Premium performance and value: meet the ultra rugged Coros Vertix 2S

The Coros Vertix 2S is the brand’s top-of-the-range running watch, delivering premium performance at a competitive price of £599, which is slightly better value compared to other watches in this top-tier bracket compared to other brands.

The 2S is a modest upgrade to the Vertix 2 (£519), with improved GPS accuracy (courtesy of a new antenna design and the use of multi-band, dual frequency GPS) and a new optical heart rate sensor. But, overall, it’s only an incremental change and the Vertix 2 and 2S are mostly quite comparable. We’re, perhaps, expecting bigger updates when the Vertix 3 drops.

Our honest assessment of the Coros Vertix 2S? We see it as Coros’s effort to rival top-tier watches such as the Garmin Fenix 7 Pro. Where Coros excels is price – it offers a premium build quality with a titanium bezel and sapphire glass screen at a cheaper price-point than is achievable with Garmin. Indeed, you save £141 with the Coros Vertix 2S compared to the Fenix 7 Pro.

Both of these watches have a similar ethos and approach. They are both very expensive, but still don’t offer an AMOLED screen. In some ways this seems stingy and poor value, but there is sound logic to the thinking. Both brands instead opt for a transflective memory-in-pixel screen, thus prioritising impressive battery life over vivid display clarity. The idea is that most serious runners, especially ultra runners, want maximum battery performance rather than “lifestyle-y” sexy screens. Plus a transflective MIP screen can still be perfectly legible in most weather conditions and will still work absolutely fine for most runners’ needs.

The Coros Vertix 2S has some big pros and cons, as with almost all modern GPS running watches. The positives? The price of £599 is competitive, the all-round GPS accuracy is impressive and the stripped-back and easy-to-use Coros interface and app will (probably) win over most runners. The design is rugged and tough, you get lots of screen real estate (1.4”) for clear displays of information, and – most of all – the battery life is very, very good. You get so much juice out of this watch and its staying power is a real USP.

The negatives? At 88g on our scales, including the silicone band, the Vertix 2S is pretty darn heavy (although it weighs only 70g with the nylon band). It’s chunkily-thick and certainly not the most comfortable or streamlined on the wrist. The new heart rate sensor, by most accounts, is lacking a little (it’s far better to invest in a heart rate chest strap). In terms of the screen, it can sometimes seem quite dull and difficult to read, and certainly lacks the glowing brightness of AMOLED options, while Coros’s music system is a bit of a miss.

All in all, though, the Coros Vertix 2S is a solid option. Its big selling points are the competitive price for a titanium watch, as well as the mega battery life. If you want to go far and long, without ever having to worry about running out of juice, the Vertix 2S has top-notch staying power.

Design and Screen

The Coros Vertix 2S has a pretty standard GPS running watch design. The bezel is made from a grade 5 titanium alloy with a PVD coating. The screen is made from sapphire glass, and – conveniently – the watch comes with two straps as standard, a silicone one and a nylon one. You can switch these in and out, depending on your preference.

There are no buttons on the left-hand side of the bezel. On the right-hand side you get two standard buttons, and then a central rotating crown (digital dial). The latter works very well for selecting options and navigating through menus.

The screen has a good size, with lots of real estate for displaying maps, graphics and vital stats. The screen is 1.4” wide, with a 280 x 280 pixel resolution. It can display 64 colours and has touchscreen functionality. The screen itself uses transflective MIP (memory-in-pixel) technology, with an always-on design.

Is this screen any good? Well, it’s excellent at saving battery, and thus helping the Vertix 2S deliver superb all-round battery stats. The display is pretty decent too. It works well enough in most light conditions and is wide enough to be mostly clear and legible. However, it’s a little underwhelming for £599, particularly if you’ve ever seen the vivid clarity of an AMOLED screen. The Vertix 2S’s screen can be a bit dull at times, lacking brightness and clarity, but – remember – the flip side is better battery life.

