Protecting tempo with the pricier competitors

The Coros Tempo 3 is geared toward anybody in search of a watch that may observe a large number of sports activities and do it for lots much less cash than comparable watches from Garmin and Polar.

Whereas that is the most cost effective watch within the Coros household it actually doesn’t scrimp on options, together with the promise of correct GPS via a brand new dual-frequency GPS mode, the power to navigate your method once you get misplaced and the provide of weeks of battery life from a small and lightweight design.

Associated: Best fitness trackers for your wrist: Expert tested and reviewedIt’s clearly positioned to problem different inexpensive multisport watches just like the Garmin Forerunner 55 and Polar Pacer. So is the Tempo 3 an ideal look ahead to health followers? I’ve been carrying it and monitoring runs, indoor exercises, swims and extra to seek out out.

Coros Tempo 3

Really useful

The Coros Tempo 3 is a improbable multisports watch that provides robust efficiency throughout the board, is nice worth and one of many present standout watches to trace your exercise time.

Execs

• Sturdy GPS accuracy
• Nice battery life
• Helpful navigation help

Cons

• Coaching options not as slick as rivals
• No ANT+ connectivity
• Dearer than Coros Tempo 2

Pricing, specs and availability

The Coros Tempo 3 is obtainable in a single, 41.9mm dimension choice and prices $229/£219. The following Coros watch up from the Tempo 3 is the Apex 2, which is priced at $399/£349.

It does imply nevertheless that the Tempo 3 launch value is greater than its predecessor the Tempo 2, which price $199/£179 at launch and does get a number of the software program options introduced for the brand new Tempo to nonetheless make it a gorgeous purchase.

Design and show

Small and lightweight

The Tempo 3 is a small watch, measuring in at 11.7mm thick and with a 41.9mm case, so it stays the identical thickness because the Pace 2 and is a contact smaller compared. Put that subsequent to a equally priced Garmin just like the Forerunner 55, and the Tempo 3 will absorb comparable area in your wrist.

The watch case is produced from polymer, so it’s mild too, and together with white and black appears additionally is available in an all-red Monitor version. Coros provides you strap choices right here too. There is a softer and lighter nylon band and a extra typical silicone sports activities band. Each are detachable and these are 22mm straps that use a quite simple pin mechanism to allow you to rapidly pop them out and pop in a brand new band.

There is a mixture of two bodily buttons and a 1.2-inch, 240 x 240 decision, always-on reminiscence LCD display screen. That is the identical dimension and determination display screen because the Tempo 2, solely this time it has touchscreen help providing one other option to work together with the most recent Tempo. No, it isn’t a color display screen, but it surely’s uncommon to seek out AMOLED screens on a devoted multisports watch at the same value.

So as an alternative Coros focuses on delivering robust visibility in all situations and that is precisely what you get right here. Its not the largest display screen, however I actually by no means had points checking on my real-time stats or just checking the time on land and within the water.

On that entrance, this can be a multisports watch and that does imply you’ll be able to swim with it. Coros affords each pool and open water swimming modes together with a triathlon mode as effectively.

It is bought a 5 ATM rated design, so you’ll be able to take it as deep as 50 metres. I’ve primarily used it for pool swims and the expertise of utilizing it within the water feels similar to utilizing the Tempo 2 and that is a great factor.

Well being and health

An accuracy enhance

I feel the easiest way to explain the monitoring expertise of utilizing the Tempo 3 is that Coros has sought to make the form of enhancements that make sure you’re getting extra dependable information versus merely providing a great deal of extra options.

Working example right here is the introduction of its dual-frequency GNSS chipset. This chipset has appeared on different Coros watches with blended outcomes and is designed to spice up accuracy throughout out of doors monitoring, significantly once you’re utilizing the watch close to tall buildings, in unhealthy climate and enormous, forested areas.

I’ve used comparable modes on a number of various watches, together with the Apple Watch Ultra, Garmin Forerunner 965 and Forerunner 265, together with smartwatches from Huawei and Xiaomi – and the dual-frequency help on the Tempo 3 is nice. It’s maybe not Apple, Garmin and Suunto-level nice, however the accuracy enhancements in comparison with the Tempo 2 are undoubtedly noticeable in areas the place it is tougher to choose up a dependable GPS sign.

It is the identical story for the optical coronary heart charge monitor Coros contains right here, which is an upgraded one from the Tempo 2 and likewise helps taking pulse oximeter readings as effectively. I feel it may very well be partly all the way down to the small type issue of the Tempo 3 and the good fit your needs get right here that the center charge monitoring efficiency throughout train, even at excessive depth, actually impressed towards a coronary heart charge monitor chest strap. Nevertheless, in case you do endure from some rogue or questionable readings, you’ll be able to pair an exterior Bluetooth coronary heart charge monitor to it – sadly Coros leaves out the ANT+ connectivity help.

