COROS PACE Pro overview: AMOLED is simply the beginning

I used to be predisposed to love the COROS PACE Pro greater than its older siblings for one easy motive: it is the model’s first AMOLED watch. As somebody with steadily worsening eyesight, I’ve by no means favored utilizing MIP shows besides throughout sunny exercises the place they shine, so to talk. Indoors, COROS watches weren’t that enjoyable to make use of.

The PACE Pro felt inevitable and overdue after rivals like Garmin, Suunto, and Polar adopted AMOLED en masse in 2023 and 2024. I beloved the COROS PACE 3, calling it the perfect inexpensive watch of 2023, however solely as a result of MIP felt like a good sacrifice for the value. The PACE Pro had a better bar to clear, each for its $349 price ticket and my expectations.

Since late October, I’ve taken the COROS PACE Pro on dozens of runs, hikes, and exercises, evaluating it towards different latest health watches just like the Garmin Fenix 8 and Polar Vantage M3. I’ve come away impressed, or at the very least glad, with its accuracy and efficiency in key areas.

While it is taken me too lengthy to get this overview out, that is solely a mirrored image of how jam-packed 2024 was with smartwatches to check, not its high quality or significance. If you are on the hunt for a dependable operating watch, I’d look significantly on the COROS PACE Pro.

COROS PACE Pro: Models and specs

The COROS PACE Pro launched on October 31, 2024, for $349 / CA$499 / €399 / £349 / A$599. It at the moment ships in three colours — Black, Gray, and Blue — and solely has one 46mm case / 1.3-inch show measurement. It defaults to a silicone strap that matches the case coloration, however you should purchase a nylon strap for $29 that reduces the load by 12g in the event you choose.

The first “Pro” of the PACE lineup, it arrived a few 12 months after the PACE 3 with some key upgrades. The most noticeable is the show enhance from a 1.2-inch non-touch MIP to a 1.3-inch AMOLED touchscreen with an additional 120 pixels per inch and improved brightness.

Plus, you get an additional 5 days or 16 dual-band Location Services hours of battery life, regardless of the change to a extra vivid display screen.

You additionally obtain 2X and 3X sooner CPU and RAM, respectively, together with 3X sooner wi-fi downloads and 32GB storage as an alternative of 4GB (for maps and music). COROS provides new options to each watch that is succesful of it; because the PACE Pro has the quickest processor but, it is able to performance-heavy options like mapping and ought to get years of post-launch updates.

Note: COROS contacted me throughout my overview that “a small variety of watches from the primary manufacturing have a minor defect danger when uncovered to extremely dry and chilly situations. These situations induced some watches to overheat and be uncomfortable to put on. This situation was resolved earlier than PACE Pro went on sale and there’s no danger that client models may have this situation. Only early samples have been impacted.”

I actually by no means had this situation, however I completed my overview with the Black PACE Pro after beginning with the Gray PACE Pro, which is at the moment disabled. Neither mannequin had any noticeable variations by way of accuracy or efficiency.

COROS PACE Pro: What I really like

Reviewing COROS watches can really feel a bit repetitive as a result of every mannequin builds upon the opposite. The options I favored within the 2021 PACE 2, 2022 APEX 2, and 2023 VERTIX 2S largely apply to the PACE Pro, though the VERTIX prices twice as a lot.

Generally talking, COROS watches are light-weight, long-lived, and easy to navigate by the core widgets utilizing the crown (or “digital dial”). COROS does not lock options to pricier or newer fashions, so all the things the PACE Pro tracks is already obtainable on the opposite watches (except their processors are too outdated to assist them).

That’s why testing the PACE Pro is extraordinarily acquainted. COROS’ EvoLab coaching metrics have remained largely unchanged. You see after each run how onerous you labored out, how a lot of your exercise splits into totally different coronary heart charge zones, how lengthy to relaxation earlier than your subsequent run, and different core information that runners must succeed. Aside from a few lacking options I’d love added, it is pretty complete and solely bettering over time.

With just some crown twists, you may discover your every day exercise stats, coaching load and coaching standing, restoration estimates, sleep stats, barometer, and different information; a number of different helpful widgets like race predictions and depth distributions within the submenus by urgent the dial.

