We believe voice is the future When the era of AI comes in, a lot of the interaction between the watch or the app with consumers will change Why
Coros is betting on voice to be the key to beating Apple and Garmin

Date:
Sat, 23 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Description:
I asked Coros' CEO about AI's big future in smartwatches, and he said voice and LLMs are the future of training tools

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Coros has been launching sports watches and wearables for less than ten years. In that time its done enough good to see its name mentioned in the same sentence as the best Garmin
watches , Polar and Suunto models.

Whether thats hitting the sweet spot for price, features and performance with watches like the Coros Pace 4 or rolling out big software features, Coros is making ground on competition that has been around for much longer.

Like those brands, Coros is always looking at whats next to ensure it remains in the sports wearable conversation for many years to come. In 2025, Coros launched the Coros Nomad , an outdoor watch that became its first to include
a microphone. Since then, mics have been added to its Pace 4 and Apex 4 watches. Latest Videos From You may like Coros' CEO on how the smartwatch maker is bucking the trend by swerving subscriptions Coros watches get Apple Watch and Garmin-style Voice Control as part of a big new update which also includes a bunch of other cool features and tweaks Google is adding Gemini Intelligence and more to its wearable OS. (Image credit: Future) Microphones popping up on sports watches isnt unique to Coros. Garmin s Venu 2 Plus, launched in 2022, was the first Garmin watch to include one alongside a speaker. That was to enable calls over Bluetooth and to let you engage with your phones smart assistant, along with simple on-watch commands such as setting timers. Since then, Garmin has rolled out similar hardware to a host of its watches, such as the Garmin Fenix 8 and Forerunner ranges.

Coros has taken a different approach to giving its watches a voice. Its not using mics to build a watch that behaves more like one of the best Apple Watches or a Wear OS smartwatch. Instead, voice pins a feature thats available on the Pace 4, Apex 4 and Nomad watches allow users to record
voice notes during workouts and mark where it was on a GPS map of your run. Voice pins are used to capture how you felt during the session or to remind you of the conditions for the next time you tackle that route.

We believe voice is the future, Coros co-founder and CEO Lewis Wu tells us. When the era of AI comes in, a lot of the interaction between the watch or
the app with consumers will change. Voice is the easiest way for the system
or app to understand you. With the AI in the background, that can give you feedback. Its like two-way communication. (Image credit: Future) If you look at training, its more than pace and heart rate. Training is also about your subjective opinion, like how you feel. If I feel tired, my legs are sore or
my ankle has an issue, these are all things that a coach wants to know and now AI will know this. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more.
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The more information consumers put into the computer, into AI, the better the system will understand you. This is why we built microphones in every single new watch going forward because we believe that's the future. If you want to get future-proof hardware or a running watch for yourself, consider those
with a microphone. This is our vision.

Using voice to shape how its watches can be better training companions isnt the only thing on the agenda for Coros as it looks ahead. It also wants to take existing features that have been present on its watches for much longer than the voice ones and make them work better for users. (Image credit: Future) We are committed to building a better wellness system, says Wu. I
have to admit, our health and wellness system is not top notch. We need to
get better, but the way we get better could be slightly different from other companies. This seems to be an acknowledgment of features such as sleep monitoring, wellness checks and continuous heart rate monitoring that, in our testing experience, dont feel as polished as other elements of the Coros ecosystem.

We know most people want to do sports., says Wu. They want to be active and healthy. The philosophy for most companies is trying to get people out to do some activity and that doing that will make them feel good.

Most of the consumers are athletes or at least very endurance driven. Serious athletes are committed. So we thought about it another way. How do we keep consumers healthy so they can do sports? So it's not that you do sport to be healthy, but you need to be healthy to do sports. This is how we position our wellness system. To support consumers when you don't train and want to stay injury-free or stress-free. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/health-fitness/we-believe-voice-is-the-future-when-t he-era-of-ai-comes-in-a-lot-of-the-interaction-between-the-watch-or-the-app-wi th-consumers-will-change-why-coros-is-betting-on-voice-to-be-the-key-to-beatin g-apple-and-garmin


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