I’ve been using Garmin edge about for 8 years, I used Polar before (does anyone still remember Polar? 🙂 I let it go it when they let goes the cycling segment. Since then I’ve had garmin 1000, 1030, 1030+, 1040. I used everything for about 2 years, when the update came, I bought the new one.
I’m a technophile, I’m one of those people who loves modern technologies an datas in cycling, and I like to be surrounded by the most professional, latest-developed tools possible (even if I’m aware that this won’t make me a good cyclist – but I’m not sure that’s the goal). Moreover, bicycle navigation is also a work tool for me, so it’s clear that I try to use the latest innovations.
Read the test with this in mind: I know edge devices, I’ve used them every day for the past 8 years, so I have a basis for comparison.
It’s hard to create anything better after 1040
Garmin updates its Edge series product range about every two years, but not all at once. They release new devices at different times for each model. The 1040 came out two years ago, replacing the 1030 Plus. The 1040 was a very successful device, in my opinion the best of the Edge series so far. Of course, the latest is always the best, but looking to the 1040, cleaned up the edges, left the childhood diseases behind, and came up with good software solutions. In general, it would have been difficult to find anything better, since there was no function that was missing. It beat the competition in the segment (Wahoo, Karoo, etc.)
It worked stably and quickly, and the software was great. However, its biggest advantage was the battery, which lasted up to 40 hours on me (not the solar version). I loved that it lasted up to 4 full days of riding on a single charge (operating between 9 am and 5 pm, with the heart rate monitor, radar, and peripherals on). This is an amazing amount of time. Especially considering that Garmin, for example, plans the battery of the Explore device (which is primarily based on navigation) to last about one day (10 – 12 hours). Obviously, business logic dictates this (if you want a good battery, buy an expensive device!), but not the users!
I really liked the 1040, but its successor was expected to be released in the spring. There were rumors about it, but the process was pretty quiet and when it came out, it didn’t get much of a spotlight.
For me the first minor shock was the price. It’s unusual to start a review with the price, but now I have to, because it’s important. 300.000 forints. If I remember correctly, I bought the 1040 for around 240.000 and I strongly doubt that it’s that much (20-25%) better. What happened? Why is it so expensive? This is the price of a better, higher-end phone. And yet it’s “just” a special device.
Weight gain and better screen
Overwhelmed by this, I picked up the device. It’s much heavier than its ancestors. A serious weight gain (40 grams can be felt). But with this, the whole thing looks much more professional, more serious (probably stronger too – we didn’t try that 🙂 The plugin has been changed, it’s replaceable (finally!) and it’s been moved a little lower (I hope it fits on the handlebars!) The design has also changed, the corners have become flatter, I like that.
When you turn on the device, the brightness of the screen is immediately noticeable. The only drawback of the 1040 was its display. I couldn’t see it clearly many times. It’s true, on the one hand, I always used it on automatic brightness, so it often turned down the brightness, and on the other hand, my eyes are not what they used to be, I can’t see up close as well anymore, especially in the dark.
The 1040’s TFT is nowhere from the 1050’s screen. The 1050’s screen is LCD and the resolution has also been changed (the size remains the same). The 1040’s resolution was 282×470 pixels, the 1050’s is 480×800 pixels, almost double. This is also visible in the graphics, the numbers and graphic elements are smoother. The screen’s lighting is quite gorgeous, even in full sunlight it is much better visible than the 1040’s. The colors are also more subtle, but this is also a graphics issue, which we will discuss later.
However, the better and clearer screen had a “price”: the operating time officially decreased to 20 hours from 35 (it could do more than that), that is, almost 60%. This does not sound very good. On paper, this is a clear step back, especially for a device where operating time is a significant determining factor. Especially considering how much the price of the device has increased. But Garmin certainly knows what it is doing.
They probably have a datas of how much they use and charge it, and I assume that a fraction of users use it for 4-5 days straight without charging. On the other hand, in today’s world, when our phones and other devices have to be charged daily, this whole battery and charging misery is overweighted. The judgment of the whole thing will be determined by what the 1050 battery can do real.
Well, I’ve been testing it over the past 4 weeks and my experience is that the battery goes low faster, but not by much. After a 4-5 hour ride general GPS reception and automatic brightness, the battery is at 80%. The 1040 was at about 86% at that time. During testing, I found that
It looks like it can handle three 4-5 hour rides, and 2 full-day rides for sure, but maybe three.
The device’s energy-saving settings have been refined a lot, you can disable several functions when saving, and the automatic screen-off mode is still there, so there are plenty of options. In any case, I would prefer to charge it more often in exchange for the excellent screen.
Better design
After turn it on, the new software and the redesigned user interface are immediately noticeable. They haven’t changed much, so the main thing is that the layout remains the same on every screen, but they’ve refined it a bit, making it much smoother, cleaner.
