Coros Nomad review: No, its not a Garmin, but it might even be better

Date:
Sun, 21 Dec 2025 09:00:00 +0000

Description:
Coros is going from strength to strength, and the Coros Nomad keeps that winning streak going. In fact, this might be one of the best value rugged smartwatches around.

FULL STORY ======================================================================One-minu te review

No, its not a Garmin. The Coros Nomad may look ever so slightly like the Instinct 3, but in many ways its more exciting, since it boils that excellent smartwatch down to a less feature-packed but still compelling alternative thats considerably cheaper.

Its strictly in fitness tracker territory, with features like NFC payments
not making the cut, but it does have the advantage of offering locally stored maps. Add to that more than three weeks of battery life on a single charge, a handy action button, and a really nice, lightweight design, and theres an awful lot to like about this upstart.

Memory in Pixel displays arent for everyone as theyre duller than most smartwatches AMOLED screens, but they do conserve battery as a result. If youre happy with one here, youre getting excellent value for money and fantastic battery life. Coros Nomad: Price and availability (Image credit: Coros) Starts at $349 / 319 / around AU$640 Considerably cheaper than rivals Available in three color options

The big pull for the Coros Nomad is how favorable it compares to the Garmin Instinct 3 price-wise. It starts at $349 / 319 / around AU$640, compared to the Garmin models $449 / 389 / AU$829, and it comes in Dark Grey, Green, and Brown finishes I tested the green version. Value score: 5/5 Garmin Venu 4: Specifications

Component

Coros Nomad

Price

$349 / 319

Dimensions

47.8 x 47.8 x 16.4mm

Weight

49g with band

Case/bezel

Polymer Case

Display

1.3 inch Memory-in-Pixel display (260x260 resolution)

GPS

Dual frequency GPS

Battery life

22 days of standard use, 34 hours in GPS mode

Connection

Bluetooth

Water resistant

50M Coros Nomad: Design (Image credit: Coros) Durable, but fairly lightweight Action button

Given that this is billed as a rugged smartwatch, theres a good chance the first thing you notice when picking up the Coros Nomad is that its not all that heavy at all.

The Polymer case feels strong (although you wont catch me hurling my review unit at a concrete floor), but its also nice and light. Thats particularly helpful given that this is a device you can wear for up to three weeks
without taking it off for a charge, and the strap is comfortable, too (albeit Im not a big fan of the pin-based method of attaching them).

The case envelops the display, and provides plenty of clearance to keep it from being dinged if you were to drop the watch or swing your arm into something, although Coros says its a mineral glass display that should be tough to crack anyway.

Controls-wise, there are two buttons for interacting with the UI, as well as an action button that can be programmed to perform different functions such
as the backlight, adding a voice pin along a route, or switch between
activity data and map view. Charging is handled via a small proprietary port on the back. Design score: 4.5/5 Coros Nomad: Features (Image credit: Coros) Offline maps No smartwatch features

Where Garmins Instinct 3 doesnt offer map functionality, the Coros Nomad
does, making it an attractive choice for trail runners who may not know a route very well. This works with Coros companion app, allowing you to store routes and save them to quickly check conditions before you head out the
door.

Theres dual-band GPS for tracking, too, and it proved exceptionally accurate in my testing, whether I was out for a wander in the countryside or standing amidst Londons largest buildings.

Its really built for the great outdoors, as the name suggests. As well as all the usual maps and GPX routing functionality, you can drop voice pins using the onboard mic during walks and runs, which will replay thoughts that occur to you at specific points during routes, such as descriptions of landmarks. You can add photos in the app too, creating an adventure journal.

Fishing modes, which dont normally get a lot of love, get a digital anchor, putting a pin in a spot so you can see if youre drifting during the activity. Niche, but eminently useful to the right person. Health-wise, you get an ECG sensor, SpO2 monitor, and Safety Alerts allowing you to send your location to emergency contacts. However, this is more like Garmins LiveTrack than SOS messaging, as its done on your phone rather than satellite, and thus requires phone signal. Still, a nice-to-have.

