Coros is strengthening its core range with the 2nd generation of its Apex outdoor multisport watches. New cardio sensor, GNSS chip, doubled autonomy, cartography… there is no shortage of improvements to make the Apex 2 and 2 Pro rivals to watches from Garmin and Polar.
Pros
- Robust and light
- Comfortable strap
- Good cardio and GPS accuracy
- Comprehensive application
- Very good battery life
Cons
- No route creation from the watch
Overview
The Apex 2 and Apex 2 Pro now share most of their technical characteristics: touch screen, multi-GNSS chip, new optical cardio sensor, internal memory for music playback and mapping, sapphire crystal and titanium bezel…
The Apex 2 Pro stands out for its dual-frequency GNSS chip, its greater memory capacity and, above all, its larger size of 46 mm (compared to 43 mm), which allows it to integrate a larger screen (1.3″ compared to 1.2″) and to gain 50% in battery life (45 hours in multi-GNSS mode).
With such characteristics, the Apex 2 Pro competes with the Garmin Forerunner 955.
Design
For its Apex 2 Pro, Coros has taken the design of its Apex Pro but has opted for a slightly more compact format (46.1 x 46.5 mm compared to 47 x 47 mm). The Apex 2 Pro is thicker and heavier, on the other hand, reaching 14 mm (compared to 13.4 mm, excluding the thickness of the sensor island) for 53 g (with nylon strap; 66 g with silicone strap). This lightness contributes to the wearing comfort, especially since the watch holds well thanks to the precise adjustment allowed by its nylon strap.
Despite its reduced size, the Apex 2 Pro has a slightly larger screen, increasing to 1.3″ with a definition of 260 x 260 px (compared to 1.2″ and 240 x 240 px for the Apex Pro). The screen is still protected by a sapphire crystal, which is naturally very resistant to scratches.
The display technology does not change either, and it is a transflective MiP (memory-in-pixel) LCD. This displays only 64 colours and has low contrast, but it has the advantage of being very readable in sunlight. An important point when it comes to an outdoor multisport watch. The backlighting is still there so that the screen is readable indoors and is automatically activated when the watch’s screen is turned towards us. It’s a pity you can’t adjust its intensity for night use.
While the Apex Pro claimed to be 10 ATM waterproof, the Apex 2 Pro is content with 5 ATM, Coros reserving the higher level for its Vertix 2 from now on. Regrettable for water sports and diving enthusiasts who will have no choice but to turn to the latter.
Interface
Designed for sports, Coros watches employ an interface logically structured around sports and physiological data. Some of this data is displayed directly on the dial, with the default dial showing, for example, calories burned during the day, number of steps, number of flights of stairs climbed and instant heart rate. To access the full range of data, scroll through the widgets by rotating the crown or swiping vertically on the touchscreen.
The widget overview is reminiscent of Garmin watches. It quickly shows calories burned, hours of activity, steps taken, number of flights of stairs climbed, running performance and a run predictor showing pace and estimated time for key distances (5k, 10k, half and marathon), fatigue level and training load over the last few days, recovery level, heart rate, last night’s sleep phase, altitude, sunrise and sunset times, air pressure, skin temperature, and finally any training plan started and the last notification. One press of the crown button is all it takes to access the detailed information for each widget. The bottom button is used to return to the previous screen, while the top button is configurable and turns the screen on by default.
The watch’s other functions are accessible via a menu that is opened by holding down the bottom button: timer, stopwatch, alarms, do not disturb mode, music playback, compass, and cartography… Everything you could need for your daily life or sports is available on this menu. The corresponding icons appear on the edges of the screen in an arc. You can scroll through them with the crown or by touch.
The list of activities is displayed simply by pressing the button on the crown. All that remains is to choose your sport from among the 28 proposed, modify the parameters if necessary (choice of a split mode for running, for example), and then launch the activity by pressing the same button. The watch then displays several data fields simultaneously (up to 8) and on several screens that you scroll through by turning the wheel. Simple and efficient.
Application
The Apex 2 Pro works with the Coros application (Android and iOS). Its interface is organised classically, with a tab for each type of information. The first is the home screen, where you can see the latest data acquired via the watch, offering a panorama of your day. A dynamic display on which we can find a summary of the last sports activity we did, our average heart rate, the calories burned and the number of steps taken since the beginning of the day, sleep monitoring…
The details of the activities are grouped in chronological order in the second tab. The second tab contains the reports that allow us to analyse our sports sessions in more detail and to extract or share information.
The third tab summarises our performance: VO2 Max, resting and threshold heart rate, marathon level, and pace. The in-house “EvoLab” algorithm calculates all this data automatically during our sessions. This tab also gives access to the race predictor, which estimates the duration and average pace we can aim for to complete a 5 km, 10 km, half-marathon or marathon. Muscle builders will appreciate seeing on a muscle heat map which muscles they have worked on so as not to forget any.
In this third tab of the Coros app, you can create more or less complex workouts or activate those you have previously downloaded.
Despite the integration of a map in the watch, it is unfortunately not possible to create routes in this application. You can only import GPX files to transfer them to the watch.
The fourth and last tab gives access to the watch settings and the management of the elements to be synchronised (training, routes, etc.).
Uses and precisionCoros introduces a new optical cardio sensor for its Apex 2. This incorporates 5 green LEDs (for heart rate measurement) and 1 red LED (for SpO2 measurement), associated with 4 receivers, in an arrangement that is supposed to improve the accuracy of the measurements. Two electrodes are added to measure heart rate variability and detect whether the watch is worn properly. At the time of our test, no electrocardiogram function was offered despite the presence of these electrodes commonly used for this purpose.
In terms of GPS tracking, the Apex 2 Pro does well. There are still some deviations from the road, but changes in direction are well detected. A special feature of the Apex 2 Pro is that its GNSS chip can acquire signals on 2 frequencies simultaneously for better accuracy in congested environments (city centres, forests…). During our tests, the accuracy was not significantly better than the Apex 2, but it must be said that the Apex 2 also did very well. The forest segments reduce the accuracy of both watches, but the Apex 2 Pro maintains a more consistent track.
Battery life
On paper, the Apex 2 Pro is as durable as its predecessor, the Apex Pro, with no less than 30 days of daily use. However, reaching this duration with a watch designed for sports activities takes time and effort. During our first test period, the Apex 2 Pro lasted 23 days with its default settings and almost no sports activity due to injury. By activating the permanent real-time heart rate tracking (1-sec rate vs 10 min default) during our second test period, where we could resume light sports activity, the battery life was reduced by 6 days.
Charging is done with a USB cable whose proprietary connector is plugged into the back of the watch. We measured a 1 h 18 min duration for a complete charge of the Apex 2 Pro with a fast charger.
Conclusion
The Apex 2 Pro is well-equipped with hardware and software and has excellent overall performance and long battery life. Its integrated mapping is a definite asset, although its rising price no longer allows it to beat the competition regarding the functionality/price ratio.
COROS APEX 2 Pro GPS Outdoor Watch Kilian Jornet Edition
