COROS Pace 4 In-Depth Review (2026 update): AMOLED, Dual-Band GPS, Battery Life & FR165 Comparison
Coros Pace 4 is the latest in a successful series of capable, entry-level running watches and a surprisingly big upgrade over its predecessor, Pace 3. Here’s a detailed review of the flagship Coros Pace 4, warts and all.
One of the best sports watch options for under $250.
Every Coros watch tends to come with the maximum number of features the company can cram in, so the big news today lies elsewhere in the hardware: an upgrade to an AMOLED display from the previous MIP display, significantly more battery life than the Pace 3, and the latest optical HR sensor.
Coros will try to wow you with two clever microphone-based features, but leave you scratching your head, wondering why there is no speaker. Dig deeper, and you’ll find that there are no maps, no contactless payments, and no way to support streaming music services, even though it can pair with Bluetooth headphones.
Odd choices – a microphone but no speakers, Spotify and payments are absent.
Note: I bought this Coros Pace 4 with my own money. I do get a retailer commission if you buy from one of the links. Thank you for supporting the work here.
Solid | Unremarkable | Best Value - choose your favourite description.
"Solid" is my favourite one-word summary
The Pace 4 has an annoyingly good set of features for an annoyingly ‘low’ price. At least, that’s what Garmin might think.
Garmin should be worried. The COROS Pace 4 handles the core running tasks most athletes actually need, offering high-accuracy GPS and a high-resolution AMOLED screen for the same price as their entry-level Forerunner 165. Yes, Garmin’s ecosystem is broader, but let’s be real: most Pace 4 buyers won’t research any ecosystem’s capabilities to that level of detail.
Pros
- AMOLED Display: Impressively bright and colourful
- Performance: Lag-free responsiveness.
- Lightweight Design: Comfortable, small and featherlight – 32g.
- Battery Life: 41 hours in High GPS mode or 6 days with AOD
- Training Tools: Features the full COROS EvoLab suite (recovery, training load, race predictor, VO2max), Effort Pace, and advanced running dynamics.
- New Action Button: Ideal for shortcuts.
- GPS/GNSS Accuracy – as close to faultless as you’ll get.
Cons
- No Mapping: only breadcrumb navigation.
- Optical HR Accuracy: Tweaks needed for hard efforts and outdoors use
- Music Limitations: No Spotify/streaming services, just MP3.
- Small Text: small font sizes on a small-format watch.
- No Speaker: Oddly has a microphone but lacks a speaker.
- No contactless payments
- No 3rd party apps or watchfaces
COROS Pace 4 vs Garmin Forerunner 165: Feature Showdown
The Garmin Forerunner 165 is the Pace 4’s primary competitor at the $249 price point. The choice comes down to hardware (Coros) versus smart features/ecosystem (Garmin).
| Feature | COROS Pace 4 ($249) | Garmin FR165 ($249) |
|---|---|---|
| GPS Accuracy | Dual-Frequency (L1+L5) Multi-Band | All-Systems (Single Band) |
| Max GPS Battery | 31 Hours (Dual-Freq) | 19 Hours (All-Systems) |
| Sports Profiles | Triathlon/Multisport Mode, Cycling Power Meter Support | No Triathlon, No Cycling Power Meter Support |
| Music | Offline MP3 only (No Spotify Streaming) | Spotify, Deezer, Amazon Music (Music Version) |
| Payments (NFC) | No | Garmin Pay |
Design & Hardware
The 1.2-inch, 390 x 390 resolution AMOLED display is impressively bright and colourful. At 1,500 nits, the contrast and readability are excellent, even in direct sunlight, providing a significant upgrade over the Pace 3’s MIP display.
- Display: 1.2-inch, 390 x 390 resolution, Always-On AMOLED Touch Screen. Protected by Mineral Glass.
- Controls: Features a Digital Dial, a Back Button, and the new Action Button.
- Build: The bezel and cover material are Fibre-Reinforced Polymer and water-resistant up to 5 ATM.