I like using the graphical display on the activity profile screen (watts, heart rate, elevation graphs), the graphics are much nicer in these cases. A better user interface means a lot to me, because if I’m looking at it for hours, it should be as beautiful as possible.
New features: bell, voice, hazard signs
The biggest hype is the new bell function. This works so that you can ring the bell with one (or two) touches – from the software! You just have to touch the display, three buttons appear, one of which is the bell (the other is the home and danger function – more on that later). The function is not bad, seriously, it’s funny, but it works. Two things about it: one, it’s very quiet even at max volume. This should be improved in software. The other, it should have been solved with one touch somehow, because in case of emergency, when you need it, there’s no time to look down to see where the button is.
And if there is a bell (speaker), then it is logical that the device has received voice instructions in addition to the previous beeping sounds. It comes to mind: the new sounds are much better. The warning sounds of the 1040 were so R2D2 or computer-like, here they sound differently, more attention-grabbing, maybe you will pay more attention to them (but these nags are also quite quiet – they should be louder). How much sense the voice instructions make is an individual question, especially since they are also quite quiet, but it is a good function so that in a more difficult case you don’t have to look down at the turn or the navigation.
The other interesting and future-oriented feature is the social notifications and hazard alerts. This is like the alerts in social navigation, e.g. Waze. Wherever you go and encounter a hazard, you put one out (for example: pothole, gravel, dirt road, dog, etc.). You can do this in the same way as ringing the bell, touch the screen, then the Hazard button and select what you want to put out. This will then appear on the others and on the maps, as it goes up to the cloud. In Connect, when planning, I came across such an alert on more than one route. It will probably become quite widespread.
Redesigned screens: Climb Pro, Groupride
One of my favorite features on the 1040, and even earlier versions, was Climb Pro. For me, the most exciting new feature was the redesign of the Climb Pro screen. Not only is the screen more usable, it also measures more accurately, they promise.
But what is Climb Pro? It’s a screen and function that shows the climbs and when you get to a climb, it displays the climb data on a separate screen and shows the progress of the climb. In the 1030+, the software didn’t yet know how to display it on an unplanned route (it only appeared if you were on a planned route), but in the 1040, this was improved in software, so you no longer need a planned route to access the function.
The 1050 significantly changed the Climb Pro screen, making it much more transparent and easy to follow. In the case of the 1040, I sometimes had difficulty seeing the progress in the terrain section compared to my previous PR, and the software did not handle the remaining distance, elevation and time very well. This has now changed, because the latter has been added to the middle of the screen with a red overlay (remaining data, distance, elevation, percentage), and the terrain section has been solved so that you can see the progress (with an overlay graph running from the left). In addition, the height of the terrain section can be adjusted to the detriment of the map view. I don’t know if it measures the amount of elevation more accurately, the percentages of elevation can show nonsense here too. But everything has become much more manageable.
The development direction of groupride is also interesting. Organizing group rides was also included in 1040, and I used it on tours. This means that someone creates a plan, a route, puts it in groupride, generates a code with which others can join this ride, so they can see the route, the map, each other’s position, speed, they can chat with each other (wait, I’ll be there soon, etc.), etc.
Garmin has now developed this further towards competition: participants in a groupride can see each other’s results, if the other person finishes the climb, you can get result lists and medals. Moreover, if someone has an accident, the others will also receive notifications. This is a very progressive development. Few people have used groupride so far, but maybe many more will now. It’s one of my favorite features.
Navigation: Map manager
A big novelty is that you can update and change maps on the device via wifi. I don’t like the Express program, but you could only do this there. Here, however, you can change maps on the device.
Online payment has been added to the device. You can get a card (datas) into the device (via Connect) with which you can pay (they included the Gramin Pay solution). It’s a reasonable function, but the question is why someone who has payment on their phone would pay with it (the phone is always with you). It works for some, but it won’t be a must-have feature.
Summary
As I wrote, I like new things and technological developments, that’s why I bought it. The device is clearly better than the 1040. With such a device, the resolution and brightness of the screen are a fundamental issue. Especially for someone with poor near vision. Therefore, this is an absolutely good point.
And there will be no problem with the battery – this became clear during the rides. 20 hours is obviously a step back compared to the 1040’s 35 hours, but now I think this will be a little problem. I will have to charge it after 2-3 rides, not 4-5. And for most people, that’s more than enough, those who ride 1-2 a week will still charge it every two weeks.
The important is that with normal, smart use, it can easily last 2-3 hours of riding, and it won’t run out by evening. And if it does, you have to charge it, just like a phone.
The other developments are mainly minor innovations, but they are undoubtedly useful.
To me, the 1050 looks like an upgraded 1040 with a screen. I don’t think it’s a “must have” but if you buy it, you’ll find it better than the 1040. The question is, for whom is it worth it for the money?
The 1040 will stay for a while, as Garmin promises. Some of the software features of the 1050 will also be included.
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