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Could a new Garmin Edge 1040 bike computer be on its way? What we want to see from new flagship GPS

The rumours are circulating, so check out what we’d like to see and expect to see from Garmin’s (rumoured) new flagship device

If you’ve been keeping an eye on any Garmin-related forums, then you’ll have probably noticed the recent onslaught of release rumours regarding a potential Edge 1040 bike computer doing the rounds. 

This would make a lot of sense, as we’ve seen June release dates for Garmin Edge devices in the past: June 2020 saw the release of the Edge 1030 Plus, pictured below, and we also know that the 'Plus' variants usually mark a generation's final year of service for Garmin devices. If the tech giant retains its current nomenclature, then the Edge 1040 is well overdue.

Garmin Edge 1030 Plus GPS Bike Computer

Being Garmin’s flagship line of cycle computers, the Edge 1000 line is where we first see exciting, and not-so-exciting, features that then trickle down through the rest of the range. We only saw minor modifications brought to the Edge 1030 Plus, with most features now coming up to their fifth birthday as they were introduced on the Edge 1030. We thought we’d compile a list of what we’d like to see and also what we expect to see.

Review: Garmin Edge 1030 Plus

Things we’d like to see

LTE 

The LTE standard for wireless broadband allows you to connect to the internet without pairing to a smartphone. We’ve already seen that this is possible, with the Hammerhead Karoo 2 being capable of 4G connectivity thanks to the sim-card slot. This means that the computer's position can be broadcast to friends and family even when you’ve left your phone at home, for example, during a race.

Review: Hammerhead Karoo 2

Higher screen to body ratio

The Edge 1030 Plus has some pretty sizeable bezels and we’d love to see them slimmed down on a new device. Fitting a larger screen into the same size unit means that maps would be clearer to view, and you could fit in even more data fields. Obviously, a balance must be struck as bezels that are too thin will make the device more fragile, then you might as well stick a smartphone to your bars.

Things we expect to see

USB-C port 

This one is quite self-explanatory really. A USB-C is just the modern way of doing things, and allows for faster charging and faster data transfer when compared to the micro-USB system currently used by Edge devices.

Solar Charging 

There’s plenty of speculation that the new Edge device will be capable of charging from the sun, which sounds a little odd until you realise that Garmin has been doing it with their smartwatches for years.

2022 Garmin fenix7-Solar_HR_2002.55

A cycle computer is an ideal place for this kind of tech, with your GPS often sitting in the sun for long periods at a time. If this is true then we could see some battery life improvements, although the Edge 1030 Plus was already pretty impressive with up to 48 hours.

>Garmin launches solar power smartwatches

Some new training metrics

Garmin’s smartwatches have been leading the way with new training metrics released over the past few months. The one that stands out to us is the Real-time Stamina feature that was introduced on the Fenix 7 and Epix watches. 

2022 Garmin fenix7X-SapphireSolar_HR_6002.57

We feel that cyclists could benefit from a feature like this, that allows the user to track how much they’re exerting themselves. We’d imagine that with data from a power meter this could be made fairly accurate and help riders with pacing on endurance rides.

>Garmin brings out Fenix 7 and Epix smartwatches

Improved location accuracy 

The5krunner was quick to nab some details off of a Garmin forum before the post was pulled, which indicates the new device will benefit from GNSS in addition to the current GLONASS and GPS. This should improve the location accuracy and prevent any dropouts in built-up areas.

Design

Garminedge1040body.JPG

Unfortunately, we don’t expect any major changes to the design of the device and if the rumours and spy shots bouncing around the Garmin forum are to be believed then the new device will share an almost identical footprint to the edge 1030+ which has a 3.5” colour touchscreen and 114 x 58 x 19mm dimensions.

As far as price is concerned, we can expect the Edge 1040 (if that is definitely what it's going to be called) to cost at least as much as the Edge 1030 Plus, which means you'll be paying no less than £519.99, or £599.99 when bundled with a heart rate monitor, speed, and cadence sensors.

What are you hoping the Edge 1040 will feature? And are the rumours enough to make you hold off on looking at other brands? Let us know in the comments below…

Jamie has been riding bikes since a tender age but really caught the bug for racing and reviewing whilst studying towards a master's in Mechanical engineering at Swansea University. Having graduated, he decided he really quite liked working with bikes and is now a full-time addition to the road.cc team. When not writing about tech news or working on the Youtube channel, you can still find him racing local crits trying to cling on to his cat 2 licence...and missing every break going...

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33 comments

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leipreachan | 2 years ago
0 likes

New screen, please. The one on 1030+ is just a joke.

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srchar | 2 years ago
0 likes

roadcc wrote:

Could a new Garmin Edge 1040 bike computer be on its way? What we want to see from new flagship GPS

Something that doesn't randomly freeze requiring a hard reset every few days, like my Edge 520 (fool me once) and Vectors (fool me twice).

