Coros Apex 4 smartwatch ZDNET's key takeaways The Coros Apex 4 is available now in 42mm and 46mm sizes, for $429 and $479, respectively.
Its long battery life continues to be a Coros foundational element, and the speaker/microphone support hands-free calls and voice notes.
The watch sports a lower resolution display, has a minimal 5 ATM water resistance rating, and no third party app support. View now at Coros
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Back in 2022, I looked at the Coros Apex 2 and Apex 2 Pro, calling out their performance and build quality relative to price. Now, I'm happy to revisit the brand's lineup with the new Apex 4 series, including two sizes of its mid-range smartwatch.
I spent a couple weeks salmon fishing on the Puget Sound, trail running, hiking, walking, and rowing with the new 46mm Coros Apex 4, and initial impressions reveal a worthy follow-up with improved mapping capability, with faster map zoom, off-course alerts, and turn-by-turn navigation to name a few features.
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The Apex 4 Pro fits into Coros' extensive smartwatch lineup alongside the Pace, Nomad, and Vertix series, as a smartwatch targeted toward athletes who trail run, alpine run, and ski. If you regularly do any of those activities, the Apex 4 Pro would make a particularly good watch, since it includes a handful of features with elevation as a key component.
Personally, I enjoy trail running in the local foothills of Mount Rainier and have my Icon pass all ready to go for this winter's alpine snow skiing season, so I plan on testing the Apex 4 on the slopes once the season begins.
There are a handful of features that are suited just for this use case. For alpine skiing, you can download topographic maps, which then automatically detects downhill laps and ski lift rides, displayed on the saved activity data pages. Pinned voice notes come in handy here, allowing you to call out where that perfect jump or hazard are located, and can be easily shared.
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