Product test
Coros Vertix: an extremely powerful battery
by Patrick Bardelli
Coros Vertix 2 GPS Adventure Watch or the battery monster
12/1/2022
Translation: Eva Francis
The Vertix GPS Adventure Watch by Coros convinced me with its outstanding battery life of up to 45 days. The successor model, the Vertix 2, is supposed to last up to impressive 60 days on one charge.
Charging, charging, charging: laptop, smartphone, headphones, sports watch, bike computer and so on. There’s always at least one technical product that needs to be charged – or is already plugged in. I’m sure this makes electricity suppliers happy. But it really annoys me. How about you?
Coro's Vertix 2 or the battery monster on your wrist
At least there's a solution to this problem when it comes to sports watches: it's called Vertix 2 and is a product by the American tech company Coros. The successor model to the Vertix has been on the market for a few months now and boasts an even longer battery life than its predecessor.
In the summer of 2020, I tested the Vertix for a few weeks and was already impressed by the battery life. And by some other features, too.
Recently, Coros has gone one better and increased the performance of the battery from 45 to an incredible 60 days. This definitely makes this GPS adventure watch a battery monster. The watch arrives with around 70 per cent charge and the battery still provides power for around 12 days, even after 33 days of use. With a full battery charge, this would result in around 64 days.
That's quite a statement. Let's compare a popular competitor: my Fenix 6 Pro by Garmin lasts around 14 days on a full charge. So instead of every fortnight, the Vertix 2 needs to be plugged in once every two months for a maximum of two hours. Now that makes me happy and probably annoys electricity suppliers.
Specifications
| Vertix 2 | Vertix | |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 1,4 x 280 x 280 (64 colours) | 1,2 x 240 x 240 (64 colours) |
| Display type | Memory LCD | Memory LCD |
| Screen material | Sapphire glass with diamond-like coating | Sapphire glass with diamond-like coating |
| Bezel material | Titanium with PVD coating | Titanium |
| Cover material | Titanium with PVD coating | Titanium |
| Strap material | Silicone/Nylon | Silicone/Nylon |
| Quick-change strap | 26 mm | 22 mm |
| Physical size | 50,3 x 50,3 x 15,7 mm | 47 x 47 x 15,6 mm |
| Weight with silicone strap | 89 g | 76 g |
| Weight with nylon strap | - | 63 g |
| Phone connection | Bluetooth | Bluetooth |
| Accessory port | Bluetooth | ANT + / Bluetooth |
| Navigation | GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou, QZSS | GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou, QZSS |
| Sensors | Optical pulse oximeter
Optical heart rate monitor | Optical pulse oximeter
Optical heart rate monitor |
| Waterproof rating | 10 ATM (100 metres / 328 feet) | 15 ATM (150 metres / 492 feet) |
| Operating temperature | -22 °F to 122 °F (-30 °C to 50 °C) | -4 °F to 140° F (-20 °C to 60 °C) |
| Storage temperature | -22 °F to 140 °F (-30 °C to 60 °C) | -22 °F to 158 °F (-30° C to 70 °C) |
| Charge time | Less than two hours | Less than two hours |
| Daily use battery life | 60 days | 45 days |
| UltraMax GPS mode | 240 hours | 150 hours |
| Standard Full GPS (GPS/QZSS) | 140 hours | 60 hours |
| All Systems On (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou, QZSS) | 90 hours | - |
| All Systems + Dual Frequency On (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou, QZSS) | 50 hours | - |
| Supported workouts | Running, Indoor Running, Trail Running, Track Running, Hiking, Cycling, Indoor Bike, Pool Swimming, Open Water, Triathlon, Gym Cardio, GPS Cardio, Skiing, Snowboarding, XC Skiing, Ski Touring, Multisport, Strength Training | Running, Indoor Running, Trail Running, Track Running, Hiking, Cycling, Indoor Bike, Pool Swimming, Open Water, Triathlon, Gym Cardio, GPS Cardio, Skiing, Snowboarding, XC Skiing, Ski Touring, Multisport, Strength Training |
First impression: one less gadget that needs to be charged constantly
This battery power is really impressive. So impressive that I almost feel sorry for the charging that's been sitting in its original packaging ever since I got this watch. I hope I'll find it when I do need it at some point. Unfortunately, I can't just use any other cable, as Coros has its own connector.
But of course, outstanding battery performance alone doesn't make for a good sports watch. What about GPS accuracy, how precisely does the watch measure heart rate and oxygen saturation, how comfortable is it to wear, and how does the app perform? So far, it hasn't exactly been user-friendly for anyone outside the English-speaking world. And how good is the new music function?
I’ll be testing all of this over the next few weeks. Don't want to miss the detailed review of Coros Vertix 2? Then follow my author profile and stay up to date.
Patrick Bardelli
Senior Editor
Patrick.Bardelli@digitecgalaxus.chFrom radio journalist to product tester and storyteller, jogger to gravel bike novice and fitness enthusiast with barbells and dumbbells. I'm excited to see where the journey'll take me next.