Coros Apex Pro smartwatch

California-based, Coros launched their first sports watch in 2018 and have continued to expand their range. The Apex Pro was launched in September 2019 but has only recently arrived in the UK.

As with any smart sport’s watch, you need first to download the Coros app to get the most from it. Most of the settings on the watch you control via the app, so you need a reasonably up-to-date smartphone (I have an iPhone 7 from 2016) with sufficient storage to download it. The app allows you to view your activity in detail with various graphs showing your data.

Having been very familiar with the Garmin app for several years now, the Coros app works very much the same way, showing the usual parameters of exercise times, heart rates, calories, steps, etc.
There are more than 20 activities to choose from, and for each one, you can customise your data screens to your heart’s content. You can have up to six screens, each one displaying up to six data fields – that’s a dizzying 36 different items of information. The watch can also be set up to receive notifications from your phone.

The APEX Pro itself has three control buttons (one of them with a rotating crown) and a limited touch screen. I like the rotating crown, perhaps it reminds me of the days of wind-up watches, but it’s a much more logical and clean looking solution than adding more pushbuttons.

I haven’t yet tested the watch on the water as I have been way too busy getting this Paddler and the SUP Mag UK to the printers; however, I’ll be kayaking and SUPing out several times in the next few weeks and will update in the next issue.

However, having completed running workouts, the operation of the watch is straightforward and, in truth, very easy. Unlock the watch with the main middle dial by twisting it, push once, and you’re presented with whichever activity to want to record. Select the activity; the watch seeks a GPS signal very quickly. Once the GPS is found, push again, and you’re recording what you’re doing. It’s that quick and easy.

An important point here is about the twisting of the middle dial to unlock the watch and end an activity, which can be fiddly, especially at the end of a run. So my advice is to go into settings and adjust it to where you alternatively depress the button for a few seconds to unlock – so much easier.

The Apex Pro has an almost flush wrist-based optical heart rate sensor, and it’s pretty accurate from what I can gauge; however, the sensor has to stay in contact with your skin. Otherwise, you are wasting your time. This means the watch has to be tight to the skin, and not everyone enjoys the sensation. It also means you cannot wear the watch over the sleeve for cold runs, so you would have to wear a chest strap. This isn’t a criticism of the Apex Pro, as the same applies to any watch using a wrist-based sensor.

Having said that, once you’ve strapped it on, you’ll barely notice it on your skin, weighing in at only 59g – it feels impossibly light! The silicone strap is soft, too, with a quick-release – no screwdrivers needed!

The next big plus for the Apex Pro is the battery life – it just keeps going and going and longer than any other smartwatch I’ve worn, including Apple, Polar, Garmin, etc. A clever feature is that the backlight automatically illuminates when you turn your wrist upwards. In settings, you can configure it to switch on all day, off altogether or to come on during the hours of darkness only.

To conclude, this is a fine example of a smartwatch that is easy to use, comparatively cheap compared to the opposition with a few nice touches. Both app and watch are easy to use and give in-depth analysis, with the ability to connect to third-party apps like Strava and Garmin, adding more functionality and all sharable to social media too.

Personally though, the three big plusses are the rotating crown; the longevity of the battery and number one has to be the weight – or lack of it – a great introduction to the brand.

RRP – £449.99