COROS is rolling out its September update, and the headline for PACE 4 owners is a big one: maps.
The new feature brings landscape and topographic maps to the watch, including street and trail names and points of interest. It is a substantial upgrade from the breadcrumb navigation the PACE 4 offered at launch and gives the $249 watch a much more complete navigation experience.
Maps are launching in beta, while Voice Control remains in beta after debuting earlier this year. Adventure Journal Timeline and Cycling Climb Alerts are not labeled beta in COROS's launch materials, nor are the smaller additions included in the update.
Full maps, with a storage tradeoff
The PACE 4 has 4GB of onboard storage, shared between locally stored music and maps. COROS says that is not enough to keep very large map areas stored on the watch at once, so users can download the regions they need through Map Manager and replace them when traveling.
While that may be a compromise for some, it still offers tremendous value for others. COROS says the PACE 4 gets the same offline map coverage, street and trail names, and points of interest found on the APEX 4, NOMAD and PACE Pro.
For most runners who keep their home region loaded and add destinations as needed, 4GB may be enough. Buyers who want to keep very large map regions stored at once will have more room on watches such as the Suunto Race S, which has 32GB of storage.
How it compares with Garmin and Suunto
At $249, the PACE 4 was already a strong value. It weighs just 32 grams with its nylon band, has a 1.2-inch AMOLED display and supports dual-frequency GPS. Adding full maps closes one of the clearest remaining gaps between it and more expensive running and outdoor watches.
Garmin still goes further with on-watch route generation. The Forerunner 970 can generate round-trip routes directly on the watch and uses Garmin's more advanced routing system. Garmin launched it at $749.99.
That is a more sophisticated navigation system, but it is also a very different price class.
The Suunto Race S is a closer rival, with offline maps, multi-band GPS and substantially more storage. Based on the published feature sets, we would not call Suunto's mapping experience clearly better than COROS's without testing them side by side. Its clearest advantage is having more room to keep maps downloaded.
For runners who typically create or import a route and then follow it, the practical navigation gap between the PACE 4 and considerably more expensive watches has narrowed significantly.
Battery life remains a strength
The PACE 4 is rated for up to 19 days of daily use, 41 hours in All-Systems GPS mode and 31 hours using dual-frequency GPS, according to COROS's specifications.
The Suunto Race S is rated for 30 hours in its highest-accuracy multi-band mode, putting the two very close during demanding GPS use. Garmin rates the Forerunner 970 for up to 21 hours using All-Systems plus Multi-Band GNSS.
Actual battery life will vary with display settings, navigation, music and other features, but the PACE 4's combination of an AMOLED display, 32-gram weight and long GPS endurance remains impressive for a $249 watch.
More than maps
Cycling Climb Alerts now let compatible COROS watches identify climbs along a planned route and show distance, elevation gain, grade and progress through the ascent. Riders can also preview the climbs in the app before starting. The feature was already available on the COROS DURA bike computer.
Voice Control gains more commands during activities on the PACE 4, NOMAD and APEX 4. Users can open or end navigation, start timers, set nutrition and heart-rate alerts, adjust smart-trainer resistance and set target cycling power.
Voice Control remains in beta and is still English-only, with support for additional languages planned. It has carried the beta label since its original launch, so this update expands the feature rather than graduating it to a final release.
Adventure Journal has also been redesigned around a chronological timeline. Photos, videos, pins and Voice Pins recorded during an activity can appear along the route, while media captured before or afterward can be added manually. Voice Pins can be replayed or read as transcripts, and completed timelines can be shared through a link.
The release also adds faster Direct Transfer firmware updates, Torque and Total Work cycling metrics, left/right balance in cycling FIT files, more detailed 25-day battery statistics and improved elevation accuracy for imported routes.
No subscription required
COROS does not charge a subscription for its core training, recovery or mapping tools, and the new maps are being added through software at no additional cost.
The COROS app works with both iPhone and Android, so the PACE 4 is not tied to either phone ecosystem.
Garmin's standard Connect platform and mapping features also remain free, although Garmin now offers an optional Connect+ subscription for additional features and insights. Suunto's app and offline maps are subscription-free as well.
Our take
For existing PACE 4 owners, this is an easy upgrade to welcome. COROS is adding the feature the watch most obviously lacked without requiring new hardware or a subscription.
The beta label means we would still expect some rough edges, and the 4GB storage limit is worth knowing about, but neither takes away from what has been added.
At $249, the PACE 4 now combines full offline maps, dual-frequency GPS, long battery life, an AMOLED display and exceptionally low weight. Garmin still offers more sophisticated on-watch routing at the high end, while Suunto gives buyers much more map storage, but both comparisons make the PACE 4's value easier to appreciate.
For current owners, it is a substantial free upgrade. For new buyers, it makes an already excellent running watch even easier to recommend.