COROS Announces Dura 2 Cycling Computer with Massive Price Hike and Familiar Software Struggles

COROS has officially announced the launch of its new cycling computer, the COROS Dura 2. The freshly unveiled unit more than doubles the price of its predecessor, the now-discontinued Dura 1, while maintaining its industry-leading battery life claims. Alongside the steep price adjustment, the new device features a completely overhauled exterior design, a handful of new hardware and software capabilities, and a noticeable reduction in included mounting hardware.

While the original Dura positioned itself as an affordable alternative that undercut major competitors on price while delivering exceptional battery life, the Dura 2 shifts strategies to compete head-on with established premium brands. The device will be available to purchase starting November 3rd, 2026. However, real-world testing reveals that while the hardware styling has evolved dramatically, many of the software instability issues and navigation shortcomings that plagued the first-generation model have accompanied the new release.

What’s New in Design and Hardware

At first glance, the COROS Dura 2 is a completely different product from its predecessor. The most immediately noticeable change is the complete removal of the rotating Digital Crown found on the original unit. COROS has also relocated the solar panel from the top of the device to the bottom, creating a more traditional chin layout reminiscent of other modern bike computers and giving the device a sleeker, modern aesthetic that some testers have compared to a Motorola flip phone.

Above the newly positioned solar panel sit two pressure-sensitive touch areas that function as up and down controls. Unlike capacitive touch surfaces, these pressure buttons function reliably in heavy rain and while wearing cycling gloves. The overall screen size has expanded slightly from 2.7 inches to 3.5 inches, featuring a high refresh rate of 38hz that COROS claims is the fastest of any memory-in-pixel display on the market.

The exterior redesign also incorporates a full speaker, a built-in microphone, and a left-side physical button. The expanded audio capabilities allow for new features such as a digital bike bell and turn-by-turn voice prompts. Furthermore, the device introduces support for tire pressure sensors, a power curve chart, and a media control page to manage phone music directly from the handlebars.

The most striking change, however, is the pricing structure. The original Dura retailed at $249 and included a mount in the box. The Dura 2 increases the price to $549 with a mount included, or $499 for the unit alone. Curiously, COROS has chosen to exclude all mounting hardware from the base package entirely—not even including basic rubber handlebar bands that typically cost pennies to manufacture. Users are expected to source third-party quarter-turn mounts separately.

Performance, Display, and Battery Life

When operating under direct sunlight, the display of the COROS Dura 2 is bright, clear, and easy to read. However, visibility struggles in shaded environments, such as when riding under tree canopies or when the rider’s body blocks direct light. While the screen remains legible, it appears significantly dimmer than competing units from brands like Garmin and Wahoo, which utilize automated backlighting that burns through battery reserves much faster.

The core trade-off of the COROS Dura 2 remains its aggressive prioritization of battery longevity over screen luminosity. COROS claims up to 120 hours of battery life under optimal conditions without solar assistance. Real-world testing shows that solar gains can add modest percentages of battery recovery during long rides under clear Mediterranean skies, translating to exceptionally long intervals between charges. On overcast days, rainy conditions, or during night rides where solar panels are inactive, battery consumption increases significantly, though endurance remains high compared to traditional illuminated screens.

Sensor pairing covers a wide array of protocols, including ANT+ and Bluetooth heart rate monitors, power meters, radar systems, lights, e-bikes, electronic shifting systems from SRAM and Shimano, and smart trainers. However, existing COROS wearables paired to a user’s account currently count toward the device’s sensor limit, an annoyance that cannot be disabled until an upcoming firmware update raises the ceiling to 32 supported sensors.

Navigation and Mapping Challenges

Navigation capabilities allow users to sync existing routes from platforms like Strava through the COROS mobile application. Once loaded, the device provides turn prompts and visual cues. While the on-device maps are clean and easy to read, real-world routing and re-routing functions present notable inconsistencies.

During testing, automatic re-routing occasionally functioned smoothly when a turn was missed on a simple street grid. In other instances, however, the navigation software attempted to direct cyclists down steep, unpaved hiking trails and cliffside paths unsuitable for road or gravel bikes. On several occasions during final pre-launch firmware testing, the device failed entirely to calculate a new route after a missed turn, locking the system into a continuous re-routing loop that required manual intervention. Additionally, offline re-routing requires a connected smartphone, even when cellular coverage is absent.

Software Stability and Launch Bugs

Similar to the turbulent rollout of the original Dura, early testing of the COROS Dura 2 reveals several persistent software bugs and functional limitations. Despite overnight firmware updates issued immediately prior to public reviews, multiple fundamental features continue to underperform.

Voice control, activated by holding down the lower-left side button, struggles significantly against wind noise at normal cycling speeds, frequently misinterpreting simple spoken commands unless the rider slows to a crawl. The library of recognized voice commands remains extremely limited, omitting basic navigational queries such as remaining distance or ascent.

Additionally, ANT+ sensor connections exhibited intermittent dropouts when paired simultaneously with certain Bluetooth devices, and climb-specific data pages frequently displayed inaccurate metrics regarding distance to the start of climbs rather than remaining elevation. Furthermore, Strava Live Segments failed to trigger during standard route navigation.

While COROS maintains a deeply loyal following drawn to its impressive hardware endurance and ecosystem value, the jump to a $549 price point places the Dura 2 in direct competition with mature, highly polished flagship devices from established cycling tech giants. As the device rolls out to consumers, the hardware platform offers immense potential, but realizing its value will depend heavily on aggressive software refinement to stabilize its navigation, sensor connectivity, and core feature set.