Coros Tempo 3 GPS Watch Evaluate

Backside Line

The Coros Tempo 3 is the proper light-weight GPS watch for many who need premium efficiency with out the premium price ticket.

Weighing simply 30 grams and that includes a modern 11.7mm profile, it’s designed for all-day consolation and won’t weigh you down throughout prolonged actions. Its engaging worth and excessive efficiency make it a standout choice on our listing of prime GPS watches.

The Tempo 3 comes loaded with options, together with coronary heart price monitoring, sleep monitoring, and oxygen saturation measurements. It additionally presents a wide range of exercise modes and the choice to create customized exercise varieties. Navigation instruments like breadcrumb routing and route syncing by way of the COROS app are nice for hitting the path and staying on route.

With its inexpensive worth, the one concession in efficiency we discovered within the Tempo 3 is the touchscreen watch face. With a naked hand, manipulating the face requires a heavy contact, and with touchscreen-enabled gloves, the display screen responds about fifty p.c of the time. When the watch face turns into moist from sweat or precipitation, it barely responds in any respect, requiring the usage of the scroll wheel and choose button. We ultimately resorted to turning off contact display screen capabilities and utilizing the buttons solely.

Nonetheless, that was actually the one bummer we had with this watch. It’s arduous to discover a higher-performing watch than the Tempo 3, and one we advocate for entry-level hikers searching for a well-designed and excellently constructed watch.

How We Examined

We put the Coros Tempo 3 GPS watch by way of its…effectively, paces! We examined in a variety of real-world situations, from path operating and backcountry snowboarding to each day smartwatch use, to find out their strengths and weaknesses.

Over a two-month interval, we repeatedly drained and recharged every watch to evaluate battery efficiency, wore them for prolonged durations to guage consolation and value, and examined their GPS accuracy throughout numerous terrains. By utilizing the Tempo 3 in our each day routines, we guarantee our critiques are thorough, sensible, and grounded in firsthand expertise.

Accuracy

For a budget-priced watch, the Coros Tempo 3 tracks extraordinarily effectively. It’s one of many most cost-effective watches in the marketplace that’s nonetheless dual-band GPS-enabled. This improves accuracy and supplies among the most dependable GPS knowledge no matter terrain.

Whereas we did discover some straying within the monitor whereas in steep, hilly terrain and canyons, the precise distinction in distance amounted to being lower than a tenth of a mile on our identified distance loop. This sort of terrain challenges virtually each watch, and the Tempo 3 was no exception. We even used it on an indoor monitor and have been amazed to see it virtually similar to our identified distance.

General, the Tempo 3 has wonderful accuracy and is dependable whatever the circumstances.

Battery Life

The Coros Tempo 3 has one of the best battery lifetime of any watch beneath 300 {dollars} that we examined.

With a claimed GPS battery lifetime of 38 hours, it packs a formidable punch. We used this look ahead to each day use and each day GPS train for 10 days earlier than needing to recharge. Whereas the GPS battery life could also be barely lower than claimed, it’s nonetheless greater than sufficient for repeated use and lengthy outings with out recharging.

The Coros Tempo 3 doesn’t come outfitted with UltraMax mode, which higher-end Coros fashions have that nearly doubles the battery life. Even with out this perform, the Tempo 3 has greater than sufficient batteries for all-day endurance occasions or each day coaching.

Consolation & Wearability

With an similar measured and acknowledged weight of 39 grams, the Tempo 3 is the second-lightest watch in our lineup. It barely feels there on the wrist and is snug to tighten down totally to get correct coronary heart price and blood oxygen saturation readings.

The watch comes with a silicone band, however an aftermarket nylon band from Coros makes the watch each lighter and extra snug when tightened. The silicone band can be closely aerated, so our wrists by no means felt sweaty and sticky.

The Tempo 3 is extraordinarily skinny, with a thickness of lower than half an inch. Its 1.2-inch show measurement and 1.65-inch complete width give it an excellent steadiness of a giant display screen however smaller general dimensions. Those that choose smaller watches or have slender wrists will really feel proper at dwelling sporting the Tempo 3.

Options

With a number of exercise varieties, the Coros presents revolutionary methods to trace and file actions irrespective of the game. If the watch doesn’t have the game you’re doing or doesn’t show the metric you want, create a customized exercise kind throughout the app, after which sync it to the telephone. That is nice for not solely creating distinctive exercise varieties but in addition for creating customized layouts and knowledge shows.

Whereas the Tempo 3 can not obtain offline maps, it could possibly sync offline routes from the app. Breadcrumb navigation and the power so as to add factors are different nice options for backcountry use.

Nevertheless, the Tempo 3 lacks many options of devoted smartwatches for each day use. It makes for an ideal each day coach and is sweet sufficient for gentle backcountry outings, however it’s in all probability not our first selection for each day smartwatch use.

Ease of Use

The Tempo 3 continues Coros’ confirmed historical past of streamlined person expertise each on the watch and within the app. The companion app is one in every of our favorites for planning routes, creating customized exercise varieties, and knowledge evaluation. All of the menus and shows are simply accessed on the watch with the scroll wheel or again button.

Nevertheless, the contact display screen does depart some room to be desired. It requires a heavy contact and solely works about fifty p.c of the time whereas sporting touchscreen-enabled gloves. It turns into virtually not possible to make use of when the watch face turns into moist, whether or not by perspiration or precipitation. We discovered ourselves most of the time selecting to show off contact display screen capabilities and utilizing the scroll wheel for extra exact choice.

We advocate utilizing this watch with auto lock on, because it’s very simple to by accident pause actions by bumping the scroll wheel with a glove or hand.

Ought to You Purchase the Coros Tempo 3 GPS Watch?

With its attainable worth level, the Tempo 3 is the proper choice for these new to GPS watches, whereas its excessive efficiency is bound to impress seasoned veterans alike.

Whereas it lacks some options in devoted smartwatches, it’s the proper streamlined look ahead to each day coaching and use in lengthy endurance occasions. Its spectacular battery life defies its small measurement and is right for these heading out on day-long adventures needing to trace each second. Its small measurement, low weight, and luxury on the wrist make the Tempo 3 extraordinarily snug. It matches slender wrists effectively and lacks the majority of many different extremely featured watches.

The Tempo 3 is greater than a budget-priced watch; it’s a high-value performer match for the devoted endurance athlete or weekender alike.

What Different Watches Ought to You Contemplate?

Beneath are extra of one of the best GPS watches much like the Tempo 3 from our GPS watches gear information.

Coros Apex 2 Professional Evaluate: One other stand-out performer from Coros, the Apex 2 Professional has extra options for backcountry adventures like offline maps and prolonged battery life.

Garmin Forerunner 165 Evaluate: With the identical display screen measurement and related weight, the Forerunner 165 is one other trim watch whose efficiency punches above its weight.

Garmin Vivoactive 5 Evaluate: For those who liked the modern profile and low weight of the Tempo 3, the Vivoactive is even smaller and lighter for smaller wrists or those that choose a light-weight watch.