Coros Pace 3 review & comparison with Coros Pace 2

It took Coros a plethora of years to develop a successor to its workhorse, Coros Pace 2! I am exaggerating here, but in the world of running watches, three years can feel like an eternity! Anyway, back to the topic.

Coros Pace 2 was launched around mid-2020 and became one of the most value-for-money running watches in no time. The running community has been eagerly awaiting the successor model since 2021. And finally, after a wait of 3 years, Coros Pace 3 was launched in August 2023. So, was this long wait worth it? Let’s find out.

Here is a short summary of what Pace 3 has to offer over and above the good old Pace 2:

• A touch screen
• Music support
• A far better GPS – dual band frequency support
• A longer-lasting battery
• Improved HR sensors
• SPO2 tracking
• Wifi support
• Wider strap – just 2mm more
• A minor weight increase – just 1g

All these features come with a Rs 5,000 increase in MRP – Rs 26,900 for Pace 3 vs Rs 21,990 for Pace 2. I would say, there is a lot of value relative to the price increase. A welcome relief for the runners who feel betrayed by the brands, as they frequently increase prices for minor upgrades

a) The form factor

Pace 3 and Pace 2 are identical that when placed together, it’s impossible to differentiate. Refer to the images below.

The screen size is 1.2 inches for both Pace 3 and Pace 2. The strap of Pace 3 is only 2mm wider than that of Pace 2, so it is difficult to notice the difference. The crown remains unchanged. The back button is slightly bigger in Pace 3.

If you haven’t yet figured out, the white strap watch is Pace 3! It seems Coros has opted not to make significant changes to the form factor. Some may argue, why change something that isn’t broken?

b) Touch-screen

The addition of a touch-screen is welcome, and I think Coros is at least 2 years late to introduce this feature. It takes some time to get used to the sensitivity, but once you get the hang of it, the screen is very easy to operate. Pace 2 users accustomed to manual button and crown-based controls will have a learning curve to adapt to using touch inputs. The good news is that manual buttons and touch screens are interchangeable, allowing you to exclusively use this watch with either.

In my trial runs with Pace 3, I hardly used the touchscreen feature. You see, old habits die hard.

The key question here is whether the introduction of a touch-screen leads to more power consumption and resulting battery life? The answer is no, and I will address this next.

c) Battery

The USP of Coros since its inception has been the remarkably long-lasting battery. I wondered how much further Coros would push beyond Pace 2, and I was pleasantly surprised by the claimed numbers for Pace 3.

Coros claims an impressive 38 hours of battery life in GPS-only mode. They have managed to pack in an additional 8 hours compared to Pace 2 while keeping the form factor intact. This is remarkable, especially considering that Pace 3 features a power-hungry touch-screen and is loaded with additional sensors.

The other claimed features are also impressive:

• 25 hours with all GPS systems
• 15 hours with dual frequency mode
• 24 days in no GPS mode
• Just 1.5 hours to fully charge the monster battery

I have no reason to doubt that at least 80% of the claimed capacity will hold true. I have seen that firsthand with Pace 2. Coros is serious about power optimization, and they walk the talk here. I will add a rejoinder someday when I take Coros Pace 3 for a 24+ hour run.

d) GPS

One major perceived limitation of Coros was its less precise GPS tracking. As a Pace 2 user, I consistently noticed that the distance wasn’t as accurately measured compared to competitors. The brand has indeed worked on user feedback and significantly improved its GPS capabilities with Pace 3. A major reason for the delay in this upgrade is that Coros was ensuring that its GPS tracking was top-notch. It took them a few years and several iterations across other series to perfect their GPS capabilities.

A highlight of Pace 3 is its dual-band support, which enhances location triangulation and delivers excellent GPS tracking even in areas with poor GPS signal. Additionally, it supports all five tracking systems: GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, Beidou, and QZSS.

Below is a comparison of my run tracking using Pace 2 and Pace 3. You will notice how clean the lines are in Pace 3. The satellite mode for both watches was the same, and I had the watches on each wrist.