The UI is not nice for anybody who cares about apps, messaging, or a digital assistant, however it’s completely specialised for athletes who do not use their watches a lot exterior of sports activities and checking notifications.

The software program can lag behind rival health manufacturers for key options, however COROS has been on an replace tear just lately to catch up (even when COROS itself would not body it that manner). And it makes the PACE Pro a extra well-rounded machine for athletes.

Just in 2024, we have seen COROS add every day stress monitoring, wellness checks, sleep phases & high quality, and nap detection. I feel some equal to Garmin Body Battery or Fitbit Daily Readiness is the subsequent logical step to this collective information, although COROS solely has a Recovery widget for now. The PACE Pro is a lot better at understanding the state of your physique fairly than guessing primarily based in your health stage and exercise depth.

COROS additionally added area of interest health instruments that made the PACE Pro and its siblings higher specialised for critical athletes: real-time group monitoring, gear monitoring, security alerts to emergency contacts, digital pacing, biking energy modes, Strava Live Segments, and turn-by-turn alert arrows. The latter two make the PACE Pro extra useable in the event you care about route navigation or are inclined to re-run the identical routes and need to tempo your self in real-time.

What’s most necessary to me is that the PACE Pro has downloadable maps that present background information to your routes, whereas the $449 Garmin Forerunner 265 solely has breadcrumb navigation — topo maps are restricted to the Forerunner 965.

COROS splits its map into grids, so it solely takes a few minutes to obtain a selected area if, as an illustration, you are vacationing someplace new or flying to a vacation spot marathon. Creating a route within the COROS app is so simple as plopping down Start and End waypoints; energy customers can import GPX recordsdata or use partnered apps like Strava or Komoot to make routes, as nicely.

I hardly ever use map routes on any smartwatch, however I get pleasure from following them on the PACE Pro over every other model for one easy motive: the crown. On my Fenix 8, I’ve to press the Up/Down buttons to zoom out and in, and it feels laggy and laborious; on my PACE Pro, it is so simple as scrolling the dial, and the speedy CPU makes the zoom-in or out really feel easy and fast. I soar from an eagle-eyed view to an in depth perspective in moments.

Maybe the map can pan and zoom so rapidly as a result of it lacks any avenue/path names or factors of curiosity, so there is no context for what’s round you. COROS advised DCR that “path/highway labels are coming in Q1 2025” — one other instance of COROS’ speedy replace cadence paying off — and for now, that is the one adverse to an in any other case optimistic map characteristic.

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The core PACE Pro expertise is light-weight and fairly skinny, makes use of solely a fraction of its battery after an hour-long dual-frequency Location Services run, and has a quick-release strap change so you should purchase and swap in any third-party choice you like — although COROS’ silicone and nylon replacements are very inexpensive at $29 apiece.

I just like the default silicone band due to its breathable design and its two-slot buckle that retains the watch securely in place, whereas different bands have some bounce throughout onerous runs except they’re fixed tightly.

With AOD mode on, the PACE Pro is rated to final six days, although I by no means make it that lengthy with every day exercises. Without AOD, it is rated to final 20 days; once more, I discovered that estimate is a bit beneficiant, but it surely nonetheless simply makes it a few weeks with sleep/stress monitoring and common Location Services actions, which is a normal that’ll maintain 99% of runners pleased sufficient.

COROS PACE Pro: Location Services & Heart charge accuracy take a look at

Back in November, I did an in-depth COROS PACE Pro health take a look at towards the Garmin Fenix 8 for dual-band Location Services accuracy and the Polar H10 for coronary heart charge accuracy, together with a number of lengthy runs, a hike, and a monitor exercise. Rather than repost 1,500 phrases and a dozen graphs right here, I’ll briefly quote my findings.

For location accuracy, “COROS’ redesigned antenna and new Location Services chipset paid off” with a “particular enchancment in Location Services accuracy” in comparison with previous dual-band COROS watches that put it on par with Garmin’s $1,100 flagship.

For coronary heart charge accuracy, I did not see a noticeable distinction between the PACE Pro and PACE 3 regardless of getting a redesigned optical sensor. It’s “usually dependable for coronary heart charge” and higher than your common operating watch, but it surely did fall distinctly quick throughout an anaerobic exercise and was barely too excessive on common over an extended hike. I beneficial “shopping for the COROS armband… in the event you want the absolute best outcomes,” however discovered it adequate for many runners.