Whereas the Tempo 3 doesn’t seem like a watch you’d wish to go for a giant hike with, Coros does embody some navigation options right here, together with the power to add routes to the watch through the Coros app. It is good and easy to do this and whereas you do not get the complete topographical maps you will discover on Coros’ pricier watches, it does provide breadcrumb-style help, which will likely be greater than sufficient for many to raised navigate new environment.

This is not a watch that simply desires to trace you, although. It additionally desires to crunch that information and enable you to resolve when to coach and enable you to construct exercises to create extra structured coaching too. So like quite a lot of new sports activities watches it will regulate your coaching load, advocate restoration time and provide the power to construct interval exercises and obtain coaching plans.

For those who’re a runner, you’ll be able to perform operating health checks to get a greater sense of your general health. For indoor exercises, there is a muscle heatmap mode that permits you to hold observe on whether or not you are dedicating sufficient leg days throughout your week, for instance.

Having spent quite a lot of time utilizing the coaching options on Garmin, Polar and Apple watches, I really feel like Coros’ strategy leans someplace in between what Garmin and Polar affords you. They will provide good steerage and exercise options are effectively executed, however the presentation of some insights doesn’t really feel as slick as what you will get on a equally priced Garmin.

If you would like a watch to trace your steps and sleep, once more, Coros can cowl that as effectively. I would not say these are main causes to seize the Tempo 3, although. It lacks the extra motivating strategy you will get from a Garmin and even an Apple Watch and whereas sleep monitoring affords a pleasant breakdown of sleep levels and affords comparable sleep period stats to the wonderful Oura Ring Gen 3 sensible ring, it lacks the extra significant insights that rivals like Polar affords.

Smartwatch options

A musical bump

The Tempo 3 is not going to provide the feature-rich expertise you will discover on a correct smartwatch, but it surely offers you extra smartwatch options than we bought on the Tempo 2.

You possibly can nonetheless view notifications in a reasonably primary style, change watch faces and there is additionally discover my cellphone and watch modes, which do work effectively to reunite you along with your Tempo 3 or enable you to seek out your paired smartphone.

Coros has now included a music participant and you’ve got a portion of the built-in 4GB storage to make use of to retailer audio on it too. It is solely suitable with MP3 information and to get audio over to your watch you will have to hook the watch as much as a pc to do it – dragging and dropping information on, which may take some time in case you’ve bought quite a lot of information to throw on.

Sadly, in contrast to an Apple Watch, Garmin or Samsung Galaxy Watch, that music participant is not suitable with third-party music streaming providers, so you have to to personal the music to hearken to it. The touchscreen makes that music participant a pleasant function to have although, and I’ve paired a number of headphones together with the AirPods Pro 2 with no points, making it a great addition in case you care deeply about it.

Battery life

Extra of the identical, and that is no unhealthy factor

Coros watches have all the time provided nice battery life, whether or not it is in day-to-day use or throughout exercise monitoring and it is extra of the identical with the Tempo 3.

Based mostly on Coros’ numbers, you need to get pleasure from as much as 24 days (up from 20 days) of smartwatch battery life and 38 hours of GPS battery life. Go for the perfect accuracy GPS choice and that quantity drops to 25 hours. Throw music streaming into the equation and that hogs the battery sufficient to see GPS battery drop under 10 hours – so use it properly in case you’re in search of longevity.

Over the few weeks I’ve examined the Coros Tempo 3 I’ve discovered it has been able to lasting comfortably every week with scope to go additional. It doesn’t really feel like there are as many options that hog the battery right here, as there are on rival watches like Garmin and Polar. The notification help is easier for example and in case you go for the complete GPS mode as an alternative of the dual-frequency one, then that may push issues slightly additional too.

Finally, I’ve by no means felt quick modified with the battery on the Tempo 3 and it does provide some improved numbers on its predecessor as effectively too.

Verdict

The Coros Tempo 3 is a very improbable little multisports watch that guarantees lots and delivers on most fronts. It is an ideal choice for runners in search of greater than the fundamentals or somebody that desires a multisports watch with out the premium price ticket.

For those who take a look at it towards the competitors, one thing just like the Garmin Forerunner 55 arguably affords a extra user-friendly software program, whereas coaching options on one thing just like the Polar Pacer really feel like a slight step up on what you get right here. Tempo 2 homeowners won’t see it as a particular improve until you have been left underwhelmed by options like GPS help, wrist-based heart-rate monitoring or care about having extra smartwatch smarts.

Regardless of leaping up in value from what the Tempo 2 launched for, the Coros Tempo 3 stays an ideal purchase that doesn’t scrimp on the issues that really matter.