Let’s simply name it what it’s: the Ford F-150 of watches—sturdy, practical and constructed for the wilderness. The Coros Apex 4 is the model’s entry-level superwatch and a very good selection for runners who prioritize efficiency over additional smartwatch options. Coros has earned a status for delivering spectacular battery life, dependable GPS accuracy and premium options at a worth that undercuts a lot of the competitors.
For those who’re searching for contactless funds, a deep app ecosystem or a shiny AMOLED show, the Apex 4 most likely isn’t the look ahead to you. Nevertheless, in case your priorities are lengthy battery life, correct monitoring and rugged sturdiness, it’s among the finest values accessible. I wore the Apex 4 on trails and metropolis streets for a number of weeks and got here away impressed by each its performance and surprisingly light-weight really feel.
Specs
Weight (with silicone band): 64 g
Show materials: Reminiscence-in-Pixel (MIP)
Show dimension: 46 mm (1.3 in.)
Each day use battery life: 24 days
GPS mode battery life: 65 hours
Particular options: electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor, offline topographic mapping, titanium bezel and sapphire glass show
Value: C$589
Charging is overrated
Battery life has lengthy been certainly one of Coros’s largest strengths, and the Apex 4 continues that custom. If you’re deep into a protracted path run or all-day journey, worrying about your watch dying shouldn’t be a part of the expertise; and let’s be sincere, if you happen to can’t publish it to Strava, did it even occur?
The Apex 4 delivers as much as 65 hours of GPS monitoring in endurance mode, whereas nonetheless offering offline mapping and as much as 24 days of battery life throughout on a regular basis use, together with sleep monitoring. For runners tackling ultramarathons, multi-day adventures or who merely neglect to cost their watch, these numbers are exhausting to beat.
I examined the 46 mm model, and whereas it by no means felt heavy, it regarded somewhat outsized on my smaller-than-average wrists. Thankfully, Coros additionally affords a 42 mm mannequin, though you need to commerce in some battery life, shedding about 20 hours of GPS time. For those who worth endurance over consolation, you could wish to keep on with the bigger choice, which is able to look high quality on most wrists.
Perform over trend
The Apex 4 isn’t making an attempt to win any magnificence contests, and that’s completely high quality; clearly prioritizing sturdiness and efficiency over flashy design, Coros has delivered a terrific path and mountain companion.
The titanium bezel and scratch-resistant sapphire glass make the watch really feel prepared to be used and abuse. Whether or not you unintentionally drop it at residence or scrape it in opposition to a rock midway via a technical path, it is going to maintain up. New to the Apex collection is an electrocardiogram sensor for coronary heart rhythm monitoring, including one other layer of well being monitoring to an already feature-rich bundle.
With the watch and the silicone band, my Apex 4 was 64 g and stayed snug on each run. For those who would relatively shave off just a few grams, the optionally available nylon band reduces the load to 51 g. Coros has additionally added a speaker and microphone for hands-free calling, giving the Apex 4 just a few extra smartwatch credentials, so it will possibly compete with premium fashions with out shedding its performance-first id.
It’s possible you’ll hesitate as a result of the Apex 4 makes use of an MIP show as a substitute of AMOLED, however I by no means discovered it to be a problem. The display remained simple to learn in shiny afternoon solar and within the night gentle, whether or not I used to be checking tempo or mapping a route. The MIP display additionally helps ship better battery life, making it one of many best compromises to simply accept.
High-tier options
Offline topo maps shortly grew to become certainly one of my favorite options, making me really feel like an elite ultrarunner even when I used to be solely working a restoration 5K. Mixed with dual-band GNSS monitoring, navigation felt constantly correct, whether or not I used to be weaving via metropolis streets or exploring unfamiliar trails.
As somebody who doesn’t normally depend on maps throughout runs, I discovered the topo intuitive and genuinely helpful. The maps embrace road and path names, 3D terrain and quick-access navigation. For those who take a fallacious flip, urgent the button on the left aspect of the watch instantly brings up the map, making it simple to get your bearings with out interrupting your run.
The Apex 4 additionally consists of nearly each coaching metric you would ask for, together with coronary heart fee, coronary heart fee variability (HRV), sleep phases and blood oxygen saturation. All the things syncs cleanly with the Coros app, the place the info is straightforward to know and discover. The app additionally affords personalised coaching plans, tracks coaching load and restoration and offers helpful steering as race day approaches.
Verdict
The Apex 4 isn’t flashy, however it doesn’t should be, as a result of it delivers what issues to runners: distinctive battery life, correct monitoring and a troublesome construct that’s prepared for every part from every day coaching to all-day adventures. For those who’re after a smartwatch first, there are different choices, but when your precedence is logging dependable kilometres with out continually reaching for the charger, the Apex 4 is without doubt one of the best working watches to suggest, particularly at its worth level.