- Bands: 22mm Quick Release (silicone – 40g, nylon – 32g).
- Charging: New USB-C adapter (incompatible with the older Pace 3).
Listen to the discussion
Comprehensive Sports Usage and Training Capabilities
Sport Profiles include road running, trail running, indoor running, track running, cycling (road/indoor), pool and open-water swimming, strength training, triathlon/multisport, and various team/paddle sports. GPS Modes cover Max Accuracy (Dual Frequency) and High Accuracy (All Systems). Connectivity covers most Bluetooth sensor types including heart rate monitors and cycling power meters.
Coros Training Metrics (EvoLab) covers Training Load, Base Fitness, Training Status, Recovery Timer, Running Fitness, and Race Predictor. One persistent quirk is that the on-watch Training Load metric still resets each Monday morning, which does not reflect how recovery actually works.
Pace 4 Battery Life
- Daily Use: 19 days (standard) / 6 days (AOD).
- High GPS Mode (All Systems): 41 hours (standard) / 30 hours (AOD).
- Max GPS Mode (Dual Frequency): 31 hours (standard) / 24 hours (AOD).
In real-world testing in Max GPS mode with the always-on display enabled, battery drain settles at roughly 4% per hour, in line with the published 24-hour figure.
COROS Pace 4 – Key Technical Specifications
- Price: $249.
- Dimensions: 43.4 x 43.4 x 11.8 mm.
- Weight: 40g (silicone band), 32g (nylon band).
- Display: 1.2 inches, AMOLED, 390 x 390 pixels.
- Glass: Mineral Glass.
- Water Resistance: 5 ATM.
- Memory: 4GB Internal.
- GPS: All-Satellite Dual-Frequency.
Accuracy Tests
GPS/GNSS accuracy is at or near the top of the market with dual-frequency enabled. Optical heart rate is acceptable to good: indoor use and steady-state running are close to chest-strap accuracy. Outdoor cycling and high-intensity interval transitions show periodic under-reading. For serious training a chest strap remains the better choice.
Wider Competitive Landscape
The main Garmin competitor is the Forerunner 165. Pace 4 advantages: more accurate GNSS/GPS Dual-Band, twice the battery life, support for cycling power meters, multisport, and new microphone features. Forerunner 165 advantages: superior health/wellness tools (like Body Battery) and superior smartwatch features such as NFC payments and support for streaming services like Spotify.
Quick answers
Is the Coros Pace 4 worth upgrading from the Pace 3?
Yes if you want AMOLED, double the GPS battery life, the new optical heart rate sensor, and voice features. No if you have a working Pace 3 and the $199 Pace 3 price reflects the value you actually use.
Does the Coros Pace 4 have offline maps?
No. The Pace 4 supports breadcrumb navigation from a loaded GPX file but has no street names, points of interest, or full offline maps. For maps, the Pace Pro is $50 more and the better choice.
Does the Coros Pace 4 work with Spotify or other streaming services?
No. The Pace 4 supports offline MP3 playback to Bluetooth headphones only.
Does the Coros Pace 4 support contactless payments?
No. There is no NFC payment support.
Does the Coros Pace 4 support ANT+ sensors?
No. Bluetooth sensors only.
Can the Coros Pace 4 record a triathlon?
Yes. A dedicated multisport mode is included, which the Garmin Forerunner 165 lacks.
What is the Coros Pace 4 battery life?
Up to 19 days of standard daily use or 6 days with always-on display. GPS recording reaches 41 hours in High GPS mode and 31 hours in Max Dual-Frequency mode.
What is the best alternative to the Coros Pace 4?
The Garmin Forerunner 165 at the same $249 price for smart features and ecosystem. The Coros Pace Pro at $299 if maps and a slightly larger screen matter. The Coros Pace 3 at $199 for buyers who want the core Coros experience for less.
Coros Updates
- Pace 4 Black Crystal (April 2026): $279 variant adding a 6000-series aluminium alloy bezel with PVD coating.
