Coros Nomad review: No, it’s not a Garmin, but it could be even better
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No, it’s not Garmin. The Coros Nomad may look similar to the Instinct 3, but in many ways it’s much more exciting, as it boils down that excellent smartwatch into a feature-packed but still compelling alternative that’s much cheaper.
It’s in the realm of fitness trackers, with features like seamless NFC payments, but has the advantage of offering locally stored maps. Add to that more than three weeks of battery life on a single charge, a handy action button, and a really nice, lightweight design, and there’s a lot to like about this startup.
The memory on the Pixel display is not for everyone as it is duller than most AMOLED screens of smart watches, but it saves battery because of it. If you’re happy with one here, you’re getting excellent value for money and great battery life.
Coros Nomad: Price and Availability
- It starts at $349/£319/around AU$640
- Much cheaper than competitors
- Available in three color options
The main draw of the Coros Nomad is how favorably it compares to the Garmin Instinct 3 in terms of price. It starts at $349 / £319 / around AU$640, compared to Garmin’s $449 / £389 / AU$829 model, and comes in Dark Grey, Green, and Brown finishes – I tested the green version.
Garmin Venu 4: Details
|
Element |
Coros Nomad |
|
Price |
$349 / £319 |
|
Size |
47.8 x 47.8 x 16.4mm |
|
Weight |
49g with band |
|
Case/bezel |
Polymer case |
|
Show |
1.3 inch Memory-in-Pixel display (260×260 resolution) |
|
GPS |
Dual frequency GPS |
|
Battery life |
22 days of normal use, 34 hours in GPS mode |
|
Communication |
Bluetooth |
|
Water resistance |
50M |
Coros Nomad: Design
- Long lasting, but light enough
- Action button
Given that this is billed as a rugged smartwatch, there’s a good chance that the first thing you notice when you pick up the Coros Nomad is that it’s not heavy at all.
The Polymer case feels sturdy (although you won’t catch me dropping my review unit on a concrete floor), but it’s also nice and light. That’s especially helpful given that this is a device you can wear for up to three weeks without taking it off to charge, and the strap is comfortable, too (although I’m not a big fan of the pin-based method of attaching them).
The case covers the display, and offers plenty of clearance to keep it from melting if you drop the watch or swing your arm against something, although Coros says the mineral glass display should be hard to crack anyway.
In terms of controls, there are two buttons to interact with the UI, and an action button that can be programmed to perform different functions such as backlight, add a voice pin to the route, or switch between activity data and map view. Charging is handled through a small proprietary port on the back.
Coros Nomad: Features
- Offline maps
- No smartwatch features
Where Garmin’s Instinct 3 doesn’t offer mapping functionality, the Coros Nomad does, making it an attractive choice for trail runners who may not know the trail well. This works with the Coros compatible app, allowing you to save routes and save them to quickly check conditions before heading out the door.
There’s also dual-band GPS for tracking, and it proved incredibly accurate in my testing, whether I was out roaming the countryside or standing amongst London’s skyscrapers.
Built for the great outdoors, as the name suggests. Along with all the usual map and GPX route functionality, you can drop voice pegs using the on-board microphone during walks and runs, which will also play thoughts that come to you at certain points during the routes, such as descriptions of places. You can also add photos to the app, creating an adventure journal.
Fishing methods, which usually don’t get much love, get a digital anchor, put a pin in place to see if you drift during the work. Niche, but very useful for the right person. Medically, you get an ECG sensor, an SpO2 monitor, and Security Alerts that let you send your location to emergency contacts. However, this is more like Garmin’s LiveTrack than sending SOS messages, as it’s done on your phone rather than a satellite, and thus requires a phone signal. Still, it’s a nice thing to have.
The only real downside is that some smartwatch features are lacking. To be clear, Coros is marketing the Nomad as a fitness watch, but I would have liked NFC payments and maybe music options here for days when I want to leave my phone at home.
Coros Nomad: Performance
- MiP display
- Up to 22 days of battery life
- Heart rate accuracy is very high
The performance of the Coros Nomad is excellent across the board. A single charge can last you 22 days, while you’ll get about 50 hours if you use GPS mode for deeper location tracking, or 34 hours with dual band. I found this to be accurate during testing.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to go fishing with the watch during my testing, but I did use its main feature: maps.
This is something many similarly priced competitors don’t offer, and it’s great for downloading offline maps if you’re not sure where you are and have left your phone at home. It’s nice and easy to find them with the companion app, and the maps themselves are easy to read by coding in route types.
You can zoom in and out with the crown, too, making it easy to get the gist of your current route.
Another cool feature, I’ve never seen anything like Voice Pin on a watch before. The idea is relatively simple, allowing you to leave an audio note when you run or hike a landscaped mountain. In theory, this could mean you could create custom audio directions for a route you share with a friend, or provide additional notes on how to get home.
Heart rate tracking is pretty much the current gold standard in my experience – the Apple Watch Ultra series. Despite the fact that the Coros Nomad costs less than half the price, it’s very similar to Apple’s most rugged watch band. We independently tested the Ultra against the Polar H10 heart rate monitor, and found it to be very accurate, so the Coros match is very encouraging.
Coros Nomad: Scorecard
|
Attribute |
Comments |
The result |
|---|---|---|
|
Price |
It undercuts Garmin while offering more features. |
5 |
|
Design |
It’s easy to use, comfortable, and durable. |
5 |
|
Features |
There are many health monitoring features, but none in terms of NFC payments. |
4.5 |
|
Working |
Offline maps and voice pins are great. |
5 |
Coros Nomad: Should I buy?
Buy if…
Don’t buy if…
Think again
|
Element |
Coros Nomad |
Garmin Instinct 3 (45mm) AMOLED |
Apple Watch Ultra 3 |
|
Price |
$349 / £319 |
$449 / £389 / AU$829 |
$799 / £749 / AU$1,399 |
|
Size |
47.8 x 47.8 x 16.4mm |
45 x 45 x 14.9mm |
49 x 44 x 12 (mm) |
|
Weight |
49g with band |
it’s 53g |
it is 62g |
|
Case/bezel |
Polymer case |
Fiber-reinforced polymer / aluminum |
Titanium |
|
Show |
1.3 inch Memory-in-Pixel display (260×260 resolution) |
AMOLED, 390 x 390px |
Liquid retina LTPO3 OLED |
|
GPS |
Dual frequency GPS |
GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, SatIQ |
L3 dual-band GPS |
|
Battery life |
22 days of normal use, 34 hours in GPS mode |
Up to 18 days (smartwatch), up to 32 hours (GPS) |
42-hour smartwatch mode |
|
Communication |
Bluetooth |
Bluetooth, ANT+ |
Bluetooth, LTE |
|
Water resistance |
50M |
10 ATM |
The WR100 |
How did I check?
I wore the Coros Nomad in everyday life, during sleep and exercise. I ran around with the Coros Nomad a few times, comparing its GPS and biometric information to both the recently reviewed Suunto Race 2, the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch Series 11. I also visited some cities to test its GPS system in large crowds and buildings during operation.
