Adidas MiCoach Smart Run review

Inside, a Texas Instruments OMAP4430 processor runs at a maximum 1.2GHz and is paired with 512MB of RAM. Together, they run a completely reskinned version of Android 4.1. However, that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to turn the Smart Run into a companion for your smartphone; Adidas has no plans to open up the watch to developers, so there’s no way to get notifications on your wrist.

4GB of onboard storage means you can fill the watch with more than enough music to get you through a training session or run; with a pair of Bluetooth headphones, you don’t need to carry any other tech to monitor your workout with your soundtrack of choice. After the latest firmware update, which arrived mid-way through this review, we had no trouble with Bluetooth dropouts – the MiCoach voiceover interrupts your tracks to provide instructions but otherwise it worked flawlessly.

The interface is split into four main sections; watch, training, music and settings. You swipe between each one using the touchscreen, then scroll up and down to go deeper into each section. The Training mode is naturally the most comprehensive, with a calendar showing your last week of workouts, workout regimes downloaded from the MiCoach website and a complete breakdown of your workout history.

You’ll need to use the MiCoach website to get the most from the Smart Run. It’s here you can review your workouts, charting pace, heart rate, speed, time and distance, or plot your route on a map using the GPS data. You can check specific values from any point in a run, dragging a runner icon to a particular position to find out where you were flagging or hit your stride.

It’s here you can plan ahead using pre-built training regimes or designing your own to suit your particular goals. If you program weight exercises or stretches, the watch will display animations to show you correct form the next time it syncs with the MiCoach website.