Coospo H808s review: can the budget heart rate monitor match the beat of pricier trackers?

For a full roundup, check out the best heart rate monitors

Coospo H808s

BUY IT NOW:

$36.99 / £31, coospo.com

PROS:

  • Excellent value
  • Audio and LED alerts

CONS:

  • Hit and miss accuracy
  • No built-in memory

Comfort: 4/5
Accuracy: 3/5
Tracking features: 2/5
OVERALL: 3/5

At well under £50, the no-frills Coospo H808S is one of the cheapest chest straps you’ll find. And if you’re looking for a wallet-friendly heart rate monitor, this basic BPM tracker certainly ticks the budget box. But can it keep up with the best on test in terms of comfort and accuracy? 

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When it comes to comfort, the simple answer is yes. At 46g, it’s lighter than some of the top monitors. The sensor module is nice and compact and fits within a standard strap that’s also thin, soft and comfortable. There are no problems with rubbing, chafing or cutting, even during two-hour-long gym sessions. It’s easy to get on and off with a regular hook fastening like you’ll find on Garmin HRM Pro Plus.

Coospo H808s design

Battery life is solid too. The Coospo H808s runs off a coin cell battery that lasts 300 hours. That’s shorter than the slightly pricier Wahoo TICKR X (500 hours) and the Polar H10 (400 hours). But it’s still close to a year, if you’re training an hour a day. It’s easy to swap the battery, too, with no need for screwdrivers.

Connectivity is on a par with the leading chest straps. The Coospo H808s supports two concurrent Bluetooth connections plus an ANT+ connection. So you can pair multiple devices like a GPS watch, cycle computer, fitness app, gym equipment and/or a training service like Peloton or Zwift. There’s a cycling-focused CoospoRide partner app that lets you dig into your data in real-time and post workout.  

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Simple LED lights on the front of the sensor show when you’re connected and ready to go. That’s backed up by audio alerts, though there’s no audible guidance for your zone training. 

Accuracy is pretty good, just not consistently so. In tests, it can match the £400 Frontier X2 almost beat for beat, with the highs, lows and averages also a close match. However, on occasions, the Coospo can be way out, such as clocking 160BPM for 20 minutes of an hour-long tempo run. If you want gold-standard tracking, this isn’t it. If precise, consistent performance is important to you, it’s worth investing extra in the likes of Garmin, Polar, Wahoo or the MyZone MZ-Switch. 

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Unlike pricier heart rate monitors, the Coospo H808s doesn’t offer any bells and whistles like running dynamics and there’s no onboard memory. So you’ll need to have it paired to a phone, watch or another piece of gym equipment to clock your stats. 

It’s IP67 rated so you’re covered for sweat, downpours and even dips in the pool, though the swim accuracy isn’t as reliable as the likes of the Polar Verity Sense. That’s something most chest straps struggle with, however. 

Overall the Coospo H808s does a solid job for the price. But if you need bulletproof accuracy there are better trackers out there.