Garmin Edge 1030 Plus
The Garmin Edge 1030 Plus is the new top-end bikenav from the world’s leading bike computer manufacturer. It should be the best of the best for the keenest of all keen cyclists. Is it? I mean, the earlier Edge 1030 was feature-full and impossible to beat if features were your thing, has anything been meaningfully added to it to justify the apex price tag?
Return to main: Garmin Edge 1030 Plus Review
Garmin Edge 1030 Plus – Q: What’s Changed?
A: In a nutshell: better hardware eg GPS chip, battery & storage, global heatmap maps, Firstbeat Daily Workouts and some carried over 530/830 features.
If we go back almost 3 years to when the1030 was first released there were a whole host of impressive new features including UI changes; battery pack support; BLE sensor support; heatmap route creation; many hardware improvements including screen performance & 20-hour battery life; some Firstbeat training and recovery metrics; and more besides, all at an eye-watering $600rrp. Since the 1030 launch, the newer Edge 530/830 also received new features which were soon also pushed across to the Edge 1030 (firmware list) including Physio TrueUp support, CIQ3.X; display mode support; Galileo; Shimano Steps 2.1; nutrition/hydration alerts; MTB dynamics – grit, flow and jump metrics; bike theft alarm; FindMyEdge; Power Curve tracking; Workout tracking; heat acclimation & altitude acclimatisation; ClimbPro; Training Load Focus plus several subtle improvements.
- Better hardware – the mysterious innards are now ‘better’ and faster in unquantifiable ways – well, the battery lasts longer (24 hours) probably mostly due to a Sony GNSS chip and routes are claimed to recalculate twice as fast and, scarily, the touchscreen seems to work well.
- 32Gb (formerly 16Gb) onboard storage to support multi-region maps but no SD expansion
- Firstbeat ‘Daily Workout Suggestions’ – these are more intelligently derived adaptive workouts based on leveraging and targetting both your Anaerobic and Aerobic Training Loads. ie An informed workout recommendation for today based on your recent training achievements. See Firstbeat’s advanced workout recommendations.
- Setup is simplified with some settings carried over from your previous Garmin. (Finally! thank you Garmin)
- MTB Dynamics and ForkSight mode added from the pre-loaded TrailForks CIQ app (previously in Edge 530/830)
- Assistance & Bike Alarm are new to the Edge 1030 Plus (previously in Edge 530/830)
Let’s quickly contrast some of the changes to the interface with this one example of old vs. new. In this one specific example, you can see some improvements to readability and to the condensing of the data. I’d say Garmin has done a reasonable job here, however, IMHO this particular screen could still be better presented and indeed Garmin devices all suffer from somewhat of a UI malaise aka ‘screens could still look & work better‘. However, it’s more the screen FLOW than the individual screen designs that I have the most issue with.
What’s Still Included
Garmin Edge 1030 Plus – Opinion
Watch This Space
I’m working on a series of 1030-Plus pieces of content to brighten your inbox over the coming weeks, including a Garmin Edge 1030 Plus Review.
Alternatives
Price, Availability & Discounts
Garmin Edge 1030 Plus Specs & Comparison to Edge 1030, Edge 830
Source: Garmin.com
These are the main differences in the headlines feature sets as Garmin sees them. There are few differences to spot so I’ve made them bold.
General | Garmin Edge 1030 PLUS | Garmin Edge 1030 | Garmin Edge 830 |
Physical dimensions | 2.3″ x 4.5″ x 0.8″ (58 x 114 x 19 mm) | 2.3″ x 4.5″ x 0.8″ (58 x 114 x 19 mm) | 1.9” x 3.2” x 0.8” (50.0 x 82.0 x 20.0 mm) |
Touchscreen | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Color display | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Display size | 3.5″ (88.9 mm) diagonal | 3.5″ (88.9 mm) diagonal | 2.6″ (66 mm) diagonal |
Display resolution | 282 x 470 pixels | 282 x 470 pixels | 246 x 322 pixels |
Weight | 4.4 oz (124 g) | 4.3 oz (123 g) | 2.8 oz (79.1 g) |
Battery type | rechargeable lithium-ion | rechargeable lithium-ion | rechargeable lithium-ion |
Battery life | 24 hours | up to 20 hours | up to 20 hours |
Battery save mode | Yes | Yes | Yes |
In-ride power compatible (Garmin Charge battery pack) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Water rating | IPX7 | IPX7 | IPX7 |
Maps & Memory | |||
Ability to add maps | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Basemap | Yes | Yes | Yes |
External memory storage | yes (32 GB internal memory) | Internal plus microSD™ slot | Internal memory only |
Waypoints/favorites/locations | 200 | 200 | 200 |
Routes | 100 courses | 100 Courses | 100 Courses |
History | up to 200 hours | up to 200 hours | up to 200 hours |
Sensors | |||
GPS | Yes | Yes | Yes |
GLONASS | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Galileo | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Barometric altimeter | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Accelerometer | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Ambient light sensor | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Daily Smart Features | |||
Connectivity | Bluetooth®, ANT+®, Wi-Fi® | Bluetooth®, ANT+®, Wi-Fi® | Bluetooth®, ANT+®, Wi-Fi® |
Connect IQ™ (downloadable watch faces, data fields, widgets and apps) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Smart notifications | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Text response/reject phone call with text (Android™ only) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Weather | Yes | Yes | Yes |
VIRB® Remote | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Smartphone compatibility | iPhone®, Android™ | iPhone®, Android™ | iPhone®, Android™ |
Safety and Tracking Features | |||
LiveTrack | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Group LiveTrack | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Rider-to-rider messaging | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Incident Detection | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Assistance | Yes | No | Yes |
Bike alarm | Yes | No | Yes |
Weather alerts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Activity Tracking Features | |||
Calories burned | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Training, Planning and Analysis Features | |||
Customizable data pages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Auto Pause® | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Interval training | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Advanced workouts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Downloadable training plans | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Daily workout suggestions | Yes | No | No |
Auto Lap® | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Vo2 max | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Training Effect | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Recovery advisor | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Virtual Partner | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Race an Activity | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Segments | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Auto scroll | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Physio TrueUp | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Physiological measurements | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Outdoor Recreation | |||
ClimbPro™ Ascent Planner | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Cycling Features | |||
Alerts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Courses | Yes | Yes | Yes |
On-device course creator | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Cycle Map (routable cycling-specific street map) | yes (multi-region) | Yes | Yes |
Cycling Dynamics compatible | Yes | Yes | Yes |
MTB Dynamics | Yes | No | Yes |
Integrated TrailForks trail data | Yes | No | Yes |
Power meter compatible | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Compatible with Varia™ radar (rear-facing radar) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Compatible with Varia™ lights | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Connectivity | |||
Edge® remote | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Varia™ remote | Yes | Yes | Yes |
ANT+™ electronic shifting | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Shimano Di2 Synchro Shift integration | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Smart trainer control | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Garmin Edge 1030 Headline Feature Screens
Anyone else hoping that this is a week where Garmin introduces a bunch of new stuff every day? Since am not interested in replacing my 830 anytime soon. I do like what Garmin seems to be doing with software though – more improvements keep coming especially the settings transfer.
yes there is other stuff there that will trickle across to the fenix/945 too. very exciting stuff…if it works. Am getting more details this/next week on that hopefully.
I changed from garmin to Wahoo ROAM. I am very happy. Garmin has a lot to improve for me to come back.
No data or max. 2 data on the map is not serious as a GPS computer. On Wahoo I have a map and speed, Cad, HR, AVG, Distance, and Turn to Turn. And on Garmin, speed and Cad. POVERTY.