Here’s a question from Ali, who asks whether the screen on the Garmin Edge 1000 is a good reason to upgrade from his Garmin Edge 800.
I’m considering the Edge 1000 because I believe that the screen is much larger and therefore mapping is better – I find the 800 very hard to follow in murky, rainy or sunny conditions….that yellow route marker is never particularly clear.Is the 1000 screen worth the expense of upgrading from the 800?
Garmin Edge 1000 screen resolution
Firstly, the Edge 1000 screen is indeed larger than the older 800 and 810 models.
The 3 inch color touchscreen is sharper than older models, with a higher resolution 240×400 pixel display resolution. The older 800 and 810 are 160 pixels by 240 pixels, so it’s a nice step up, though not as hi-res as your smartphone, probably.
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- Edge 800 screenshot
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- Edge 1000 screenshot
Given the larger screen with a higher resolution, it’s fair to say that as a navigation device, the Edge 1000 is more attractive. Maps look better and are easier to follow.
Bear in mind that the Edge 1000 now comes with a pretty decent OSM map already installed. This is a massive improvement over the old 800, which came with an utterly useless basemap which really needed to be upgraded. (Find out how to do that, in this post.)
Edge 1000 touchscreen
A fundamental difference is the way in which the screen detects your touches and swipes. Older models used “resistive” technology, which responds to pressure, so it worked fine in rain and wearing gloves. The Edge 1000 uses tech similar to smartphones, called “capacitive” technology, which relies on the electrical conductive properties of your finger. On phones, this can cause difficulties when wearing gloves, but most agree that the Edge 1000 works fine , even when wearing gloves.
The Edge 1000 also has an ambient light sensor to automatically adjust screen brightness to the light conditions. So if the world suddenly goes dark on you, it’ll get brighter. Nice.
Good reason to upgrade to the Edge 1000?
There are additional reasons to want to upgrade to the Edge 1000, such as the phone notifications, and of course the recently launched Strava Live feature, if that interests you. Glonass satellites also let you find the GPS signal incredibly quickly compared to the older models without Glonass.
When it was first launched, the Edge 100 was well over £400. You can now pick it up for a lot less – another great reason to consider that upgrade.
Take a look below at some live prices from different retailers. (These are affiliate links. The retailers pay me a commission on sales, so thank you if you buy via my link!)
It is not nice that the screen gets brighter when you are trying to make your battery last all night, and have a headlamp anyway for looking at the screen when you want to.
you can switch that feature off