COROS APEX 4

Today COROS released the all new APEX 4, and if you are wondering, no you did not miss the APEX 3 and we’ll get to why COROS decided to call it the 4 in just a minute.  Well I have been testing the APEX 4 for a couple of weeks now, and in the video I'll cover all the details and hopefully help you decide if the COROS APEX 4 is the watch for you.  Let's get to it.  

First let's talk about the name.  The APEX 2 and APEX 2 Pro were released almost three years ago in 2022.  Then in the summer of 2023 COROS released the PACE 3, followed by PACE Pro toward the end of 2024.  Well COROS thought going from the APEX 2 to the APEX 3, may cause some confusion since there is also a PACE 3, so COROS thought it better to continue down the number sequence and just go with the APEX 4.   

You may also be wondering why there is no Pro model as in years past with the APEX Pro or APEX 2 Pro?  Well COROS is going back to their roots and releasing the APEX 4 in a 42mm and 46mm size, similar to the original APEX watches.  With the APEX 4, there are no hardware differences between the 42mm and 46mm; only differences are the battery life, screen size and band size.  In the prior Pro models, those had different hardware than the normal models, but that is no more; so no Pro model.  So if you are interested in either size of the APEX 4, stay tuned as I’ll be sure to go over the minor differences between the 42 and 46mm versions. 

With the nomenclature out of the way, let's talk about what's new with the APEX 4.  First it is very similar to the COROS NOMAD that was just released a couple of months ago, but has better battery life and a couple of other different features.  

The button layout of the APEX 4 is different from prior APEX watches, but now the same as the COROS NOMAD.  On the top right we have the digital dial, which I like in this position better than in the middle of the watch as sometimes I would hit that when doing pushups.  Then on the bottom right we have the back/lap button, and on the lower left side we have the same action button that we saw on the NOMAD. Both the back/lap button and the action button can be customized to things like adding a pin, maps, and more.  

The Bezel on the APEX 4 is a grade 5 titanium alloy, which I think looks really sharp and will help protect from any impacts.  The case of the APEX 4 is a high-strength polymer, or plastic, and COROS went this direction instead of stainless steel to reduce weight, as they have found the hardened plastic to be quite durable.  And just for kicks, this is the first APEX to NOT have a metal back.  

The glass on the APEX 4 is still sapphire glass, which is incredibly scratch and impact resistant, and this is one of the big upgrades over the NOMAD watch, which has a hardened mineral glass.  The screen size of the 46mm watch I have here is 1.3” with 260x260 resolution, while the 42mm watch has a 1.2” screen with 240x240 resolution.  

For the display on the APEX 4, COROS went with their 3rd generation memory in pixel touch screen display, and it is very nice!  This 3rd gen MIP display is sharper, higher contrast, and easier to see in all situations than their prior MIP displays.  The reason COROS went with MIP, instead of AMOLED, is that the MIP is easy to see in off-angle viewing, and is always on, and for battery life savings.  Just like the display on the NOMAD, I really like this new MIP display.  IT really is very easy to see in very bright sunlight!  Here you can see this new 3rd gen MIP as compared to the Pace 3 and the APEX 2 Pro.  The text is much sharper and the blacks are more black, and overall the whole display is more crisp.  

As for the overall size, the 46mm version is 46.2 x 46.2 x 15.5mm and the 42mm version is 42.6 x 42.6 x 15.8mm.  For size reference here you can see all of the APEX series watches from the original APEX 42 & 46mm, the APEX Pro, the APEX 2, APEX 2 Pro, and the APEX 4 46mm. I don’t have the APEX 4 42mm, but based on the measurements it should be almost identical to the APEX 2. My 46mm APEX 4 weighed in at 63 grams with the silicon band, and the APEX 42mm is 56 grams with the silicon band.  Both of these will be available with a nylon band as well.   

