COROS

Apr 21, 2023

I write about fitness, health and wearable tech Got it! Coros Coros has announced a huge software update for its Apex 2 and Pace 2 watches that provides the kind of upgrades that might usually be seen in a brand new watch. The most impactful of these changes is the new navigation mode for the Coros Pace 2. This does not add full support for maps, like a top-end Garmin watch, but lets you generate routes in the Coros app, and then sync them over to the watch. When you navigate, you’ll see a line drawing of the route. No terrain, or roads for reference. But it's still going to help you avoid getting lost when out on a hike, and it's a fantastic feature for a watch as affordable as the Coros Pace 2. Coros Explore app Coros’s mobile app also gets a thorough re-working, to make mapping on the higher-end Apex 2 and Apex 2 Pro watches more useful. Map areas can be managed directly on the phone companion app, within the Explore page, rather than having to plug them into a PC to transfer over the map data. This applies to the Apex 2 watches and the Vertix 2. Coros also says the maximum number of routes that can be saved to the watches has been raised from 10 to 30. The phone app is also where you'll create routes, by drawing them on your phone screen. The app lets you add Waypoints, spots you might register as signposts or sights that tell you how far into the ride, run or walk you are. MORE FOR YOU These changes bring the Coros watches closer to the level of their Garmin rivals, while costing less than most of that company's big hitters like the Fenix 7 and Forerunner 965. When I used the Coros Apex 2 last year I though its mapping features were clumsy. This update appears to address that problem. Coros EvoLab 2.0 Coros has also updated its EvoLab software, the series of algorithms that estimate how fit you are. It says the accuracy has improved, and the level of exercise you have to do to get it ticking over has actually decreased. EvoLab 2.0, as Coros calls it, now offers a running fitness test too, which should help to refine your results further. The update introduces a stack more third-party integrations as well. These are Google Health, HRV4Training, Fourth Frontier, Intervals.icu and Dangelo. I've never used most of these, but it’s good news if you're a fan. Already own one of these Coros watches? The update rolls out to beta software users from April 24, while the wider public release is expected in May. For more info on becoming a beta software tester, head to the Coros website . Finally, Coros has also brought down the prices of the Apex 2, the Apex 2 Pro and Apex 2 Pro Kilian Jornet Edition. Each drops $50, bring the Coros Apex 2 to $349, the Apec 2 Pro to $449 and the special edition to $499. And if you've bought one of these watches already, you can even get a $50 rebate. It’s in the form of a voucher for the Coros store, though, before you get too excited. Follow me on  Twitter .