The Coros Vertix 2S is the new top watch in the Coros range. It’s not a smaller Coros Vertix 2, but an upgrade on it, with a new optical heart rate sensor and GPS configuration, both of which promise better accuracy. Mike, Kieran and Nick have been testing the watch ahead of its launch and give their early thoughts on it in this video, with our full review to come in the next few weeks.
JUMP STRAIGHT IN:
00:00 – Intro
00:09 – Design & Ket Stats
02:00 – The Run Test
13:53 – Early Verdict
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Hello and welcome to run testers my name Is Nick and this is our first look Review of the choros vertex [Music] 2s so the chorus vtex TOS is the new top Sports watch in chorus's range as a Small but a significant update on the Chorus vertex 2 Mike Kieran and I have All been able to test the watch ahead of Its launch today to varying extents so We're calling this an early review and We'll have a full review coming down the Line we've all had a chance to test it To our hearts content and drain the Battery at least once which which is a Pretty tricky thing to do with this Watch the same price as the chorus Vertex 2 £599 $699 key updates here are a new Optical Heart rate sensor which should improve The accuracy of that although it does Reduce the battery life a little Compared to the corus fex 2 and a Redesigned antenna ey for the GPS so the Dual Band GPS tracking should be more Accurate than it was on the chorus Vertex 2 there are three colors of the Watch gray blue and black it is a little Bit thicker than the vertx 2s with a 50 Mm case the watch itself weighs 61 G and You get a choice of 9 or a silicon band In the case they're both 26 mm bands Easy to replace with uh third party Options if you want to with the cross
Verx 2 you just got the Silicon band you Got a titanium bezel and case back on The watch with plastic in between and a Sapphire glass screen so really high Level of materials here which is Basically how the chorus vertex 2s Offers value compared to other brands Because you are getting basally the best Materials here at a slightly lower price Than you'll get for equivalent materials In something like the Garmin Phoenix Range got a 1.4 in memory and pixel uh Touchcreen on the watch and cross his Usual three button layout with two Buttons and a third in the middle that Is also a digital dial the waterproof Rating is 10 ATM like I said you've got The improved jaw band GPS tracking on Here things like a compass altimeter you Can connect to external sensors via Bluetooth but not entt plus and the Battery life it's still very long on This watch despite the fact it's been Reduced slightly from the chorus vertex 2 got up to 46 days in watch mode Al That comes down to 36 days if you're Using the sleep tracking up to 118 hours Of GPS tracking and 43 hours of dual Band GPS So for my first run testing I've Actually done more than half a dozen Runs with a chos vertx S2 I've tested The GPS and heart rate up against the Polar grit X2 Pro the Vantage V3 and the
4 and a 965 with a polar h10 thrown in There for the HR benchmarking now before We get into the nitty-gritty of accuracy And battery life a quick word on the Design now a lot of people might think The S here means you're going to get a Smaller vertex I certainly did when I First heard about it but that is not the Case this is still a big hunking great Chunky Beast of a watch in fact the case Is thicker than the vertx 2 although It's virtually the same way I clocked About one G difference to my vertx 2 Though the vertx S2 is lighter than many Rivals you're still strapping on a chunk Of a watch here and it's not going to be For people who like something more Compact on their wrists it's roughly in The Garmin uro kind of Phoenix ballpark When it comes to overall heft now one Thing I really do like is the quick Release swappable bands those are great I'm a big fan of the fact that corus Puts two strap STS into the box you got A silicone and a nylon strap I suffer a Lot from watch straps silicone burn so The nylon strap is a godsend for me I Also find the nylon straps much easier To get a good fit I find them Particularly sort of easier to adjust on The move I don't forget that I've Tightened them and get that thing where You kind of cut off your circulation now As with the vertx 2 I found the screen