The only real downside is that some smartwatch features are lacking. To be clear, Coros is marketing the Nomad as a fitness watch, but Id have liked NFC payments and maybe some music options here for the days when I want to leave my phone at home. Features score: 4.5/5 Coros Nomad: Performance (Image credit: Coros) MiP display Up to 22 days of battery Heart rate accuracy is up there with the best

The Coros Nomads performance is pretty fantastic across the board. A single charge can last you a whopping 22 days, while youll get around 50 hours if youre using GPS mode for more intensive location tracking, or 34 hours for dual band. I found this was accurate during testing.

Unfortunately, I didnt get to go fishing with the watch during my testing period, but I did use its headline feature: maps.

This is something many similarly-priced rivals dont offer, and its great to have offline maps downloaded if youre unsure of where you are and youve left your phone at home. Its nice and easy to get them downloaded via the
companion app, and the maps themselves are easy to read with color-coding for route types.

You can zoom in and out with the crown, too, making it easier to get context for your current route.

Another nifty feature, Ive not seen anything like Voice Pin on a watch
before. The idea is relatively simple, letting you leave an audio note on a run or hike tailored to a location. In theory, this could mean you could create curated audio cues for a route youre sharing with a friend, or provide additional notes on how to get home.

Heart rate tracking matches up to the current gold standard in my experience the Apple Watch Ultra series. Despite the Coros Nomad costing less than half the price, it pretty much matched Apples most rugged watch beat-for-beat.
Weve independently tested the Ultra against a Polar H10 heart rate monitor, finding it very accurate, so to have Coros match this is very encouraging. Performance score: 5/5 Coros Nomad: Scorecard

Attribute

Comments

Score

Value

Undercuts a Garmin while offering additional features.

5

Design

Easy to use, comfortable, and rugged.

5

Features

Plenty of health monitor features, but lacking in terms of NFC payments.

4.5

Performance

Offline maps and voice pins are great.

5 Coros Nomad: Should I buy? (Image credit: Future) Buy it if...

You want a Garmin, but dont want to pay Garmin money

The Coros Nomad certainly pushes Garmins Instinct lineup into a corner, offering many of the same features for much less than the Garmin Instinct 3.

You want to wear it for weeks without charging

More than three weeks of battery is great, even without any Garmin-esque
Solar charging. Don't buy it if...

Youre a gym person

The Coros Nomad is wasted during indoor workouts, operating best outdoors.

Youre looking for a watch to take off-grid

Theres no satellite SOS messaging unlike the Google Pixel Watch 4, Garmin Fenix 8 Pro and Apple Watch Ultra 3.

You want a communication-based smartwatch

Dont expect much in the way of smartwatch features theres no NFC for payments, notifications are basic, and no option to run third-party apps.
Also consider (Image credit: Future)

Component

Coros Nomad

Garmin Instinct 3 (45mm) AMOLED

Apple Watch Ultra 3

Price

$349 / 319

$449 / 389 / AU$829

$799 / 749 / AU$1,399

Dimensions

47.8 x 47.8 x 16.4mm

45 x 45 x 14.9mm

49 x 44 x 12 (mm)

Weight

49g with band

53g

62g

Case/bezel

Polymer Case

Fiber-reinforced polymer / aluminum

Titanium

Display

1.3 inch Memory-in-Pixel display (260x260 resolution)

AMOLED, 390 x 390px

Liquid retina LTPO3 OLED

GPS

Dual frequency GPS

GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, SatIQ

L3 dual-band GPS

Battery life

22 days of standard use, 34 hours in GPS mode

Up to 18 days (smartwatch), up to 32 hours (GPS)

42 hours smartwatch mode

Connection

Bluetooth

Bluetooth, ANT+

Bluetooth, LTE

Water resistant

50M

10ATM

WR100

Garmin Instinct 3

The closest thing to a Coros Nomad, except within Garmin's excellent ecosystem.

Read our full Garmin Instinct 3 review

Apple Watch Ultra 3

An ultra-premium adventure watch with all the Nomad's missing communication tech.

Read our full Apple Watch Ultra 3 review View Deal How I tested

I wore the Coros Nomad in daily life, during sleep and workouts. I went rucking with the Coros Nomad a handful of times, comparing its GPS and biometric information to both the recently-reviewed Suunto Race 2, the Apple Watch Ultra and Apple Watch Series 11. I also visited some cities to test its GPS system amid larger crowds and buildings during workouts.



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Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/health-fitness/coros-nomad-review


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