- Coros March 2026 update (V 3.1508.0): Pace Strategy, Hill Alerts, Hyrox-style Hybrid Fitness mode, Weekly Distance widget.
- Coros January 2026 update (V 3.1408.0): voice training notes, VO2Max added to Running Fitness widget.
- Coros December 2025 update: media control and voice note.
Buy Coros Pace 4
- USA: $249.
- Europe: 269€.
- UK: £229
Related guides
For a full cross-brand ranking of triathlon watches at every price point, see the best triathlon watch guide. For a cross-brand ranking of running watches, see the best running watch guide. For the full Coros lineup, see the Coros hub.
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Last Updated on 24 July 2026 by the5krunner
My favourite kit and nutrition
- Injinji – Runners protect your toes. Avoid discomfort and minor injury. Run more. Run faster. I use them.
- Garmin 90-degree charging adapter — A small keyring adapter you can use anywhere. Essential when away. I use one.
- Garmin charging puck — the fastest and most reliable way to top up your Garmin before a session. I use one.
- Ravemen FR300 — Front light that mounts directly under your Garmin or Wahoo head unit. Keeps your bars clean and your beam pointed where it matters. I use one.
- Body Glide – The blue anti-chafe stick that all swimmers and many runners use. I use it.
- Maurten — The race nutrition trusted by elite athletes. Gels and drink mixes engineered to be easy on the stomach. I use them.
- Garmin Varia RTL515 — A radar rear light that alerts you to vehicles approaching from behind. Pairs with your Edge or Wahoo. I use this model.
- Favero Assioma Pro RS2 — The power-meter pedals most serious cyclists choose. Accurate, easy to move between bikes. I use this model.
- Garmin Forerunner 970 — A serious choice for a pro-grade triathlon watch. I use this.
- Polar H10 — My daily driver for accurate, waking HRV readings.
- Wahoo ELEMNT Roam 3 — The bike computer that has the feature Garmin lacks: usability. I use mine on most rides.
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tfk is the founder and author of the5krunner, an independent endurance sports technology publication. With 20 years of hands-on testing of GPS watches and wearables, and competing in triathlons at an international age-group level, tfk provides in-depth expert analysis of fitness technology for serious athletes and endurance sport competitors. ID
Your AI podcast on this watch is really good. You could be forgiven thinking the presenters had real personalities.
ty
even the intonation and deliberate pauses or changes in speech patterns are excellent.
on the negative side AI is effectivly going to be God in 5-10 years. Well, God with an off switch
There sure is a lot of unsexy black boarder around the display. Previous Paces did conceal it better.
Prices is still fair but there’s also Suunto Race / Race S.
Some offers for a Pace Pro with maps for around 350€.
Vantage M3 for 300€.
And some Garmins on discount.
The Pace 1 and 2 for 200€ I considered a great deal. A Pace 4 for 270 not.
Yes, inflation and fancy screen but I’d personally opt for the Suunto.
But I appreciate every no frills pure sports watch nonetheless.
I really like what they put in this little watch.
All the basics are here, sports profiles for almost everybody, configurable, solid multisports (embedded triathlon, customizable ones, even “loop” bricks are easily designed, something Suunto still can’t do).
Swim metrics are OK for me, better than Suunto only “Auto-detection” mode for Race S and above, and not available on Suunto Run.
Suuntos can’t properly track swimming sets, as it’s not possible to use the lap button as it should work (i.e manual detection of intervals times), and you have to rely on the sometimes wonky auto-intervals detection (Run doesn’t have that…neither a working lap button).
Coros syncs with external services to get your workout of the day – you have to upgrade to Race S to have this at Suunto. Sensors management, despite coming many years late, is still buggy. It works well on Coros.
I see little point in getting the similary priced Suunto Run versus this Pace 4. Usability is also better on Coros SW, despite using Suuntos for maaaaany years.
Actually this Pace 4 looks like what I’ve always dreamed of coming from Wahoo: a modern Rival. No frills, solid sports mode, connectivity. Pair it with an AW and you’re good 🙂