COROS APEX 2 Pro

COROS are back in the headlines just a couple of weeks following their launch of the POD 2, this time with the APEX 2 and the APEX 2 Pro releases. These two watches upgrade their predecessors, the APEX and APEX Pro. In this review we take a close look at the APEX Pro 2, comparing it to its predecessor and the VERTIX 2.

In 2020, we reviewed the APEX, APEX 2 and VERTIX for Trail Running Magazine and were super impressed with how they compared with their peers, in particular their battery life and design. Since then COROS has gone from strength to strength and it’s always great to see a company supporting their older products as well as upgrading their existing range. We recently reviewed the VERTIX 2 which although we love, for most runners it’s going to be overkill based on functionality vs price. This is why the APEX 2 and APEX 2 Pro hit that sweet spot.

Karin one of our UK guides got try out the APEX Pro 2 and these are her thoughts.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

First impressions, the APEX 2 Pro has become more stylised. The watch has clean lines and a sleek silver nylon watch strap (now the default option), which will appeal to the everyday user. However, Velcro fastening make me a little nervous, we are at that time of the year now when I spend 50% of my day seemingly covered in mud or in a rain deluge. The silicon watch strap is available though as an accessory if that’s your preference too. The ‘Explore Perfection’ is a nice touch printed on the inner strap and as a running coach I encourage all my clients to create mantras for themselves to encourage/motivate/inspire/give confidence, so this was right up my street. The possibility of a personalised option in future would be a great addition!

Sticking with appearances, the size of the new watch is a little narrower (46.1 x 46.5 x 14mm), but deeper than the previous APEX Pro (47 x 47 x 13.4mm), but still noticeably smaller than the VERTIX 2 (50.3 x 50.3 x 15.7mm). The size of the display sits exactly between the two models at 1.3 inches. It’s 4g heavier than its predecessor, but almost 20g lighter than the VERTIX 2.

KEY UPGRADES vs APEX Pro

Ok so what are you really getting for this upgrade? Here’s a quick flyover, although there are some additional aspects, these are the ones which we thought most interesting!

• HRV – Heart Rate Variability Support
• Offline and preloaded maps with touchscreen
• A Redesigned GPS antenna for 50% higher performance
• Support for All Systems satellites for maximizing signal quantity – that’s the Dual Frequency feature we saw in the VERTIX 2
• Simple button design with a large digital dial for operation with gloves on
• 32GB of memory which allows for MP3s to be imported – COROS have also said they are looking to support streaming services in 2023
• 50% more battery life than before, 75 hours vs 45 hours on standard GPS mode and 30 vs 17 days normal use

COROS disrupted the sports watch market with their battery life. At the forefront of this upgrade is battery life and GPS functionality. Battery life remains absurdly good, with 75 hours in standard full GPS mode, up from 45 hours, with the addition of dual frequency all satellite available, from single frequency. What does that mean practicality wise? Essentially, it’s great for when operating in GPS difficult environments, such as urban areas, dense forests and cliffs which is why you may have noticed, multipitch climbing is now included on the workout sessions. However, if you are looking to get a top 10 STRAVA segment on that setting, forget it! It’s way too accurate.

Further upgrades include HRV measurement, quickly becoming a popular recovery tracker for athletes, and one which I’ve come to use daily on the VERTIX 2. Additionally, music is now available offline by downloading to the storage capacity on the watch. We await keenly the ability to stream music which COROS hints is coming next year.

Navigationally, landscape maps are now already pre-loaded, with topo available to download, as previous. When I tested the original APEX Pro, I found the navigation to be a few metres off for a large portion of the run, almost strangely so, which could have been a glitch. This time, I tested the watch in both standard and dual frequency, and on both counts, the navigation was on the nose each time. You can zoom in and out using the central dial, and use touch screen to move around the map to see what’s coming up. One aspect I love in the nav function is the progressive ascent display which shows the ascent profile, and how far along in the run you are. I often will specifically map my routes to take in certain elevation, both in the Chilterns, and even more so out in the Alps, so this is a really nice feature.

APEX 2 Pro vs VERTIX 2