coros pace 3 review

COROS PACE 3 REVIEW

COROS PACE 3 WATCH

coros pace 3
HEALF £219 GET 10% OFF
COROS £219 BUY NOW
XMILES £219 BUY NOW

PLEASE NOTE: I paid for the Coros Pace 3 myself and was not gifted this watch or paid by Coros to give a honest review. This page may contain affiliate links. Making a purchase via our affiliate link means I may receive a small share of the sale.

The Coros Pace 3 is a lightweight, feature rich GPS running watch designed for runners and multi-sport athletes seeking accuracy, long battery life, and strong value for money.

Building on the success of its predecessors, the Pace 3 introduces several notable upgrades while maintaining a focus on simplicity and performance.

WHO IS COROS?

Coros is a relatively new sports technology brand, founded in 2016.

The company initially made waves with a smart cycling helmet and soon pivoted to GPS sports watches, quickly earning a reputation for affordable, high quality wearables with exceptional battery life and robust software support.

WHEN WAS COROS PACE 3 RELEASED?

The Coros Pace 3 was announced at the start of September 2023 and became available for purchase shortly thereafter.

FEATURES

Key features of the Coros Pace 3 include:

  • Dual-frequency GPS with support for five satellite systems (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou, QZSS) for improved accuracy.
  • Touchscreen interface and two button navigation (including a digital crown).
  • Upgraded optical heart rate monitor with SpO2 (blood oxygen) measurement.
  • Barometric altimeter, compass, and breadcrumb trail navigation.
  • Music storage and playback, allowing you to download and play music directly from the watch.
  • Regular firmware updates that add new features and improvements.

IS IT WATERPROOF?

Yes, the Coros Pace 3 is water resistant up to 50 metres, making it suitable for swimming and other water based activities.

SIZE

The Pace 3 is remarkably lightweight, weighing just 30 grams with the nylon strap or 39 grams with the silicone strap.

Its minimalist design ensures comfort for all day wear without feeling bulky.

DOES IT TRACK SLEEP?

coros pace 3 sleep

Yes, the Pace 3 offers comprehensive health tracking, including detailed sleep statistics, daily steps, and resting heart rate.

CAN YOU PLAY MUSIC?

The Coros Pace 3 introduces music downloads and playback, a new feature for the Pace series.

You can store music on the watch and listen via Bluetooth headphones, making it convenient for runs without your phone.

You cannot connect directly or sync with Spotify, you have to connect your Coros Pace 3 to your computer and put the MP3 files on to the watches internal storage to listen to music.

CAN YOU USE IT FOR OTHER SPORTS?

coros pace 3 other sports tracking

Absolutely. The Pace 3 supports a wide range of sports modes, including running (road, trail, track, indoor), cycling, swimming, strength training, hiking, and even snow sports.

It is optimised for accurate measurement across these activities.

DOES IT HAVE MAPS?

coros pace 3 maps

The Pace 3 features breadcrumb trail navigation, allowing you to follow pre loaded routes and receive alerts when you need to turn. It also alerts you if you are going in the wrong direction.

However, it does not offer full topographic or street maps like some higher end models.

VO2 MAX

coros pace 3 race predictions

The watch estimates VO2 max and provides fitness tests to give you an overview of their aerobic capacity and training progress.

You can't physically see your VO2 max score on the watch but you can find your VO2 max in the Coros app, along with your running fitness and race time predictions.

COLOURS

The Coros Pace 3 is available in a number of different colours.

The silicone watch colours are:

  • Black
  • White
  • Emerald
  • Mist
  • Violet
  • Red

The nylon watch colours are:

  • Ink
  • Chalk
  • White
  • Black
  • Track edition

I have the black edition, which you can see in the photos in this review.

STRAP

coros pace 3 strap

When you buy your Coros Pace 3 you choose between a silicone strap or a nylon strap.

I chose the silicone strap as that is what I was used to with my previous watch.

It is easy change the strap, just unclasp the metal pins on the back of the straps to remove the strap and put the replacement strap in.

BATTERY

The battery life is the standout feature of the Coros Pace 3:

  • Up to 38 hours in full GPS mode (an increase from the Coros Pace 2’s 30 hours).
  • Up to 20 days in regular use.
  • UltraMax GPS mode extends battery further for ultra distance events.

To charge the battery you simple connect the charging cable that comes with the watch into the back of the watch and connect the USB cable into a USB port.

Charging is really quick and you can get to 100% battery within a few hours.

COST

The Coros Pace 3 launched at £219, positioning it as a highly competitive option in the mid-range GPS watch market making it one of the best value watches available for runners and multi-sport athletes.

SALES AND DISCOUNTS

Unlike Garmin where you can pretty much guarantee the watches will be in the sale on Amazon prime day or in the black Friday sale, it is really hard to find any deals or sales on Coros products. 

The only discount we have found is using our 10% discount code with Healf, using the link below.

HEALF £219 GET 10% OFF
COROS £219 BUY NOW
XMILES £219 BUY NOW

WHICH PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES USE THE COROS PACE 3?

Several elite athletes use the COROS PACE 3, most notably Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the Norwegian Olympic gold medalist.

Additional high profile athletes who are associated with COROS (though not exclusively specified for Pace 3 use) include Eliud Kipchoge, the marathon GOAT and two-time Olympic gold medallist, Kilian Jornet and Magda Nieuwoudt.

TIPS

  • Use the "All Systems + Dual FREQ" GPS mode for the most accurate tracking, especially in challenging environments.
  • Take advantage of the breadcrumb navigation for route guidance, though note it is not a full map display.
  • Regularly update the firmware for new features and optimisations.

COROS PACE 3 vs COROS PACE PRO

The main differences:

  • Display: The PACE Pro features a larger, higher resolution AMOLED screen for superior visibility and detail.
  • Battery Life: PACE Pro offers significantly improved battery life in All Systems and Dual-Frequency GPS modes.
  • Performance/Hardware: PACE Pro claims markedly better performance (over 2x).
  • Maps & Navigation: PACE Pro offers full offline global maps, while PACE 3 is limited to breadcrumb navigation.
  • Music Storage: PACE Pro features 32GB for music vs 4GB on the PACE 3. Physical
  • Size/Weight: PACE Pro is larger and heavier, but not dramatically so, and the increased size supports the display and battery improvements.

CONCLUSION

The Coros Pace 3 is an outstanding GPS running watch for those who value accuracy, battery life, and simplicity at a reasonable price.

While it lacks full mapping capabilities, it more than compensates with its dual-frequency GPS, music support, robust health tracking, and lightweight design.

For runners and multi-sport athletes seeking a reliable, affordable training companion, the Pace 3 is hard to beat.

HEALF £219 GET 10% OFF
COROS £219 BUY NOW
XMILES £219 BUY NOW
Back to blog