COROS Apex 2 Professional vs. Tempo 3 | Save or Splurge?

In the case of choosing the proper look ahead to operating, the choices can really feel overwhelming. There’s no one-size-fits-all reply as a result of the watch depends upon your particular person preferences and coaching objectives. I’ve been loving the COROS Apex 2 Professional, and I’ve to confess, it’s dusty pink colour is what first caught my eye. However is it the improve you want?

Past the aesthetics, what really stands outs about this watch is it’s spectacular battery life and the completely different metrics it presents to maintain me on monitor with my coaching.  As a marathon runner, who occasionally will prepare for a triathlon, the Apex 2 Professional helped me to do all of the issues.

Let’s check out the COROS Apex 2 Professional after which we’ll leap in do a comparability of the Apex 2 Professional vs Tempo 3.

COROS Apex 2 Professional Evaluation

Over the previous few years I’ve skilled with the wide selection of COROS watches from funds pleasant all the way in which to excessive finish, which has given me a vergy good sense of the completely different options and match.

The Apex 2 Professional is taken into account the final word out of doors sports activities watch, but it surely doesn’t have that tremendous cumbersome or heavy look like different multi-sport or journey watches (i.e the Garmin Enduro which we do love, however is a hunk!).

This watch was constructed to go on adventures within the mountains and be capable to stand up to the temperatures and tough terrain. As COROS described it, the Apex 2 Professional balances sturdiness and performance.

This watch could possibly be an incredible match whether or not you’re hitting the roads for a marathon or the paths for an extremely. However let’s dive extra into the options earlier than you make that remaining determination.

Commonplace Apex 2 Professional Options

The COROS Apex 2 Professional actually does supply the entire bells and whistles attainable, so right here’s a fast overview of what to anticipate.

As at all times, you should have simply the only dial on the aspect for controlling entry to screens and information.  I personally discovered this simple to make use of, however as famous I’ve worn a ton of Coros watches. Others discover it complicated to not have your normal 4 aspect buttons for begin, cease, laps, and so on.

• GPS for run, bike, swim, path run and extra
• Choices to trace different varieties of exercises
• Twin-frequency GPS
• Step monitoring, sleeping monitoring
• Wrist primarily based HR monitor
• Music controls- play offline music when paired with Bluetooth headsets
• Water-resistant
• Treadmill calibration
• Means to program exercises and threshold zones
• Evening mode
• Altitude Mode
• Touchscreen-enabled map management

COROS Options

There are a variety of coaching options which might be out there throughout all COROS units. The Apex 2 Professional being on the upper finish of their watches does have a couple of additional options like an extended battery life, a much bigger exercise library and an additional button.

Right here’s a breakdown of some of the options that will help you make the choice about that $449 price ticket.

Wrist Based mostly HR

This has been fairly correct however I did discover that within the colder months right here in Colorado cadence lock was extra prone to happen. I nonetheless will pair my watch with both a chest strap or arm coronary heart charge monitor in order that it’s persistently correct.

This is without doubt one of the huge drawbacks for Coros, they haven’t nailed HR readings. Not that any watch is ideal, however their tech appears to be fairly far off. So if you wish to prepare by HR, you completely want an exterior monitor.

I’ve used the Coros Armband a ton and really feel actually good with it, Coach Amanda tends to want the Polar HR Armband, so it’s actually a private choice. They’ll all sync as much as nearly any watch.

Exercise Modes

This watch was designed with the athlete who needs to do all of it in thoughts. There are alternatives for something from operating, to triathlon to out of doors climbing, the record goes on.

You possibly can even create a customized exercise to trace your entire exercises for extra correct metrics.

Treadmill Mode

It doesn’t matter what watch you might be utilizing it’s by no means going to be correct on the treadmill. It could possibly’t use GPS and it’s going to use your stride charge or arm actions however even that’s only a guess.

There are a couple of choices when utilizing the Apex 2 professional:

• Calibrate characteristic to replace your remaining distance earlier than hitting save
• Setting the pace in your watch earlier than hitting begin. You can even hit the pause button and alter all through the run. The one unfavourable factor about that is that it solely improve each .5 mph
• Including a foot pod to assist get a extra correct studying

Additional time when you use the calibrate characteristic the watch ought to begin to get nearer to being extra correct along with your treadmill runs.

