable for me. Especially when you put some trail runs with elevation in the mix, the status is randomly changing. Not really usefull. I even now manually synchronize all my activities to Coros just to get some information. I think that the Garmin Connect is created more for general public which can be amazed with lifestyle data, but it really lacks the focus on atheletes or people that wants to improve and improve their training in general.
Just upgraded from the apex 46 to the apex 2. Love the Coros brand and it’s simplicity! One thing to mention is that the battery life has been understated in its descriptions. I ran Superior 100 with my Apex 46. Advertised battery life was 30-35 hours. I finished in 34 and my watch still was at 20%! Love these watches
Very good review mate. You’re right: these days MP3 files are hard to find. People run with their phone anyway, so I don’t know why they are still including this. In general, I think that simpler models like the Coros Pace 2 are preferable: they offer everything you need while cutting out all the stuff that you won’t use anyway.
Absolutely loved my Garmin Instinct solar but 21 months in the battery started to fail and ultimately died. Past warranty. Just heard about Coros and impressed so far with most reviews. This is a thorough and well paced review and I am now thinking about not getting another Garmin if i can't trust the reliability.
Coros Apex Pro 2 showed up last night. They are now full touch screen. It’s a Spartan, kick ass watch. I miss some of the metrics on the Garmins that I have. With MS, body battery, training effect in the immediate, and stress. That said, exercise is self regulating and you can kind of tell how you feel. I also picked up a 165 just to see. Coming tomorrow. We will see. I love my Instinct 2X, Venu 2 Plus, and I got my wife a Vivoactive 5, which she hates. So inherited that too. Coros on the left wrist. Instinct 2x on the right. Started a 2 24KB intense workout on both. The numbers at the end were almost identical across the board. Very impressive watch.
BRAVO, Dave! I gota say that, after DAYS of studying these watches, I have come to conclusion that you have two types of watches: those that are an extension of your phone, becoming a gadget by itself, so you can contemplate the screen and 35 functions that maybe you are not gonna use; and those that are a TOOL so you can monitor health/sports activities. Cheers from Brazil!
Hello Dave, I really appreciate the time and dedication you put into this reviews,comparissions, making it easier to choose for us casual runners. Now, I'll be 56 years old next month - still running - but now my eyes are set a a more "mature" look watch as the Huawei Ultimate. Not sure if you can get a hold of one. Hard to get and expensive unit but they look very unique. Keep up the good work. Cheers from México.
Great video there Dave! I appreciate your dedication in your materials, though wonder if being so in-depth in your videos allows you just to spend a minute more on your own, as opposed to being jumped at by the kids :) a father of 1 here, so I can imagine what can happen if I multiply that by 4 :D All the best for you and your family! Speaking of the brands - the display design of Coros appeals more to me. It feels more polished and thought through, where Garmin feels that they spent less time/resources on that. I am also a big fan of what Coros does at the heart rate diagram of any workout, where they color the line, so you can tell what HR zone you were at particular time of an activity. I wish Garmin allowed that on Garmin Connect too! Nonetheless, I was so shocked when you said that Coros doesn't have capacity to track milage of your equipment (as Garmin allows that not olny for shoes); thought that this is like a market standard! My F6Pro will need to be replaced at some stage, so I really keep my fingeres crossed for Coros, as it might be my go-to option. Cheers!
I really love the "dual GPS" mode on the Forerunner 265. (I have it on my Garmin Forerunner 255.) If I stop to tie my shoes on the trail, you can see it on the map afterwards.
Meh, this just comes off as trying to defend your purchase. I have the Forerunner 955, and wish I'd just waited a few weeks and got the 965. I'm surprised how good the battery life remains on the 965. I won't be bothering with upgrading of course. Also, Garmin should be working on improving their crappy software.
Returned the Garmin 965 and bought the Apex Pro - need the battery life, warranty, map and the Garmin 3rd party app store is a little crappy need to pay plus the 3rd party apps look amatuerish.
Been using Coros Pace 2 and Pace 3 for most of this past year (haven't tried the Apex models but sensor is same in the latter).... I love them *EXCEPT* the HR monitor is just bad even by wrist-based optical standards. Upgraded to the Pace3 for that reason to get the newer HR sensor found in these Apex watches.... it helped some but even after multiple firmware updates I've just spent one too many times cursing and fiddling with the watch & not focusing on an activity. I'm going back to Garmin - kinda sucks cuz the interface and batt life are fantastic, but unless I use a chest-strap 100% of the time, it's a no go. I've recently spent the past weeks broadcasting my HR from my older Garmin Venu 2 over to the Coros for much better results, until I realized "WTF am I doing?". Sorry Coros - close but no cigar.
