Ep40 - Coros Pace 4 - A Deep Dive discussion

Deep dive Chat on the new Coros Pace 4. Full pros and cons and buyer's guide

Based on:

- the5krunner: https://the5krunner.com/2025/11/11/coros-pace-4-review-budget-sports-watch-dual-band/

- dcrainmaker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rJcVVD7TbE

- Fit Gear Hunter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cA8HF25sp8o

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Welcome to the deep dive. For years the Korus Pace lineup,
well, it's been pretty much the go to for runners wanting
serious features without breaking the bank.
Absolutely that performance on abudget formula.
Right, and today we're diving into the brand new KORUS Pace 4.
It's price at 249 USD and KORUS is pitching it as well.

(00:20):
A massive leap forward. A huge leap, and that's our
mission today, really. Korus added some pretty premium
stuff, things like an AMOLED screen that usually hammer
battery life and, you know, pushup the cost.
So did they manage to keep that amazing value proposition that
made the Pace 3 so popular? Yeah.
Or did something have to give? The early reports are sources.

(00:40):
They seem cautious but definitely impressed in some
areas. One of our key sources, the 5K
renter, kind of nailed the summary, calling it an
unremarkable but solid budget choice.
Yeah, that sounds about right. Unremarkable in a good way.
Maybe SOLID is the keyword? Exactly.
So we need to unpack what makes it solid enough to compete,
maybe even dominate at this price.
And just as importantly, where did Corus make those trade-offs,

(01:03):
the ones that might frustrate some users?
OK, Well, looking at what's new compared to the Pace 3, it's not
just tweaks. It feels like a hardware
overhaul almost. The three really big headline
things are one, that gorgeous AMOLED display we mentioned, 2,
somehow even more battery life, which seems impossible with that

(01:24):
screen. And three, they've added a
microphone and a new third physical button, the action
button, which they've basically borrowed from their pricier
watches like the Apex 4 and Nomad.
OK, let's start with the screen then, because that alone feels
like it changes everything abouthow you interact with the watch
day-to-day. Totally.
First off, the build is still classic pace super light meant

(01:45):
for racing. It's about 43.4 millimetres
across and just like 32 grammes with the nylon strap Feather
Lite. You hardly feel that on a long
run. Exactly.
But yeah, the screen. They finally ditched the old MIP
display memory and pixel. Great outdoors and bright sun
but always looked a bit dim and washed out inside right?
Yeah, I kind of dated looking indoors.
So they swapped it for this beautiful 1.2 inch AMOLED

(02:08):
touchscreen. And the specs on that, what does
that mean in practical terms? It means you get a sharp 390 by
390 resolution and it gets bright up to 1500 nits peak
brightness. Wow.
And everyone reviewing it agrees.
Visibility is massively better indoors.
Cloudy days, quick glances during a workout, It just looks

(02:29):
crisp and modern. Makes the watch feel much more
expensive than it is. And the controls changed a bit
too. Still the crown.
Yep, you still have the digital crown for scrolling through
things and the usual back button.
But now there's this third button, the action button over
on the left side, just like on the higher end models.
OK. And what's that for?
What's the action? Its main job is speed.

(02:49):
During workouts, you press it and it instantly flips between
your data screens and the breadcrumb navigation map.
OK, so if you're following a route, you don't have to fiddle
with the crown or screen exactly.
It's a really smart shortcut when you're moving fast trying
to navigate. Super useful then.
And there's always a bug with these budget focused watches.
Right, here's the classic Chorosthing.

(03:10):
Focus on the run, maybe forget the rest of the time.
The big critique from multiple sources is that outside of an
activity, just wearing is a watch.
Day-to-day, the action button does nothing.
Nothing. You can't set it to like start a
timer or music. Currently, it just lights up the
screen. It feels like a missed
opportunity. They gave us this cool hardware

(03:31):
button but didn't give it a job for, you know, 95% of the time
you're wearing the watch. Huh OK, bit frustrating and
quickly on build materials. It's that fibre reinforced
polymer body. Yeah, FRP body with mineral
glass on the screen, so it's light.
It's tough enough for most things, but it's not the
sapphire glass you might find onmore expensive watches or even

(03:51):
Chorus's own Apex line. Something to keep in mind if
you're really rough on your gear.
Gotcha. And 1 little practical thing,
charging new cable. Yeah, new charging puck.
Yeah, it uses USBC now, which isgood.
And the connector that snaps onto the watch, the A2 connector
is deeper. It feels more secure, less
likely to pop on. OK, good.
But importantly, it means your old Pace 3 cable won't work at

(04:14):
all. Got to use the new.
One right? OK, now let's talk about that
battery life, because adding a power hungry AMOLED screen
usually tanks endurance. How did Koros work this magic?
It really. Is the standout feature maybe
even more than the screen. It's, well, it's kind of
amazing. They must have done some serious
optimization work on the internals.
So what are the numbers daily use first?

