Wear Radar

COROS PacevsGarmin Forerunner 265

COROS Pace
Buy/Wait:bad

Overdue for a refresh — no successor announced yet. Prices should be at their lowest

Best for: Serious runners on a budget who want multi-band GPS accuracy, long battery life, and a training-focused analytics platform (EvoLab) without paying Garmin flagship prices. Also a strong choice for anyone who wants a lightweight race watch with full-featured training data.

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Garmin Forerunner 265
Buy/Wait:bad

Late in cycle — a new model is likely coming

Best for: Regular runners who race 5K to marathon distances and want accurate GPS, detailed training load management, and long battery life. Multi-band GPS makes it particularly valuable for city runners or trail runners where single-band GPS loses accuracy.

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COROS PaceGarmin Forerunner 265
TierSports GPSSports GPS
PlatformiOS & AndroidiOS & Android
Battery38 days13 days
Always-on display
GPS
Cellular
Health sensorshr, spo2, hrv, training loadhr, spo2, hrv, stress, body battery, training readiness
ReleasedSep 1, 2023Mar 1, 2023
Cycle length700 days1188 days
Cycle advicebadbad
Deals advicegoodgood
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Why buy each?

COROS Pace

38-day battery in a 30g watch

At 30 grams, the Pace 3 is among the lightest GPS watches available — yet delivers 38 days typical use and 17 hours continuous GPS.

Multi-band GPS at entry price

Dual-frequency L1+L5 GPS typically found on $400+ watches — available on the Pace 3 at $229.

COROS EvoLab analytics

Running power, training load, base fitness, threshold metrics, and race predictor — a serious analytics suite that rivals Garmin at a lower cost.

Garmin Forerunner 265

Multi-band GPS accuracy

L1+L5 multi-band GPS reduces position drift in urban canyons and dense forest — a meaningful upgrade over single-band watches for competitive runners.

Training readiness score

Daily score combining HRV status, sleep, acute load, and recovery time — tells you whether to train hard, easy, or rest on any given day.

Race time predictor

Estimates your finish time for 5K, 10K, half-marathon, and marathon based on your current fitness — useful for pacing race-day strategy.