GPS Accuracy

With upgrades to the Vertix 2 model – mostly notably tweaks to the GPS antenna for improvements in all-round GPS performance - the Coros Vertix 2S performs very strongly in terms of GPS accuracy. You get access to a dual-frequency (multi-band) system, for improved accuracy in areas with tree cover and other environmental interferences, as well as access to all five core satellite networks (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou, QZSS).

During our test runs around the Lake District, we found the Vertix 2S locked-on to GPS signal quickly and efficiently, and tracked our activities precisely without any anomalies.

Weight and Size

The Coros Vertix 2S weighs 88g on our scales, including the silicone wrist band. This is the heaviest watch we’ve tested recently, which clearly isn’t ideal, particularly at a price point north of £500. Compared to similarly chunky’n’thick GPS running watches, the Vertix 2S clocks in at a few grams heftier: it’s 5g heavier than the Suunto Race, 9g heavier than the Polar Grit X2 Pro and 13g heavier than the Garmin Fenix 7 Pro. For some this may be a deal-breaker; for others the difference of a few grams won’t be particularly noticeable in practice. In truth, we couldn’t tell much of a difference between some of these models, and arguably the superb battery life is adequate recompense for the extra few grams.

Compared to ultralight running watches, the Vertix 2S compares even less favourably. It’s a whopping 49g heftier than its own Pace 3, which is impressively ultralight – a good option if you want to go far more minimalist.

However, if you switch out the silicone band for the nylon one, the Vertix 2S weighs only 70g. This totally flips the script and changes the narrative. With the nylon band, the Vertix 2S becomes the lightest of the rugged smartwatch category, and delivers the following weight savings compared to its main competitors: it’s 5g lighter than the Garmin Fenix 7 Pro, 9g lighter than the Polar Grit X2 Pro and 13g lighter than the Suunto Race.

The Vertix 2S is quite a sizeable watch. The official bezel dimensions, as quoted by Coros, are 50.3x50.3x16mm, which is marginally wider and thicker than the Fenix 7 Pro and Polar Grit X2 Pro, for example. But at these sizes, minor differences are tricky to really notice on the wrist, unless you’re particularly attuned to such minor variations.

Due to the weight and size, for some runners the Coros Vertix 2S will feel a tad too chunky, thick and unwieldy on the wrist, with all-day comfort levels compromised. There’s a chance it may feel a little unstable and “bouncy” on the wrist, particularly at faster speeds with a dynamic arm swing. But other runners may not be bothered by this at all.

Battery Life

Coros officially states the following battery performance for the Vertix 2S across various different modes: 118 hours of standard full GPS tracking (using GPS and QZSS satellite networks, reduced to 32 hours with music); 73 hours of GPS with all systems on (using GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou and QZSS, reduced to 27 hours with music); 43 hours of dual frequency GPS with all systems on (using GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou and QZSS, reduced to 22 hours with music); and 40 days of regular use (with daily and sleep tracking, but no GPS). The watch can also be fully charged in less than two hours, according to Coros.

These stats are very impressive – you get so much juice and lasting power with the Vertix 2S. For comparison, the Coros Pace 3 only offers 15 hours of use with all systems on and dual frequency; with the same settings the Vertix 2S delivers 43 hours, almost three times as much.

The Vertix 2S outperforms the pricier Garmin Fenix 7 Pro in terms of battery life too. The Fenix 7 Pro gives you 23 hours using GPS, GLONASS and Galileo with dual-frequency multi-band; with comparable settings the Vertix 2S offers 43 hours – so an extra 20 hours of lasting power. This really is the Vertix 2S’s big selling point and may convince some runners it’s the watch for them.

Water-Resistance

The Coros Vertix 2S has a 10ATM rating, which means it can withstand pressures equivalent to a depth of 100 metres under water, and is therefore suitable for swimming activities. Naturally you also don’t need to worry about taking it off when you’re showering, soaking in the bath or when it’s raining cats and dogs outside.

