Coros Pace 2

My Coros Pace 2 was my solution to my desire for a less smart watch. It cost $200 when I got it 3 years ago. I run a ton and the exercise features of the Pebble just didn’t do it for me (and I don’t want to keep swapping watches based on what I’m doing). I easily get 2+ weeks with 7-8 exercises with GPS on. The screen is some variation of those transflective LCDs or MIPs LCDs. I can never go back to a 2 day battery life for a watch, even if my 5 year old iPhone technically can’t make it through half a day of use….

I like my Coros Pace 2, it's round and looks like a normal watch, instead of the rounded rectangle/square slab of glass that was popularized by Apple Watch, an aesthetic I find terrible.

I am surprised no one has mentioned Coros yet. I have been using the Coros Pace 2 and it been very good. Basic smartphone with notification mirroring from iPhone. Has about 10 days of battery life. Has very good support for various activities. Very satisfied so far.

I have similar thoughts as OP (though I now use a Series 7 and have few to no issues with GPS now) - the Garmin Fenix 5 or Coros Pace 2 are pretty great. Ive done trail ultra's, road halfs, mixed bike races, city to city tours and everything in between with both. Coros doesnt integrate with as many things as I would like.

Apple is missing the mark in this segment. Their competitors: Garmin, coros all offer weeks of battery life with tradeoffs people in this segment happily make. I get 20 days of battery life on my coros pace 2. Charging a apple watch every night or two would not be acceptable.

Not using your Garmin for hiking is very surprising. Primary reason is that tracking position for the duration drains battery where Garmin can do 50hrs of it. This gives me a .gpx file of the route for future reference and passing to friends. Second is that while tracking it's 10x easier to check current distance and elevation on a watch vs phone. I head out with a list of mileage for every notable waypoint (water, turns, elevation of passes, etc). I'm constantly checking this and only if I'm questioning my route do I pull out my phone. Weight: Fenix is heavy- 945 is better, Coros Pace 2 even better.