Well done, Coros!

e) Other Features

Upgraded Heart rate (HR) sensor set

Coros considers the new HR sensor set on Pace 3 a significant upgrade, but from a functionality standpoint, it offers little additional value in terms of accuracy. Wrist-based HR tracking has limitations, and regardless of the sensor set, accuracy is compromised. Runners have learned to accept this, as what matters most is the trend, which does not require pinpoint accuracy

Music

With Pace 3, Coros introduced music capability to the Pace series, which is a significant upgrade to remain competitive with Garmin. A positive aspect is that music is a standard feature, unlike Garmin, which offers variants with and without music capability. However, Pace 3 only offers music upload capability, allowing users to add music files to the watch and pair a Bluetooth headset to listen on the go. Unfortunately, Coros did not add support for streaming platforms like Spotify. In essence, Coros increased the internal memory storage to 5 GB to accommodate music files.

In the age of streaming, I feel Coros missed a trick by not adding streaming music support.

SPO2 tracking & WIFI

SPO2 tracking has become more popular in the post-COVID world. However, it’s uncertain how frequently people will use this feature. In contrast, the wifi feature is quite useful, and it’s good that Coros included it in the Pace 3.

Weight

It’s impressive that Coros managed to keep the watch lightweight despite significant upgrades. In truth, the difference is hardly noticeable on the wrist.

Colorway

Coros has introduced various silicone and nylon strap options to improve the style quotient of the otherwise simple-looking Pace 3 series. While it doesn’t exude the same premium feel on the wrist as an Apple Watch, it doesn’t look too simple either. Most runners wear their running watch all through the day, and they wouldn’t mind wearing Pace 3 as well.

App and other support ecosystem

Coros deserves credit for extending app updates and support across their entire watch range. There are virtually no additional or exclusive offerings for the Pace 3 compared to the Pace 2. Coros App has seen several upgrades over the past year and now it is as good as any other competitors. The missing run coach feature was an eyesore for a long time but now they have plugged it too.

Coros also upped the game by doing a lot more with its active HR tracking. The sleep tracking feature is robust and its breakdown of sleep into different stages is quite good. The Heart Rate Variability (HRV) feature is a great recent addition and something that all endurance athletes must watch out for.

f) What’s missing?

It’s hard to find fault with the Coros Pace 3, given its awesome value-for-money proposition. However, if I were to be nitpicky, here are a few things worth mentioning:

1. Streaming music capability – Garmin has this feature, and in the world of streaming music, I think Coros missed out on this feature.
2. Uniform straps would have been beneficial. The 2mm difference in strap width may render Pace 2 bands useless for Pace 3.
3. Standardized USB charging – This is a desired feature, and I hope someday all watches move to this uniform standard, just like most smartphones have. I doubt this will happen anytime soon given that these watches need significant amount of water proofing.
4. Vibrant screen – The display of the Pace 3 appears relatively dim compared to the bright and punchy display of the Garmin Forerunner series, which has an AMOLED screen. Cost becomes a big factor here.
5. Size variants could improve accessibility. Currently, Pace 3 comes in only one size. People have different wrist sizes and preferences, so having at least two size variants in the Pace 3 would be a good idea.
6. The after-sales support ecosystem in India is practically non-existent. It would be awesome to have a brand-backed reliable service center network in India. Runners are spending big bucks on the watch so comfort around after-sales service is a necessity.

g) The verdict

The Pace 3 is an upgraded version of the Pace 2, as Coros catches up on the technical specifications compared to its competitors and packs in more battery juice. It took Coros 3 years to introduce essential upgrades like touch screen and music to its flagship line. Nevertheless, better late than never!

I think with the Pace 3, Coros has hit the ball out of the park. It represents a significant upgrade, offering tremendous value for money. Although it may be lacking a bit in the style quotient, it compensates with impressive functional updates and cost-effectiveness.

Congratulations, Coros!

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PS: This is not a sponsored post. This review and comparison is purely out of my personal experience. I have owned Coros Pace 2 for more than 3 years now. I borrowed Coros Pace 3 from a good friend of mine and took it out for a couple of runs. If you liked this post and found it helpful, it would be incredibly awesome of you to share it within your network. A running watch is an important decision for a runner, and with this post, I am attempting to aid this decision-making by sharing actual runner feedback about Pace 3 and Pace 2 If you want more details or help in choosing the right running watch for yourself, please reach out to me on aashutosh[dot]chaudhari[at]gmail[dot]com – I would be more than happy to help.

Coros Pace 3 is available on Amazon at an MRP of Rs 26,990. Here is the link: https://www.amazon.in/COROS-PACE-Lightweight-Dual-Frequency-Navigation/dp/B0CFQQ9FDL/ref=sr_1_2?th=1