The Coros Vertix 2S is a small upgrade on the Coros Vertix 2, with the GPS and HR accuracy getting a boost while the rest of the features largely remain the same. Is that enough for the Vertix 2S to compete with other top watches like the Garmin Fenix 7 and Suunto Vertical? Mike, Nick and Kieran have been testing the Coros Vertix 2S for over a month, here’s their full verdict on the watch.
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00:00 – Intro
00:12 – Design & Ket Stats
01:51 – The Run Test
18:11 – Verdict & Alternatives
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Hello and welcome to run testers my name Is Nick and this is our full review of The choros vertex [Music] 2s so the vertx 2s is the new top watch In chorus's range it is a modest upgrade On the chorus vertx 2 though with chorus Mainly refining the accuracy of the GPS And adding a new heart rate sensor but Most leaving the key features on the Watch unchanged and the price is also Unchanged it's £599 or $699 so there are Two key updates to the watch compared to The vertex 2 one is that they've Redesigned the GPS antenna to deliver More accuracy you have multiband GPS on This watch as you did with the chorus Verx 2 but the new design should Hopefully make it a little bit more Accurate and you've got an all new heart Rate sensor on the chorus vertex 2s as Well again with the aim of improving Accuracy the addition of this new heart Rate sensor just slightly lowers the Battery life on the watch though Compared to the chorus verx 2 but it's Still certainly a very long lasting Watch hitting up to 46 days in watch Mode or 36 days if you're using the Sleep tracking 118 hours of G GPS and 43 Hours of dual band GPS so all very big Numbers which is what you expect from Chorus and the vertx line in particular The watch comes in three colors this is
The black one there's a gray version and A blue version it's a little bit thicker Than the chorus verx 2s but not in a way That's really noticeable it's just Partly down to that new heart rate Sensor the watch is 50 mm in size and You've got a titanium bezel and back to The case with plastic in between you got A sapphire glass screen and it weighs 61 G for the watch itself and it comes with Both nylon and silicon bands which are 26 mm it's easy to swap them in and out Than nylon band is the one I've gone for In general it's a little bit lighter you Got the sapphire glass screen it's a 1.4 In transflective memory and pixel touch Screen you have three buttons on the Watch with the central one being a Digital dial it is 10 ATM waterproof Rated you've obviously got the Dual Band GPS in there as I mentioned along with a Compass and an altimeter and if you want To connect external sensors you can do So via Bluetooth but not ENT [Music] Plus so starting with the things I've Liked about my time with the Kus vertic 2s I'm going to start with something Slight ly controversial maybe but I Really like the display on this watch Now I know we're blessed with AMOLED Displays on outdoor watches now so Things like the Gman epics Pro the polar Gritex 2 Pro so to obviously Apple watch
Ultra but there's absolutely still a Place for things like the cars verx 2s And that transflective display there a Reason why cinto has it on the vertical While you see it on the gjuro it's going To give you that bigger battery life but Also I think there's another benefit and I think in terms of the contrast you're Getting on the screen which enables it To be a more visible screen in more Conditions and that's what I found I Found that it's a screen that's very Easy to look over you know when I've Been out running and when I you know When it gets slightly sunnier then it's Not an issue which sometimes you may Find with AMOLED displays I think it's a Good Showcase of that technology and if You find it a little bit dull there is a Backlight you can keep that backlight on As well too but for me that hasn't been An issue and as I said I think it's a Really good example that display Technology and that display technology Is still going to give you that kind of Big battery life that it's going to be Needed for kind of outdoor focused and Kind of running watches where you're Going to be running a little bit longer And a little bit further so next up is a Clear Improvement in terms of GPS Performance on the verx 2s and I'm Really talking about that kind of top GPS mode here which carus kind of refers