Real estate great for showcasing a good Range of stats here it's understandably Not as bright as the newer Amer displays That you're going to find on some of the Latest Gins and stuff but I found it Perfectly legible in all my testing Conditions so so far and that less Punchy screen is one of the reasons You're going to get a comparatively big Battery life here up against the rivals The only time I found that annoying was When I was trying to film this to put it On the video it's quite hard to capture It in sunlight now I'd also like more Control over the backlight timeout and The overall brightness I'd like to be Able to switch that up and down the Touchcreen response for me was okay it's Not the snappiest to swipe and tap Through but it's fine beyond that I Think this is a nicely built watch I Really like the blue metallic finish That I've got here setup and sinking was Really easy it's reliable with the app Transferring the data after runs I find Some of the Evol laab insights over Complicated for example my intensity Trend is currently resuming whatever That means there's a lot of different Readouts and data in the app some of Which seems to overlap and I find it a Little bit confusing now onto the nuts And bolts starting with heart rate and In my test so far that new Optical
Sensor that you've got here has been Okay but not without some struggles on Slower steady runs it often match the Chest strap quite closely for large Parts of the run but there are moments Where you get occasional spikes and on One run I had a moment where everything Really went quite wild at the end while During another one mile easy effort the Vertx S2 Optical was all over the shop Compared to the h10 so there's periods Of much higher bpms in there and had Failure to sort of catch the drops so Early tests on new Optical sensor for me Have been mixed to say the least it can Happen when you've got the bigger Watches Optical sensors maybe struggle With the watches moving around a little Bit more when it comes to GPS done a Bunch of tests in the standard GPS mode Up against the polar grit X2 Pro and the Garmin 4 965 in dual frequency mode on The overall distances the vertx S2 has Tended to read marginally longer on Average than the Garmin when you dig Into the tracks on standard GPS mode It's a bit of a mixed bag it didn't do Brilliantly at sticking me to the roads In towns but it performed much better in The Open Country I also did some tests Of the highest actually dual frequency And the chorus verx S2 struggled a bit Here too you can see here that it has me On the wrong side of the road and in one
Section while it pins me to the road Nicely on the way out it struggles on The way back again we'll dig deeper into That for the full review then when it Comes to battery life although the Overall numbers have dropped quite Significantly on paper versus the vertic 2 the S2 still has impressive staying Power on paper that's better on paper at Least than all the main Rivals like the Phoenix 7 the uro 2 the grit X2 Pro and The sunto vertical I still need to do More testing to see if that pans out in The real world but here here are the Headlines from my initial tests so far I've done close to 8 hours running over 8 days and the watch is still on 80% the Average overnight battery drop has been Around 1% with sleep and stress tracking On that's lower than the rivals like the Grit X2 Pro and the Phoenix 7 on the run In dual frequency mode a 1H hour run Burn 2% a 2hour run in standard GPS mode Burn just 1% a 3-hour run in standard GPS mode burn just 2% that is a pretty Strong performance on battery so far so I've used the corus vertex to for around 10 days ahead of the launch embargo in That time I also had the London marathon Where I was using other watches but I Did use it for the last kind of week and A half of my training ahead of the race So I've done eight runs in that time and Generally I'll be comparing it to a
Garmin epic Pro connected to a polar h10 Chest STP to look at the heart rate I Have seen a notable Improvement in the GPS accuracy of the vertx 2s compared to The vertx 2 verx 2 was the first dual Band watch I tested and I was very Excited by the upgrade and accuracy and It was pretty good accuracy on that Watch but since then we've seen dual Band watches from Garmin and sunto in Particular that have been certainly more Accurate than the chorus verx 2 chorus Also had the Apex 2 Pro watches that Weren't very accurate with dualband GPS But I think it now has figured it out The corus pace 3 was a very accurate Watch with dual band GPS and the vertx 2s has been very much comparable to the Garmin Epix Pro throughout my testing so I do think you're getting a very Accurate dual band watch here the Picture is not so rosy with the heart Rate sensor like I haven't really seen Any Improvement in the tracking here and Pretty much all my runs it's been Inaccurate generally reading too high in Compared to a chest strap like to the Point where it was really quite a long Way out of wax if I was using that to Guide my training runs or using the Training analysis on the watch it Wouldn't have been worthwhile because The heart rate was so inaccurate that's A problem with all sports watches
