APEX 4

I keep seeing people say this watch is disappointing. However, I genuinely am curious what was expected here, other than a flashlight. AMOLED is controversial, I prefer MIP. Other than those, I haven't really seen anything specific, just 'disappointing.' Much like smartphones, watch tech has slowed down; companies just can't keep adding more and more impressive features. Maybe I'm missing some killer features that other companies have but I don't know what everyone was hoping for. Maybe someone can help me out here because I am genuinely wondering what other interesting innovations people are looking for.

Flashlight, I agree and can see the desire for. Though, I don't know how many are offered at this price range? I don't want AMOLED so I'm happy about that. Also we all knew this watch wasn't going to be AMOLED so that shouldn't have been a surprise. Sure, maybe having an option would be nice for those that do want that. Quirky software? You'll have to elaborate there, I have no issues with the software, other than notifications not being the best. I don't think the titanium bezel is cheap at all. Branded, yes, but exactly the same as my Vertix 2, which I've never even thought about. The Apex 4 is using COROS latest HR and DC Rainmaker had no problems with it. The others, I guess, but I don't think any of these would be the "really interesting innovations" that OP and others are looking for.

Same reason + price increases and EOL of previous models as soon as new one comes out: migrated from Fenix 7s Solar to Coros Pace 3. Actually everything is fine, the only annoying thing is the device design itself: after Fenix - Coros looks sporty and cheap. But this is not their fault: I just wanted to try the cheapest model they had, so nothing really stops from upgrading premium-to-premium: I should have chosend Apex 4 :) About lots of training data: yes and no; it's sometimes motivating to recheck your data from several years ago, but how often do you REALLY do that? In 1 month your watch in other ecosystem will also collect the data and you will have the current condition as a starting point. By the way for example Coros has the importing option, so you can just import all the HR and other data from Garmin. But from my experience - better just start fresh, the data will be more proper (probably there are some missing parameters..).

Unfortunately as of now it doesn’t seem like external sources feed into cardio load and in turn recovery score. I’d love to have that since I’d like to wear my COROS apex 4 for any gps activity but would be great if the data was more than just visible in the new google health app 

Great watch for running! I have the Apex 2 and it’s great for everything; my only complaint is that in all systems on activity mode it only lasts about 25 hours. Not quite enough to finish a mountain 100M unless you’re really fast. The Apex 4 would definitely cover that, though.

The Apex 4 does running and more. I went with a Pace Pro bc I run as well, but wanted maps and a bit more money in my pocket to buy the pod for treadmill runs. The Apex 4 is a bit overkill for just running imho, but if the design aesthetic or other non-running features are a major factor, go for it.