To is it's kind of dual frequency mode We probably more commonly know it as Kind of dualband mode and apple Garmin Sunto polar and others do offer a Version of this Technology now when it first was Introduced in the vertic series I don't Think it was the best Showcase in terms Of performance in terms of this Technology I think with the vertic 2s It's definitely a step in the right Direction a bit like we saw with the Cars Pace 3 and I've been using it Against the Gan epics Pro also the polar Grit X2 Pro which I've been testing Around the same time as well and I do Think this is a much better showcase for Kind of corus's take on that kind of Dual band mode I found generally most my Roots it's been very good I think it's Actually be more reliable than the polar Watch compared to the Garment I kind of See as a standard along with cinto and With apple as well too so I think if you Were looking for that Improvement in Terms of that kind of multiband jeal Band kind of dual frequency mode I do Think you're getting that here on the Verx 2s and I do think it's a step up From what we got on the vertx 2 and last Up is battery life now some interesting Things have happened in battery life and I'll talk a little bit more about that Later but in terms of a watch that can
Last for weeks off a single charge this Watch can absolutely do it and I think Crucially I've talked about that kind of Dual frequency mode that kind of top GPS Accuracy mode the battery life drop off When you're using that mode is very good As well so I look at it as being similar To what I've seen with the CTO vertical It doesn't have an Amo display it also Has a similar display to the cars vertic 2s I think over an hour of running has Seen the battery drop by 2% so I think When you're using it in that top GPS Acacy mode the battery life for the drop Off is still very good I think overall So for me the battery life you know if You want a watch that can last a weeks And go longer if you're willing to SA Sacrifice the the GPS mode that you're Using what you're using during the day Because I think you know there's not as You know as much going on you know Intensive features that are going on During the day when you're not tracking Compared to other watches this is a Watch that absolutely can last and can Last for a long time so if you're using For multi-day kind of usage and I think It absolutely can handle doing that so We get into things that I've not Absolutely loved about the verx 2s so Maybe slightly disappointed about I Would say I think the first thing would Be the kind of promised Improv in terms
Of the heart rate tracking um kind of Accuracy so what we've seen is with the Verx 2s is that it's introduced the kind Of heart rate sensor Optical heart rate Sensor technology that was kind of Introduced on the pace 3 the a Apex 2 Pro as well too which seeks to kind of Improve the kind of accuracy overall of The heart rate monitoring I haven't seen That Improvement in the heart rate Monitoring I've used it against two Heart rate monitor chest straps the Problem for me is that even kind of Easier kind of slower runs I've seen That the rate has generally been a Little bit higher now I don't know if It's a combination of you know it's Quite a big watch I always generally Find that big watches seem to be a bit More inconsistent the heart rate Readings but I think you know ultimate For me in all the runs I've done I Haven't seen that really kind of good Data that I'd like to see even from the Kind of steady post runs that I've done Next up it's just not hugely different From the verx 2 if you're looking for it From a kind of design point of view it Is slightly thicker than the vertic 2s But it's got the same case size it's got The same screen you know the general Feel of it is a big kind of bulkier Outdoor watch compared to other watches So from design point of view not a lot
Has changed the software features Haven't changed that much as well too You know that's all good and well and There's a good software experience and Tracking experience in general but in Terms of you know the the big things are That kind of dual frequency uh Improvement that kind of optical heart Rate uh sensor which as I've kind of Seen isn't fantastic in terms of that Improvement where the Dual frequency Maybe is and yeah core experience hasn't Changed massively now the last thing is Battery life now as I said in the kind Of you know things I like the battery Life is still very good but the battery Numbers have across the board dropped Now the reason for that and car has told Us this is that the heart rate sensor Does drain more of the battery on this Watch still very good but the fact that The numbers have dropped for a sensor Setup But ultimately we haven't or I Haven't seen those improvements in terms Of overall accuracy doesn't feel like a Good tradeoff now it's still the Bop is Still very much in line with other kind Of big battery house watches like the Injo like the vertical from Sun like the Garin Phoenix as well but yeah I think You know it's interesting that we've had To sacrifice battery life for a sensor That ultimately hasn't really paid off In terms of those kind of promised