Since then, I’ve used the COROS PACE Pro for a number of extra multi-watch runs, together with a 20-mile race carrying 4 watches, to check extra comprehensively how correct it’s. Here’s what I discovered:

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The two coronary heart charge charts above present two extra monitor exercises. The first is extra of the identical: the PACE Pro fell 2 bpm wanting my chest strap’s common as a result of the watch could not sustain when my coronary heart charge rose quickly for 400m or 800m units.

For my second exercise, I did a sustained exercise the place I jogged in between onerous 200m units as an alternative of pausing totally, and the outcomes have been a lot better. You can nonetheless see a definite distinction between the 2, however the hole was smaller, and the rising and falling coronary heart charges allowed the PACE Pro to steadiness out when it was too excessive or low. The HR common ended up being the identical for each.

For a “regular” 13-mile run, the COROS PACE Pro did nicely sufficient, although there’s at all times going to be a niche between a chest strap and an optical wrist-based monitor. Aside from a few coronary heart charge spikes, the PACE Pro was usually a few beats behind the Polar H10, needing a bit of time to catch up.

It in the end fell 1 bpm wanting the H10’s common. Still, an on a regular basis runner will discover the outcomes greater than adequate for correct coronary heart charge zones and coaching load.

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I’m together with a number of extra Location Services screenshots with the COROS PACE Pro (orange) and Garmin Fenix 8 (blue) from that very same 13-mile run, which ended with Garmin and COROS measuring 13.20 and 13.17 miles, respectively. As you’d count on from such comparable outcomes, the Location Services maps are boringly comparable, if imperfect. (Click the field icon to zoom in.)

Basically, Garmin and COROS are typically parallel to or overlap each other in most locations, however do often drift a bit into the road. COROS’ previous dual-band watches did not appear to do as nicely, however the PACE Pro appears totally dependable at this level and continuously beats Garmin’s $1,100 watch.

You can depend on the PACE Pro for dependable Location Services outcomes, and that is arguably extra necessary than HR accuracy: Serious athletes should purchase an exterior HRM in the event you want good outcomes — such because the COROS HRM armband, which syncs robotically with the PACE Pro — however they cannot purchase a satellite tv for pc sign booster (so far as I do know).

COROS PACE Pro: What I do not like

I’d personally select a PACE Pro over a COROS APEX 2 due to the sooner processor, dual-band Location Services, 4x storage, and change to AMOLED. However, some will admire the APEX’s titanium case and sapphire glass, whereas the PACE Pro has a decidedly “sporty” look, which some would possibly name cheap-looking. There’s a motive why it did poorly in my latest smartwatch magnificence pageant.

Whichever COROS watch you purchase, you are not getting NFC for contactless funds. Rival health manufacturers like Polar and Suunto share this situation; not like Garmin, which spent tens of millions to accumulate MatchPay in 2019, most smaller watch manufacturers like COROS haven’t got entry to NFC know-how, which is a deal-breaker for some runners who need to go away their playing cards at residence.

On an identical word, COROS does not have any main music partnerships, so in the event you care about music storage, you must join your watch to your laptop and drag MP3 recordsdata right into a folder. There aren’t any playlists, and songs are organized by add order. That makes the characteristic ineffective for individuals who haven’t got onerous copies of their music and annoying for anybody who’d choose customizability as an alternative of 1 library of songs.

Having spent a lot time testing Wear OS and Apple Watches in 2024, I do discover the COROS UI pretty regressive. Having most of your apps, well being sensors, and settings hidden behind a Back Button-long press, then having to scroll by your choices one-by-one as an alternative of swiping by an app drawer, is a ache.

Instead of with the ability to examine notifications with a swipe from your private home display screen, you must scroll by your widgets, choose “Notifications,” after which scroll by the lot. I’ve additionally discovered that emojis and photographs do not appear to indicate up; COROS is not taking full benefit of its AMOLED improve, on this case.