I think Coros does some fabulous good looking designs but I also think Garmin is the absolute best when it comes to features, functionality, accuracy, reliability, flexibility, and navigation. In the end it may be a question whether you choose a watch for it looks, or for what is 'under the hood', but I do wish Garmin would offer better build quality/build materials on a watch costing $450 that you are supposed to wear 24/7 to get the most of what the watch can do for you.
At COROS, we are also working hard to deliver more robust software features. A lot is on our roadmap, and the COROS Product Testing Program has some exciting new software in the oven now.
@@LewisWu_ I have always owned Garmin watches, but I am strongly contemplating purchasing the Coros Pace 2. However, I am somewhat reluctant to make the purchase right now because I anticipate that the Coros Pace 3 will be released soon. I don't want to set myself up for disappointment by getting the Pace 2 only to have the Pace 3 released relatively shortly after.
Very good review! 👏🏼👏🏼 I'm lately more a swimmer than a runner and have the feeling that the coros are thought for running. Any opinion on the coros apex 2 pro for swimming? If it foes the job (organice and do pool trainings) I'd definitely go for Coros. Cheers from Spain!
Awesome review! If you were to pick up a running/fitness watch for the first time, however, and confronted with these two choices only, which one would you select? Thanks and all the best!
Comment number 223 I think the round Coros button will be very easy to break because it is easier to get hit by outdoor activities compared to the Garmin button. The coros strap also looks very elegant
I got the Apex to try due to this video. I am the ONLY multiple sclerosis patient in the country that was paralyzed and en route to death at 33 who is beyond fit at 54. Multiple black belts and fitness certifications led me to develop my own way of overcoming neurological deficits to full function. I’m helping lead an MS motion study at NYU Langone. I love my Garmins and my Amazfit Falcon. I am a television and music producer. I collect sponsors. Main goal, and I’d love your opinion… I’m going to contact either Garmin or Coros to outfit the patients in the study with a fitness watch. I want to make it easy for them. If that were your mandate, then which would you choose?
I would choose the Coros because of the build quality, battery and knowing that it won't be obsolete in months unlike Garmin that launches models like the rabbits
While Garmin does launch a lot of watches they don't obsolete them. In fact, my old Garmin Fenix 1 from 2011 still syncs with Garmin Connect and still works as it did years ago.
That was interesting. I didn't know that any of these watches are now serving as remote controls for GoPro cameras. I have a GoPro remote. I wish there was something so I could control my GoPro Max separately from any of my other GoPro cameras, and I doubt this is it, but still, what the watches have might be useful. Maybe on my day-long bicycle rides I could control one camera with the GoPro remote and another with the watch. I'll have to think about that. I also need to learn what you meant by GPS-only mode for these watches. Also, you made a mention early in the video that the Coros heart rate sensors had something in addition to the optical sensor that you were going to explain later, but you didn't mention it in the Heart Rate Accuracy section. (I skipped around a little, so perhaps missed it even though in the end I watched most of your video.)
nice explanation bro. but can you help me to choose between garmin instinct 2 solar or coros apex 2, most of my activities are hiking, bikepacking and bike touring. what I'm looking for is solid hardware and software, GPS accuracy and battery life. one side garmin offers solar power and power manager but don't like the screen and coros has ok hardware but one side on the software side there is something lacking in my opinion
The only thing keeping me from getting the apex 2 pro is how cumbersome it is to get a route into the watch. I can even do that on my instinct solar directly from the app. Coros has been advertising a route creation update for the app for months but it is still just a promise.
Def like MIP, hope Coros keeps making high quality watches with MIP. If battery life isn’t going to be substantially different I would just get an Apple Watch. It’s an overall better device. So live MIP and battery focused fitness watches.
PSA: Garmin sleep data is the worst in the business. I have insomnia and it says im only awake for 20 minutes a night. Even if im lying awake and scrolling the watch. They even make you write your sleep schedule in the app because it cannot tell itself. Other watches can track that without that information and more accurately
Thanks for sharing. Unfortunately none of these wearables are perfect when it comes to sleep tracking. In fact, even the Apple Watch requires you to input you sleep/wake times for tracking to work. I’d be curious to what your body battery says after a poor night of sleep? Hopefully you have better luck in the future!