Navigation and Mapping

I used the Coros Vertix 2S’s mapping functionality on a 17.4km run of the “Two Valleys” route in Keswick, which starts in the Lake District town, veers west below Latrigg, loops around Glenderaterra Beck via the lower slopes of Lonscale Fell and Blease Fell, and then returns to Keswick along the railway line from Threlkeld. The maps and navigation features functioned very well.

This is how it worked. I created the route on the desktop version of OS Maps (my favoured, normal way of plotting routes) and then downloaded the GPX and emailed it to myself. I then opened the GPX in the Coros app on my phone and saved it to the Vertix 2S under the “My Route” tab. As this was the first time using maps on the watch, I also had to connect the watch to my home Wi-Fi and download the mapping tile for the north of England (I guess it wasn’t pre-loaded), but this worked fine. Overall this process was a bit fiddly, but easy enough in the grand scheme of things.

Just before clicking start on my run, I selected the downloaded route and then selected go. I found the mapping worked reasonably well. The details were pretty good, with topographical contour lines, some coloured features, and clearly visible traces for my movements and the route ahead. I found it pretty easy to navigate with, in a simplistic sense, and the large screen displayed the information well enough. Little arrows guided the way at turns, and if I ever strayed off-course the watch would let me know.

As mentioned before, the non-AMOLED screen doesn’t pop with colour and clarity, so sometimes the maps were a little dull and ill-defined, but they still worked fine. You don’t get any place names on the maps (i.e. mountains, rivers and towns aren’t named), which is a tad inconvenient, but not that important.

All in all, I’d say the Coros mapping is very decent and certainly workable, and I was impressed by the functionality. It’s definitely a step below the excellent Garmin maps on the Fenix 7 Pro – with the Garmin you get more clarity and detail in the mapping, and the turn-by-turn advice is better – but overall Coros have done a good job here.

One additional feature, which I didn’t test, and may be more relevant to cyclists, is the Coros Vertix 2S’s “navigation mirroring” function. This enables you to follow complex routes using your phone and watch simultaneously, perhaps with the phone in a handlebar mount, for example.

Running: Training, Coaching, Heart Rate and App

Each smartwatch brand – whether it’s Suunto, Polar, Garmin or Coros – claims its data collection and presentation of insights is superior to all others, with each brand extolling the virtues of its own apps. Often it’s all about which eco-system you’re used to. Each will have its quirks and oddities, and strengths and weaknesses, but they all aim to do the same thing – provide useful information to help you understand your body better, and improve your training and performance.

Personally, I’ve found the Coros app clean and well-presented, with an intuitive, solid-performing interface. In particular, I’ve liked how it is quite a simple, stripped-back, easy-to-follow interface that has nailed the essentials. I’ve enjoyed the way it presents data and have found the insights useful, without ever feeling overwhelmed by information overload or way too much scientific gobbledygook, which can happen with some other apps.

For runners looking to get faster, stronger and bag new PBs, the Coros app also has a plethora of options. You can access training plans and workout itineraries, get real personalised advice from Coros coaches, and utilise advanced training analysis in the training hub. Out on the trail, there are a plethora of features to help you get the most of your workouts too, such as the virtual pacer.

Other Features

You don’t get contactless payments with the Coros Vertix 2S, and – while you can drag’n’drop MP3 files to the watch for on-board storage using a laptop or computer – there is no streaming or Spotify integration. But these are the only real omissions. You do get a ton of extra features and capabilities with the Vertix 2S, including a wide range of activity modes and third-party integrations, and full training plan and workout support.

The Vertix 2S is particularly strong as a climbing watch, with Coros claiming it is “the only watch brand with GPS algorithms tuned and tested for long multi-pitch climbs”. Other nifty features include alerts and information on stormy weather, nutrition, sun movements, altitude sickness, dehydration and darkness, to name but a few. You also get sleep tracking, overnight HRV and wellness checks, as well as loads of other features we don’t have time to mention here.

Verdict

A top-end watch from Coros with titanium and sapphire glass components at an impressive price, as well as exceptional battery life – but it’s not perfect.

About the author

James Forrest is our Lake District-based freelance gear tester who has a particular knack for ultramarathons, fell running, and lightweight backpacking.

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