COROS has announced a smattering of new features for both their watches, as well as their Dura bike computer. In the case of the bike computer, this firmware update will mark the resumption of shipping, after the company halted shipping back shortly after launch, due to issues with the mounting tabs on the Dura breaking in K-Edge bike computer mounts (arguably the most popular 3rd party mount company out there). The company says they’ve wrapped up testing with an improved mounting tab, which resolves the issue across a number of scenarios, including high-vibration scenarios.
In any event, the majority of today’s updates are device firmware features, with a smattering also being app update features. This won’t be a long post, since none of these features are earth-shattering, and most fall within the realm of ‘new data fields/pages’, rather than big-ticket new features. As COROS has matured and grown as a company, we’ve seen the pace of updates slow, and the breadth of those updates slow. That’s somewhat natural, of course.
Still, there’s one feature that I think is actually pretty nifty, and unique in the watch world. Let’s dive into it!
COROS Watch Updates:
Starting off on the watch side, COROS is announcing that they’re discontinuing new feature updates for the COROS Pace 2 (introduced Sept 2020), APEX Pro 1 (introduced Sept 2019), and Vertix 1 (introduced May 2019). They cited lack of internal memory space for all these watches. That said, despite announcing that, the Pace 2 is actually getting one last hurrah, with three of the new features coming to it. Thus, it’s going out in style.
Next, here’s what’s coming to all other COROS watches:
– Added Gear Tracking (shoe & bike tracking)
– Added All Day Sleep Tracking (doesn’t care what time of day you fall asleep)
– Added Sleep Quality rating/score in app
– Added Gravel/MTB Activity Modes
– Added Swimming Drill & Interval Modes
– Added New Data Fields: % FTP (Cycling), % Max HR, % Heart Rate Reserve (HRR), % Lactate Threshold HR
– Added support for Insta360 overlays from COROS data (watch and bike computer)
Here’s a gallery of those things, from COROS:
I’ll point out that I rather like the implementation of the shoe selection on the watch. This is the singular feature here that none of their competitors have. Kudos on this. The way this works is you first add your shoes (or bikes) in the app. You can specify an exact/real model name, but also give it a nickname. Further, you can specify the starting mileage, as well as starting date. You can also specify a limit.
Also notable, on the next page, you’ll specify which running profiles it’s good for. This will control whether it shows that shoe on the watch.
Then you go out and run. Or walk. Or suffer. Whatever it may be. At the end of the run, as soon as you press save (but before the summary screens), you’ll get this:
You can either skip it, or select the correct shoe.
Then, back in the app, it’ll track each shoe; you can retire shoes, and you can see on any given run which shoe was assigned to it. Here it is after a short run to show the differences:
People have been asking for proper shoe tracking (on-watch) from Garmin for more years than I can remember. Maybe this will get the ball rolling.
Just for clarity, here’s what’s coming to each watch. Note that the ones coming to the Pace 2/Apex Pro 1/Vertix 1, are all actually just app updates, thus they aren’t firmware tied to the watch itself.
From a date standpoint, here’s the plan:
– Public Beta: September 23rd (today)
– Full Production Release: October 2024
Note though, that the Pace 2, with its limited memory and old age, is a bit slower, and won’t be ready till October. Maybe it can get one of those little airport carts to go faster.
– Public Beta: October 2024
– Full Production Release: October 2024
Got all that? Good.
COROS Dura Updates:
Meanwhile, on the Dura side, as noted above, they’ve added the following features:
– Added lap summary page
– Added real-time elevation profile (full ride)
– Added upcoming climb view (auto-split into sections)
– Added status bar
– Added dual-sided power meter recording/support
– Added workout progress view
– Added support for Insta360 overlays from COROS data (watch and bike computer)
– Added automatic lap by position
– Added battery level support for ANT+ Lights, electronic shifting, power meters, ANT+ radar, and other sensors
– Added ‘Navigate to Start’, and ‘Back to Start’
– Added a bunch more unspecified tweaks
Here’s a little gallery of what each of those new pages look like, from COROS:
Everything you see above is pretty standard on all Hammerhead/Wahoo/Garmin bike computers, so this is simply catching up to them. As always, the exact implementations differ a bit. Some might prefer one styling over another, but at their core they’re relatively similar. For example, the upcoming climb view is what Garmin calls ClimbPro, Wahoo calls Summit, and Hammerhead calls Climber. There are a boatload of nuances to each company’s implementations, but that’s another post for another day.