I have pretty bad insomnia too, and I’ve recent got the 265s after coming from the Apple Watch 5. I actually think it’s pretty and the sleep score really does reflect how I’m feeling throughout the day. Yes I do have to adjust the schedule day/s for when I know I’m going to (try) go to bed earlier and wake up earlier (im in the nursing field). But even if I do sleep longer than my predicted wake up time, my Watch knows this from when I look at the Good Morning feature and I exit out of it. That’s when it knows you are no longer showing at night. You can also exit from the sleep mode earlier than the scheduled time when you press the Sleep feature in the menu and it asks “exit out of sleep mode?” - this prevents it from going back to sleep screen mode officially (compared to the quick version on the quick settings option). It was a bit of a learning curve after experimenting with it though.
@@ChaseTheSummitI’ve never set up apple sleep tracking and just put my watch in sleep mode every night and turn it off when I’m up and it’s always tracked it fine
@@LewisWu_ Like Dave wrapped it do you prefer more raw power (apex 2) or more refined (but plastic) approach (265). My friend have vertex2 and he love it for battery durability, skiing and runung. But i can't run (knee) and i don't skeeing , i like e-bike and i think coros doesn have that profile and i like swiming i think coros doesnt have drills (manual input of swimmed lenght).
@@LewisWu_ Here is my reasoning for why I like/dislike the Garmin Forerunner 265 and the Coros Apex 2: Coros Apex 2: Impressive battery life for extended usage A well-fitted nylon strap for optimal comfort Superior build quality, featuring a sapphire screen and titanium body The dual-frequency GPS of the Pro model is a welcome addition, although not essential Modern and feature-rich app Capability to design and share a training plan on a calendar A higher-resolution and AMOLED screen would be appreciated Long-term support of devices, with regular software updates and new features Garmin Forerunner 265: Familiarity with the Garmin ecosystem High-resolution AMOLED screen for a vibrant display and more detailed rendering of maps, etc. Plastic build quality could be improved Dual-frequency GPS is a valuable feature Established and stable software with all the expected functions and features, but lacking in innovation Allows for workout creation, but does not support calendar integration or workout plan sharing
@@ted363636 Well if you mean "a watch" like a mechanical watch, no it doesn't really look more like one of those neither - none of them do besides the shape. COROS might be a fantastic watch, and judging by the comments there are still lovers of the old school displays, but still looks 10 years older next to each other
@@DeeKay1911 I meant that it doesn't shine like a light bulb and better the light, the better you see it and that's how mechanical watches work. Even this review shows how frustrating it is to have that AMOLED screen dim all the time, requiring waving your hand like a mad man.
@@ted363636 I agree. I do not like that at all. I have the Garmin Forerunner 55 and thankfully it does not have amoled display. I hope Coros stays with the MIP displays.
You missed the fact that the Coros platform has no social component whatsoever. No contacts, monthly multisport challenges, or step count competitions.
Garmin 265. Cheaper. I like the screen. Had coros apex 2 pro. Had issue with alarms. And calorie count. Would always over estimate calorie count drove me nuts. Oh Garmin 265 also had a flashlight
Garmin Connect is the ugliest app I've used in the past 10 years. It legit looks like a scam app that somebody put into the app store, hoping to trick you into thinking it was the real Garmin app. It was definitely made by an intern, and not a Stanford/Harvard intern but your local community college intern taking his or her first computer science course. Garmin also top-down has an old school philosophy compared to Coros. Garmin is feature locking their watches and don't roll out new updates to their watches. If you want a new feature, you have to buy a new watch. This is the opposite with Coros, who recently rolled out breadcrumb navigation to their cheapest Pace 2 watch. We've seen what Garmin can do with a monopoly (remember when they monopolized navigations in cars?), their stronghold in the watch space will probably be the next thing they mess up. I see everyone in the running community defending Garmin Connect and say "it's good enough". I suspect these are the same people who think Outback Steakhouse or Panda Express is also "good enough".
Oh also, COROS does not yet have a widget/ability to track menstrual cycle, whereas Garmin does. It’s super helpful for folks who menstruate to plan some training around their cycles. I just picked up a COROS, but that might be a big drawback for me.
Good point! Thought my wife hates how Garmin incorporates menstruation tracking and tends to use an app on her phone instead. I wish I had some idea on the pros and cons… but I don’t lol. Thanks for sharing!
@@Jay-sd9yeperiods aren’t always consistent. When I cut weight for training for fencing, it changed. When I joined a women’s running group, that threw my cycle off too. For some women, yes, their periods can be very predictable and consistent, but for others many things can alter it. Being able to track it and the changes and have that factored into your training is a nice feature. I’m a COROS user but I’d be curious to see how it works on the garmin.
