The Coros Vertix 2 is greatest described as a smartwatch designed for operating and the outside – not only for operating and biking, but additionally mountain climbing, climbing and mountaineering. You could have thought that Garmin has the ‘rugged GPS sports watch’ area of interest tied up with the Garmin Fenix 6, however the Vertix 2 is a worthy contender, albeit with some barely underwhelming headline options.
It’s comparatively costly at US$699.99 / £599.99 / AU$1,127. No-one goes to be shopping for the Coros Vertix 2 on a whim, nevertheless it’s a brilliantly designed product with a wonderful construct high quality, and options galore.
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(Image credit score: Jamie Carter)
Chief amongst these is its dual-frequency GNSS chipset, which permits to pinpoint your precise place utilizing 5 separate satellite tv for pc constellations (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou and QZSS), with unprecedented accuracy. That's notably necessary in locations like valleys and gorges, finish much more so should you’re climbing a vertical rock face that may in any other case have restricted visibility of satellites or bodily block or mirror the alerts.
In apply, does that actually matter? It’s debatable, however both manner the draw back of that ‘all systems on’ mode is battery life, which is why the Coros Vertix 2 gives extra-long battery life – as much as 140 hours, in actual fact, although in our real-world check utilizing simply GPS it lasted properly over per week. It's unlucky, then, that in terms of recharging it it's important to go and discover its quick cable fitted with a proprietary connector.
How does the Coros Vertix 2 evaluate with the unique Vertix? Well, this new iteration has a barely greater, greater decision show (and thus a barely greater bodily dimension and 15g additional weight), a skinny movie coating on the bezel so as to add extra ruggedness and corrosion resistance, and it really works right down to -22°F/-30°C.
However, the most important addition to the Vertix 2 is offline mapping, full with free downloads. The show is nearly massive sufficient to comply with and is nice for context, however there are not any labels or names. Or turn-by-turn navigation. In quick, it’s inferior to on the Garmin Fenix.
Sure, the quoted battery life is superior, however don’t get too misplaced in that headline determine of 140 hours. After all, you’re going to be taking part in music (it performs MP3s and pairs with Bluetooth earphones), or utilizing maps (and subsequently the display screen). All you should know actually is that the Coros Vertix 2 isn’t going to unexpectedly run out of energy throughout heavy use.
You additionally get quick, quiet beeps and nice haptic buzzes that assist make the Coros Vertix 2 sound and really feel just like the high-end and vastly gratifying product it undoubtedly is. Is it higher than the Garmn Fenix? If battery life is an important factor to you, then positive.
Coros Vertix 2 worth and launch date
Out now
Costs $179.99 (round £139, AU$249)
A follow-up to the unique Coros Vertix from 2019 and a heavier obligation watch than the Coros Pace 2, the Coros Vertix 2 was launched on August 17, 2021 for $699.99 / £599.99 / AU$1,127. It ships with a 26mm silicone band in two colors: Obsidian and Lava. Nylon bands are additionally accessible.
Climbers ought to know that the Coros Vertix 2 will also be connected to a carabiner, which can quickly be accessible for an extra payment.
The Coros Vertix 2 comes with a troublesome protecting case (Image credit score: Jamie Carter)
Coros Vertix 2 design
1.4in / 51mm coloration show
Very massive on the wrist
Uses annoying cable
The Coros Vertix 2 is an extremely strong, rugged, well-made product. It measures a chunky 503 x 503 x 15.7mm and weighs 91g, a little bit greater than its predecessor due to its use of a 1.4in 280 x 280 pixel touchscreen show. That’s fitted with super-strong sapphire glass inside a scratch-resistant titanium case that sports activities a skinny movie coating for additional corrosion resistance. There’s a textured silicone rubber band that’s pretty extensive and, on our review pattern, a uninteresting orange coloration. It’s huge on the wrist. Really huge.
The Coros Vertix 2 is offered with a silicone band (proven right here) or woven nylon (Image credit score: Jamie Carter)
How does the Coros Vertix 2 evaluate with the unique Coros Vertix from May 2019? Well, this new iteration is waterproof right down to 100m/328 toes – oddly a 3rd lower than its predecessor – and operates in colder temperatures (right down to -22°F/-30°C). However, the most important distinction is the Coros Vertix 2’s all-satellite dual-frequency GNSS chipset that finds your precise place utilizing both/or GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou and QZSS. That ought to do it.
Inside are a slew of sensors, from the standard navigation watch necessities like a barometric altimeter accelerometer, compass, gyroscope and thermometer to the extra activity-focused optical pulse oximeter, optical coronary heart fee sensor and an electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor.
The Coros Vertix 2 additionally comes with a cute and extremely strong flight case. It’s a pleasant accent and provides extra rugged enchantment, however we don’t actually get why it wants extra safety. Isn’t it robust sufficient already?
