One of my favorite running watch brands, COROS, ignores Black Friday and other deal events; you’ll never find its watches “on sale.” This Friday, though, we’re getting the closest equivalent: Both the COROS PACE 3 and PACE Pro have received permanent price adjustments down to $199 and $299, respectively. If you’re looking for a budget or mid-range fitness watch, they’re both more affordable and compelling than ever.
COROS launched the excellent PACE 4 running watch this week at $249, so it dropped the prices of the PACE 3 and Pro by 13% and 14%, respectively; now, you have three affordable options in a $100 range.
If that price isn’t low enough to tempt you, the COROS PACE 3 at $199 is unquestionably the best “cheap” running watch out there unless you find one at a discount. It has the same dual-frequency GPS accuracy and HR sensors as a pricier COROS model, along with the same training software like training load and EvoLab.
These discounts aren’t going anywhere, so there’s no rush to decide which to get. I would lean toward the PACE Pro, because it has a faster processor that should make it compatible with future updates for years to come, but the PACE 3’s price makes it hard to turn down.
The latest COROS PACE 4 hits the sweet spot between them: It’s as lightweight and skinny as the PACE 3, but with an AMOLED display as bright as the Pro’s. It matches the Pro’s 31 hours of dual-frequency GPS tracking, crushing the PACE 3’s 15 hours, and has nearly all the same sensors besides ECGs. It even has two exclusive new tools: Dual mics for documenting your feelings after every workout, and an Action Button for workout shortcuts.
I still prefer the PACE Pro for its offline maps with street/ trail names and points of interest for the extra $50. But if you don’t need those, the PACE 4 (or 3) is the better bet for frugal runners looking to upgrade their training. I tested the PACE 4 this week, and was very impressed with its GPS and HR accuracy at such an affordable price.
If these models don’t appeal to you, you may want to look at other affordable running watches. The Garmin Forerunner 165 has solid battery life, offers daily run and recovery suggestions, and performed well against the PACE 3 in my accuracy test, but it lacks key PACE features like training load, training status, or maps. The Amazfit Active 2 is even cheaper than the PACE 3 with a 2,000-nit AMOLED display, but it has much shorter battery life and less reliable GPS tracking.
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