The watch face choice is enough, if not as widespread as you get with most different smartwatches. Aesthetics apart, my important downside is with the dearth of issues: you’ll be able to’t customise the information you see on the watch faces; solely faucet the again button on the house display screen to swap between a number of pre-chosen metrics like coronary heart charge, dawn/sundown, and elevation. If I need to see my present coaching load, restoration time, or different stats with out having to scroll by menus, I ought to be capable of! And I ought to be capable of faucet & maintain these issues to leap to the related graph.

Beyond these important frustrations, I’d like to see an equal to Garmin’s every day advised exercises fairly than having to rely totally on long-term plans within the Training Hub. Pointing out whether or not I want simpler/medium/onerous exercise and the way a lot coaching load I want (with out overtraining) looks like one thing COROS might do. The similar goes for audio prompts that let you know your mile time or announce your subsequent exercise interval by the speaker or your earbuds with out having to have a look at your display screen.

COROS PACE Pro: Competition

The important COROS PACE Pro rivals are the $449 Garmin Forerunner 265, $399 Polar Vantage M3, and $349 Suunto Race S. They’re all mid-range, multisport smartwatches with AMOLED shows, coaching load and restoration steerage, dual-band Location Services, and at the very least every week of battery life per cost. Both Polar and Suunto have downloadable maps, too.

I’m accustomed to Garmin Forerunner watches, with entry to Garmin Pay, Body Battery, every day advised exercises, morning studies, audio prompts, ANT+ equipment, and a greater number of customizable watch faces. The PACE Pro has a considerably longer battery life than the Forerunner 265, plus ECG readings and downloadable maps as an alternative of merely breadcrumb navigation. Both have 1.3-inch shows, however you should purchase the 1.1-inch Forerunner 265S in the event you choose a lighter expertise. Whether you like a crown or Up/Down buttons for navigation throughout actions is subjective.

The Polar Vantage M3 will probably be my subsequent overview after the PACE Pro, but it surely had strong Location Services accuracy and middling coronary heart charge accuracy in my preliminary testing. I am unable to consider any apparent software program benefits both COROS or Polar have over each other, however the PACE Pro has far superior battery life and show brightness, whereas the Vantage M3 has pores and skin temperature readings, a show flashlight, and a wider array of helpful efficiency and restoration checks.

Having solely reviewed the Suunto Race, I am unable to say personally how nicely the Race S would evaluate, besides that it is the solely different choice with a crown if that is a important COROS perk for you, plus a classier chrome steel bezel. Its battery life is barely every week per cost, and it has no music storage capabilities, but it surely has distinctive Suunto Apps that you could obtain onto the watch that add distinctive smarts.

COROS PACE Pro: Should you purchase it?

You can buy the COROS PACE Pro if…

• You’re a COROS person who’s been ready for an AMOLED show.
• You’re a critical runner in search of epic battery life and helpful coaching steerage to hit PRs.
• You desire a watch with dependable Location Services and coronary heart charge accuracy.

You should not purchase the COROS PACE Pro if…

• You care as a lot about model or ruggedness as coaching options.
• You want a selected, lacking characteristic like contactless funds or Spotify playlists.
• You’re not a fan of crowns for navigation.

I by no means like giving scores to my opinions as a result of it simplifies a sophisticated dialog. I’m giving the PACE Pro a decrease rating than the PACE 3 — or the identical rating because the APEX 2 — though I’d put on the Pro over both watch with out a second thought.

Even if it is an unfair comparability, the PACE Pro prices greater than a Galaxy Watch 7, and so I’ve to weigh its shortcomings in areas like smarts and design on a stricter scale. And as I’ve reviewed a wider array of watches, it is made it clearer in hindsight how previous COROS watches fell quick in key well being and health areas till they closed the hole final 12 months. I’m stricter than I used to be prior to now after I wasn’t skilled sufficient to see what was lacking.

What issues most is that the COROS PACE Pro is a wonderful operating watch, indubitably. It delivers correct Location Services & HR outcomes, in addition to helpful insights into my coaching load and restoration, with comparable findings to different dependable manufacturers. And you are not caught with a uninteresting, low-res MIP show in between exercises.

While the PACE Pro has its shortcomings, I’m genuinely excited to see how characteristic updates all through 2025 will repair a few of them. Otherwise, I’m hoping we’ll see an APEX 3 quickly that delivers the identical accuracy and show enhance paired with a extra fashionable titanium design.