A big rotating crown permits you to zoom out and in of maps with ease, even whereas carrying gloves (Image credit score: Jamie Carter)
We love the best way it’s managed. On the facet is a wonderful massive digital dial that must be absolutely rotated to permit the person entry. It’s squeezed between two different buttons, one in all which dims the display screen on demand. On the rear is a slot for attaching the magnetic charging cable.
Sadly, the watch makes use of a proprietary connector to recharge, which can put some off. After all, who desires to go mountain climbing with a particular USB cable you had higher not lose? It’s a irritating inclusion on an in any other case properly designed product.
One factor endurance athletes ought to know is that the Coros Vertix 2 lacks assist for the ANT+ connectivity commonplace, which implies no assist for good trainers and energy meters. They’re a bit outdated hat, however nonetheless.
Coros Vertix 2 setup and app
Easy to pair Bluetooth headphones
MP3 playback and 32GB inner storage
Can management Insta360 digital camera
After a slick unboxing from that flight case, it’s a cinch to arrange the Coros Vertix 2; you simply download the Coros app and scan a QR code that seems on the watch itself. Pairing full, there’s some private particulars to enter – together with coronary heart fee zones – and also you’re able to run/stroll/swim and so forth.
In truth, the exercise modes supported by the Coros Vertix 2 are jaw-dropping of their quantity. We counted 27, which embrace open water and flatwater, in addition to pool swimming, indoor and out of doors rowing, and windsurfing.
The Coros Vertix 2 has 27 exercise monitoring modes to select from (Image credit score: Jamie Carter)
On the app’s entrance web page are primary knowledge for steps, coronary heart fee, sleep and so forth, a web page that lists statistics and thumbnail maps for all exercises, a web page for the Coros EvoLab (a sports activities science platform that takes seven days of runs to calibrate) and a web page for tweaks like altering the watch face (9 to select from), including GPX information (a standardized file format containing latitude and longitude coordinates) and establishing which app notifications seem on the watch (e mail, calls, WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter and so forth).
All the information collected could be funnelled right into a slew of third-party health apps: Apple Health, Strava, TrainingPeaks, Running Quotient, Adidas Running, Relive, Final Surge, Runalyze and WeRun. You may also pair it with the Stryd Sensor ‘footpod’ energy meter.
We discovered that it took about 10 seconds earlier than the app robotically synced knowledge with our watch by way of Bluetooth. However, you may also hook it as much as your own home Wi-Fi community to ship its knowledge to the cloud (you enter the Wi-Fi password by way of the Coros app).
The Vertix 2 is straightforward to configure by the Coros app, which gives a variety of watch faces (Image credit score: Jamie Carter)
New for this iteration is management of Insta360 cameras, particularly the Insta360 One R 1-Inch Edition (probably the greatest motion cameras) and the Insta360 One X2 (probably the greatest 360 cameras), which is a little bit of a shock. It mainly implies that you should utilize the Coros Vertix 2 as a distant management.
Another new addition is each MP3 playback and the prospect to (stupidly simply) pair some Bluetooth headphones. While welcome, the Coros Vertix 2’s inner storage stretches solely to 32GB whereas the drag-and-drop handbook including and refreshing of MP3 information gained’t enchantment a lot to most customers (it’s solely received three tunes included by default). However, the presence right here of Wi-Fi means that streaming companies may quickly turn out to be accessible.
Coros Vertix 2 offline mapping
Free world and regional offline maps
Zoom utilizing dial, scan by way of touchscreen
‘Dumb’ mapping solely – no navigation or labels
Like the unique, the Coros Vertix 2 could be very clearly aimed toward mountain athletes; hikers, mountain climbers, path runners, downhill and cross-country skiers, ski touring, and snowboarders. There are distinct exercise modes for every, however the star of the present ought to absolutely be its new offline mapping assist.
The bother is, it looks like an early entry function. It has each coloration panorama (world) and topographic (by area) maps, which could be considered collectively, however the maps lack labels. No avenue names. No river names. Its small dimension and use of pale colors makes it tough to comply with.
Maps on the Coros Vertix 2 are fairly easy, and the shortage of labelling means they are often tough to comply with (Image credit score: Jamie Carter)
You can zoom in on a map utilizing the digital dial on the facet, and pan across the display screen utilizing your fingers (even when gloved), however not when you're following a GPX route. We downloaded one from the MapMyRun web site (sadly Strava routes are off the menu), opened it with the Coros app, then synced it with the Coros Vertix 2. All a bit handbook, nevertheless it works properly sufficient.
Choose the Navigation choice on the watch and it then overlays it onto its present map layers. You can customise the map fashion you see, whether or not you comply with the course in reverse, and toggle whether or not you get alerts should you go off-course. But that’s not navigation. You can see elevation profiles from GPX information, however nothing else – not even metrics out of your run or hike. So path runners gained’t get misplaced, however nor will they get any perception into their exercise.