Improvements in terms of accuracy in Testing I've lived with the vertx 2 for 6 weeks or so I've mainly put the GPS in Heart rate up against the polar G X2 Pro But also the Vantage V3 and the Garmin 4 And a 965 with a h10 in there as well For HR benchmarking now overall I think This is a really nicely built watch I Really like the blue metallic finish Setup and syncing was easy and reliable No struggles with data flowing to the Choros app like we've had with polar Recently I'm also a big fan of coros put A silicone and a nylon strap in the Box I suffer a lot from watch strap kind of Silicone burn on watches so the nylon is A godsend for me but it's great to have The option I find it much easier to get A good fit with the nylon straps as well And much easier to adjust on the move When you're doing longer Ultra runs and You want to change up the Comfort on Design don't be folded into thinking That the s means you're getting a Smaller vertex this is still in the big Watch category it's roughly in the Garmin uro Phoenix ballpark when it Comes to the space that takes on your Wrist well it's actually virtually the Same size thickness and weight as the Vertx 2 it's marginally thicker due to The heart rate sensor bump that said it Manages to come in lighter than many Rivals so that's a positive now now the
Screen is the same as we got on the Vertic 2 and understandably it's not as Bright as the newer AMOLED displays but I found it perfectly legible in all of My testing conditions so far plenty of Screen real estate here for showcasing a Good range of stats lots of Customization as well and that less Punchy screen is one of the reasons that You're getting a comparatively big Battery life here versus the rivals Choros doesn't seem in a hurry to go AMOLED just yet until it can be sure That it's not under cutting it's big Battery USP but maybe that's something That find in the verx 3 rather than this Kind of staging post upgrade in the 2s Now to offset that less Lively screen I Really wanted more control over the Backlight time out here on this watch And the brightness than the vertex 2s Really offers it's just not enough I Wanted to be able to put it punch it up A bit the touchcreen though the response Was also okay though not the snappiest To swipe and tap through but I had no Major issues with that performance Pretty solid the chorus app is now clean And well presented though I find some of The Evol lab in it's quite hard to Penetrate for example today my training Status says resuming which I find is Just a bit of an odd term I'm not really Sure what it means but also the
Increased training load is improving Your Fitness but my intensity trend is Minus 31 and another chart says that my Load impact is decreasing as is my Base Fitness so two measures show decreased Training load while that main headline Says increased training load is having a Positive effect now maybe I'm lacking Smarts here but I find interpreting that Data a little hard at the very least I'm Not really sure how useful I find it in The grand scheme of my training now Another thing I think it's a real shame There's no flashlight here and though There's offline music it is a real FF Getting tracks onto your watch and the Lack of Spotify support for a watch at This priced level is starting to look Like a big gap compared to the rivals so On to some of the nitty-gritty then and When it comes to heart rate in my test The new Optical sensor here has been a Little bit of a mixed bag it performs Okay at times but not without some Struggles first up the heart rate Acquisition before starting a run I find Can be slow often slower than the GPS Link up which is strange and I Founders Are waiting for HR to start my run it's Not something I found with Garmin or Polar watches it's not a huge deal but It is notable now on slower steady runs I found the heart rate accuracy pretty Reliable matching the chest strap
Closely for large parts of the Run Here's a 30m solo Ultra where I put it Up against the h10 and the vertic 2 Optical and it largely matches the h10 Beat for beat while you can see that the Vertx 2 struggles during another one Mile easy effort the vertx 2s Optical Was all over the shot though compared to The h10 with periods of much higher BPM And failure to catch the drops as well On another 90minut run the choros vertic 2s performance was sound right up until The end where it went haywire on an easy Section where you'd actually expect it To be okay so while I'd say the new Sensor is a step on from the vertex 2 It's certainly not perfect and for Reliable data you guessed it get Yourself a chest strap then when it Comes to GPS I've done a bunch of tests Some in standard GPS mode and in highest Accuracy dual frequency mode up against The polar grit X2 Pro and the Garmin 4 And a 965 in dual frequency mode on the Overall distances the vertx 2s has Tended to read marginally longer than The Garmin but with 10% margin for eror Against both those watches in fact when You dig into the tracks on standard GPS Mode it's a bit of a mixed bag it didn't Do brilliantly sticky me to the roads in Towns but performed better in the Open Country en Joy frequency mode it was a Much better story here's a 6our solo