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biciklanto | 2 years ago
3 likes

There's an issue with the article around "GNSS." GNSS, Global Navigation Satellite System, is a term that covers all active constellations today: Navistar/GPS from the US, Glonass from Russia, Galileo from the EU, and Beidou from China.

First error: many Garmin devices today already support GPS+Galileo+Glonass.

Second error: it's a misnomer to say that it will support GNSS in addition to GPS+Glonass. That's like someone will eat food, in addition to pizzas and burgers. Instead, it will offer multi-band GNSS support. What does this mean? Three of the active GNSS constellations (GPS, Galileo, and Beidou) have satellites that can send the same signal via multiple frequencies simultaneously. When a multi-band GPS device can read those signals from multiple frequencies, they can determine what miniscule time differences there were between the same signal on the two frequencies, and with that, correct for variations in the atmosphere (typically ionosphere). This makes it much more accurate.

Because this GPS chipset is likely the same as that in the new Forerunner 955, it's more accurate to say that it now supports all the major GNSS Constellations (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou, and the regional QZSS) as well as multi-band signals from the constellations that offer it.

DC Rainmaker gives a decent overview on his new Forerunner 955 in-depth review, by the way:

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2022/05/garmin-forerunner-955-solar-review.html

Cheers!

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lio | 2 years ago
2 likes

I'd just like to see Garmin get the basics right.  i.e. a more usable UX when riding.

1.  Make the UX easy to work with one hand.

2.  Don't block the map with a modal telling me I'm off course.  In fact making all alerts less disruptive for when I can't operate the device would be useful.  E.g. if I'm on the road and I forget to switch profile, I don't want  half the display blocked with "Nice Jump!" alerts every time I hit an undulation.

3.  Never show me a map with no details on it.  If I'm following a track and I zoom out I don't want all details removed and to be presented with a completely blank screen.  Ever.

4.  Make things like creating routes on phone easier.  If I import routes from Strava, make them match up, don't reroute the parts I forgot to put waymarkers on.

5.  Give me tactile controls AND a touchscreen in the same device.  See point 1.

It might be raining but I still need to operate the device.  Don't lock the screen up. Some physical buttons would be helpful.  If I have a unit with buttons, like a 530, it would be much easier to scroll a touchscreen like an 830.

6.  Show me climb details on the fly without a preprogrammed course.

 

This is stuff I personally would find useful, I can see that updating the charging port is a good idea but if I'm being honest, I don't care that much about what they use.

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Chris Hayes | 2 years ago
1 like

Bored with Garmin's glacial design and tech updates, cumbersome software, high prices, and poor battery life - I'm a leisure cyclist, but let's face it, enough of what they do can be done well enough by smartphones.  As such, I don't really see sufficient additionality to justify the cost.  

I've had several Garmins, but when my 520 and Fenix 3HR die they will not be replaced.  I also tried a HH Karoo One, which whilst better, had both hardware and software glitches. Why bother?  The only time my iPhone has let me down was when I accidentally/negligently put it in the washing machine!

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Hiks | 2 years ago
0 likes

I have been using Garmin Edge and tri products for years and....if these are all "new" features...1040 innovations are missing then... 
Just quick toughts....

How about camera? from safety perspective, and no need for 4K. 

Sometimes it would be great share activity real time. Maybe even with camera on some day. Next genaration will eventually do this, Next gen is using live sharing a lot,  TikTok etc

1040 already has integrated speaker, could it be used as "bell/horn" as well - just software add.

For MTB racing: real time gaps to next racer, previous racer would be nice
or if you are cycling with friends - real time heart rate shared with mates. To make sure the pace is great for all and all enjoy. Garmin should invest more on social part.  Zwift understand social part well.
 
Now garmin shows suggested cycling activity when starting the activity. Timing wise it would be better if garmin could share suggested activity on the morning, maybe via pop up on garmin watch or via app.

I hope Garmin will publish 1040 product with real innovations

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Sriracha replied to Hiks | 2 years ago
0 likes
Hiks wrote:

1040 already has integrated speaker, could it be used as "bell/horn" as well - just software add.

do you suppose it could be voice activated? Just a thought.

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Hiks replied to Sriracha | 2 years ago
0 likes

Great idea!

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TimC340 | 2 years ago
1 like

I've had the 1030 since it emerged, and to be honest I'm not likely to spend £500+ on a replacement unless its capabilities are revolutionary. I think I'd be better off keeping the 1030 for a navigation display (which works absolutely fine) and buying a Forerunner 255 for all the new training metrics. 

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IanMSpencer | 2 years ago
2 likes

I think most of us don't need new features, just existing features to work better, reliably and be organised so you can find them in spite of being an experienced Garmin user!