Finally, as noted above, the COROS Dura will begin shipping again this week. Specifically, starting September 26th, from COROS directly. And then from other retailers in October.
Wrap-Up:
As you probably noticed above, almost none of the features are unique to COROS. In fact, all but one feature here is what I’d describe as a ‘catch-up’ feature (the single exception being able to select a shoe on the watch, which is pretty cool). Meaning, all other features their competitors have had for upwards of a decade (in most cases), and are needed to check off spec comparison lists. Some of them, like the dual-sided power meter data recording one, might seem kinda minor, and from an implementation standpoint it is. But it’s the perfect example of a ‘feature’ that any bike computer reviewer would look at (if missing), and say “Wait, are you kidding?”.
When the COROS Dura announced, I talked about how it really needs till next Spring to be competitive, but once it gets there – Wahoo especially – will need to watch out. It’s these silly little tweaks that COROS will spend the winter knocking out. There are arguably hundreds of these tiny little things, many of which you don’t even think to ask for, until it’s not there. Such is the life of an entrant into a new category.
Still, as I often say – we want all the entrants we can in these categories. Competition is good, and as we see some legacy companies in the endurance sports realm slowly fade away, we’ll see new ones come in to replace them. That’s the natural course of business. But what is clear, is that consumers expect updates, and they expect them for at least 3-4 years. With the Pace 2 (and to a lesser extent, Vertix 1) removal from future firmware updates, COROS does loose a little bit of their ‘update shine’ compared to Garmin’s seemingly more strict update policy. Wahoo saw the same thing over the last year or two, as reality hit on updating older devices. Heck, we’ve even seen Apple get more creative on how they justify whether or not older watches get features updates that seem quite possible on existing hardware.
In any case, more to come as I start looking at the COROS Dura with what I’d consider to be the real launch firmware. Full and final in-depth review probably in October.
With that – thanks for reading!
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Are you testing Suunto newly released feature ZoneSense? That’s a big thing.
Yes please, ZoneSense needs review, looks awesome.
Agreed. I have been using it and it seems really good. I would love to see what another set of eyes sees in it all.
“All Suunto users training with a heart rate belt can unlock ZoneSense intensity analysis through the Suunto app.”
– I am out right now…
It’s weird that dual side power recording is limited to pedal-based powermeters only. Crank-based ones (Stages and 4iiii) provide real dual side recording as well, does it mean that Dura won’t recognize/record balance values coming from them>
Hey Patel, Darian from COROS here!
Yes, the new dual sided power updates on DURA are also compatible with crank based power meters. Hopefully this helps!
You first grate your shoes would be a better typo!
That would have been…great. ;)
is shoe tracking data uploaded to strava/runalyze &co ?
does it work with HR data ? (internal HR vs strap or armband ?)
So far it’s not synced to Runalyze. I have no information if the information is stored in the fit file/accessible for us at the moment.
As I would need to have a test account/device for Coros I cant’ check all data. Feel free to get in touch with me (Michael) via “michael@runalyze.com”
Typo:
„shoes that shoe“
Thanks!
Ray,
Do you think we will ever get equipment tracking / tagging as part of the FIT file so that you only need to do it once on the recording device (e.g., watch, bike computer) and all services would just pick it up?
I don’t know if the FIT file standard directly supports it. But obviously, Strava could just say “Yo peoples of the industry, use developer extension XYZ for that, here’s the format we want”, and boom, it’s done.
Or, Garmin/ANT could do another ANT+ Symposium. Beer tends to be better the second way.
The FIT file does record sensor ID’s, and that’s what ActivityFix uses to “automatically” set the bike on rides on Strava (in my case, which speed sensor was used or whether it was the e-bike or a Zwift ride). Strava, Garmin, and anyone else could easily do this natively. Doesn’t solve all of such problems (can’t tell which x-c skis I used) but it helps.
Thanks for sharing those updates!
Also interesting was the July updates:
link to coros.com
They released FTP test, Power zones, Safety alerts and a very interesting and unique Group Tracking:
link to support.coros.com
Why different, if Garmin already has it? Because you can watch the gap with other people, view their stats in near real time (it updates every 1-2s if the connection is good, according to Coros). It would be great to test if that actually works as described.
Thanks Ray for keeping us updated and for a great review, as always.
I’m a long time Garmin user and for the first time I am considering other options for watches and bike computers. Coros is looking good when you consider the price.
I’m just frustrated with Garmin software updates. The latest software version for the Fenix 7/7pro and Epix is full of bugs, including a battery drain one. All these bugs where reported by multiple users during beta but they didn’t even created a ticket until after the release of the full version. The Fenix 8 launched with a bunch of bugs, this seems to be more and more common for new Garmin releases.