Ultra that I ran in the New Forest on The whole the verx 2s Nails the route With occasional meanders total distance Came up at 29.91 mil against the polar Vantage V3 at 30.01 miles so pretty Close there on another solo Ultra around London up against the four and a 965 and The verx 2 it also did well handling the SE like this underp passed much better Than the 4 and a 965 and the verx 2 then On battery life the overall numbers have Dropped quite significantly from the Verx 2 but the vertx 2s still has an Impressive staying power it's better on Paper at least than all the main Rivals Like the Phoenix 7 the Enduro 2 the Great X2 Pro and the sunto vertical and In testing it's been pretty good here's Some of the headline stats from my tests The average overnight burn has been Around 1% that's a big thumbs up en Joel Frequency mode a 1 hour run burn 2% a 2hour run in stand standard GPS mode Burned just 1% a 3-hour run in standard GPS mode burned just 2% 5-hour run in Dual frequency burned 8% and overall I Got 29 hours of running on a single Charge that is a very strong performance On battery life and that is one of the Main selling points of this watch so I've tested the chorus verx 2s for the Last month and a half or so during which Time I've tested it against a few Watches including the Garmin epic Pro
And a long test against the Garmin in Juro 2 to have a look at the battery Life of both those watches as well as The cheaper choros Pace 3 from within The choros range main like when it comes To the watch is certainly the battery Life as I mentioned in the design Section you're getting a smidge less Than with the chorus vertx 2 on paper But it's still the most long-lasting Watch out there the corus vertex in General and that was really born out When I put it up against the Garmin injo 2 which is also a very longlasting watch So when I did the full battery test on Those watches wearing them both from 100% down to zero the Garment injo 2 was Out of juice after 16 days and the Chorus verx 2s lasted to 22 days so in That time I was running pretty much Every day using the multiband mode I Changed the heart rate setting on the Watch to take uh real time readings Throughout the so as default it will Take a heart rate reading every 10 Minutes which is not what Garmin does Garmin does it in real time so I changed It to real time which hits the battery Life a little bit harder but made it More comparable to the Garmin and I wore The corus verx 2s for sleep tracking and Had notifications coming into the watch So it was pretty heavy use and I got 22 Days during which time I did 24 hours of
Activity with 20 hours of that being GPS Activity with the multiband mode enabled Like I say so it's certainly very good Battery life if you're a runner you're Going to get three maybe even four weeks Of use out of it and even if you're a Very hardworking triathlete doing lots Of long Cycles you are looking at you Know a couple of weeks of use probably Like on a busy day with the watch it Probably drained around 6% so that's Certainly the main reason to look at the Chorus vertex 2s I would say or the Chorus verx 2 which is also very long Lasting but there is a big upgrade with The new watch which is the GPS accuracy So the chorus vertex 2 was the first Dual band watch I tested and it was Pretty good like it was exciting to use Dual band GPS for the first time but When I started using gma's GPS models And Sun's GPS models I really saw a big Step up in accuracy on what the chorus Vertx 2 was doing and I think corus had A bit of a problem with this multivan Setup at first cuz the Apex 2 and Apex 2 Pro were also not that great for me in Multiband mode but the chorus Pace 3 and Now the chorus vertex 2s are very Accurate multiband GPS watches Throughout the time I was testing it Against the Garmin inj Euro 2 and the Gin epics Pro I saw very little kind of Difference in the GPS tracks and the
Pacing on the two watches so I'd say you Are now getting very good GPS accuracy With the vertx 2s and it is probably the Main reason I'd look at upgrading Potentially over the vertx 2 and that's Still a pretty accurate watch but this Is a step up and then my last Light Would be that I just simply enjoy using The chorus user interface these days It's a user interface I find quite Intuitive and easy to use for my sports Tracking in particular I like the Structured workout builder in the app I Like the one on the watch itself for Easy intervals you can create roots in The app as well and send them to the Watch to follow so all around it makes For quite an easygoing and like I say Intuitive experience for me that might Not be the case for everyone but I do Think the sports tracking and training Analysis on the watch just fits with the Kind of athlete I am and I enjoy using Them it's quite a simple stripped back Kind of approach to it all the key Details are there and you can use the Watch to both track and guide your Training a little bit about too too many Complications if you're looking for a Simple but effective sportswatch I think Chorus has na the essentials really well Here with the corx vertex 2s dislikes For me probably start with a new heart Rate sensor on the watch which just
