Coros Nomad GPS Watch Review

The Bottom Line

One of Coros’ newest products, the Nomad, offers premium features, excellent accuracy, and long battery life, all at a reasonable price. It quickly became one of our favorite GPS watches for anything from multi-day retreats to cross-country excursions.

The Nomad excels in long-term tracking, with outstanding battery performance that easily handles multi-day hikes, long-distance runs, or extended backcountry outings. GPS accuracy is reliable and consistent, even in complex environments such as dense forest canopies and mountains. Its map feature is great for backcountry navigation.

Tested across multi-hour missions and multi-day trips in Alaska, we found the Nomad to be a top contender on our list. Although the profile of this watch is much larger than some of our favorites, and it doesn’t use as much hardware, the price makes this a great value watch that works on par with some of the best on the market.

How We Tested

The Coros Nomad was tested during 3 months in various activities, from 50 km Nordic Ski races to spring walks to indoor training. We ran it for hours at a time and went days between charges to test its performance on multiple metrics. Our real-world testing yields complete and accurate results for every product we test.

Accuracy

The Coros Nomad comes equipped with two Satellite modes: All Systems or Dual Frequency. Dual frequency provides more accurate results, but has a greater drain on the battery. For daily use and extended travel, we use All Systems and find them more than adequate. Whether it’s the hills or the twists and turns of the city streets where you run in the area, the track is smooth and precise, never leaving our control loop.

We find the heart rate monitor to be very accurate, but sometimes we find inexplicable deviations in the data. For example, it can dip below the expected heart rate, but that is usually at the beginning of the exercise. A physical heart rate monitor doesn’t replace a chest strap monitor, but it still records enough accurate data for our needs. To improve accuracy even more, a nylon band keeps the watch more secure on the wrist.

Battery Life

The Coros is famous for its excellent battery life, and the Nomad is no exception. With a claimed battery life of 50 hours of full GPS tracking, we find this to be true. Losing less than five percent of battery per hour, it’s a favorite for long trips between charges. Battery life drops with dual-frequency GPS, but even then, we get more than 24 hours out of it.

With daily smart watch wear and recording activities in GPS mode, we can go up to 12 days between charges. This can be influenced by both how much GPS data is recorded and which mode, but regardless, we’re really happy with the battery life.

Comfort & Wearability

The Nomad is different from other Coros models because it has a reinforced polymer cover and bezel. A watch that looks smarter and more substantial than other Coros products. We find that it tends to get caught in jacket cuffs and can be annoying to fit under gloves. While its display size is 1.3 inches, the standard for most Coros watches, its 1.88-inch overall size makes it one of the largest watches on our list.

The silicone strap is reasonably comfortable, but can be replaced with a nylon strap for more comfort. The only change we encountered in the band is to sport a stud that keeps the tail of the band in place. The tail of the belt was often caught in the sleeves, and the stud would come out, leaving the tail sticking out. A simple slide over band instead of a stud would be a lower profile and keep it in place better.

Features

For the price, we were pleasantly surprised by the Nomad’s features. Two unique features are voice notes and voice pins. The voice note option appears in the save menu after a task and is great for recording notes about your trip. To receive voice pins, the watch needs to be connected to GPS. We used this activity to make audio notes of interesting places or things we saw on our runs and hikes. Although it doesn’t have a speakerphone to take calls, the ability to record audio is still a unique and incredibly useful feature.

Nomad also has a solid map component, perfect for staying focused and off-track. Street names and points of interest help guide you through the urban area, and the map has distinctive signs for routes and roads. Double-tap the third button on the watch to access the map during activity for quick reference.

Nomad comes with 50 different job profiles and the ability to create a custom job. With the option to manage 8 task fields (made within the app), you can create custom task types to display all the data you want.

Ease of use

Coros Nomad has an outstanding and intuitive interface. The scroll wheel on the top right is smooth and easy to control, even when wearing gloves. Press this to access the activities menu to start your journey. Holding down the back button accesses a menu of things like navigation, satellite signal, settings, and more. New to Coros is the action button at the bottom left of the watch. This can be customized for use during a mission, but we prefer it to be set to offline maps for mid-mission navigation.

While some watch brands can feel like you can get lost in the menus, we appreciate Coros’ commitment to simplicity, with strong customization and personalization options.

Should You Buy a Coros Nomad GPS Watch?

At a lower price than other premium quality watches, the Nomad still offers many of the features we expect from higher priced options. Amazing battery life, solid accuracy, and a host of features make this watch the perfect watch for your next adventure.

We love using this watch for days without the need to charge it, making it perfect for extended activities or long stretches without having to reach for a charger.

The offline map is one of the best in the game, perfect for staying on track while on the go. While it’s on the larger side and has plenty of slim wrists, the Nomad is a high-quality option for anyone who needs only the best in their equipment.

What Other Watches Should You Consider?

The Coros Nomad is one of our favorites, but there are other gems worth reviewing our perfect GPS watch gear guide.

Coros Apex 4 Review: Our flagship watch, the Apex 4 combines high-quality materials with excellent accuracy, battery life, and features.

Garmin Instinct 3 Solar Review: With its unique solar charging, the Instinct 3 Solar is great for extended trips between charges.

Garmin Vivoactive 6 Review: If you’re looking for a small watch at a low price, the Vivoactive 6 is a great choice.