Garmin Edge 1030 and Edge 1030 Plus compared

Posted on July 3, 2020 in Compared, Cycling // 3 Comments

With the introduction of the Edge 1030 Plus Garmin seems to have wrapped up their updates for cycling computers of this year. There are a couple of new features in the Edge 1030 Plus compared to the Edge 1030 and I’ll list them out in this post, going in to detail to help you decide which of the two is the best choice for you.
Oh and since visually it has almost no changes you won’t find a lot of eye candy or comparisons. Just the details.

The basics

From the outside it’s quite easy to tell the two Edge computers apart, the ‘old’ Edge 1030 new color, all black. Upon introduction the Egde 1030 Plus got the same ‘RRP’ as its predecessor: $599. But obviously the latter is now cheaper. How much cheaper you can quickly find out at the bottom of this post. I haven’t found a single feature that’s NOT available on the Plus so all this is what’s new and added.

A neat feature on the Edge 1030 Plus is when you already own (older) Garmin devices, it will import existing sensors you already have. Along with settings and profiles (road, mtb, etc). It’s a move to set everything the same across your devices. Maybe this gets rolled out on existing devices too (the ‘old’ Edge 1030) but I haven’t seen this yet. Please drop a comment if I’m wrong.

Something that’s also new, but not necessarily Edge 1030 Plus – it just got launched at the same time – is the updated Live Tracking. Where your friends/family have a better experience seeing what you’re up to. It’s quite an overhaul and also was quite due.

Edge 1030 Maps

The new Edge 1030 Plus FINALLY gets global maps. After various other cycling computers already offering flexible maps or large regions, Garmin added the maps now by default. You don’t get the global maps from the box, but it’s a couple of mouse clicks to add an entire continent to your device. So not just your region and you can take your computer with you on a distant bike holiday.
In the past you needed to add these maps yourself, which was really hard to do it yourself and was a bit cumbersome. On topic of the maps, the Edge 1030 Plus no longer has a microSD option. The internal memory is now 32G. Basically enough for three continents. Probably more than you’ll ever use. All the extra space is used for maps as the number of routes and activities you can store are still the same.

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Daily workout

A new and neat feature I personally have been waiting for is the Daily Suggested workout. Garmin finally puts all the data it has together and will create a workout based on your current training load. To be fair it’s a pretty simple workout, nothing fancy, but gets the basic stuff right. So for day to day training it will get to fitter. This does not take away the ability to use other training plans you’ve made or have lodged over from third party services.

Routing

The new Edge 1030 Plus has some neat routing features that I absolutely love. When you go off course you now get three options to get back on. The first is to turn around, plain and simple. The second is to rejoin later – ideal for an unexpected closure. Or if you’re like me, suffer from severe lack of paying attention. The last option is to cut across. This is a bit of a harsh option as it seems to just go to the next closest part of the course, which can be at the very end.
Another new routing feature is to pause it. Quite handy if you are going somewhere you know for a quick coffee or lunch stop and don’t want the computer bleeping at you that you’re getting lost.

MTB Routing

The new Edge 1030 Plus now also has trailforks with all data built in,
It also includes ForkSight, which allows you to make a decision when you stop at a fork in the road on a trail. But both these features have also been added to the 1030 over the past years with firmware updates.

Screen Differences

For the Edge 1030 there was a group of users who reported a blue tone or shade on the display. For the Edge 1030 Plus Garmin has decided to use the same screen as used in the Edge 830. A reliable crisp screen. With all the issues from the initial Edge 1030 launch solved, the Edge 1030 Plus has great reliability in touch and even works with (thin) gloves. The screen on the Edge 1030 Plus controls wel during rain too, no random selections from a drop of water, like on a vívoactive 4.

Under the hood

Internally things got a little boost too, firstly it got a faster CPU. This makes everything a bit quicker. Not massively quicker, but once you’re used to it the Edge 1030 feels so slow. The Edge 1030 Plus just… faster, fresher. Routing is quicker, but given the bump the CPU got I had expected it to be a lot quicker. It also got a Sony GPS Chipset, just like all the models from the past two years and as expected, it’s very accurate.

Battery Life

The Battery life has been extended too. With a slight 4hr bump to 24hr in ‘normal’ operation. And with everything toned down a bit, up to 48 hours. I’m not sure when you’ll need 48 (active) hours between charges, but then you can also add the battery pack, so yeah… Just don’t fall asleep I guess.

Edge 1030 Prices

Last but not least, the prices. As said, the RRP on introduction is the same for both units, but obviously over time the actual cost of getting one is lower. For the latest (and lowest!) prices and more images, reviews and videos check out my productwatch for the devices, linked in the tables below.

Garmin Edge 1030 Prices

	US $	GB £	EU €
Device Only	$490 at Amazon	£508 at Wiggle	€431 at Amazon
Bundle	$647 at Amazon	£592 at Wiggle	€518 at Amazon

Garmin Edge 1030 Plus Prices

	US $	GB £	EU €
Device Only	$599.99 at Amazon	£519.90 at Wiggle	€568.47 at Wiggle
Bundle	$699.99 at Amazon	£599.90 at Wiggle	€679.99 at Wiggle