I visited the Coros CES booth back in 2018, primarily to take a closer look at its Omni bone-conduction bike helmet. The Coros Pace GPS sports watch was also being demonstrated and, since then, the company has launched numerous wearables under the Pace, Apex, and Vertix lines. We’re now on version three of the Pace, and I’ve been testing it.
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The new Coros Pace 3 has only been on my wrist for a week, but it packs a serious punch and is clearly the “undisputed lightweight champ”. With the nylon band, the weight is just 30 grams, which makes it one of the lightest GPS sports watches available today. In addition to that, the Pace 3 is also light on your wallet with a price of just $229. The Garmin 200 series is similar in functionality, but priced at least $100 more.
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Coros Pace 3
With 38 hours of GPS battery life, onboard music storage, 5 ATM water resistance, and a touchscreen display, this watch packs it all in a small form factor.
View at Coros
Coros has always been known for its competitive pricing but is even better known for its superb battery life. With typical usage lasting 24 days and GPS tracking battery life of an amazing 38 hours, there is no other watch close to this level of performance. With dual frequency enabled, battery life is rated for 15 hours, and the watch charges in just 1.5 hours.
Also: You basically don’t need to charge this Garmin smartwatch
The Pace 3 has an ample 1.2-inch memory-in-pixel LCD with 240 x 240 pixels resolution. The always-on display is nice to have so that the time and other information are available at a quick glance. Unlike most other watches in this price range, the Pace 3 sports a touchscreen display along with a button and a rotating crown/button on the right side to support navigation of the watch operating system. A high-strength polymer body surrounds the mineral glass display.
The lugs on the Pace 3 support standard 22mm watch bands. The nylon band that arrived with the evaluation unit was very light and comfortable, and it’s the band I’d recommend if you’d like to keep the wearable as comfortable as possible. Still, the watch is quite durable with a 5 ATM water-resistant rating.
Also: I test hundreds of smartwatches, but this one’s been on my wrist all year
The Coros Pace 3 can even store your music files and play them back to you via a connected Bluetooth headset. There is no support for built-in subscription music services, but my workout MP3 collection played flawlessly from the Pace 3 to the Shokz OpenRun Pro headset.
The Coros Pace 3 (left) beside other larger offerings. Matthew Miller/ZDNET
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi radios are also packed inside the small 42mm diameter body. Five GNSS are available, including GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou, and QZSS. This tiny sports watch also supports dual L1 and L5 frequencis for accurate positioning.
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More than 20 sports are available for tracking, including activities in running, riding, water sports, winter sports, and cardio activities. Free training plans and workouts are available in the extensive smartphone application while the Training Hub website provides an advanced analysis tool for Coros watch users. You can even get free advice from actual coaches through the Training Hub.
Lewis Wu, CEO and Co-Founder of COROS Wearables stated:
For years, COROS has been pushing the boundaries of what is possible; our PACE 2 set the industry standard with innovative features backed by a top-notch training system and has continued to be worn by many of the world’s top athletes. With the launch of the COROS PACE 3, we are renewing our commitment to everyone who wants to improve their athletic performance by giving them the best equipment, with even more features enabling them to continue training hard to be their best.
ZDNET’s buying advice
The Coros Pace 3 is available in white or black with nylon or silicone band options. The nylon and silicone bands are available separately for $29. If you are looking for your first GPS sports watch, I highly recommend you try out the Pace 3 for just $229.
I like big watches and have larger wrists, so I personally prefer the Vertix 2 or Apex 2 Pro for my daily driver. However, the tiny lightweight Pace 3 is an awesome watch for sleep tracking and 24/7 wear while offering almost all of the same capabilities in a smaller form factor and at a very affordable price. You can also count on Coros providing updates for the Pace 3 for years to come while the Training Hub serves as a fantastic tool for tracking your fitness progress.
Also: Coros just made the most comfortable heart rate monitor I’ve ever tested
Not every person has large enough wrists to support big GPS sports watches that pack in a host of features. Thankfully, the Coros Pace 3 offers just about everything you would want in a GPS sports watch in a size that satisfies those with smaller wrists. Along with its size, the price is not as hefty as what you’d pay for competing GPS sports watches that can offer fewer functions and features.
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