That’s another difference between the 42 and 46mm versions; the band size.  The 46mm version here has a 24mm quick release band and it is interchangeable with the NOMAD, and the 42mm version has a 22mm quick release band that is interchangeable with some of the older COROS watches.  The band is the same style as on the NOMAD with the push pin style clasp, and I have really liked it.  It is easy to clasp, and so far I haven’t had it come undone once.  For reference here is what the 46mm APEX 4 looks like on my 16cm circumference wrist.   Also what's cool is with the APEX 4, you will be able to choose a specific band with your watch so you can customize the color combo.  

Inside the APEX 4 is the AMBIQ APOLLO 510 processor, which is COROS’s fastest processor and the same one in the NOMAD and PACE Pro.  The user experience is very fast and smooth!  There is no lag when using touchscreen or scrolling between screens. You can really see the speed of this new processor in the maps.  Just look at this compared to the APEX 2 Pro.  There's no lag on the APEX 4, plus not to mention with the new MIP display the map is so much easier to see too.  It's just a really great experience.   

The maps on the APEX 4 received a huge update that COROS released first with the NOMAD, and now is also available on the PACE Pro, and that is the maps now have street names and points of interest!  Now when you are out and about you can zoom in and see the street or trail names, and points of interest like parking lots or trail heads. Trails are dashed lines on the map and very easy to see.  You can zoom in, scroll around, and figure out where you need to go very easily!  The 3rd gen MIP display really makes the maps very easy to see with the high contrast display.  There is of course back to start navigation, and you can create and follow GPX files with turn by turn navigation as well.  

One of the uses for the new Action Button is when you are in an activity like a trail run or hike, you can push the action button to change to the map. Previously with COROS watches you had to either long press the back button and go to the tool bar to select the maps, or if you had one of the buttons long press set for maps you would use that.  Now you can just tap the action button, or another way is to swipe either left or right on the touchscreen as well.  When on the trail I really like having the action button to get to the maps as sometimes with sweaty fingers touchscreens might not be as quick.  

To download maps for your region on the APEX 4, just use the COROS APP. Click the Profile tab, then click on the APEX 4, then scroll down to the Map Manager, and select the region you want to download and click Download.  The region will then download on the watch and you are good to go.  So if you have a trip planned somewhere, you can download the free offline global maps for that region and get to exploring! 

Another feature on the APEX 4 is the dual mic with noise reduction, which you can use to create voice pins on the map during an activity.  This is the same mic setup from the NOMAD. You can even customize the action or lap button to be a shortcut to add a pin during an activity.  This can be used to add things like water on the trail so you know where you can filter, or a shelter or hazard on the trail.  What's really neat is that these pins show up on the explore map in the app and are automatically transcribed.  You can see it does a pretty good job with the transcription, but it isn’t perfect.  The pins you add are excellent if you run in the area frequently and can help you when planning a route in the future, you can know there is a neat overlook, or a water location. 

As for the audio quality of the dual mic with the voice pins, I think it is actually quite good.  [insert audio] Given all the background noise, I could still hear myself very clearly.  Overall, it's quite good.  

One thing I mentioned about the NOMAD with this same dual mic setup was that it would be nice to be able to answer phone calls when paired to your phone.  Well with the APEX 4, now you can thanks to the built in microphone!  A few things about this is you must have it paired with your phone and be carrying your phone with you, as the watch does not have LTE built in.  However, the audio quality of the microphone and speaker are really great!  [insert phone call] My wife could hear me very well and said it sounded just like I was using my phone, and I could hear her really well through the watch speaker as well.  This is a great feature I am very happy about, as when I am up in the mountains I don’t want to have to dig my phone out if my wife or kids call; now I can answer straight on the watch.  Keep in mind that currently you can only answer calls, so you cannot make calls from the watch.  

