| General | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | COROS |
| Type | Rugged outdoor and adventure GPS watch with offline maps |
| Series | NOMAD |
| Released | 20 August 2025 |
| Price at launch | GBP 319 / USD 349 |
| Predecessor | None. The NOMAD opened a new rugged adventure line |
| Successor | Not yet announced. See Release Radar. |
| Sizes | 48mm (one size) |
| Colours | Black, Green, Brown |
Specifications and features as at launch.
Jump to: Expert opinion | What’s new | Specifications | Battery life | Features | Activity profiles | Further reading
Expert opinion
The NOMAD delivers accurate dual-frequency GPS, long battery life and genuinely usable offline maps in a light, rugged case, and it fills the maps gap the Garmin Instinct leaves open. It is not the most refined watch on the market, and the materials are mid-range rather than premium, but it covers the essentials an outdoor user needs without cutting the ones that matter. For a first adventure watch, or for anyone burned by a cheap alternative that promised more than it delivered, it is the obvious choice. It offers less reason for an existing Garmin owner to switch.
What’s new
The NOMAD opened a rugged adventure line rather than replacing an existing model. Against the wider COROS range it introduced:
- A dedicated suite of fishing profiles with catch logs, best fishing times, tide, sun and moon data and forecasts for up to five locations
- Geotagged Voice Pins transcribed through the microphone, the basis of an Adventure Journal that also takes photographs and builds 3D flyover videos
- COROS’s fastest processor, giving the smooth map rendering the review singles out
- Built-in speaker and dual microphone with noise reduction
- A rugged case in the style of a Garmin Instinct, with a reinforced bezel
Specifications
| Display | |
|---|---|
| Size | 1.3 inch |
| Type | Third-generation memory-in-pixel touchscreen, always-on |
| Resolution | 260 x 260 pixels |
| Lens | Hardened mineral glass |
| Physical | |
| Case size | 47.8 x 47.8 x 14.8mm. Height excludes the optical heart rate sensor |
| Weight | 61g with silicone band, 49g with nylon band |
| Case material | Fibre-reinforced polymer with aluminium alloy bezel reinforcement |
| Bezel material | Fibre-reinforced polymer with aluminium alloy |
| Strap material | Silicone or nylon, 24mm quick release |
| Wrist fit | Silicone 130 to 210mm. Nylon 150 to 220mm |
| Controls | Digital dial, back button, action button, touchscreen |
| Water rating | 5 ATM |
| Operating temperature | -20C to 50C |
| Storage temperature | -20C to 60C |
| Sensors and positioning | |
| GPS | All-satellite dual-frequency. GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, QZSS |
| Heart rate | Optical heart rate monitor, with underwater reading and broadcast over Bluetooth |
| ECG | Yes |
| Other sensors | Pulse oximeter, barometric altimeter, accelerometer, gyroscope, 3D compass, thermometer |
| Audio | Speaker and dual microphone |
| Not fitted | LED flashlight, solar charging |
| Connectivity and storage | |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth for phone and accessories. Wi-Fi for data sync and firmware. No ANT+, no NFC |
| Storage | 32GB, with capacity for around 1,200 hours of activity data |
| Music | Offline playback to paired Bluetooth headphones. No streaming services |
| Onboard maps | Yes. Downloadable global landscape maps with trail and street names and points of interest, plus downloadable topographic maps. Not routable on the watch |
| Charging | Under two hours |
| Display languages | English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, German, Spanish, French, Polish, Thai, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Italian, Russian, Vietnamese |
Battery life
The NOMAD has no standard full GPS mode. The figures below come from the official COROS specification. The battery claims include the always-on memory-in-pixel display.
| Mode | Battery life |
|---|---|
| Daily use and sleep tracking | 22 days |
| Endurance, all systems | 56 hours |
| Endurance, all systems, with offline music | 16 hours |
| High, all systems | 50 hours |
| High, all systems, with offline music | 15 hours |
| Max, dual frequency | 34 hours |
| Max, dual frequency, with offline music | 14 hours |
| Charging time | Under two hours |
Features
Feature explanations are covered in the the5krunner COROS hub. The headings below follow COROS’s own grouping.
Training
- Effort Pace
- EvoLab: recovery, fatigue, training load, race predictor, VO2 max and threshold zones
- Running Fitness
- Activity alerts for cadence, distance, pace, heart rate and power
- Basic interval training
- Pre-planned workouts
- Training plans
- Virtual Pacer
- Virtual Run
- Running Form Test, which requires the COROS POD or POD 2
- Resting heart rate
- Underwater heart rate
- Altitude Mode, evaluating SpO2 and fitness at altitude
- Action camera control for selected GoPro, DJI and Insta360 models
- Touch Scroll through data pages during an activity
- Extender
Daily
- Daily Stress
- Wellness Check
- Sleep tracking with REM stages
- HRV
- Message and call alerts, in daily use and during training
- Hands-free calls through a paired phone, using the speaker and microphone
- Daily data covering active calories, exercise time and storm alerts
- Alarm, timer and stopwatch
- Find My Phone and Find My Watch
- Always-on display
- Offline music playback to paired Bluetooth headphones
- Weather widget watch face
- Firmware updates over Wi-Fi and the COROS app
Navigation
- Downloadable global landscape maps with trail and street names and points of interest
- Downloadable topographic maps
- Turn-by-turn alerts and off-course warnings when following a loaded route
- Checkpoint
- Back-to-Start
- Deviation alert
- Touchscreen map control
- Safety alerts
Adventure Journal and fishing
- Geotagged Voice Pins transcribed through the microphone
- Adventure Journal combining Voice Pins, photographs and terrain into a 3D flyover video for sharing
- Fishing profiles: Fly, Lure, Boat, Shore, Offshore, Inshore and Kayak
- Catch log, best fishing time, points of interest and environmental data covering tides, sun and moon phases, temperature and forecasts for up to five locations
Third-party integration
- Nike Run Club, Komoot, TrainingPeaks, Strava, Relive, adidas Running, Apple Health, Stryd, Final Surge, Runalyze, Running Quotient and Decathlon
- Stryd running power is supported natively
- Heart rate broadcast over Bluetooth to gym equipment and bike computers
Activity profiles
The NOMAD carries the full Climb and Fish sets. Over 40 sports modes are supported.
| Category | Profiles |
|---|---|
| Run | Run, Indoor Run, Track Run, Trail Run |
| Climb | Outdoor Climb, Indoor Climb, Mountain Climb, Bouldering |
| Bike | Bike, Indoor Bike, Gravel, Mountain Bike (MTB) |
| Water | Open Water, Pool Swim, Flatwater, Rowing, Whitewater, Speedsurfing, Windsurfing |
| Snow | Ski, Snowboard, XC Ski, Ski Touring |
| Fish | Boat, Shore, Offshore, Inshore, Kayak, Boat Fly, Shore Fly |
| Cardio | GPS Cardio, Gym Cardio, Hike, Indoor Rower, Walk, Jump Rope |
| Other | Triathlon, Multisport, Strength, Pickleball, Padel, Training, Training Plan |
Further reading
- the5krunner COROS NOMAD review
- Hiking technology, navigation and safety hub
- COROS watch specifications
- Release Radar: upcoming watches
- Official COROS NOMAD product page
Related watches
Looking at alternatives to the NOMAD?
- In the range: COROS Apex 4, a titanium mountain watch with maps but no fishing profiles.
- Also consider: the Garmin Instinct 3, with an LED flashlight, solar charging and contactless payment, but breadcrumb navigation in place of maps.
