Coros Apex 2 Pro review

After launching the unique Apex, Coros determined to replace it a yr later with the Apex Professional giving it a much bigger case, mapping and navigation abilities and an optical pulse oximeter the important thing variations between the Professional and non-pro model.

The late 2022 Apex 2 Professional reviewed right here guarantees a handful of upgrades on its predecessor together with a brand new dual-band GPS chipset, higher battery life and a brand new ECG sensor.

These new additions do come at an additional price, with the Apex 2 Professional leaping up $100/£100 in worth. The query is that if there’s sufficient right here to warrant making that improve from the unique Professional and whether or not this is among the finest sports activities watches you should buy proper now.

Design & construct

• Weighs 53g-66g
• 46mm case solely
• Larger 1.3-inch show

The Coros Apex 2 Professional has dropped in case measurement in comparison with the primary Apex Professional, shifting to a 46mm case, with titanium alloy as a substitute of an aluminium one and the selection of nylon or silicone watch straps. The bezel continues to be comprised of a Grade 5 titanium however now will get the addition of a PVD coating to spice up safety.

The burden has barely jumped up general with both band possibility, and it’s just a little thicker as nicely in comparison with the older Professional, however general it’s been a snug watch to put on and for those who appreciated the rugged out of doors watch however not too cumbersome look of the primary Apex Professional, you’ll be comfortable right here.

There’s now a bigger, 1.3-inch 260 x 260 decision always-on transflective show comprised of Sapphire glass that doesn’t ship a large enchancment on what Coros placed on the Apex Professional. It nonetheless presents good all-round visibility, however lacks the punch and color of an AMOLED show.

It’s a touchscreen show as nicely identical to the Apex Professional, which emits small haptic vibrations whenever you work together with it and whereas it’s not as slick as touchscreen on a ‘correct’ smartwatch, it does add one other additional dimension of management, significantly for getting round menu screens.

Mike Sawh

Bodily controls stay the identical with a backlight button and again button flanking the digital crown you should utilize to scroll by screens and could be pressed to get you into the primary exercise display screen.

The Apex 2 Professional can now function in additional excessive hot and cold circumstances however has now dropped its water-resistant certification from 10ATM to a 5ATM one, which suggests you may submerge in water as much as 50 metres versus 100 metres.

Well being and health monitoring

• Added ECG sensor for HRV measurements
• Twin-band GPS mode
• ANT+ connectivity dropped

From a sports activities monitoring and exercise monitoring standpoint, there’s actually only some options that separate the Apex 2 Professional from the Apex Professional. How helpful these options are going to be will depend on how a lot you care about extra dependable out of doors monitoring and having an additional sensor to gauge restoration from powerful exercises.

All the identical sports activities modes are the identical, together with core ones like working, mountaineering, mountaineering, indoor and out of doors biking, open water and pool swimming, snowboarding and there’s a triathlon mode like there may be on all Coros watches. The one notable addition right here is for multi-pitch climbs, so if that’s your bag, then the Apex 2 Professional has received your again.

Mike Sawh

The massive change right here is the addition of an all-satellite, twin frequency chipset, which primarily guarantees to ship extra correct positioning knowledge in sometimes problematic areas like monitoring close to tall buildings as an illustration. That does come on the expense of battery life nevertheless. In my runs in opposition to the very excessive performing multi-band mode on Garmin’s Epix 2, the Apex 2 Professional in that dual-frequency mode carried out nicely. It was by no means similar on distance monitoring and there was the odd hole in GPS tracks, however it was nearer sufficient and metrics like common pacing typically instructed the identical story.

For coronary heart price knowledge, I discovered that common coronary heart price knowledge tended to be fairly far off a MyZone chest strap monitor, as a lot as 10bpm at occasions. It fared higher capturing most coronary heart price readings, although I’d say reap the benefits of pairing up an exterior coronary heart price monitor for those who care about these coronary heart price stats. You’ll simply solely have the ability to try this over Bluetooth, as a result of Coros has chosen to not embody ANT+ connectivity assist.

The opposite massive function right here is the electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor, which received’t inform you’ve received a critical well being difficulty, however can provide you extra of an perception into how your physique is recovering from stress. Like its inclusion on the Coros Vertix 2 and cheaper Apex 2, there’s electrodes constructed into the watch crown that you simply’ll place your finger on to take one-minute measurements to take a stress measurement by coronary heart price variability. It’ll then rating you between 1-100 and provide an perception into the extent of stress your physique is present process. 

The extra knowledge you set within the extra dependable that knowledge could be and it solely turns into extra personalised after 3 days of measurements. It’s a function undoubtedly geared in the direction of those that take a extra hardcore strategy to coaching and finetuning that coaching.