With that built-in speaker on the APEX 4, you can also have audio alerts for pace, time, distance, and turns.  [insert audio alerts clip]

The APEX 4, and all COROS watches, now have the Adventure Journal.  The Adventure Journal has three phases, before, during and after.  Before the trip you can download the maps you need, plan your route and even save weather for 5 different locations for up to 96 hours before your trip.  During the adventure you navigate with street names directly on the NOMAD, or use the extender on your COROS APP, and save voice pins or data on the NOMAD.  Then after the activity you can view it in the COROS APP, upload photos from the activity and the app automatically puts them in the activity where you took them and creates a really neat fly-over type 3D video that you can download and share with friends. 

As for GPS tracking, the APEX 4 uses MAX GPS mode, which is the dual band frequency, the HIGH GPS mode, which uses all-systems on checking all satellites during the activity, and ENDURANCE GPS MODE, which also uses all-systems on, but it identifies the strongest satellite signal and intelligently chooses when to use a specific signal and when to turn one off to save battery.  

The GPS accuracy on the APEX 4 is really good.  During this activity the APEX 4 was in MAX GPS Mode, and my Apple Watch Ultra 2 was in its highest dual frequency setting. You can see both GPS tracks look really great and accurate.  

The optical heart rate sensor is the same as on the NOMAD, which has larger LED’s and photodetectors than on prior watches.  The APEX 4 also have a new blood oxygen sensor, which COROS says is more accurate due to some internal changes, and the APEX 4 also has an ECG sensor.  More on that in just a moment.  As for the HR accuracy, it appears to be incredibly accurate in my testing against the COROS Arm HRM, and certainly extremely accurate for a wrist based sensor.  Honestly I feel it’s probably one of the better wrist based optical heart rate sensors out there.  

With the ECG sensor, the APEX 4 can now get very accurate HRV readings, and the APEX 4 does that in two different ways.  The first is during sleep when wearing the APEX 4, it uses the optical heart rate sensor by measuring blood flow through the wrist, and then uses an algorithm to measure the variability.  The other and more accurate way is by doing a Wellness Check in the morning. This utilized the ECG as you have to take your other hand and touch the digital dial and create a closed circuit.  The ECG then measures the electrical pulses from your heart, and should give a more accurate HRV reading. 

There is one more new sensor on the APEX 4 and that is a water depth sensor.  So for all you folks that like water sports, you can now set up the display for those activities to include your current depth or max depth in the water.  

The battery life of the APEX 4 is really great for us ultra runners!  In daily use COROS claims you can get up to 22 days of use on the 46mm, and up to 15 days on the 42mm version.  As for activity battery life; In MAX GPS Mode you can get up to 41 hours with the 46mm, and up to 26 hours on the 42mm.  In HIGH GPS mode with the 46mm you can get up to 53 hours, and with the 42mm you can get up to 34 hours.  In ENDURANCE GPS mode with the 46mm you can get up to 65 hours, and with the 42mm you can get up to 41 hours.  So even in the MAX GPS mode, or dual frequency, you can get up to 41 hours in a single activity with the 46mm, which is pretty amazing, and only 2 hours less than on the VERTIX 2S by the way.  

Charging time is only about 1.5 hours with the USB-C A2 adapter, which does come with the APEX 4, but you will need your own charging block. 

If you like to listen to music while out and about adventuring, you can download and store music directly on the APEX 4, as it has 32gb of storage. Just pair your bluetooth headphones and you are ready to jam out.  Also what's really nice about that on board storage is you can now store up to 100 routes!  I used to run out of route space all the time and would have to delete old routes, so this is really nice!  

Well the APEX 4 is available today!  The 42mm size will retail for $429 USD, and the 46mm will retail for $479 USD.  You can see the prices in other markets on your screen.  The watches will be available in either black or white like the 46mm version I have here.  

Well I am really excited for this APEX 4, as I think it is definitely the best watch in COROS’s lineup currently!  The new and much faster processor, maps with street names and POI’s, sapphire glass and incredible battery life, this really is the ultimate mountain sports watch!  If you have the APEX 2 or APEX 2 Pro, then I think the APEX 4 is definitely worth the upgrade!  

Full video review: https://youtu.be/RB2Sv4nIMGg

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