Battery Life

Like with the entire COROS watches, they’ve an unbelievable battery life. Whereas there are such a lot of options on the watch, the battery life might be on the high of my favourite record. I don’t have to fret about needing to cost my watch every day and even weekly.

For the Apex 2 Professional you may count on:

• 21 days of normal use
• 66 hours of full GPS

I’ve gone via marathon and triathlon coaching cycles with their watches and am at all times impressed with how far I can stretch the time between fees.

Coaching Options

There are two newer options to the COROS ecosystem that will help you prepare and even carry out higher on race day and they’re each out there on the Apex 2 Professional.

Digital Pacer
In the event you’re focusing on a purpose time for a distance that’s 5k or longer, you may arrange the Digital Pacer earlier than you toe the beginning line.

You’ll be capable to see in your watch face all through your race how you might be doing along with your pacing to hit your purpose goal.

• Open Run mode in your watch
• Choose Digital Pacer
• Set goal distance and time

The factor I like finest is that the watch shouldn’t be going to consistently beep at you when you’re in or out of vary. I’ve had a structured exercise arrange prior to now throughout races and that fixed beeping simply made me an increasing number of anxious!

Extender Characteristic
As an alternative of getting to look down on the small watch face throughout a exercise, you may have actual time information in your cellphone display screen to maintain monitor of the place you might be. That is tremendous useful when indoor coaching on the bike, rower and even a power exercise!

Customise Information Screens

In the event you love information, you’ll admire the countless metrics out there proper in your watch throughout any exercise. But when an excessive amount of information feels overwhelming and takes away from having fun with your runs, you may customise your watch face to maintain it easy, exhibiting solely the main points that matter most to you.

It’s tremendous simple to customise the info in your screens by completely different exercise profiles and even your every day information.

• Distance and Elevation
• Tempo, Lap Tempo, Effort Tempo, Velocity
• Coronary heart Fee, Avg HR, Max HR, Lactate HR
• Energy
• Operating Type (cadence, stride, floor time)
• Coaching Load
• Time

When you end a exercise, you may pull up your post-run information and see what your Effectivity Rating, Coaching Load and different metrics had been. It can even present you what your finest mile and common tempo was for the whole exercise.

You possibly can scroll via the abstract screens instantly after your exercise or go to your exercise historical past to evaluation a earlier exercise from that month.

Who’s the Apex 2 Professional Greatest For?

This watch goes to cater to a variety of runners. It may be an incredible choice for newbie runners however understand that the entire additional options and metrics could possibly be overwhelming.

For this reason we regularly advocate the $149 entry stage watch to a ton of parents. Paying additional received’t make you a greater runner. 😉

The watch is fairly simple to make use of proper out of the field however the app or coaching hub could take a while getting used to. However I feel that’s going to be the case with no matter watch model you employ.

In the event you’re a multi-sport athlete, triathlete or an adventurer this will likely be an ideal watch selection! 

On the flipside, when you’re actually used to utilizing a Garmin or Polar with the 4 aspect buttons, it may be actually tough to modify to only a dial on the aspect. Coach Amanda has examined a variety of GPS watch and simply by no means fell in love with Coros because of the navigation on display screen and HR monitoring.

COROS Apex 2 Professional vs COROS Tempo 3

The standout distinction between the watches is the worth tag, what the watch is made out of and battery life. However here’s a aspect by aspect comparability to place it on paper for you!

The place to purchase the COROS Apex 2 Professional and Tempo 3?

Discover the COROS Apex 2 Professional right here >>$449 at each REI and Amazon 

Discover the COROS Tempo 3 right here >> $229 at each REI and Amazon

There may be our evaluation in regards to the COROS Apex 2 Professional and the way it compares to the Tempo 3. We hope that this helps along with your determination if you’re on the fence about what watch to get!

Nonetheless enthusiastic about your choices? Right here some additional information to assist: