The Coros Apex 2 and Coros Apex 2 Professional have landed, boasting specs to rival a few of the prime trail-running watches round proper now. Coros has at all times been one thing of an underdog in comparison with giants of the class, resembling Garmin, and though we haven’t but had the chance to assessment the watches in full, it’s doubtless at the least one in every of them will find yourself on our greatest working watch record if their specs sheets are something to go by. 

Boasting multi-band satellite tv for pc connectivity for pinpoint accuracy, Coros Apex 2 and a pair of Professional are tailored for path and tri occasions. A rugged raised bezel, with sapphire glass and titanium-alloy case, the digital “knob” on the aspect of every watch is, just like the function on the unique Apex and the brand new Apple Watch Extremely, designed to be operated with gloves on whereas transferring. 

Each are 5ATM water-resistant (appropriate for floor actions like swimming and browsing, however not for diving) and in addition supply downloadable topographical maps. Lots of the options are taken from its top-flight Vertix line all the way down to a barely cheaper price level, costing $499 within the US, £319 within the UK, and AU$859 in Australia for the Professional and $399, £399 and AU$699 for the Apex 2. Though our official verdict is but to return in, the Coros Apex 2 and Apex 2 Professional current as strong entries within the sub-$500 path working watch class. 

But when the watches actually appear to shine in a single space, it’s battery life. The Coros Apex 2 Professional claims it’ll final in smartwatch mode for 30 days, whereas the Apex 2 states 17 days. With all GPS methods firing, the watches are stated to final for an enormous 45 hours (for the Apex 2 Professional) and 30 hours (for the Apex 2). For context, the Garmin Forerunner 955 Photo voltaic, our alternative of well being and health system of the yr and a detailed match to this worth level, comes to only 22 hours even with that Energy Glass photo voltaic extension.

Evaluation: Take a look at for fulfillment

Coros has at all times been a strong purchase in the case of selecting a health watch, but it surely’s a comparatively younger model that’s at all times crowded out by the extra fashionable and better-known Garmin, to not point out the large chew of the smartwatch market taken by Apple and Samsung.

Nevertheless, if Coros manages to create a complete, well-designed health watch (which it nearly at all times does) and declare Garmin-beating battery life when the Forerunner 955 Photo voltaic is doing so nicely, it is an ideal indicator of issues to return. The Vertix already did one thing related with Garmin’s monumental Enduro line of premium health watches, which positioned itself because the battery to beat.

We stay up for placing each the Apex 2 and Apex 2 Professional by their paces to seek out out if these battery life claims actually are all they appear.

Is Garmin in hassle? Not but. It’s too large, and albeit too good, and the distrust round sure Chinese language producers resembling Huawei may maintain Coros again. However Coros is set to proceed making units adequate to problem Garmin’s dominance, which may solely profit watch followers as now we have extra nice tech to select from.