If you’re staring at your wrist wondering why you just spent six hundred bucks on a chunky sapphire-glass monster that weighs as much as a small dinner plate, you aren’t alone. We’ve been conditioned to think that "premium" equals "heavy." But then there’s the Coros Pace 3. It’s so light it feels like a toy you’d find in a cereal box, weighing in at just 30 grams with the nylon band.
Honestly, it’s a bit of a mind trip.
Most people see the plastic—sorry, "fiber-reinforced polymer"—chassis and assume it’s a budget tracker for casual 5k joggers. That is a massive mistake. Underneath that unassuming shell, Coros crammed in dual-frequency GPS, an optical heart rate sensor that actually holds its own against chest straps, and a battery that seems to defy the laws of physics. It’s the ultimate sleeper hit of the wearable world.
The Dual-Frequency GPS Reality Check
Let's talk about the big marketing buzzword: dual-frequency (or L1/L5) satellite tracking.
When the Pace 3 launched, it was one of the cheapest ways to get this tech. Most people think "dual-frequency" just means "better," but it's more specific than that. If you're running on a flat, empty road in Kansas, you don't need it. Your old watch was fine. But if you’ve ever tried to track a run through the "urban canyons" of Chicago or under the heavy tree canopy of the Pacific Northwest, you know the pain of "GPS drift." That's when your watch thinks you're sprinting through the middle of a skyscraper.
The Coros Pace 3 fixes this by communicating with two signals from the same satellite. It filters out the noise. In real-world testing against the Garmin Forerunner 255 and even the high-end Suunto Race, the Pace 3 consistently nails the corners. It doesn't "cut" the turns on a track. It’s eerie how accurate the map looks when you sync it to Strava afterward.
But here is the catch. Using All Systems + Dual Frequency mode eats battery faster. You’ll get about 15 hours of continuous tracking in this high-accuracy mode. That is still enough for almost any marathoner, but for those doing 100-mile ultras, you'll want to dial it back to standard GPS, which stretches the life to a staggering 38 hours.
Touchscreens and Dials: A Love-Hate Relationship
Coros stuck with their signature digital dial. Some people hate it. They want buttons. I get it. Buttons are tactile; you know when you’ve pressed them even if you’re wearing thick winter gloves.
The dial on the Coros Pace 3 is small. If your fingers are sweaty or you’re bouncing around during a hard interval session, it can be a bit finicky to scroll. However, they added a touchscreen this time around. It’s not an Apple Watch Ultra 2 OLED screen—it’s a Transflective Memory-in-Pixel (MIP) display.
It looks "dim" indoors.
Don't be surprised. MIP screens are designed to be read in direct sunlight. The brighter the sun, the clearer the screen. Indoors, you’ll rely on the backlight. The touchscreen is mostly there for map panning, which is a godsend. Trying to navigate a breadcrumb trail using only a scroll wheel is a special kind of torture that Coros has finally moved past.
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Why the Nylon Band is Non-Negotiable
If you buy this watch, get the nylon band. Just do it.
The silicone strap is fine, I guess, but it makes the watch feel "cheaper" and it’s harder to get a perfect fit. The nylon velcro strap allows for micro-adjustments. This is actually a performance feature, not just a comfort one. For the optical heart rate sensor to work, the watch needs to be snug against your skin, especially during high-intensity intervals where your arm is swinging wildly.
The Coros Pace 3 is so light that with the nylon band, it doesn't bounce. Less bounce equals less "light leakage" into the sensor. This results in heart rate data that is surprisingly close to a Polar H10 chest strap. It’s not perfect—no wrist-based sensor is—but for a $229 device, it’s punching way above its weight class.
The Software Philosophy: No Monthly Tax
One thing that really separates Coros from the pack is their approach to data.
- Coros Training Hub: You get a full-blown web platform for analyzing your fatigue, base fitness, and recovery.
