What you need to know
- The COROS PACE 4 running watch launches November 10 in the U.S. ($249), U.K. (£229), France (€269), Spain, Germany, and China.
- It has 19-day battery life, dual-band GPS, personalized marathon training plans, and training load data.
- Key new features over the PACE 3 include a 1,500-nit AMOLED display, dual mics for training logs, reinforced lugs, and doubled dual-frequency GPS battery life.
COROS has released watches at a breakneck pace the past few months, starting with the COROS NOMAD in August and the COROS APEX 4 in October. Now, COROS is rounding out 2025 with the latest in its popular, affordable running series: the PACE 4.
Since the COROS PACE 3 launched in 2023, the running watch marketplace has shifted, prioritizing more expensive models with AMOLED displays. The 2024 PACE Pro played into that dynamic, while still costing much less than the competition. But when the NOMAD and APEX 4 stuck to MIP displays, I expected the PACE 4 to follow suit.
Instead, the PACE 4 uses AMOLED, matching the Pro with comfortably readable brightness while adding a 2.5D tapered edge that feels smooth for touchscreen swipes. And despite this switch, the PACE 4 is rated to last four days longer for normal use and 16 hours longer with dual-frequency GPS tracking active — undercutting one of the main arguments for using MIP.
Category |
PACE 4 specs |
|---|---|
Dimensions |
43.4 x 43.4 x 13.6mm |
Weight |
32g (nylon) or 40g (silicone) |
Band |
22mm Quick Release |
Buttons |
3 (Dial, back, action) |
Display |
1.2-inch (390 x 390) AMOLED touch |
Protection |
5 ATM, mineral glass |
Battery (Smartwatch) |
19 days, 6 w/ AOD |
Battery (GPS) |
41 hours (All Systems); 31 hours (Dual-frequency GPS) |
Sensors |
PPG, altimeter, accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, SpO2, ECG, dual mic, water depth |
Connectivity |
Bluetooth, Wi-Fi |
Fitness |
EvoLab, Running Fitness/ FTP tests, Training Load, TL recs, recovery timer, effort pace, workouts, personalized training plans |
Navigation |
Breadcrumb, back-to-start, waypoints, turn-by-turn, pins |
The COROS PACE 4 ends up as a kind of PACE Pro Lite, with comparable battery life and the same fitness tools in a smaller, lighter frame — though without offline maps, the one main downgrade.
At $249, the COROS PACE 4 could make would-be Garmin Forerunner 165 buyers think twice. They both have 1.2-inch AMOLED displays and weigh about the same with polymer-heavy designs, but COROS gives you ECGs, training load, training status, and dual-frequency GPS, all features that Garmin locks to its pricier 265 and 570 watches.
As for current PACE 2 or 3 owners, you'll appreciate that the PACE 4 feels just as feathery-light as ever; I wore it on 12- and 8-mile runs, and its presence faded from my mind once I got into the zone. Plus, the price has only inflated by $50 across three generations and four years, and COROS's dependable post-launch support means the PACE 4 should receive feature updates for years.
For now, the PACE 4 is launching with some long-awaited tools: a display flashlight mode, menstrual cycle tracking, and music playback controls for your phone. The latter is a basic necessity for some runners that COROS has lacked for years, but it promises the feature will be ready either at launch or shortly after.
COROS also gave the PACE 4 the same dual-mic and Action button setup introduced by the NOMAD. Essentially, you'll be able to drop GPS-synced Voice Pins during an activity that describes what you're seeing, then see those pins and recordings in your post-workout summary; you'll also be prompted after you finish an activity to summarize your workout feelings to remember later.
I still need more time to put the PACE 4 through its paces, but I've worn it enough during my marathon training to feel confident recommending it to serious, frugal runners. You get nearly all the essentials you need for training, a display that's not a pain to read indoors, and accurate HR and GPS results.
COROS PACE 4 accuracy test
As I mentioned above, I wore the COROS PACE 4 during 12- and 8-mile runs, with my Garmin Forerunner 970 on my other wrist and my Garmin HRM 200 chest strap synced to it. They gave me dual-frequency GPS and HR control groups to compare the PACE 4 against.
My first 12-mile run ended with the PACE 4 matching my chest strap with a 171 bpm average and measuring 1 bpm higher for max HR (193 vs. 192). The graph below shows how the PACE 4 remained relatively close throughout, though, like most wrist-based optical sensors, it lags about 30–60 seconds behind the chest strap to register significant changes in effort.
For my easier eight-mile effort, the PACE 4 matched my chest strap for average and max HR. The shorter time frame makes it slightly easier to see the HR delay, and the PACE 4 had a couple of moments around the hour mark where it inexplicably dropped my HR about 5–10 bpm. But overall, these are good enough results for most runners, especially for the $249 price.
As for dual-frequency GPS tracking, the PACE 4 measured 24m and 60m less, respectively, than my Forerunner 970 after 8 and 12 miles. Again, that's close enough to satisfy any runner buying a $250 watch, especially compared to a $750 flagship. But let's look at the actual map to see if the PACE 4 earns that total or lucks into it.
Generally, the PACE 4 (orange) stays in parallel to the Forerunner 970 (blue), with more of a tendency to drift a meter or two off of my real path, either into the street or on the opposite side of the path. These tend to balance out on a normal winding path, however, and the PACE 4's dual-frequency pinpointing means it isn't badly affected by foliage.
In fact, COROS and Garmin measured their mile markers in near-unison for the first nine miles. The discrepancy came from Garmin's signal freaking out while I ran through an underpass tunnel, sending me flying in various directions. The PACE 4 gave me a signal-reacquired notification when I exited the tunnel and (correctly) estimated that I'd run in a straight line.
The second run — another relatively easy suburban route — was more of the same, with the PACE 4 (blue line this time) always measuring me in the ballpark of where it should. It had a little more trouble with underpasses on this run but kept the signal reflection to a minimum, and it did better than Garmin at tracking my path on a narrow bridge.
I'll put the PACE 4 through stricter conditions when I have time, but COROS gave it the same quality of GPS tracking as the pricier NOMAD and APEX 4, and both of those watches did well in tougher conditions.
I also need more time to judge how well the PACE 4 battery life lives up to COROS's promises. COROS's estimate suggests it should only use about 3.3% battery per hour of dual-frequency tracking, but it's been closer to 5% so far in my experience; that may change outside of the preview software.
Ultimately, though, the hardware quality is darn impressive for a $250 watch, and better than what the PACE 3 offered two years ago. If you don't need maps, contactless payments, or a speaker for Bluetooth calling, the PACE 4 easily numbers among the best running watches available today.
The PACE 4 is currently available on coros.com in six countries, but it will come to retailers worldwide starting in December.
