Coros Nomad smartwatch review

When is a Casio G-Shock not a Casio G-Shock? When it’s a Garmin Instinct. Or when it’s the new Coros Nomad, which takes its aesthetics from both, its rugged design screaming, “Outdoor adventure.”

It’s not my style of triathlon watch – I prefer slimmer-line models – but it’ll float the visual boat for many. The brown colour option here isn’t for everyone either, but will blend nicely with outside camo gear if that’s your thing as well! (Khaki or grey options also available).

And that group includes anglers, for this watch is heavily marketed at fisher folk. With the Nomad you can tap into tidal data, log catches and learn from previous successful fishing days where to fish.

Or, alternatively, where not to fish. That could come in useful for those of you who are as happy netting fish as you are PBs. If not, there’s still plenty here to please most triathletes.

Offline mapping and display

That includes offline mapping, which has been borrowed from the Coros Pace Pro and is impressive for this price point. This mapping’s been upgraded from previous versions and now incorporates labels on streets and points of interest. It’s also much clearer to see when you’re exercising on-road and off-road.

The detail’s more easily seen than many Coros efforts thanks to the high-contrast Memory-in-Pixel (MIP) display. It’s sharp and clear, albeit not to the level of AMOLED screens (which admittedly are improving); that said, it does elevate battery life to 34hrs in full GPS mode and 22 days in daily mode.

Adventure journal

Arguably the biggest marketing sell of the Nomad is its adventure journal. This has many threads. Firstly, via the new ‘action’ button on the lower left-hand side, you can record voice notes straight to your watch.

The audio clips stay pinned to the route, so when you transfer the information to the eminently usable Coros app, you can pinpoint exactly where you left said note during your session. Handy for recaps of training routes.

You can also take photos and videos in the Coros app or upload them from your phone’s camera roll. Alongside the voice pins and the saved location feature, you can join the dots on your memorable adventure.

It’s impressive stuff but will it be used regularly by triathletes? Once the novelty has worn off, I suspect not. But maybe I’m not adventurous enough!

Multisport prowess

Triathletes will certainly appreciate the accuracy of the GPS and heart-rate data. We were particularly impressed by the open-water swim mode, which proved spot on. The Nomad also features a wealth of health metrics to gauge your recovery.

It’s an excellent sports watch but arguably the more svelte Coros Pace Pro (£349) will appeal more to multisporters who are after a training tool solely for triathlon. Angling triathletes, though…

Coros Nomad specs

Price	$349 / £319
Weight	1.46oz / 41.5g
Screen	1.3in MiP, 260×260 pixels
Dimensions	1.87in x 1.87in x 0.48in / 47.4mm x 47.4mm x 12.3mm
Battery life	Up to 22 days in smartwatch mode, up to 34 hours in GPS mode, 50h all systems
Tech	Dual-band GPS, advanced fitness metrics
Storage	32GB
Connectivity	WiFi, Bluetooth