- Evolab: This is the algorithm that tells you if you're overtraining. It requires a few weeks of data to calibrate, but once it does, it's remarkably honest.
- No Subscriptions: Unlike Fitbit (Google) or Whoop, Coros doesn't gatekeep your own health data behind a monthly paywall. You buy the hardware, you own the insights.
The app is clean. It’s arguably more modern-looking than Garmin Connect, which can feel like a labyrinth of menus within menus. Coros keeps it streamlined. You can build complex strength workouts or interval runs on your phone and beam them to the watch in seconds.
It Isn't Perfect: The Limitations
Let's be real for a second. The Coros Pace 3 isn't for everyone.
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If you want a "smartwatch," look elsewhere. You can't reply to texts from the watch. You can't make phone calls. There is no NFC for contactless payments. It’s a tool for athletes, not a miniature phone for your wrist.
The "Music" feature is also a bit of a relic. It doesn't support Spotify or Apple Music offline syncing. You have to manually drag and drop MP3 files onto the watch via a USB cable like it’s 2005. Most people won't ever use it. They’ll just carry their phone or use their bone conduction headphones paired to their phone.
Also, the breadcrumb navigation is basic. It’s just a line on a black background. You won't see street names or topographical contours. If you’re deep in the backcountry and get lost, a breadcrumb trail is better than nothing, but it’s a far cry from the full TOPO maps found on the Coros Vertix 2 or the Garmin Fenix series.
Battery Life: The Great "Forget-Me-Not"
The most underrated feature of the Coros Pace 3 is how rarely you have to think about it.
In "daily use" mode—tracking sleep, steps, and heart rate—it lasts about 17 to 20 days. Think about that. You can go on a two-week vacation, leave the proprietary charging cable at home, and not worry about it. For anyone coming from an Apple Watch or a Wear OS device where daily charging is a ritual, this is life-changing.
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It changes your relationship with the data. When a watch stays on your wrist for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, your Resting Heart Rate (RHR) and sleep tracking metrics actually become useful because the data set is continuous. No "dead spots" in your health calendar because the watch was sitting on a charger overnight.
How to Get the Most Out of Your Pace 3
Don't just take it out of the box and run. There are a few things you should do immediately to make the experience better.
First, calibrate the compass. It takes thirty seconds and ensures your breadcrumb navigation isn't pointing you toward a lake when you should be heading for the trailhead. Second, set up your "Activity Data" screens in the app. The default screens are okay, but the Pace 3 can show up to 8 data fields on a single screen. Because the screen is 1.2 inches, 8 fields might be a bit cramped for some, but 4 to 6 is the sweet spot for keeping an eye on your pace, distance, heart rate, and lap time all at once.
Third, check the "Satellite Systems" settings. If you’re running in an open park, "Standard GPS" is plenty and saves battery. Save the "Dual Frequency" for the concrete jungle.
Actionable Next Steps
If you've just picked up a Coros Pace 3 or you're about to hit 'buy,' here is your immediate checklist:
- Update the Firmware: Coros is famous for "feature drops." They recently added turn-by-turn navigation and screen mirroring to older models. Check the app immediately for updates.
- Run a Fitness Test: After a few easy runs, use the built-in "Running Fitness Test." It’s a grueling 30-minute session that determines your heart rate zones and threshold pace. It’s much more accurate than the "220 minus your age" formula.
- Sync to TrainingPeaks or Strava: The integration is seamless. Set it up once in the "Third-Party Apps" menu of the Coros app and never touch it again.
- Buy a Screen Protector: Yes, the glass is "Mineral Glass," but it’s not indestructible. A cheap tempered glass protector will save you from that inevitable scrape against a brick wall or a weight rack.
The Coros Pace 3 isn't trying to be everything to everyone. It doesn't want to be your phone. It doesn't want to be a piece of jewelry. It’s a dedicated, lightweight, highly accurate instrument for people who care about their splits and their recovery. In a world of bloated gadgets, that focus is actually pretty refreshing.