Coros Apex 4: Battery life, features, where to buy

If you’re on long, multi-day sporting events, a fitness tracker with good battery life is essential. And we’re not talking 11 hours in GPS mode before you reach for a portable charger. We are talking about continuous tracking days, sleep deprivation and all kinds of places.

This is where the Coros Apex 4 comes in. It’s a fitness tracker designed with endurance athletes in mind. It has everything from detailed GPS tracking to advanced heart rate and training metrics, and not to mention, battery life that will see you through any multi-day event. But, how much of a benefit is battery life really?

Can battery life give you a competitive advantage?

There are many ways that having strong battery life can help you during training and racing. For one, most major events now require you to download the race course from your watch’s maps (not to mention, if it’s an off-road course you’ll really need this). By having a watch battery that lasts for days, you not only meet the requirements of the race but also avoid the distractions and stress of mid-event charging.

Navigating is really challenging. Losing track of your route, whether in training or on race day, can cost you hours. It can also be unsafe if you don’t know exactly where you are. With a watch that can stay on for days, you can keep your maps loaded at all times, following the course or route you have planned. Powerful battery life means you’re less likely to turn around or miss a checkpoint or aid station. And after many kilometers of cycling or running, you don’t want to miss your boiled potatoes.

The long battery life also means you can leave your watch on during your training sessions, so that every run or ride is fully tracked. You can monitor your progress during training hours. In a race setting, especially a multi-day event, this can help you adjust your effort without worrying about running out of juice halfway through. Continuous data can help you practice sustainable travel strategies.

Multi-day events are very hard on your body. Keeping your watch on for days at a time allows you to track heart rate trends and early signs of fatigue, allowing you to adjust your strategy based on your body’s response.

And the Apex 4 more than meets the demands of reliable battery life. This watch can work up to 65 hours in full GPS mode. According to Coros, this is long enough to cover races such as the Grand Traverse or a full loop around Mont Blanc.

Some good features of Coros Apex 4

Battery life isn’t the only thing that makes this Coros watch a great choice for endurance athletes. It has a dual-frequency GPS with advanced precision algorithms, which means you will get the most accurate location even if you are in dense forests or surrounded by mountains. Therefore, you can always trust your speed and route no matter how far you are or how bad the conditions are.

It also has a built-in microphone and speaker, allowing you to record voice clips to capture notes on the trail or your reminders later. The speaker also allows you to take hands-free calls or hear activity alerts aloud.

The sports tracking is amazing too, and has everything you’d expect from a fitness tracker, with some extras for trail running, ski touring, alpine climbing, and vertical training.

Where to buy Coros Apex 4

The Coros Apex 4 is available for purchase on Amazon. The 46mm watch is priced at $479, while the 42mm option is $429. Both are available in black or white.