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Coros launched a new version of its Apex watch today, the Apex 4. Like the Nomad released earlier this year, it has a MIP screen, an action button for shortcuts, and maps with street names.
How does the Apex compare to other Coros watches?
Coros has three watch lines besides the Nomad: the Pace, Apex, and Vertix. I’ve written about the Pace 3 and Pace Pro, both of them solid watches that rival Garmin features at a lower price. (I swapped my Garmin for a Coros for a month this summer; you can read my thoughts on that here.)
Compared to the Pace line, Apex has more rugged materials and is billed as an adventure watch. It has features geared toward skiing and mountain climbing, in addition to the usual running and fitness capabilities. Both this Apex model and the one before it have sapphire glass and offline mapping. The Apex 2 only has single-band GPS, while the Apex 2 Pro has dual-band like the new Apex 4.
What’s new in the Apex 4?
Before the Apex 4 were the Apex 2 and 2 Pro. (Yes, Coros skipped the 3.) Compared to them, the new Apex 4 adds:
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A speaker and microphone
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The ability to log voice pins that get tied to locations (enabled by that microphone)
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Trail and street names on the maps
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An action button that can be programmed for shortcuts, instead of a dedicated backlight button
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Faster map rendering
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More accurate elevation readings
Battery life is similar to the Apex 2 Pro, with 24 days of daily use or 17 hours of activity tracking in all-systems mode.
The Apex 4 is $479 for the 46 mm size, and $429 for the 42 millimeter size. For comparison, the Apex 2 Pro is $449 and comes in a 46 millimeter size, and the Apex 2 is $349 and 43 millimeters.