Doesn't seem a big upgrade in accuracy Like throughout my testing the vertx 2s Would read wrong quite often if I wasn't Wearing a paired heart rate sensor it Would go too high lock onto my Cadence Stuff like that which then skews the Training analysis on the watch and makes It hard to judge your run if you are Using heart rate for that so I'd say for Probably the last month of my testing I Was using it paired with a armband or a Chest strap just to get more accurate Data going into the training analysis I Think it probably is slightly more Accurate than the one on the chorus verx 2 but it's not enough of a leap in Accuracy that you can get rid of External sensors to really get accurate Heart rate data so it wouldn't be a Reason that I'd be looking upgrading This watch from the chos verx 2 and I Think if you get this watch and you do Use heart rate a lot I would probably Say you need to pair an external sensor To get accurate results next dis like For me is probably the design like it's Not a badl looking watch I just think It's less good-looking than the other Watches in its category I think the Garmin and Juro and Phoenix or epic even Have just a nicer case design and are a Bit thinner and more comfortable to wear On the wrist the same goes for the polar Grit X2 Pro which is a really nice
Design all around with that bright AMOLED screen they say the screen on the Vertx 2s is a little bit dull which Probably helps with battery life but It's just not the clearest to read so it Is fine certainly when you're outside It's very easy to see your stats at a Glance but for most of the time indoors I'm using the backlight quite a lot and It's again not a bad screen just a Little bit less bright and engaging than The ones you get on Rival watches in its Category the music feature I think is Still a little bit of a miss you still Have to drag and drop files across to The watch which means it can't really Link up with streaming service is like It's not a key feature for me at all Music I don't tend to use it a lot on Any of the watches I have but if that is A big feature you want to have on your Watch you're certainly getting a better Experience with Gars that can link up to Spotify Amazon music and [Music] Diesa so my v on the carus vertic 2s is That it's not hugely changed from a kind Of tracking experience or software Experience what you're getting in terms Of design of this watch I think for me It really boils down to you know if you Love vertic too you like the idea of Having better GPS performance that's Ultimately the biggest gain for me here
Because as we've talked about the Battery life has dropped you know the Battery life is still good but it has Dropped so if that's something they may Be looking at you may be want more Battery life on the vertx 2 on the verx 2s that's not what you're getting here So as an upgrade from the verx 2 there's It's really about that GPS performance When you look at it against other Watches you look at how much it costs You know it's up against things and I'm Kind of keeping it in mind of things Like the the Phoenix the cinto vertical You know those watches that have the Kind of transactive displays offer those Big kind of battery life numbers in General and don't have those AMOLED Displays is it a better option for me Compared to those other watches I'm not 100% convinced I don't think there's Enough you're gaining or are you gaining Much from those other watches for maybe Paying a little bit less maybe paying Slightly more I just think it is a it's Still a very good watch I think for Running perspective gives you a very Good run tracking experience but I think If you look at what else is around that Around the verx 2s is it compelling me To say this is a watch you get over Those watches I'm not quite convinced You know it's a bit of a different story When you look at the coros pacere
Against the watches that it sits against Whereas I think when you go up in the The ranges of the chus watches from a Running perspective and you know very Much keeping the running perspective the Coros vertic 2s I don't think does Enough for me to kind of Warrant going Over those other watches it's going to Give you a good running experience but Ultimately is it going to give you a Better experience from what you're Getting from other watches around the Price are maybe slightly less ultimately I don't think you are um going to get That verdict on the chorus verx 2s is That this is a small but significant Upgrade on the chorus verx 2 if you're Very into GPS accuracy which I am I Think chorus needed their top watch to Have better GPS accuracy to put it up Against the likes of Garmin polar and Sunto and even the Apple watch Ultra Because those watches are all offering Very good dual band accuracy and the Chorus verx 2 I just don't think was it Was still a pretty accurate watch but it Wasn't at the level of rival Brands the Corus VX 2s is so they kind of tick that Box now but I wouldn't necessarily say It's a big reason to go out and upgrade From the chorus verx 2 or buy this watch Over the chus vertic 2 unless you're Really into GPS accuracy like I am you Are also getting the new heart rate
