Coros has just added full offline maps to the $249 Pace 4. This puts it in line with a few other competitors offering maps at the same price or less. you can get maps on an Amazfit for less than $200 but will struggle to find maps on any Garmin from the current range below $500.
Amazfit’s Active 3 Premium has had maps since February, at $169.99. Polar’s Vantage M3 has had them since 2024, at $399. Apple’s current watches, the SE 3, Series 11 and Ultra 3, have had them since 2023, at $249. Garmin is the odd one out. Its cheapest current-gen watch at list price with built-in maps is the Forerunner 970, at $749.99.
Maps Under $400: Who Already Has Them
| Watch | Price | Maps |
|---|---|---|
| Amazfit Active 3 Premium | $169.99 | Since launch |
| Apple Watch SE 3 | $249 | Since 2023 (saved from the iPhone, not downloaded by the watch) |
| Coros Pace 4 | $249 | New, public beta |
| Polar Vantage M3 | $399 | Since 2024 |
That’s four different brands, all under $400, all with maps.
Garmin’s Own Watches Show the Gap
| Watch | Price | Maps |
|---|---|---|
| Forerunner 70 | $249.99 | No, line only |
| Forerunner 170 | $299.99 | No, line only |
| Forerunner 265 | $449.99 | No, line only |
| Forerunner 570 | $549.99 | No, line only |
| Forerunner 970 | $749.99 | Yes, full colour |
Every current Forerunner under $749.99 shows you a breadcrumb line and nothing else. If you want a Garmin with maps, you pay three times what a Pace 4 costs or get an old model.
Garmin Forerunner 970
Premium GPS triathlon smartwatch. Features a bright AMOLED touch screen and a built-in LED flashlight.
What’s Actually on the Pace 4 Right Now
Coros’s September update brings the same maps found on the Pace Pro, Apex 4 and Nomad: streets, trails and points of interest, downloaded through Map Manager in the Coros app.
Two things worth knowing before you try it:
- The Pace 4 has 4GB of storage, a quarter of what the Pace Pro and Nomad have. Coros lets you download small regions rather than whole countries, so a map of the UK and Ireland takes around 0.5Gb, and those of you in the USA will probably only be able to download a few of the larger states and sit under 1Gb. Nevertheless, most people will have plenty of room for the areas they actually use.
- This is a public beta as of 4 Sep 2026.
Adventure Journal Timeline Takes a Page From Garmin Epic
The same update gives Adventure Journal a cleaner timeline view. You can now add photos and video from before or after the activity, not just during it, and the link you share no longer expires.
Garmin Epic, launched alongside the Fenix 9, does more than Coros:
- It joins several separate activities, recorded over up to 92 days, into one story
- It pulls in your sleep, HRV and resting heart rate from the days between those activities
- It adds daily notes and a single map of the whole trip
Adventure Journal Timeline still works on one activity at a time. Coros is moving toward what Garmin already does, but it is not there yet – a similar story on many of its features.
The Rest of September’s Update
- Cycling Climb Alerts: your watch tells you when a climb starts and ends, with live progress and how much is left, a feature Dura owners already have
- Voice Control: more commands you can use mid-activity, including changing alerts, opening navigation and setting timers
- Direct Transfer: a faster way to install future updates, and you can keep using the app while it installs
- Torque and Total Work: new cycling numbers, plus Left/Right power balance now syncs to other apps if you have a compatible sensor
- Battery widget: now shows how your battery is actually being used
Which Coros Watches Get What
| Device | Adventure Timeline | Climb Alerts | Voice Control | Torque/Total Work |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pace 4 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Apex 4 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Nomad | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Pace Pro | Yes | Yes | — | Yes |
| Pace 3 | Yes | Yes | — | Yes |
| Apex 2 / 2 Pro | Yes | Yes | — | Yes |
| Vertix 2 / 2S | Yes | Yes | — | Yes |
| Dura | Yes | Yes | — | Yes |
Quick answers
Can I get maps on my Pace 4 today?
Yes, through the public beta. Join the beta group, install TestFlight or the Android beta app, then update your watch firmware.
What's the cheapest Garmin watch with maps?
The Forerunner 970, at $749.99. Every Forerunner below that price shows a line, not a map.
Does Adventure Journal Timeline do what Garmin Epic does?
Not yet. It improves one activity at a time, with photos, video and a share link. Garmin Epic joins several activities across weeks or months, with recovery data from the days in between.
Last Updated on 4 September 2026 by tfk the5krunner
Small things I always use
- Garmin 90-degree charging adapter: Charges your Garmin from any USB-C cable. Essential when travelling. I use one.