This and price increases everywhere (in new units, watch faces, InReach plans, etc). It feels like they’re nickel and diming their customers.
Do you think Coros has improved enough to be a good substitute?
I am aware that Garmin is still the best in terms of updates but for the price we pay for Garmin it should be better. I don’t expect Coros to better than Garmin but considering the price, it looks very attractive. I can be more patient with a $200+ device but when you pay +$1000 for a Garmin device, you expect that they at least take care of the biggest bugs reported during the beta phase.
I am of a similar mind set and on a similar journey. I am a Trail Runner, Road Runner, Backpacker, Hiker, and Gravel Rider. I had been wearing a Fenix 7x for years (Fenix 5 and 6 before that) and when the 8 came out I decided to see what else was out there. The 8 kind of left a bad taste in my mouth. I felt like they were getting a bit too expensive and I also felt like I was being nickeled and dimed. I guess wearing a Garmin is a little like driving a BMW or Mercedes. You know you are going to pay a premium, but it is a luxury brand. The transition has not been easy and I ask myself if it is worth it to maybe not have all the features almost every day. I am beta testing the new Coros features and they are really a nice add on. (at least the equipment tracking and sleep scores, I have not used the other new features) Coros has done a good job trying to bridge the gap between feature sets, but with so many features to choose from it really depends on what is important to you. Coros does not have Spotify or tap payments, but I just want to run. Those are not important to me. I do care about readiness metrics and Coros does a pretty good job there. Ray and others have spoken to the lack of trustworthiness with sleep tracking, but the Morning Report in Garmin certainly started a silly first thing dopamine habit that is kind of hard to break if you are a recovery stats person.
On my journey to trying to find a new groove I have tried:
Coros Pace 3: too small for me. I have med/large wrists and as I get older I cannot see as clearly. Great little watch though and the price cannot be beat.
Apex 2 Pro: This has been the sweet spot for me in the Coros line. Good size and can do most everything that a Garmin or Suunto can do.
Suunto: Vertical: Too much watch as I try to move away from having a boulder on my wrist. Great watch though and the battery life is insane.
Suunto Race S: This thing is a little hot rod. Amazing price and it does so so much. Beautiful to look at and the new Zonesense is interesting. Sleep tracking however does not work for me and I can’t seem to let that go.
Ray has talked a bit about it in his reviews, but it seems like all of the brands have some question marks in their algorithms. Coros, Garmin and Suunto all seem to have inconsistencies and while I get that, it is hard because we are paying a lot of money for some of these products and they do promise the sky.
Part of me would love to see Ray and Des sit down in a FIT file podcast and get super meta on their experiences with each brand and how they are/can be for training in terms of the metrics beyond HR and GPS. Really dig into the question marks they have as they use each products apps/algorithms around training readiness. recovery, and fitness tracking. However another part of me says there is no real answer and I just need to choose a platform and get running. The watches are not going to do the running for me and I do remember a time when we had none of it and I was much faster/stronger than I am now. I did not even think about any of this and was super happy.
In the immortal words of Dave Matthews: “It’s a typical situation……Too many choices…..”
Just buy simple Casio watch or similar and run/go for a ride or whatever you do. Garmin, Coros, Apple and the rest are just a toys for kids. Forget about all that stats, algorhytms, „AI” as all of these are almost random data. And no, Ray, Des will not tell you that because this is how they are making money (that’s ok with me).
I have/had four Garmins, AW 10, COROS Apex 2 (best battery life, watch faces are kind of nightmare).
“are just a toys for kids.”
Ok, if you say so.
In any case, training algorithms (in terms of things like whether to train or not), are just like coaches. Each company has its own differences in terms of how they weight things, just like any coach, or for that matter, any self-trained athlete. One can certainly disagree with a given coaching style, and one can certainly disagree with a given company’s algorithm approach.
But one also has to differentiate between base data (e.g. GPS accuracy data, or HR accuracy data), and recommendation-focused bits. In general, if we look at Garmin’s training related metrics, these days with current-gen Training Load, I’d say that for the overwhelming vast majority of people (well into the 90% range), if Training Status is telling you something like Unproductive or Productive, it’s likely correct (even if you, as an athlete, don’t want to admit it – just like you might not want to hear what the coach is saying even when they’re right). At least for the core sports of running/cycling.
