Among the good news of recent times (well yes, they exist too) there is that for which more and more people face some sport with a certain constancy.
And the reasons should probably also include the fact that not only smartwatches are produced that wink at those who want to keep fit. But, going up a step, increasingly precise multisport watches, with a constantly growing number of functions and more and more aesthetically cool.
Up until a few months ago, the amateur runner (a category to which the author of this article proudly belongs), or the sportsman in general, could rely almost exclusively on what was a sort of duopoly of the Garmin and Polar companies.
For some time now, the American company Coros has broken into the Italian market with a series of surprising products.
We have tested one of the brand’s flagship models for you, the Coros Apex 2. Here’s what we think.
Coros Apex 2, the features
first of all, a rundown of the main features of the Coros Apex 2.
It is a multisport GPS watch weighing only 42 grams. The strap is in nylon, the 240 x 240 mm display is in 64 colours, with sapphire crystal lens and titanium cover.
The watch is waterproof up to 50 meters deep, connects to smartphones and other devices (such as heart rate monitors) via Bluetooth technology, and the battery life is truly exceptional. It is estimated at 17 days with daily use, and at 45 hours of sporting activity with the GPS working. A full charge takes less than 2 hours.
Functions
Here it is necessary to work in synthesis, given the vastness of functions present in the Coros Apex 2.
As for the sports disciplines that can be monitored, there are 28 of them. With a gem: the possibility of activating the Racing mode on the trackindispensable for demanding runners who – in fact – usually train on the track, desperate for inaccurate GPS measurements.
And then there are advanced features such as pulse reading on the wrist, the compass, the possibility of downloading maps, the barometric altimeter, the accelerometer, the gyroscope, the virtual coach, the calculation of recovery times…
Beyond the practice of sport we then have the monitoring of sleep, calories, steps taken, the oximeter and more.
Furthermore, the connection to the phone allows you to receive notifications and download music (the memory of the Coros Apex 2 is 8 gigabytes).
L’app
The Coros app is comprehensive and intuitive, just like (we’ll see shortly) the watch.
The home screen shows the main daily parameters: exercises performed, calories burned, average heart rate, sleep quality.
The section dedicated to training is then very detailed. Because it shows a large amount of data, including – increasingly popular among sportsmen – the power released expressed in Watts.
Workouts can be built in two ways: adding self-prepared sessions to the calendar, or downloading from the Network training sessions already performed by other Coros users, but also by professional athletes.
Another section of the app allows you to customize the Coros Apex 2. Not only in the dial but also in the metrics that appear during training (a valuable option for us amateur runners).
In addition to the app, Coros Training Hub is available for the desktop.
The use of the clock
The Coros Apex 2 has three buttons on the right side. On the contrary: the upper one is used only to illuminate the screen, and the lower one for the stop and back functions.
The intuition that makes using the Coros Apex 2 very simple is that the central button also has a bezel. Therefore, pressing the button confirms the selection, while turning the ring scrolls the menu that appears from time to time.
Our test
After several days of testing, we can certainly pass the Coros Apex 2 with flying colors.
Just the intuitive use, in addition to the lightness (and the softness of the nylon strap) make this watch also very suitable for long-lasting workouts.
The display is readable in any weather condition, which is not a given. For us runners, then, the instantaneous pace reading (another important parameter) is precise, the acoustic signal of the lap is clearly audible and the GPS signal locks on immediately.
But beyond sports practice, monitoring of daily activities is also complete and easy to read at the same time.
Apex 2 of Coros is therefore a high-level multisport GPS watch, recommended for anyone who practices a sport with a certain perseverance and dedication. And want to explore a brand that is relatively young but sure of what it does: not surprisingly, its two main testimonials are Eliud Kipchoge and Kilian Jornet, respectively the strongest road runner and trail runner in the world.