Is the Coros ecosystem fully functional if you're not a runner? In other brands like Polar or Garmin I feel like you can use your watch for other sports and still get the full metrics, but I feel like you have to be a runner to get the most of it
Hey Dave, Garmin 265 or apex 2pro? In place where I live coros cost 355eur., is 100eur less then Garmin. For 3 years i use original garmin instinct. Is a big difference is ecosystem?
What about the suunto 9 peak pro compared with the garmin 265 and the coros apex 2 pro? I see you reviewed it recently. The price is the same for all 3 in my country. The older garmin 955 is a bit more expensive, not by much, compared to the 3. I like the look and feel, the built quality, and 10 ATM of the suunto. But, the garmin seems to have more feature rich and much easier to integrate with other platforms and sensors. I am looking for the sports (running, bike, gym and indoors swimming) and sleep measurements. Thanks!
I try so hard to love Coros and go in that ecosystem but two things are important to me, touch screen and maps. Apex 2 pro has the maps but not as detailed as the Fr 965 does. I am so confused.
One deal breaker for me is no direct link to calorie trackers? Needing 3rd party support means I'm depending on three companies to get it done? Is this right?
Coros does less number of polling for GPS coordinates during activity to save battery and hence this leads to inaccuracy in distance calculation, this is how Coros claims higher battery than Garmin watches, it's no secret but I called Coros multiple times to talk to their engineers about this issue but they want to sell more watches by boasting battery life compared to competition so let alone users decide what they want! 😂
As a note for you Dave, the Coros app route creation tool is forthcoming. It should be released shortly although I don't have a specific date. You also fail to mention the Coros Coaches feature exclusive to Coros..
@@VanceRefrigeration Yes, I charge it every 2 weeks. You, like many other people, are conveying conspiracies about AMOLED without even testing the products you're complaining about.
@@VanceRefrigeration But it's a conspiracy to say that you have to charge more. Garmin had 3 years to optimize battery consumption since the original Venu. You have the option not to charge more by using the raise to wake settings. I charge every 2 weeks and I never had any battery anxiety.
You do have to charge more - because the battery doesn't last as long between cycles, so you have to charge it more frequently. It's not a conspiracy. You get 20 hours of GPS tracking on the 265, but you get more than twice with the APEX 2, at 45 hours.
I'd say most people could finish a 50 miler or 100k with any of the watches in this video unless you were listening to music in the highest accuracy setting.
@@ChaseTheSummit yeap, but in my opinion display is irrelevant. I am not going to watch movies on that display. Plus the older generation displays have greater battery life.
Great content! I just wondered that if coros apex 2 or pro 2 set at heart rate continue mode ==> how long battery life will be? Because standard mode is track per 10 minutes. I tested between fr55 & pace 2 and the result is around 10 day for 55 (standard mode 55 is always) & 4-5 days for pace 2. In normal set up (10 minutes) pace 2 can cover up to 7 days.
Hey Tho! Real-time HR increases daily battery drain by +50% so that would be about 14 days for APEX 2 and 20 days for APEX 2 Pro. With HR set to every 10min, the expected life of the PACE 2 is actually 20 days if there were to be no workouts recorded and minimal notifications/alerts. GPS workouts drain the battery most significantly for all watches whether it be Garmin, COROS, Suunto, or any other brand so the specific details of how many days a watch lasts between charges can be a bit difficult to measure!
@@darianallberry thanks for your answer! I owned around 3 pcs of pace 2 models by myself (I sale and rebuying because i love the weight ) and my team have 4 others members having the same model but-no one can get even 9 days with daily user (included 1hour gps workout and normal notifications alerts. Event I always turn off the flip back light) in 10 minutes tracking heart rate mode, so that why i wondering about apex 2 pro. So anyway, thanks for your response!
Huawei gt runner best watch for the money ...and most accurate heartrate sensor....period !..plus it has speaker and you can manage your calls ... you have personal ai coach giving prompts and tips... important data about your heartrate .. distance...pace ..time .. Superior watch and all of that for 5 times or 10 times cheaper than Garmin
"Best" is subjective but it does seem pretty cool. Unfortunately here in the USA Huawei watches are hard to get and limited in functionality. They are certainly on my radar though.
Great stuff! Just one question: does Coros differentiate between smart recording and 1-second recording like Garmin? Or does it always record in 1s interval?
COROS has an UltraMax mode which will turn on the GPS for 30 seconds and off for 90 seconds. But we only recommend it when your battery is nearly running out (which rarely happens). All other GPS modes, whether standard, All Systems, or Dual Frequency, are all 1-second intervals.
Not too bad. It's a similar experience to most high end smartwatches (apple watch, garmin epix, etc...) The gesture is required but once you're used to it it's not a huge deal.
