Comparing Garmin GPS Trackers
I don’t know why it’s so hard to get all this information in one chart, including the relative physical sizes of the trackers, but here it is:
| Garmin 1030 Plus | Garmin 1030 | Garmin Explore | Garmin 830 | Garmin 530 | Garmin 130 Plus | Garmin 130 | |
| Price | 599 | 499 | 249 | 399 | 299 | 199 | 169 |
| Dimensions (mm) | 114x58x19 | 114x58x19 | 105x55x22 | 82x50x20 | 82x50x20 | 63x41x16 | 63x41x16 |
| Weight (grams) | 124 | 123 | 116 | 79.1 | 75.8 | 33 | 33 |
| Touchscreen | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N | N |
| Screen Size (Diagonal, in.) | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 1.8 | 1.8 |
| Resolution | 282×470 | 282×470 | 240 x 400 | 246 x 322 | 246 x 322 | 303×230 | 303×230 |
| Color Display | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N |
| Battery Life (Hours) | ~24 | ~20 | ~12 | ~20 | ~20 | ~12 | ~15 |
| Can Import Maps | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N |
| Has Base Maps | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N |
| Storage | 32 GB | 16 GB + microSD | 16 GB + microSD | 16 GB | 16 GB | n/a | n/a |
| Waypoints/favorites/locations | 200 | 200 | 200 | 200 | 200 | ? | 100 |
| Routes | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 30 | 15 |
| Activity History (Hours) | 200 | 200 | 200 | 200 | 200 | 100 | 100 |
| GPS | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| GLONASS | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| GALILEO | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Barometric Altimeter | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Accelerometer | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N |
| Wireless Connectability | ANT+, Bluetooth, Wi-fi | ANT+, Bluetooth, Wi-fi | ANT+, Bluetooth | ANT+, Bluetooth, BLE, Wi-fi | ANT+, Bluetooth, Wi-fi | ANT+, Bluetooth | ANT+, Bluetooth |
| VIRB® Control | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | N | N |
| Calories Burned Calculation | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | Y | N |
| Interval Training | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | N | N |
| Advanced Training Sessions | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | Y | N |
| Estimation Of O2 Consumption | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Aerobic Training | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | N | N |
| Virtual Partner | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | Y | Y (On a path) |
| Virtual Racer™ | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | Y | N |
| Time/Distance Alerts | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | ? | Y |
| Garmin Cycle Map (turn-by-turn, directions) | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | N | N |
| Works With Power Meters | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Smart Trainer Control | Y | Y | n/a | Y | Y | Y | n/a |
My own choice among these remains the same as it was several years ago. I went from the Edge 500 over to the Edge 130 and have stayed there.
- It’s just as accurate of a time/location/distance recorder as all the others.
- It weighs less than half of the 530.
- It can be seen in all weather conditions, including pitch black.
- It can be operated even while wearing thick gloves.
- The battery lasts 15 hours.
- The power consumption is so tiny I can fully charge it from the generator in my hub by riding for less than half an hour.
The only downside for me is that I can’t upload offline maps to it (though I can upload my own pre-made routes).