(04:36):
OK, daily smartwatch use Koros claims up to 19 days which is
huge. Now if you turn on the always on
display the AOD function, that drops significantly down to
about 6 days. Still pretty decent though.
Six days. AOD is still very solid, but the
GPS numbers are the crazy. Ones absolutely insane.
This is where it blows away expectations.
In the Max GPS mode. That's their top tier dual

(04:58):
frequency setting for best accuracy.
You now get up to 31 hours of recording. 31 hours, dual
frequency. Yep, the pace 3 in its
equivalent mode got about 15 hours so they more than doubled
it. And if you drop down to the high
GPS mode which uses all system still very accurate multi GNSS,
it jumps to a massive 41 hours. 41 hours that's that's nudging

(05:21):
into ultra marathon territory for a $250 watch.
Exactly 1 reviewer, I think it was DC Rainmaker actually put it
up against $1000 Garmin flagshipand the Pace 4 held its own or
even beat it on GPS battery every life in some modes.
It's built for endurance. And that focus on endurance and
accuracy LED them to simplify the GPS modes, right?

(05:42):
No more basic GPS only. Correct, they simplified it down
to just Max for dual frequency and high for all systems.
They basically said the old simpler GPS only mode just
wasn't accurate enough and the tiny bit of battery it saved
wasn't worth the data quality sacrifice.
Prioritising clean data makes sense for Koros.
And the reviews seem to back that up.
Generally the GPS tracks looked really solid, accurate,

(06:04):
comparable to much pricier watches.
Dual frequency really seems to pay off.
OK, so GPS accuracy gets a thumbs up, but what about heart
rate accuracy? That's often the Achilles heel
of wrist based sensors. Ah yes, the optical heart rate
sensor. This is where things get a bit
more complicated. It's the same latest Gen sensor
that's in there. More expensive Apex 4 and Nomad

(06:24):
watches. So should be good.
Right, should be. And for steady state stuff like
an easy run or indoor cycling, most reviewers found it was
pretty good, Solid, reliable, but as soon as you throw in high
intensity like intervals or lotsof arm swing and bumps like a
technical trail run, the resultsgot really inconsistent across
the reviews. What kind of issues, spikes,

(06:46):
dropouts? Both Some saw weird unexplained
high spikes and heart rate. Others suspected cadence lock.
Right cadence lock. That's where the watch thinks
your arm swing. Rhythm is your heart rate.
Exactly. It mistakes your steps per
minute for your beats per minute, so the reading shoots up
artificially. And if you're relying on that
heart rate data for training zones or for choruses, Evil lab

(07:06):
platform. Which pulls all your metrics
together for fatigue performancescores.
If you're feeding evil lab potentially bad HR data, then
those insights become less reliable.
It's a real headache for for serious training.
So the bottom line on heart rateis maybe don't trust it
completely for hard efforts. Pretty much it seems to be that
your mileage may vary. Situation depends on your wrist,

(07:27):
how you wear it, the activity. If you need pinpoint HR accuracy
for intervals or zone training, you'll probably still want an
external chest strap. OK, fair enough.
Standard advice for most wrist sensors, really.
Let's move to the other new hardware bit, the microphone.
You mentioned dual mics, but crucially, no seaker.
Correct. No seaker O you can't take calls

(07:49):
on the watch and you won't get audio prompts or alerts.
It's purely for input. And what?
Can you input what are the uses?2 main things right now.
First is voice pins. During an activity, you can
press and hold a button and record a quick voice note tied
to your current GPS location. Oh like water source here or
trail blocked find detour? Exactly Mark points of interest,
hazards, nice views, whatever. Quick and easy way to remember

(08:12):
things on your route. OK, that sounds potentially
useful. And the second use.
The second one is for a legging your RPE rate of perceived
effort right after you finish a workout.
Instead of fiddling with the app, you just speak into the
watch. That felt like a seven out 10.
Legs were heavy. And the watch does what with
that? The Koros app automatically
transcribes that voice note intotext and saves it with your

(08:33):
workout data in your training log.
OK, that actually sounds genuinely useful.
Streamlining that post run admintask, Yeah.
Reviewers really like that for convenience.
Just makes logging that subjective feel much quicker.
But here comes the Koros ecosystem limitation again, I
bet. You guessed it, while the
transcription is cool, those RPEnotes and the voice pins too are

(08:55):
currently stuck inside the Korosapp and ecosystem.
So they don't sync out to training peaks or other
platforms where your coach mightlive.
Nope. So if you rely heavily on a
third party platform or a coach who uses one, this neat feature
becomes, well, a lot less useful.
Siloed information. That definitely dampens the
enthusiasm a bit, and that lack of wider integration kind of

(09:18):
highlights the main story here, doesn't it?
The Pace 4 is an excellent sports watch.
Phenomenal for the price. But a pretty basic smartwatch.
Absolutely. This is where the 249 nine
dollar price point really shows.Course had to cut features
somewhere to keep the cost down and that battery life up.
So let's list the big smartwatchomissions for potential buyers.
What are you not getting? OK #1 navigation.