- Body Glide: The blue anti-chafe stick swimmers and runners carry. I use it.
- Speedo earplugs: Fewer ear infections and no cold-water dizziness. I use them.
- Dryrobe Advance: My winter changing robe for open-water swims. I use one. A cheaper option is the AONYIYI changing robe.
- Maurten: Race fuel that stays easy on the stomach. I use them.
- Beet It Sport nitrate shots: Beetroot shots I take in the days before a race. I use them.
- Garmin charging puck: The quickest way to top up before a session. I use one.
- Injinji: Toe socks that stop rubbing, so you run more. I use them.
- Ultimate toe protectors: Stop black toenails on long runs. They work. I use them.
- Compressport R2 v2 calf sleeves: My calf sleeves of choice. I use them.
- Cellucor C4: My pre-workout before hard sessions.
- TPU tubes: Schwalbe Aerothan, Tubolito and Pirelli SmarTube. Light, tiny spares. I use all three.
- G8 insoles: Adjustable insoles that are good. I use them.
- Cycplus Cube: A 97g electric pump that gets a road tyre rideable in two minutes. I carry one. 5% off with code THE5KRUNNER.
Watches and sensors
- Polar H10: My daily driver for waking HRV.
- Polar Verity Sense: My backup arm-worn HR sensor.
- Nomad bedside charger: Charges my iPhone and Apple Watch overnight. I use it, and many of their bands.
- Train.Red: The best muscle oxygen sensor I’ve used.
- Tymewear: Accurate heart rate and reliable ventilatory zones. I use it to pace endurance rides over an hour.
- Garmin Forerunner 970: A pro-grade triathlon watch. I use this.
- Apple Watch Ultra 4: My daily smartwatch. No phone needed on rides.
- Garmin Fenix 9 Pro: I’ve just bought one.
On the bike
- Continental GP5000 for everyday riding, and Aero 111 on the front for special occasions.
- Helmets: Specialized S-Works Evade 3 for road riding, and Rudy Project Wing for TT-style races. I use both.
- Ravemen FR300: A front light that mounts under your Garmin or Wahoo. I use one.
- Wahoo TRACKR Radar: I use it on one bike and Varia on the other. They perform the same.
- Garmin Varia RTL515: Radar that warns you of cars from behind. I use this model.
- Wahoo ELEMNT Roam 3: The bike computer that’s easy to use. I use mine on most rides.
- Favero Assioma Pro RS2: Accurate power pedals that swap easily between bikes. I use this model.
Home and indoor training
- NPE Runn: Makes my basic treadmill smart, sending more accurate speed and distance to my watch and Zwift. I use it.
- Google Wifi: Keeps Zwift connected in my pain cave. I use it.
- Apple TV 4K: Zwift on the big screen. I use two.
- Google Nest Doorbell (wired, 2nd gen): My video doorbell, running in both Google Home and Apple Home. I use it.
Health, recovery and sleep
- FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus: Shows how my blood sugar responds to diet.
- hDrop: Measures my sweat loss in summer and indoors.
- Fourth Frontier Zone: Checks my heart under load in hard sessions.
- Oura Ring 5: My partner’s recovery tracker of choice.
- Eight Sleep: A cooling mattress cover my partner and I use nightly.
Reader-Powered Content
This content is not sponsored. It’s mostly me behind the labour of love, which is this site, and I appreciate everyone who supports it.
Support the site: Follow (free, fewer ads) · Subscribe (paid, ad-free) · Buy Me A Coffee
Written by real people, with AI assistance. Fact-checked and verified for originality. See the Editorial Policy. FTC: Affiliate Disclosure — some links pay commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
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. See the gear tfk uses. ID
But only Garmin has routable maps …
Good luck getting a Garmin watch to navigate to any destination on the map that’s more than a few hundred metres away. It’ll just sit there chewing away trying to find a route while you stand in the cold.
Does the Suunto Run S not also have maps under $400 (current sale price is under $300, but I’m not sure what it was originally).
Eh–meant “Race S.” :/
Coros is experiencing sluggish sales of high-end models like the Apex 4, and hardly sells any models other than the cheapest Pace 4.
In other words, Coros’s competitors are other Chinese companies, and those companies are much larger in scale than Coros.
Huawei and Amazfit are launching a massive offensive with cheaper products, and it seems Coros is reaching its limit in withstanding this attack.
This update appears to be a desperate last stand.
It is an update that is tantamount to giving up on selling Coros watches other than the Pace 4.
i have suspected that and said as much for a while.
however, Coros are selling lots of the lower priced model and appear to be doing quite well. but I dont see their way out of where they are now in the long term
Wait until Tuesday and add Suunto Run 2 to your first table 🙂