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COROS Pace 2 Review: Powerful, Versatile & Budget Friendly

Budget friendly, easy to use, lightweight, durable battery life – these are the popular demands of runners from their GPS-based smartwatches in the modern era. Here comes Coros Pace 2 to fulfil all these wishes, plus some more.

From beginners to advanced level runners, everyone wants to track their runs and improve on it. The Coros Pace 2 packs a lot of premium runner-focused features into the RM899 price tag, budget friendly under RM1000.

The Pace 2 is extremely light at 29 grams, you might even forget it’s on your hand – a plus for petite lady runners. We are amazed how COROS packed a tiny battery with 30 hours of full GPS battery life. Plus, the powerful processor even gives you Power (Watts) readings on your run just via your wrist, without any additional foot pods.

Dark navy & white versions of COROS Pace 2 with silicone band

Our readers mainly comprising runners and multisport athletes would be pleased to find the usual ‘Triathlon’ mode, and a customisable ‘Multisport’ feature. The multisport can accommodate any variations of run-swim-run, run-bike-run combinations etc. There is also a new ‘Track’ running mode, for your stadium running sessions.

Integration with third-party platforms have also been increasing namely with Strava, Training Peaks etc. The watch also pairs easily with third-party heart rate chest strap or cadence sensors via Bluetooth and ANT+.

We only have one small comment about the ‘Digital Dial’ on the watch, as it’s difficult to use during the run. Buttons are still our preferred control, call us old-fashion. Music lovers will also have to wait longer for integration with streaming services. Also, the Pace 2 does not have ‘Trail Run’ mode compared to the COROS APEX/APEX Pro/VERTIX models.

Overall, the COROS Pace 2 packs a punch of features for a very low price. The versatile watch will be a running fan favourite across all levels.

App interface as tested out by the ToughASIA team
Features and functionalities of COROS Pace 2

Highlights of the COROS Pace 2

– GPS – highly sensitive with better accuracy
– Optical heart rate monitor
– 30 hours full GPS battery life (60 hours in Ultra Max mode)
– 3 weeks standard battery life
– Weighs 29 grams (claimed lightest GPS watch on the market)
– 1.5 times more powerful processor (compared to Pace 1)
– 4 times more storage (compared to Pace 1)
– Power (Watts) reading from the wrist
– Multisport (customisable) and Triathlon mode
– Track Running Mode
– Customise and upload training plans
– 3rd party apps integration (Strava, TrainingPeaks, etc.)
– Colourful and customisable Watch Faces
– Compatibility with Stryd (the first complete and native Stryd support from a watch company.
– COROS EvoLab – an evolutionary software platform in athletic performance measurement.

Cons
– Unable to upload routes (gpx etc.)
– Lack of Trail Running or Mountain modes ( Available on COROS Apex Pro or COROS Vertix)
– Lack touch screen functionality
– Unable to control backlight

Get your COROS Pace 2 at their authorised retailers nationwide, or shop at their official Lazada and Shopee store.

For more information, visit https://coros.my/wp/ or follow COROS on Facebook and Instagram.