You can view full metrics out of your actions within the Coros app, however not on the watch itself (Image credit score: Jamie Carter)
It all looks like a slightly bolted-on and half-baked function. It’s nice that topographic map downloads are free from Coros web site and every little thing works offline, however should you have been paying for its mapping you’d in all probability really feel short-changed. It’s additionally a disgrace that you simply want a pc and should bodily tether the watch by way of its charging cable to get new maps onto your watch, although we're speaking right here about multi-gigabyte information.
Coros Vertix 2 health monitoring
27 exercise modes
Data could be custom-made
ECG is basically HRV
Of the myriad exercise modes, probably the most used are clearly going to be its run, indoor run, observe run, its numerous swim and biking modes, and gymnasium cardio, every of which could be customised so that you solely see what knowledge on the watch you wish to see.
We took the Coros Vertix 2 for a series of hikes and runs and it discovered satellites very quickly, and tracked our coronary heart fee, velocity and cadence, however we did discover we’d set our targets too excessive, and consequently continuously received harangued by beeps and haptic buzzes. However, every little thing could be reset and/or switched off. We did additionally discover that should you pause it whereas it’s monitoring you – when you cease for lunch, for instance – you solely have 20 minutes earlier than the Coros Vertix 2 begins a countdown into power-saving mode.
20 minutes after pausing an exercise, the Coros Vertix 2 will start a countdown earlier than getting into power-saving mode (Image credit score: Jamie Carter)
At any time you may scroll by an inventory of metrics that may embrace every little thing from steps, flooring, energy and restoration time to coronary heart fee, sleep time, temperature and knowledge on the dawn and sundown instances (however not moonrise and moonset, which is a disgrace). Every widget could be clicked into to get a seven-day image whereas the app information long-term tendencies.
For mountaineers with one eye on altitude illness the SpO2 sensor exhibits your blood oxygen saturation, however solely once you get above 2,500m.
The ECG function is a little bit odd, asking the person to place their different hand bodily throughout the watch, after which a 60-second haptic countdown begins. However, all you get is a coronary heart fee variability (HRV) rating and a remark in your stress standing. So probably not an ECG in any respect, then.
Coros Vertix 2 battery life
Three GPS modes
Super-long battery life as much as 140 hours
High precision dual-GNSS mode
If there's one main motive to improve to the Coros Vertix 2 it’s battery life. While the unique Vertix may hold operating for 60 hours in full GPS mode, the Coros Vertix 2 ups that to an epic 140 hours.
However, it’s necessary to grasp the variations between its three GPS modes; Standard GPS, All Systems On and All Systems + Dual FREQ On. Standard GPS claims a whopping 140 hours by speaking with GPS satellites solely. All Systems On talks to all 5 satellite tv for pc constellations (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou, QZSS), which reduces battery life to 90 hours – a shade greater than the Garmin Enduro. All Systems + Dual FREQ On (often known as GNSS) provides extra accuracy and takes the battery life right down to 50 hours. UltraMax mode ups the battery life to 240 hours by solely switching-on GPS for 30 seconds in each 120 seconds, although it solely works in Run, Trail Run, Mountain Climb and Hike modes. Coros additionally tells us that the Coros Vertix 2 will work for 60 days on a single cost.
After per week with at the very least one exercise tracked per day – a number of runs, loads of hikes, all on commonplace GPS mode – the Coros Vertix 2 was nonetheless displaying a 60% cost. Helpfully, there’s a battery web page that shows estimates of what number of hours of GPS use stay, in addition to what number of days till it wants recharging based mostly on the way you’ve used it for the reason that final cost. Ours clocked in at 15 days.
First reviewed September 2021
Buy it if
You need super-accuracy and an extended battery life The first smartwatch to speak to all 5 satellite tv for pc constellations (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou, QZSS), the Coros Vertix 2 maximizes its visibility but additionally options dual-frequency GNSS for enhanced accuracy. That means 50 hours of battery life, although commonplace GPS mode stretches it to 140 hours. The lengthy and in need of it's you could cease worrying about each discovering a GPS sign and battery life.
You need maps and music however don’t wish to pay for them Having world offline panorama maps and regional topographic maps built-in to the Coros Vertix 2 is great, whereas importing and following GPX information is a slick expertise. Having to drag-and-drop MP3 information feels retro, however if you wish to take heed to podcasts by your wi-fi earphones all of it works very well, although you do want a PC or Mac.
Don't purchase it if
You wish to stream from Spotify Although you may bodily load MP3 information onto the Coros Vertix 2 by way of cabling it as much as a PC or Mac, it doesn’t function Spotify, because the Garmin Fenix 6 Pro does. However, we marvel if it’s only a firmware replace away.
You want NFC funds Unlike the Garmin Fenix 6 Pro the Coros Vertix 2 doesn’t have any type of contactless fee tech built-in. Considering that it may host MP3 information and pair with a Bluetooth headset to turn out to be a leave-your-wallet-at-home system, that’s a little bit of a shock.
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