Coros Nomad Watch Reviewed

My obsession with horology is only eclipsed by my obsession with stats, maps and buttons. It didn’t take me long to realize I like riding with wrist computers to track heart rate, pace, elevation data and all the other metrics. For the sake of keeping it real, we will not refer to the Coros Nomad as a watch. This device was designed as a wrist computer from the outset. The Coros Nomad is designed to accompany adventurous types into the unknown with remarkable battery life, just like its cycling-specific model, the DURA

Specs

• Dimensions 47.8 x 47.8 x 14.8mm (Height does not include the optical heart rate sensor)
• Weight – 61g with silicone band, 49g with nylon band
• Display Size – 1.3 inches
• Display Resolution – 260 x 260
• Display Type – 3rd Generation Memory-in-Pixel touch screen
• Screen Material – Hardened Mineral Glass
• Bezel Material – Fiber Reinforced Polymer + Aluminum alloy
• Cover Material – Fiber Reinforced Polymer
• Band Material Silicone / Nylon
• Watch Band Width – 24mm
• Buttons & Dials – Digital Dial, Back Button, Action Button (for shortcuts to your maps, Pins, and more)
• Water Resistance – 5 ATM (50M)
• Suitable for surface water activities and not for diving
• Working Temperature – -4°F to 122°F (-20°C to 50°C)

Battery Life/Charging

• High All Systems (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou, QZSS), 50 hours, 15 hours with offline music playing
• Max Dual Frequency (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou, QZSS), 34 hours , 14 hours with offline music playing
• Daily Use & Sleep Tracking, 22 days
• Charging Time, Less Than 2 Hours

Other Features/Info

• Internal Memory 32GB
• Activity Memory 1200 Hours
• Geo Location, Satellite Systems, GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou, QZSS, GNSS Chipset
• All-Satellite Dual-Frequency
• Map Layers – Landscape (with trail and street names), Downloadable Global Maps, Topo

Plus a boatload of more features you should read about on the product page.

I’ve lived with a Garmin and I’ve lived with a Suunto. I was quite hesitant to switch to yet another ecosystem. The Suunto Vertical I have been using has been OK. It looks great and has sufficient computing power for a cyclist. I really like the Enduro and DH modes the cycling activities offer. They are designed for bike park days or descent-oriented rides. Unfortunately, the fit of the watch and the user interface have been poor. The titanium case cut into my skin before I modified it, and the oversimplification of the data screens is uninspiring.

The Coros Nomad is a 349 USD / 369 EUR / 473 CAD device that has toned down styling cues from rugged watches of the G-Shock era. It is light at 61 grams and the silicone band is 24mm wide and extremely comfortable. There is nothing to complain about for this guy with a 6.5″ wrist circumference.

Unlike Garmin, who has been making devices for luxury and industrial markets for years, Coros carved a niche in the running sector. Devoted runners are serious about their sport. They want simplicity from their devices and want a mountain of data afterwards. Coros has been delivering this for a few years now. The Nomad is a bit of a departure from this path. While the Coros App for iOS or Android is still the crown jewel of the brand, with an incredible amount of information and a clear layout, the Nomad can function very well on its own, deep into the backcountry.

The Gen 3 MIP (memory in pixel) display doesn’t stand out when it comes to colour or brightness. It sips on battery power though, and can stay always on for 22 days between charges when used as a watch. If you want to track long adventures, you can squeeze about 50 hours of continuous GPS use out of the Nomad. Not too shabby. With no solar charging built into the display, the Nomad uses the entire screen to show information. The common feature on Coros devices is the Digital Dial. This tactile wheel allows for fast scrolling through menus and information screens. It also allows you to scan through all the graphs you are presented with on the screen. When you scroll to something you want, you can click the wheel to select it. This is intuitive and it makes operating the Coros a watch-like experience.