Particularly big ones on thin wrists Like mine I would say but corus did put In a new sensor and that has resulted in A loss of battery life and I don't think You're getting a corresponding Improvement in heart rate accuracy You've just lost a bit of battery life For another pretty inaccurate heart rate Sensor here so obviously we continue to Test this ahead of the four riew but in All eight runs I've done with the watch I've seen inaccurate heart rate data From the watch so I'm not that hopeful On the rate front design is you know Fine it's very much similar to the Chorus verx 2 it's a big watch it's Comparable in size and feel to the G Epics Pro don't love it when I'm Sleeping but I have been able to sleep With it every night without annoying me Too much screen is slightly dull I think We get this with all chorus watches I Think that's one of the reasons the Battery life is so good it's not the Brightest screen like it's fine when You're outside and that's you know Probably the most important thing when You're when you're tracking sports but If you are indoors I think I generally Have to use the backlight to make it Clearly visible throughout the day Battery life will probably cover more in Our full review because it is such a Longlasting watch we haven't be able to
Go through full cycle yet so after 10 Days I was down to about 60% like I Could say I was in the final stage of Marathon training then so did eight runs In that time but they weren't that long And really with chorus watches and the Vertic uh 2s it's the activities that Drain the battery life so in between Workouts you don't really lose much Battery life at all CU it only takes Heart rate readings every 10 seconds by Default and that kind of thing and the Screen's not the brightest like I say so Battery life will pretty much be in line With the numbers you see on the GPS Battery life it's certainly going to be A very longlasting watch you know up Against things like the uro 2 or the Sunto vertical the maps are good on the Watch obviously tested these before it's Odd that you can't add them as a default Data screen to activity but you can get Maps into any activity I I set the Hotkey up so if I hold a button the maps Come up and then you can add them to Your data screens even if you aren't Following a route and then you get you Know a breadcrumb trail on the map of Where you've been they're easy to get Onto the watch by downloading like They're not as detailed and colorful as The maps from Garmin and actually others Now but you know they certainly do the Job so verx 2s actually landed with me a
Week out from the lond Marathon so I Wasn't planning to do a huge amount of Running with this watch and I'm actually Testing two other watches on the Marathon day itself so I did manage to Squeeze in an hour easy run with the Vertx 2s I also took out a heart rate Monitor chest strap to kind of see how The heart rate monitor can perform that Is one of the big new features from the 2s compared to the two also had the Apple watch Ultra 2 and the gar FR 965 And that was to kind of compare the dual Bands or dual frequency performance as Uh chus refers to it on its watches what I also did is I also create a route so I Can have a look at the kind of mapping Support also the kind of turn by turn Navigation stuff which you have to do we Have to create a course to kind of get That turn by turn support and then you Can kind of enable it in when you kind Of upload a route and kind of start Following it and using that for Navigation now I'll start with the kind Of General feel of the watch now vertx 2 Is not a small watch it's a big bulky Watch but you know it's it's in the same Vein of things like the Phoenix the Epic Now I do think there the same similar Kind of heft to the verx 2 what have Noticed it does feel a little bigger it Definitely is thicker than the vertx 2 And I do think that something you notice
And it is a bigger watch and Particularly on my skinny R it does feel A lot bigger particularly compared to Some of the other kind of watches that Sit in this category as well um you know The screen has stayed the same it's a Transfect display it's quite weird going Back to transfected display when you see The kind of am displays on things like The Epic Pro the epics range but Ultimately it's going to give you good Viewing angles it's going to perform Well in bright light and I didn't have Any issues really kind of viewing my Data on the run that I did with the Watch now in terms of the kind of Performance I'll start with a heart rate Monor performance now obviously it's the Same sensor setup used on the pce 3 Which I think is one of the better Risk-based kind of sensors that I've Used on a watch I do feel like I have More of an issue getting good Performance out of these bigger watches In general and what I found with the uh Vertx 2s is that heart rate monting Wasn't fantastic for me unfortunately on That first run and it was a pretty easy Going run as well what I found is it Definitely felt a little bit higher Maybe 10 BPM kind of you know higher Than a chest strap so I think the heart Of performance is it better I'm not sure I do as I said I do find like I have
