Coros watch
Hacker ApprovedRanked 4 of 6 GPS sports watches by recommenders
People recommend Coros watches for fast performance, simple software and good value compared with Garmin. The most common caveat is a closed platform that does not support third-party apps.
People recommend Coros watches for fast performance, simple software and good value compared with Garmin. The most common caveat is a closed platform that does not support third-party apps.
21 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 17
- criticize it
- 4
- approval share
- 81%
Recommended in 7 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Owned for 1 year
Median of the 3 owners who said how long they have had it.
Each square is one year.
Why it carries the badge
- 17 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 4.3 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 7 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Fast watch and maps
“The Coros watches (from what I've heard, the same applies to Suunto and Polar) are fast.”
Comment from 18 Jul 2026 in “Is this the end of the once-mighty GoPro?” “Coros watches have several weeks of battery life and fast maps”
Comment from 18 Jul 2026 in “Is this the end of the once-mighty GoPro?” “Although Coros watches are fast”
Comment from 18 Jul 2026 in “Is this the end of the once-mighty GoPro?” Good value for money
“Coros blows everyone out of the water from a user experience standpoint, and they offer excellent value.”
Comment from 9 Sep 2026 in “Apple Watch Series 12” “most watches less than half the price of the closest Garmin watch”
Comment from 18 Jul 2026 in “Is this the end of the once-mighty GoPro?” “Value for money, simple software not bloated compared to garmin”
Comment from 9 Sep 2026 in “Apple Watch Series 12” Simple, uncluttered software
“Coros blows everyone out of the water from a user experience standpoint, and they offer excellent value.”
Comment from 9 Sep 2026 in “Apple Watch Series 12” “Value for money, simple software not bloated compared to garmin”
Comment from 9 Sep 2026 in “Apple Watch Series 12” Recommended over Garmin
“would highly recommend not buying a Garmin and instead looking at Coros or Suunto”
Comment from 18 Jun 2026 in “Garmin Needs to Do Better” “If you need a proper, dedicated sports device get a coros, garmin or suunto”
Comment from 7 Aug 2026 in “My phone detects going on a run as "someone snatching my phone and running off"”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Closed platform with no third-party apps
“it's a totally closed platform, that doesn't any have 3rd party apps at all”
Comment from 19 Jul 2026 in “Is this the end of the once-mighty GoPro?” “Coros and Amazfit especially got close but they are closed development”
Comment from 20 Aug 2026 in “Hacking with Claude on a $27 Smart Watch” “at the price of only be able to sync your rides and routes using a proprietary app”
Comment from 5 Sep 2026 in “Show HN: Open-Source eInk Bike Computer” No NFC payments or messaging features
“For me coros are non started because of lack of the NFC payments.”
Comment from 19 Jul 2026 in “Is this the end of the once-mighty GoPro?” “Coros cannot reply to imessages, cannot add to reminders, cannot add to calendar, cannot place a call from the watch”
Comment from 9 Sep 2026 in “Apple Watch Series 12”
Other GPS sports watches people recommend
The four most recommended other GPS sports watches, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garmin watch | 123 | 49 | 72% | 12 | 5 yrs10 owners | Approved |
| Garmin Instinct | 33 | 4 | 89% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Garmin Fenix | 28 | 8 | 78% | 10 | 5 yrs8 owners | Approved |
| Coros watchThis page | 17 | 4 | 81% | 7 | 1 yr3 owners | Approved |
| Una Watch | 12 | 21 | 36% | 1 | — | — |
What people said
24 of the 26 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“but not Corros, Suunto or Polar.”
“I've heard nothing but good things about Coros.”
“An entry level Coros watch can handle all of these”
“Value for money, simple software not bloated compared to garmin”
“Coros cannot reply to imessages, cannot add to reminders, cannot add to calendar, cannot place a call from the watch”
“Coros blows everyone out of the water from a user experience standpoint, and they offer excellent value.”
“at the price of only be able to sync your rides and routes using a proprietary app”
“Coros and Amazfit especially got close but they are closed development”
“being able to wake up for that 6am flight without waking up the whole room is so nice”
“If you need a proper, dedicated sports device get a coros, garmin or suunto”
“GPS accuracy is good since I enabled dual-frequency (MAX)”
“For me coros are non started because of lack of the NFC payments.”
“it's a totally closed platform, that doesn't any have 3rd party apps at all”
“Although Coros watches are fast”
“most watches less than half the price of the closest Garmin watch”
“The Coros watches (from what I've heard, the same applies to Suunto and Polar) are fast.”
“Coros watches have several weeks of battery life and fast maps”
“I've killed it on some hikes by using the GPS too much.”
“would highly recommend not buying a Garmin and instead looking at Coros or Suunto”
“Coros had a pretty nonchalant response to their security issues last year”
“Already converted multiple people to Coros.”
“I bought a Coros and am pretty pleased with it”
“The numbers are useful, it makes it easier to do the hobby”
“Feels like Coros and others have come a long way.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.