Coros Pace 4 Pro First Look: A Premium Running Watch Without the Premium Price

TL;DR: The Coros Pace 4 Pro landed today at $449. It's the premium tier of the Pace line, with a 1.47-inch AMOLED screen, a titanium bezel, sapphire glass, and up to 60 hours of GPS battery. New for this model: a fresh heart-rate sensor, offline maps, a thermometer, ECG, and the ability to record voice notes midrun.The Coros Pace 4 was one of my favorite watches of the last year; it’s light, easy breezy, and really puts running at the fore. The Pro version is leveling up that watch with more functionality, a bigger size, and improved tracking, and I think runners are going to be into it.Now, I have not strapped this watch to my wrist for a run yet, but there’s a lot to be excited about. On paper the Pace 4 Pro is Coros doing the thing Coros does best: taking a light, unfussy running watch and making it better. It sits above the standard Pace 4 as the premium tier of the Pace line, and it’s clearly aiming at the Garmin Forerunner 970 crowd while undercutting it on price.The New Features That IntrigueHere’s what's new, and what I’m most curious to put through its paces:🫀 A new heart-rate sensor. Coros says the Pace 4 Pro uses its latest multichannel optical PPG sensor, designed to sit flush against the wrist to cut down on the shifting that wrecks data when you’re sweaty and those arms are pumping. Wrist-based HR accuracy is my white whale, so I’ll be testing this against a chest strap and Holter monitor.📍 Better GPS, hopefully. The watch runs dual-frequency GPS to reduce signal bounce off buildings and tree cover. We’ve found GPS laggy on previous Coros generations, and I’m interested in pushing it to its limits.🧭 Offline mapping. With 32 gigabytes of storage, you get topographic maps, street and trail names, points of interest, and turn-by-turn navigation, no phone required.🗣️ Voice notes midrun. A fun one: there’s a speaker/microphone, so you can record voice notes midrun (course observations, a training thought, make that orthopedic appointment, ouch) without stopping or reaching for your phone, plus hands-free calls.💥 A thermometer, plus ECG, SpO₂, and a barometer round out the sensor stack.🎽 Hybrid and multisport workouts. Of course, there’s a Hyrox update. This is a 2026 new release, is it not? There’s also a dedicated triathlon mode, and a Multi-Sport option that lets you stack runs with weight training.Courtesy CorosThe Coros Pace 4 Pro links seamlessly with the Coros HRM arm band.The improvements you expect—screen, build, and battery—are where the extra money goes. The 1.47-inch AMOLED is 22.5 percent larger than the Pace 4’s, with 466 by 466 resolution and a peak brightness of 3,500 nits, making it Coros’s biggest, brightest display yet. It’s wrapped in a titanium bezel and sapphire crystal, which should handle some heavy wear.The screen also adjusts itself. Automatic, self-adjusting brightness ranges from 3,500 nits at noon down to 2 nits at zero dark, with an adaptive refresh rate that shifts from 60 Hz down to 1 Hz to conserve power. Because of that, regarding battery life, Coros claims up to 60 hours of continuous GPS and up to 21 days of daily use, a nearly 50 percent jump over the Pace 4. And despite the bigger screen and tougher case, it’s just 43 grams. Larger, but lighter than you’d expect.The Coros App Is Still the MVP of Watch AppsOne thing I don’t need to test to tell you: the Coros app remains one of the easiest to deal with and navigate. The Training Load, VO₂ max, Pace Strategy, Running Fitness, and Route Builder are all smack in front of your face, and it plays well with Strava, Nike Run Club, and TrainingPeaks. There’s no labyrinth of menus that looks like it was designed 15 years ago. That ease of use is a big part of why folks keep recommending Coros to beginners.Should You Buy It? If you’re a Coros lover, it’s a fairly safe bet, even without my testing. The Coros Pace 4 Pro looks like a lot of watch for the money, and the additions I’m most skeptical of (GPS, wrist HR) are the ones I’ll be hammering on. Stay tuned for the full review once I’ve run the miles.Shop Coros Pace 4 ProCat Bowen, senior editor of commerce; reviews, is a seasoned runner with more than 20 years of distance running experience, including dozens of marathons, half marathons, and even a few ultra marathons. For over a decade, she has tested parenting, fitness, home, and running gear and written in-depth guides to help readers with their next purchase. Holding multiple advanced degrees and currently studying kinesiology, Cat Bowen brings research-backed insight to all of her guides. Passionate about women’s health and neurodivergent inclusion, she advocates for closing research gaps and helping others—especially AudHD people—find joy in running and fitness.