This isn’t some mystery meat thing, it’s simply looking at times spent in zones, and intensity levels. Where things can get a bit more fuzzy, is non-aerobic sports, like hiking or strength, where that isn’t as accounted for in terms of that training load pieces.
Came here just to say yeah for the Dave Matthews shout out :)
Thank you for bringing me back down to Earth Ray. That was really well said. I think with all the choices it can be analysis paralysis, but really the I should be putting that energy into my workouts.
Garmin has lost its way and is losing loyal customers like me. If I didn’t have so many friends in Garmin ecosystem I would have switched to Suunto or Coros long ago. Look at Fenix 7 firmware nightmare and now Fenix 8 cold water diving issues. Hopefully you will investigate these and describe thoroughly cause only people like you can make Garmin change their strategy of putting out more watches at the cost of reliability.
I am in the same boat. I think Enduro 3 is best of all.
I don’t understand why on earth people have to pollute posts with questions or anything else unrelated, very disrespectful!
And how is this post not that?
I don’t understand why people that buy Casio watches come to forums where we talk GPS watches.
Great to see steady incremental updates coming as you now highlight. I still don’t get how they haven’t added vertical gain while running on a treadmill though. Heavily messes up data if you’re a user of a treadmill!
as far as I know, it is expected soon
They’ve been saying that for 9 months on the support forums now 🙂
I’m just happy to see that someone else names their shoes by colour.
Shoe selection option is probably a few minutes work for a proffessional programmer. A static feature, not a rocket science.
But do Coros resets the training accumulation calculation sundays midnight? :-)
They still reset, I’ve learned to work with it as I now understand it. It’s based off the training plan you’re following so the target is sets for you is based on that. You need to keep an eye on your training level to understand fatigue.
To my surprise, I’ve found it works very well 👍
I totally lost interest in Coros because they release functions and products that are months away from me having it in my hands. Either it’s beta testing, either it’s releasing products that aren’t ready yet. Like I go to the bakery needing a cake my baker says: “I’ll have one ready next week. Or next month. I’ll first let others eat it and might adjust the recipe based on their liking.”
As a software engineer I appreciate that they are opened about the development cycle and I don’t see anything wrong with their public betas. If there is something I really interested in, I might take part in the beta testing. If not, I can be sure that when the feature is available for everyone, a lot of users were already testing the feature in advance and it should be stable.
On the other hand as Ray always say “Buy a product based on current capabilities, not based on future promises”, So I wouldn’t buy the Dura when it came out
Yeah as someone who had coros, very few issues in beta were fixed before release. And a lot of releases were far from ready
Garmin implemented a huge amount of features and improvment on their F7 and Epix 2 produtcs since 2 years.
Total Added Functions 186
Total Improved Functions 121
but their Beta are really not stable, even Public Live version
Suunto is now adding a lot of things after product launch
I love Coros best brand they don’t make fun by throwing mud at users for their origins like other brands do
What am I missing here? Garmin already had shoe/equipment tracking with the same premises for years.
The fact that it’s on-watch, versus something you have to do from the app.
Oh ok, I missed that part. Thank you.
Garmin‘s implementation of gear tracking is very outdated. I can understand having different priorities for their developers, but it really is getting old…
Like many others, I have many different shoes and have two different bikes as well as an indoor smart bike. I do not use the Gravel Bike for when using the MTB profile and viceversa (and others won‘t use their road bikes for indoor when having a smart bike, and so on). I also switch between shoes when road running and have shoes I only use for trail running. But for Garmin, biking is biking, and running is running, not matter what type of biking or running you do. I cannot tell the Garmin App: use Shoe S1 and S2 only for when using the road running profile (maybe also a second or a third profile, like track running) and let me tell you after the run which one I‘ve really used. I also cannot tell Garmin, to use my trail running shoe only for when I use the trail running profile and so on. This is very outdated and doesn‘t reflect reality. Frankly, it‘s a pain to always change the bike when doing an indoor session with a tacx smart bike… So, kudos to Coros!
Garmin /effectively/ has no tracking of gear. It’s an insult to claim they do.
You can add different kind of gears and track their „mileage“. It is outdated and cumbersome, but it IS tracking your gear. Do I whish it to be better? Yes, of course. I already stated that fact. Does anyone else do a better job with gear tracking? Except for Coros, I honestly don‘t know. From what I remember from other apps/watch-brands I think they used to be on par with Garmin, but I didn‘t keep track with them because I‘m not using them, so things may have changed there. Still, Garmin HAS a gear tracker, however old and „bad“ it may be in 2024.