Issues with these bigger watches and I'm Not seeing the same performance I saw From the pace three right now of that First run compared to what I've seen on The vertx 2s so far so heart rate Monitoring not 100% convinced that the Optical sensor has shown a massive Improvement on that first run then we Get to that dual frequency performance Or dual ban mode as it's kind of more Commonly known now it wasn't fantastic On again on the vertic 2 and that's Where it first kind of rolled out on a Chus watch then it came out on the pce 3 I thought it really performed well on The pace 3 and I'm seeing good Performance here from the kind of dual Band dual frequency mode on the vertic 2s as I said I had it out with the Apple Watch Ultra 2 the G 965 two dual band Watches that I think really perform Really strongly and I found that the Chorus vertx 2s I think can really kind Of feels like it's matching up with Those two watches I say I definitely Want to going to delve in a bit more Deeper and run a little bit longer in it But in terms of that run and where I was Running near some kind of taller Buildings near where I you know kind of Live and there is a little bit more to Kind of block that kind of signal I Found that the performance in general Was very good and very much in line with
What I saw from the Garmin and the Apple Watches and then battery life not Massive you know nothing massively Surprising here now it's surprising that The battery numbers in general have Dropped off compared to the vertx 2 but I think it was get a few percent maybe 3% for an hours worth of running with That dual frequency mode on kind of Heart rate monitoring as well too uh and Carus has kind of said that heart rate Monitor has seen a kind of drop in Battery life it demands more of the Battery compared to the vertx 2 so Definitely some good and maybe not so Good things on the vertx 2s I do think Maybe it does feel a little bit more of A hefty watch compared to the verx 2 but You know it is a big kind of outdoor Watch um the Dual frequency dual band Mode I think feels improved from the Vertic 2 but I do think the heart rate Monting I promise of improved the heart Rate monitoring hasn't quite works out For me just yet I've not seen that kind Of improvement even that kind of very Easy paced uh hour run that I did with [Music] It early VCT here is that the main Upgrade here for me is the GPS accuracy Which is very important to me and I do Think it's something chorus needed to do Because it was something that the vertx 2 did lack compared to top watches from
Other brands like you're now getting Really good multiband GPS from not just Garmin but also sunto polar even the Apple watch Ultra these are all more Accurate on GPS tracking than the chorus Verx 2 for me now you've got a really Good dualband tracking watch haven't Seen the improvements in heart rate so Far at all which is a shame obiously Because you have traded a little bit of Battery life but you're still getting a Very longlasting reliable and Hardy Sports watch here for sure that is a Good option to have on the market if you Really want the best materials like the Titanium bezel the sapphire crystal Glass I think you generally have to pay More for it to get it from other brands So there is some value there with the Chorus if you are just looking for Features though I think you're certainly Going to get a better watch by looking At the Garmin Phoenix you might have be Able to find a titanium model in sales For a similar price of the Phoenix 7 and Yeah it's just a better watch you get More features on the Garmin and then the Features that are on both watches are Just more polished and better done on The Garmin things like music and Maps Even the training NIS I think is a Little bit better done there's a few Extra things there that you get with Garmin so I think the corus verx 2s does
Everything you need it's a really good Sports watch last a long time but I Don't necessarily think there's a big Upgrade here from the vertx 2 unless You're really into GPS like I am and I'm Not sure that it's going to be the best Option on the market if you're looking For features but if you do want that Rugged build it is a very good watch at Its price or even then there might be a Case looking at the corus vertex too Because if you're not that fast about GPS like I am then you're going to get a Very similar watch all around there Maybe at a lower price these days and Corus is pretty good about supporting Older watches as well so some initial Thoughts on the corus verx 2s which I Thought initially was going to be a Smaller vertex and maybe might have be Nice to have a smaller vertic but it is Ultimately an upgrade from the vertic 2 And I think from that point of view when You look at it you look at the price it Is kind of599 lounds and that is putting Up against things like the sunto Vertical it's going to obviously be Cheaper than a kind of simly sized um Kind of Phoenix 7 so you're looking at Something like the Phoenix 7x so it's really kind of those watches You're kind of looking at I think you Can Factor the Epic Pro in as well but That obious has an AM display it's much
