Coros Releases All-New Pace Pro GPS Watch: First Thoughts

Faster Paces

Maybe we should’ve seen this one coming. After all, we’ve already seen the Vertix Pro and the Apex Pro, two killer GPS watches with unbelievable battery life and incredibly simple and intuitive user interface and functionality. So it only made sense that we’d see a Pace Pro, a slightly more premium edition of Coros’ entry-level watch. But what would that entail and how would it be different from the Apex? Now we know.

Rounding out its stable of performance GPS watches, Coros has just announced the Pace Pro ($349), with a “fastest in class processor, unbeatable battery, and pinpoint accuracy.” Oh, also, just a little something that Coros users have been knees-on-the-ground begging for since Coros began: a crystal clear, always-on AMOLED display to ensure perfect readability at any time of day or night.

This marks a big leap forward for Coros, who has made major in-roads into the Garmin-dominated wearables market over the past few years thanks to a slew of major athlete partnerships from Kilian Jornet to Emma Bates to Eliud Kipchoge, in addition to reliable and accurate products. We’ve personally worn Coros for the past four years and can attest to their durability and accuracy. However, the screen brightness has always been an issue and something that Garmin edged them out on, year after year. Not anymore.

We just got our samples this week, and while the firmware version is in beta mode, the display is markedly more vivid and brighter than past Coros products. It’s quite beautiful, honestly, and is viewable with three brightness settings. It also comes with a slightly larger face area than the traditional Pace, with a 1.3” diameter as opposed to 1.2”. 

According to Coros, the watch utilizes the most up-to-date technology, with processor performance that is over twice that of its predecessors, delivering the “fastest responsiveness in its class.” Brighter displays are great and all, but how does that affect battery performance? We’ve only had the watch for a few days, so we’ll find out within the next couple weeks or so, but Coros claims that the battery life is 38 hours for All Systems GPS and 31 hours for Dual Frequency GPS, even at the highest brightness level.

Comparing the Coros Pace Pro/Pace 3/Apex 

Now, you may be wondering how and why the Pace Pro fits into the Coros family, especially since it’s priced at $349, the same price as the standard Apex. There are a few marked differences that separate this watch from those, so we’ll cover them here.

We already mentioned the primary difference between those watches and the Pace Pro: the AMOLED display. The overall size is also bigger than both the Pace 3 and the Apex, though the weight (37 grams with nylon band) falls right in between the two. In terms of materials used, the Pace Pro retains the same fabrication as the Pace 3, with a polymer bezel and mineral glass screen.

The major upgrades to the Pace Pro over the Pace 3 are the increased battery life, greater onboard storage (32 GB vs. 4 GB), and most importantly– Global Offline mapping to display landscape and topographic maps (rather than just breadcrumb). The faster internal processor also allows for a 3x faster zoom when viewing maps, even compared to the Apex/Apex Pro. This is a big one for me, as I can attest that the Apex Pro mapping interface was laggy as hell and frustrating to use while on the go. 

The Pace Pro also gets a new charger– a small adapter that locks into a keychain holder and requires a USB-C cable (not included, but at this point we should all have one). It’s cool and interesting but it’s also a different fit than every other Coros watch, something present Coros owners will certainly bemoan. That said, I appreciate the keychain fob, as it means that I’ll finally have a charger that I can’t lose, and I also don’t have to pack another cable.

Our Thoughts

As I mentioned, we just got our watches in this week, so we still have plenty of testing to do before we can write a full review. That said, I’m already a huge fan of the AMOLED display, and I’m more than willing to sacrifice weight and/or battery life for it.

The offline global mapping and regional topo maps is a huge bonus, especially since the zoom issue has been fixed. That’s a major thorn in my side when it comes to navigating routes on my Apex 2 Pro. 

Of course, we’ve always loved Coros for their accuracy, ease-of-use, and reliability, and I see no reason to see any changes in that department. 

One negative thing that I have noticed is that the crown dial is ultra sensitive, much more so than any previous Coros model. It may just be something I have to get used to.

I wasn’t sure if this watch had a place in the Coros ecosystem, but it definitely seems to separate itself. Most of the overlap falls into the Apex (also $349), which at this point seems to offer no real added benefit other than a titanium alloy bezel construction and sapphire glass screen. I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw the Apex get the same AMOLED treatment and faster processor, with a corresponding bump up to $399 at some point soon. I guess we’ll see.

For now, the Pace Pro looks be another solid offering in the already-strong stable of Coros GPS watches. Stay tuned for the full review.

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The Coros Pace Pro is available now at coros.com for $349 in black, grey, and navy blue with silicone band.