(09:40):
It's breadcrumb only follow the line.
You do not get full offline mapslike on some garments or the
higher end Chorus watches. Big one for trail runners or
exloring new laces. What else?
#2 Music. It's strictly manual MP3 file
uploads only. You get 4 gigs of storage for
your own files. There is 0 support for Spotify,
Amazon Music, any streaming service.

(10:01):
Wow, MP3's only takes you back. Doesn't it fuels very 2005 #3 no
NFC chips so absolutely no contactless payments?
Can't pay for that post. Run coffee with your watch.
Deal breaker for some, definitely.
And finally #4 no third party apps, koros kees it simple A
closed system. You don't get anything like
Garmin's Connect IQ store for adding extra watch faces, data

(10:23):
fields or AS. O it tells time, tracks your,
runs incredibly well, has insanebattery, but don't expect it to
replace your phone or a more fully featured smart wire.
Precisely, it knows its job performance tracking and it
sticks to it. Now this is what things get
really interesting. Koros didn't just launch the
Pace Four in a vacuum. They played with their own

(10:43):
pricing structure, making the decision harder.
Yeah, this was smart. DC Rainmaker called it a
brilliant upsell strategy. What they did was drop the price
of the older Pace 3 down to just$199.
OK, super budget option now. And more significantly, they
slash the price of the Pace Pro,which used to be $349 all the

(11:03):
way down to 299. Dollars.
Wait, so the Pace Pro is now only $50 more than this new
Pace? For exactly just a $50
difference between the Pace 4 at$249 and the Pace Pro at $299.
And that $50? What extra goodies does the Pace
Pro give you? This is the crucial comparison
for that extra $50.00. The Pace Pro gives you 2 massive

(11:24):
upgrades over the Pace, 4 full proper detailed offline mapping
and a slightly larger screen. 1.3 inches versus 1.2.
Full maps. That's huge.
Huge plus you get an ECG sensor for heart health cheques which
the Pace 4 doesn't have. The only real advantages the
Pace 4 has are being slightly lighter and having those new
voice note features. So unless you are absolutely

(11:45):
obsessed with shaving every possible gramme or really want
those voice nights, that Case Pro at $299 looks incredibly
tempting for just 50 bucks more.Especially for the map that's.
How all the reviewers highlighted Koros has made the
Pace for a much harder sell by making the Pace Pro so
competitively priced against it.Why get bread crumbs when full

(12:06):
maps are just $50 away? It's a tough internal battle.
What about externally? The big rival is always Garmin.
How does the pace for stack up against Garmin's equivalent, the
4 runner 165, which also has AMOLED and cost the same $249?
OK, this comparison is much clearer and it really depends on
what you, the buyer, prioritise.It's a fundamental difference in
philosophy. The Koros Pace four wins hands

(12:29):
down if your priority is pure athletic performance and
endurance. It has vastly superior GPS
battery life up to that 41 hoursversus the Garmin's much lower
numbers. It has dual band GPS for
potentially better accuracy. It fully integrates with Koros's
Advanced Evil Lab training metrics, supports running power
metres natively and it is dedicated triathlon and multi

(12:51):
sport modes built in. The 400 One 65 doesn't really
compete on those hardcore sport features.
But the Garmin 165 fights back on the smart side of things.
Exactly. The 4 Runner 165 is the better
smartwatch and Wellness device. It offers NFC contactless
payments. It has proper music support
including Spotify. It has access to the Garmin
Connect IQ store for apps and watch faces.

(13:13):
And Garmin's general Wellness stuff like body battery.
Yep. Features like body battery,
energy monitoring are more fleshed out on the Garmin, so
the choice is pretty stark. Pace 4 for the dedicated runner
triathlete focused on data, battery and performance.
Forerunner 165 for better everyday smart features, music
payments and the wider ecosystem.
Got it. So let's try and wrap this up.

(13:33):
Our deep dive suggests the Chorus Pace 4 has successfully
brought key upgrades, that beautiful AMOLED screen, the
dual band GPS, that incredible battery life down to this budget
friendly price point. Absolutely.
It's a very, very strong contender at $249.
If you want a lightweight, simple, long lasting watch,
focus purely on tracking your runs, bike rides, swims, it's

(13:55):
fantastic. Ideal for that performance
focused athlete who doesn't needor want all the smartwatch bells
and whistles. It nails its target audience.
It's a tool for training first and foremost, solid, as the 5K
runner said. Koros, his own pricing strategy
throws a wrench in the works. That $299 Pace Pro looms large.
It really does. It creates this tension.
So the final provocative thoughtfor you, the listener, is this.

(14:17):
Is the Koros Pace 4 at $249 really the best value
proposition from Koros anymore? Or is it now acting more like
the entry point designed to makeyou think for just $50 more I
could get those maps? His Koros cleverly position the
Pace 4 is the ultimate gateway drug to the Pace Pro.
You have to decide if maps are worth that extra 50 bucks or if

(14:38):
the pays for a specific blend oflightness, simplicity and
battery life is exactly what youneed.
What matters most for your training?
That's the question to ponder.