You can go on your favourite electronics outfitter’s website and get you whatever Garmin your budget desires. You will most likely be happy, but possibly $2000 poorer as well. Coros lives in a space where you get a heck of a lot of hardware and damn near excellent software for not a ton of money. I found the heart rate and GPS accuracy to be satisfactory. The optical HR monitor reacts fast to changes and stays stable no matter how rought the trail is. The fit of the watch is extremely comfortable for an aggressive rider with nothing sharp to dig into your skin. On the rowdiest of rides, I found the Digital dial would, on occasion, turn during an activity and scroll through screens. This happens more in the winter with long cuffs and gloves.

“Pins” you can make and attach to specific locations during an activity are another element that makes the Coros Nomad interesting. These Pins are easily made with the click of the Action Button below the Digital Dial and can be in the form of Voice notes (the Nomad has TWO microphones) or specific labels like POIs or events. As the device is somewhat catered towards anglers, you can record your catch with a quick pin to later view or listen in the app. The clarity of the sound is excellent and for cyclists it can be a cool way to mark trail conditions (fallen trees, washouts, etc.) or turns you may need to take that are not obvious. While I haven’t used this function as much as I thought I would, as speaking to my wrist on the side of the trail seems crazy, I appreciate that it is there.

Navigation is also excellent with the Nomad. Full detail Topo Maps are quickly downloadable for offline use. Just make sure you download them in WiFi before your trip. I downloaded most of British Columbia in under 15 minutes. The map is divided into tiles for smaller file sizes. The Digital Dial comes into full play with the maps as you zoom in and out at speed. The scale of zoom is 15 meters to 5 km. (50ft to 3.1miles) The only glitch I managed to find is the zoom level drops to 100 meters in cycling activities, whick I imagine is due to on bike browsability. I reached out to Coros to remove this nonsense and give us full map zoom range in all the activity modes. Maps are accessible in the control centre with the long hold of the Action Button. This means you can check to see what’s around you without recording an activity. POIs are also marked clearly, which makes phone-free excursions a breeze.

The mapping feature is a double-edged sword when it comes to trails. I am well aware that the repeated use of mapping puts lesser-known trails at risk, but on the North Shore at least, there are few secrets left. Living on the edge of a metropolitan area has its drawbacks. High population, increased mountain biking participation and easily shuttle-able trails mean heavy wear and tear and indiscriminate use of trackers. Builders are having to actively closing and re-opening trails depending on the weather forecast.

Squamish has seen an explosion in trail maintenance in the last year, taking the focus away from rogue building. Hats off to all the souls who pick up a shovel!

The Nomad pairs well with the Dura. When you enter an activity on both devices, they connect to one another and rather than creating duplicate records, they use each other to display the same information on the Dura’s screen. Your heart rate broadcasts from the watch to the Dura and you can pause, finish or resume later, on either of the devices. I am not sure if Garmin is capable of something like this but I am glad Coros thought this was a possibility. For the price of one Garmin Fenix 8, you can buy the Dura and the Nomad together and have money left over.

The Nomad’s smartwatch features are weak. It is interesting that there is a microphone and possibly a speaker in the Nomad, but it won’t let you take calls or reply to messages with your voice. I think I like that there is a differentiation between smartwatches and activity trackers these days. I am not interested in a smartwatch just yet. They require frequent charging and can be disruptive with all the alerts. The Nomad has a subtle but distinct vibration that alerts me if I want it to.

The charging port is proprietary, just like every other wearable on the market. While I would have appreciated a simpler USB-C plug, this would have made the form factor larger without a doubt. Instead, Coros has a tiny keychain-attachable USB-C adapter that you can carry quite easily on trips and even multi-day rides. YOU CAN CHARGE THE NOMAD FROM YOUR PHONE!!! OK, didn’t mean to yell, but this is quite awesome.

Would I buy it?

I think the Nomad with its compelling price and feature-packed technology, makes for a burly, adventure-ready watch you can take to the ends of the earth. Garmin Fenix series devices are great and undoubtedly pack the whole kitchen sink in when it comes to features and data extrapolation but the price reflects that. Suunto is a great option if you want a watch made in Europe by people who are crazy about saunas and discomfort. With the Coros, you are buying a tech-forward, solution-based product that doesn’t break the bank. You can choose between three understated colours and have money left over for couple of set of tires for your bike.

I know how I would vote.

COROS NOMAD

349 USD / 369 EUR / 473CAD