Elsewhere, you’re getting just about the identical expertise as you’ll get on the Apex Professional. There’s the identical mapping and navigation assist, which is nice to see however the execution isn’t good. There’s the power to construct exercises, coaching plans and extra superior metrics and insights accessible together with coaching load, VO2 Max, a restoration timer and extra running-focused options like a marathon predictor. You’ve received the identical exercise monitoring and sleep monitoring assist right here too, which undoubtedly really feel much less of a precedence than in comparison with these pure sports activities monitoring options.

Whether or not you’re a runner, climber, swimmer or need one thing to higher account to your energy coaching time, the Apex 2 Professional has modes for you. It’s actually in regards to the added dual-frequency chipset and ECG sensor that separates the brand new Professional from the previous one.

Smartwatch options

• View notifications
• Constructed-in music participant 
• Works with GoPro and Insta 360 motion cameras

If you wish to use the Apex 2 Professional like a smartwatch, you are able to do that. Whether or not you’ve received an Android telephone or an iPhone in your pocket, you’ve received entry to the primary Coros app, which does a speedy job of pairing and syncing knowledge. That features syncing to the companion app or to one of many many third get together apps it helps like Strava, TrainingPeaks and Ultimate Surge.

The smartwatch expertise is okay general, however for those who’re anticipating or wanting an Apple Watch or Samsung Galaxy Watch stage of smartwatch expertise, put together to be dissatisfied.

Mike Sawh

You possibly can view notifications, set alarms and timers and you’ll decide from a set of watch faces. There’s no funds, devoted app retailer or the power to deal with calls. One factor Coros has added that you simply don’t get on the primary Apex Professional is a built-in music participant. That music participant will solely work with your individual MP3 recordsdata with Coros planning so as to add streaming music service assist at a later date.

Outdoors of that it performs just about the identical because the Apex Professional on this entrance. It’s nice for glancing at notifications, there’s now a music participant that’s helpful solely you probably have loads of your individual music and an app that whereas not the prettiest trying, does sync knowledge rapidly and does have that good stage of third get together app assist as nicely.

Battery life and charging

• 30 days in each day use
• 26-75 hours GPS battery life
• Helpful battery utilization mode

The Coros Apex 2 Professional guarantees the identical 30 days of each day battery life because the Apex Professional however with the addition of that increased accuracy GPS mode, you now have extra GPS battery modes to play with.

The very best dual-frequency mode sits on the lowest at 26 hours, that jumps as much as 45 hours within the all methods GPS mode after which the total GPS mode provides you the utmost 75 hours. 

The type of battery life you get in each day use totally will depend on whether or not you’re utilizing that high GPS mode repeatedly and also you’re utilizing options like music streaming and have notifications enabled. 

Mike Sawh

I’ve discovered that the Apex 2 Professional has managed to final round 20 days, which isn’t a nasty displaying in any respect. It’s completely able to attending to 30 days, simply so long as you’re steering away from that dual-frequency mode and also you’re not hammering options like music streaming.

The Apex 2 Professional additionally consists of Coros’ nice battery utilization function, which helps you to see an estimate of each day use you might have left, the type of GPS battery you must play with, tells you what number of days since your final cost and a breakdown of the type of options which have soaked up battery life.

Coros makes use of the identical charging cable as its different watches, and says it’ll take beneath 2 hours to get from 0-100%, which isn’t significantly speedy however not massively out of the norm for watches round this worth.

Worth and availability

The Coros Apex 2 Professional is priced at $499.99/£499.99, and you purchase it direct from Coros. It’s pricier than the Coros Apex Professional, which is available in at $399/£399.

The Apex 2, which lacks the dual-frequency mode, bigger display screen and larger battery sits at $399.99/£419.99.

The two Professional’s price ticket firmly places it up in opposition to watches just like the Garmin Forerunner 955 and the outdoor-friendly Polar Grit X Professional.

Verdict

The Coros Apex 2 Professional is one other very reliable multisports watch the place that core sports activities monitoring expertise general is stable and it additionally makes a very good coaching companion.

When it comes to an improve on the unique Apex Professional, the dual-frequency assist will definitely attraction to out of doors lovers who need extra dependable monitoring whereas the ECG addition feels extra like a function that should evolve to develop into extra helpful day-to-day.

There’s a enhance in battery as nicely, although whenever you’re in that monitoring mode, however that is nonetheless a watch that can get you nicely over every week of tracked exercise out of it.

The primary downside Coros has is the Garmin Forerunner 955, which is cheaper and has a function set that’s stronger general and it’s onerous to see an argument to go for this over that watch, bar perhaps some slight enhancements on the battery entrance.