COROS Apex Premium Multisport GPS Watch Review

COROS' first GPS offering, the Apex is a premium multisport watch with an unbeatable price tag. Designed with long battery life, a simple interface and advanced training guidance, the Apex packs a real bang for your buck. The premium construction includes a scratch-resistant sapphire lens, and either a titanium alloy (46mm) or ceramic (42mm) bezel depending on which model you choose. The two-button interface includes a digital knob to provide a clean look and easy scrolling through display screens. The durable battery lasts up to 100 hours using GPS in ULTRAMAX mode or up to 30 days in normal mode for the 46mm model.

In addition to the extensive battery life, our testers were impressed with how quickly the watch connected to GPS, as well as its accuracy when recording pace, distance, speed and elevation. They also found that the accompanying COROS app provided simple and effective training analysis, including VO2 Max, recovery advisor and threshold pace. Meanwhile, it facilitates easy connection to third-party applications such as Strava and TrainingPeaks, so you can stay in touch with your running community and rankings.

David: "While the Apex Watch didn't use the most sophisticated technology or in-depth running details, it provided a lot of solid features that were previously only available on higher-end GPS watches. First of all, the battery life was insanely long. I would get one to two weeks of running data and all-day wear before having to charge it. Next, the watch and app were easy to use, and I enjoyed the lightning-fast connections to both satellites and data upload following a run. It worked perfectly for my basic uses, but might not satisfy the needs of a highly technical runner or triathlete who feeds off of their data and progress."

Derek: "The battery life was amazing. The watch came fully charged out of the box, and I was surprised at how long it lasted. I found it really easy to adjust the data pages to my liking via the app, and although a bit imprecise at first, the training load metrics seemed to get better the more I used it. On the downside, the optical HR sensor seemed to be a little out of wack."

David: "Setup was quick and easy. All you have to do is turn on the device and download the mobile app in order to sync the watch info and make sure you have the latest updates. The app even lets you customise watch faces for different activities, so you only see the info that you're interested in. My one complaint was with the scroll button. Initially, it triggered easily, and I often found myself on a screen that I had accidentally navigated to, especially while on a run. Later, I discovered a lock button function that fixed this issue."

Derek: "The COROS Apex was fairly intuitive. However, I did find it a bit difficult to use the digital crown button while running. This watch has a button layout similar to an Apple Watch with many of the same features of the Garmin 735XT, while looking like something between a Garmin fenix 5 and a Polar Vantage."

David: "The Apex fit very comfortably, and I was able to cinch it snug without it feeling restrictive. Because this watch is so lightweight and low profile, I barely noticed it on my wrist and ended up leaving it on for most of the day."

Derek: "This watch fits well around my skinny wrist. Thanks to the silicone band, there was a little bit of stretch that allowed me to wear it snug on my wrist without it feeling overly restrictive. There was no bouncing, and the watch did a great job of staying in place."

David: "The lightweight materials seem sturdy and tough. A highly durable sapphire lens is inset within the titanium alloy bezel in the 46mm model, hopefully making it less susceptible to scrapes and breaks. Additionally, the silicone strap feels soft around my wrist, while offering a comfortable amount of stretch to keep the watch in place."

Derek: "I did not notice any visible signs of wear in the month that I tested the watch. It seems to hold up well to normal wear."