More expensive than the vertx 2s in Comparison now in terms you know Addressing some of the things with the Vertex too I think absolutely I feel Like it has what I can see has done that Particularly on that kind of dual Frequency dual band mode it's looking Like it's going to see an improvement There I think the mapping kind of Support definitely feels better getting The maps onto the watch feel pretty kind Of stressfree in general and I think you Know the turn by turn navigation which You know works when you upload courses And roots does work um relatively well As well the battery life still seems Pretty strong but obviously had dropped Uh across the board mostly compared to The vertic 2 as well so you kind of you Know for me that is a pillar or what has Been a pillar for cor that kind of big Battery life and the fact that has had To drop those battery numbers still good Battery numbers but has to have had to Drop those battery numbers because of That heart rate sensor which ultimately I don't I'm not seeing at the moment it Is going to be an improvement based on The previous watch and whether that is a Feature that I think needed to be Improved or whether that was a priority I'm not 100% convinced it does feel like A better vertex too in some areas is it Going to be a instant upgrade for
Everyone I'm not sure just yet but uh Mainly because I just think that in Terms of what this watch has been known For the you know the chorus watches in General that kind of big battery life um Delivering on those kind of core Features or core running features I Think that's really what it's best known For and I think has it absolutely Delivered that or is it going to deliver That on the verx 2s I definitely think That's up for debate here and comparing To those other watches would I pick it Over I think I would pick it over the Zino vertical which I think you know You're looking at this kind of Steel Version of that um which I think is a Really kind of strong watch maybe you're Getting slightly Slicker software on the Chus watch in comparison but I think in Terms of dual band kind of performance The battery level the kind of design Maybe a little bit sleeker as well but Still giving you all that kind of rugged Kind of durability side of things and Obviously look at the similar kind of Price in terms of uh Phoenix watches as Well it's definitely has it done enough To better those options I'm not 100% Convinced just yet but as I said it's Only one run plenty more running to do But I think there's good things Definitely some not so good things here In my time with the verx 2s but what I'm
Feeling right now is has it done enough To kind it put it ahead of the kind of Phoenix the vertical um the epics as Well I'm not 100% sure just as things Stand off that first run so my initial Thoughts then after those early runs When you consider it's a good chunk Cheaper than a phoenix 7X which is kind Of like a match for this on paper the Chorus verx S2 appears to offer a lot For the price that's something that Chorus tends to do you've got Comprehensive navigation tools offline Music though no Spotify support and it's A real F getting tracks onto your watch All backed by the chorus evolab training Tools aren't quite as extensive you Might find on Garmin Connect or I think As simple to understand but they're Still pretty comprehensive there a lot There if you really want it it's a Well-built watch with some key upgrades On the original vertic it keeps the Phoenixes build but comes lighter than The Garmin there's a shorter but still Very competitive battery life here that Has lived up to billing in my early Tests and I think you're likely to be Able to get a month of training on a Single charge that's still kind of Enduro two levels of staying power which I absolutely love so it's good for kind Of really lazy charges like me but then You get into the performance and this is
Where maybe these early tests have shown That it might not be sort of bang on the Dual frequency has been a bit hit and Miss though more testing is needed on That test so far also don't suggest the Heart rate Optical at least is much of a Step on from the previous gen but this Is pretty usual for optical heart rate You know it's got those similar Struggles that appear to be present here So my very early feeling is that despite The new hardware and the new sensors the Vertx S2 certainly hasn't jumped out as A clear cut obvious one to recommend Over the original vertx as an instant Upgrade there's not really much of a Headline here not on performance at Least the design is so similar that you May well be better off just scouting for A deal on the older gen but again these Are really early tests and I'm going to Hold my sort of final verdict on the Choros vertic S2 until I've completed a Full Suite of tests and we've done our Full [Music] Review that's our early look at the Chorus fex 2s please do let us know what You think in the comments below please Like And subscribe ring the little bell And we'll see you next time