Sensor but for me that was a bit of a Miss I wouldn't necessarily say you Should upgrade for that reason either Because the accuracy of that sensor was Still wanting for me in lots of Situations and I would still be pairing An external strap comparing it to the Market at large the key feature with the Chus Vex 2s is its battery life and then Combined with the very durable and hard Design you have here at a lower price Then you generally tend to get these Materials from other brands especially Garmin if you want to get a titanium Watch with a sapphire screen from Garmin It's usually quite expensive within the Epics and Phoenix ranges you pay a bit More for those materials so even though This is the same price as the kind of Base models of the phoenix like you Aren't going to get titanium and Sapphire with those models that said the Gar watches are often in the sale and Those top garments just have a lot more Features than the chorus verx 2s they've Got better navigation features the music Features are better you've got a lot More extensive training analysis and Stuff like that on the watch there Smarter as well in terms of the watch Faces and the information you can Display on them and they have pretty Good battery life as well especially the Uro 2 or Phoenix 7 7x even if it can't
Quite match what you get here from the Choros so I think it's hard for any Brand at the moment to really compete in This top bracket of watch against Garmin Because their watches just so good and There's so many of them and they're Often in sales and you can nearly always Find now the Epic 2 or the Phoenix 7 in The sale and although those are older Watches you're still getting a lot more Features on those and you would get on a Watch like the chorus verx 2s however This is still a very good watch it will Certainly be a great Sports Tracker if You pick it up but it's still hard to Pick it out over a gar unless you really Really want that ultimate in battery Life in which case the chorus Vex 2s or Chorus verx 2 are the market leaders of Those I've tested in terms of battery Life length another alternative is the Sunto vertical which also has really Long battery life has very good dualband GPS accuracy has maps on board it's got Pretty attractive design and a very Hardy design as like the chorus vertx 2s I prefer the chorus user experience and User interface than sunos so that Probably be a matter of taste and Overall I'd probably lean towards Getting the chorus myself cuz I do like The user experience on the chorus and It's a b cheaper than the vertical if You're looking at the equivalent
Materials so yeah it's pretty close Between those two watches but I slightly Prefer the coros watch myself but like I Said in this top watch category I still Think going for a Garmin is probably the Best way to go especially you can scoop Up a deal on the Phoenix 7 or Epix 2 if You prefer an AMOLED screen ver then Will the chorus vertx 2s is a well-built Watch that gives you phoenixes rant Adventure build but it comes in lighter Than the closest matched Garmin I've Enjoyed testing it and there are some Welcome upgrades here over the original Verix 2 with improved but not infallible Heart rate better GPS accuracy that's Now solid and reliable for the most part And increasingly comprehensive Navigation tools that's all backed by Coros Evol laab training tools that While they aren't as extensive or as Robust as the Insight served up by Garmin Connect and generally on breadth Of features and performance this watch Isn't a match for an 80 cheaper Garmin Phoenix 7 but there is one thing that Might appeal and that's battery life Though it's shorter on paper than the Vertic 2 it's still very very Competitive against the main Rivals it Easily knocks out a month of training on A single charge and that's excellent Staying power for lazy Chargers like me Then there's the two straps in the box
So I think it's a genius move it always Makes me want to recommend this watch Outright forget all the other stuff two Straps in the Box buy it being serious Though despite that strap bonus the new Hardware and sensors and that kickass Battery life the price makes it hard to Recommend over the cheaper Phoenix 7 Options and if you already own a vertic 2 the cororo verx 2 s doesn't really Jump out as an upgrade to recommend if You're on a vertx first gen and you want To stick with choros there's probably Enough here to Warrant a look but if You're willing to foro some of the Incremental improvements in GPS and Heart rate performance it might also be Worth scouting out deals on the vertex [Music] 2 that's our review of the corus verx 2s Let us know what you think in the Comments below please do like and Subscribe ring the little bell and we'll See you next time
