A small, yet impressive upgrade

The COROS Vertix 2S features several new upgrades to bring its flagship watch up to par with the current generation of sports watches. While the improvements, such as the new heart rate sensor, are small in number, they make the Vertix 2S substantially more compelling than its predecessor.

Check out our full written and video review below!

COROS Vertix 2S – video review

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A quick overview of the COROS Vertix 2S

While the COROS Vertix 2S is a minor upgrade from its predecessor, the improvements that have been made here make this high-end sports watch a lot more attractive.

With a new stylish look, improved heart sensor, and more accurate GPS chipset configuration, the Vertix 2S is comparable with some of the best sports watches out there. The battery here is also among one of the largest available with an estimated 40 days of daily use.

COROS Vertix 2S specs

COROS Vertix 2S: A new look

While not a lot has changed from the original Vertix 2, the 2S does feature several improvements that go a long way to make the sports watch a more attractive option.

The most obvious of change is the new colors. The Vertix 2S comes in Space (black), Moon (white), and Earth (blue). The coloring here is really well done (especially the blue titanium) and helps give the 2S a more premium look.

New heart rate sensor

Less obvious, but much more important, is that the COROS Vertix 2S comes with an improved heart rate sensor. Featuring 5 LED’s and 4 photodetectors, the new sensor has been very consistent with its accuracy during my testing. During my previous review of the original Vertix 2, I mentioned that the heart rate accuracy was a bit behind other premium watches. So I am happy to report that is no longer the case.

Battery Life

The improved heart rate sensor does have one minor drawback: it consumes more power. This means the battery life, while still a highlight of this watch, is a bit shorter than it used to be.

Instead of lasting an estimated 39 days of use alongside sleep and stress tracking, it now only lasts 36 days. Another example being that instead of lasting 127 hours while using standard GPS, the Vertix 2S only lasts 118 hours.

Still, the battery life remains larger than pretty much any other sports watch at this price. The only sports watch that I have reviewed with a comparable battery is the Garmin Enduro 2, which costs almost 50% more.

Display

In order to get achieve this extended battery life, COROS has continued to use a Memory-in-Pixel (MIP) display. This type of display looks very clear and bright when outdoors, but looks a lot less impressive inside. While MIP sports watches are currently less popular than the newer AMOLED displays, those displays decrease the battery life significantly. Personally, I still prefer the larger battery life that MIP displays allow.

The glass display here is sapphire, so it is built for very tough use with almost no chance of scratching. Surrounding the display is a Titanium alloy bezel alongside a polymer casing. Sports watches do not get much tougher than this, so it can withstand pretty much any environment or anything you throw at it.

GPS

Another improvement of the COROS Vertix 2S over its predecessor is an improved satellite chipset configuration. The original Vertix 2 was one of the first sports watches to come with Dual-Frequency Satellite support, which allows for more accurate GPS tracking. However, since it was the first, it meant that the configuration was less ideal than other watches which came after it. The new configuration helps to correct that, and after testing, I am finding the Vertix 2S to be as accurate, if not more accurate than any Apple or Garmin watch.

COROS software improvements

There are actually a lot of other improvements that have come through updates over the past 2 years, since I reviewed the original COROS Vertix 2. While these updates are not unique to just the 2S (COROS does a great job supporting and updating its older watches), these update have made a huge difference and solve a lot of issues I originally had.

The largest upgrade, at least in my opinion, is with the addition of turn-by-turn navigation. While previously, the Vertix 2 could provide basic breadcrumb navigation, it was nowhere near as complete a system as what Garmin had. With the addition of turn-by-turn navigation to COROS, that is no longer the case.

Another improvement that has been added, is the ability to measure to track Heart Rate Variability automatically. While you could take a manual measurement previously, most people (including myself) prefer to automatic measurements. So I am happy to see that has been added.

The issue with music remains

The only real complaint that I had originally and is still the case today, is the music storage. While the COROS Vertix 2S has plenty of room to store music, there is unfortunately still no third-party support for music services like Spotify.

This means that if you want to download music or podcasts, you have to own and transfer the actual MP3 files. For most of us, that simply isn’t an option. So in general, you’ll still need to take your phone with you if you want to listen to something while you train.

Final thoughts

I can’t finish this review without mentioning the one aspect of COROS that I enjoy most: its ecosystem. It may be the sports watch brand overall when it comes to combining accurate measurements without making the system overcomplicated for users.

From the watch settings, to the app, as well as how all of the metrics are presented, it feels like the only ecosystem I could recommend to both beginner and advanced athletes . Other options, like Garmin, may still have more additional overall, but that comes at the cost of what remains a fairly cluttered and hard to learn system. So I really appreciate the balance that COROS brings to the table here.

At $699, the Vertix 2S still is a little pricy. However, given the upgrades to both the hardware and software (as well as its insanely large battery life) it is still worth considering. In fact, the entire line up now of the COROS Vertix 2S, the Apex 2, and the Pace 3 seems really well thought out to fit the needs and budget of almost anyone.

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