For example, a mate likes to track his nervous wife and the 1030 has some link you can use (email?). Recently it has just stopped working.

Rerouting back to course in a rational way (time for AI to rear its head in marketing perhaps?).

Screens that give you a clue what to press to go where.

A makeover for Connect after a usability consultation. My Garmin can chat happily by WiFi or phone, but I had to install Express for a map update. Now it insists on defaulting to using Express to update a ride when without Express it just magically happens - forget to unclick it wants you to remember where you put your outdated cable. Unclick and hey bingo, courses updated without a thought.

I reckon they hired a lead coder in 1985 and he still sits there as the guru who all must obey because he holds all the knowledge and nobody else can question his wisdom.

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IanEdward replied to IanMSpencer | 2 years ago
1 like

Yeah... Live segments that worked regardless of whether you're on a 'route' or not. In fact, Live segments that worked at all would be nice, I always get a bit of a shock if one suddenly pops up on my screen!

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Trickytree1984 replied to IanEdward | 2 years ago
0 likes

Suggest you update as both those already exists

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Jetmans Dad replied to IanEdward | 2 years ago
0 likes

IanEdward wrote:

Yeah... Live segments that worked regardless of whether you're on a 'route' or not. In fact, Live segments that worked at all would be nice, I always get a bit of a shock if one suddenly pops up on my screen!

I have a 520+ and have a few favourited segments that pop up quite happily as Live segments whether I am on a route or not. Never had an issue with it. 

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Prosper0 | 2 years ago
2 likes

Nice big pretty screen, better battery life and frankly, it actually should be cheaper.

Look at modern smart phones - they're better in every way for the same price or cheaper. The truth is that these Garmins are overpriced for what they are. 

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Fluffed | 2 years ago
1 like

They could add a couple things from the Karoo : heatmaps being actually usable & climbpro kicking in automatically instead of only on courses.

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cycle92 | 2 years ago
1 like

I'm still not convinced by Garmin. They've let me down so many times in the past from routes not syncing, poor battery life and just being an overall faff to use. I'll wait until somebody I know goes out and buys one. 

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jaymack | 2 years ago
1 like

£520? That's just plain bonkers especially as early adopters will be the ones paying for the dubious privilege being Garmin's beta testing cadre.  

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Sriracha replied to jaymack | 2 years ago
0 likes

For that money you would have change from a decent enough spare mobile phone. Most are showerproof, they have all the GPS do-dahs, a bigger better screen, optional LTE, you can run whatever software you like; SuperCycle seems pretty good.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.osborntech.supercycle

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Secret_squirrel replied to Sriracha | 2 years ago
1 like

Will struggle with battery life on a phone running gps for a long time though. 

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Sriracha replied to Secret_squirrel | 2 years ago
0 likes

Mine never seems to struggle. And of course, as it's not being used as a phone, you can switch off the radios for phone signal and data. Get one with OLED and use a battery friendly display setting (black background) and maps only at junctions/instructions.
Sure, you might not get 20 hours continuous use. But I don't need it to do more than I can anyway.

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IanMSpencer replied to Secret_squirrel | 2 years ago
1 like

I use my phone to record rambles and don't have any issues with battery life (5 or 6 hour walks). I suspect that modern Android battery management and modern GPS/WiFi (which gets forced on even when off which I believe is due to Google positioning refining results with WiFi) does not consume battery like it did. Presumably they can use the same low power GPS/WiFi chips that Garmin use.

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Secret_squirrel replied to IanMSpencer | 2 years ago
1 like

Doesn't work.  I'm a fan of using my phone for rides.  I even have a Garmin mount stem top cap and have a stick on Garmin insert for the back of my phone case as the navigation on my old gps was crap.

Last time I used it I had to run it with a power bank as it was about to die halfway round a 130m course.

Yes it's fine for a bimble, and for on road google maps is still a trump card but do you really want to rely on your emergency device doing double duty?  I don't. YMMV of course.

 

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IanMSpencer replied to Secret_squirrel | 2 years ago
0 likes

I was comparing Apples and Pears. The recording is what I was thinking about. The killer on bike riding is the display. A phone is a jack of all trades, bizarrely designed for watching films apparently, judging by reviews.

On walks my phone stays in the pocket till I'm lost or looking for the next turn, I will count fields and have an idea of what the next event is so it can be 15vminutes between checking it, even with a map only walk (I have quite a few walk books for inspiration - another option not available to cyclists).

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Sriracha replied to Secret_squirrel | 2 years ago
0 likes
Secret_squirrel wrote:

do you really want to rely on your emergency device doing double duty? 

No. Hence the suggestion that started this line of thinking was to spend less than the price of a Garmin buying a mobile phone, yes, but one to use as a bike computer, not to replace your actual phone.

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srchar replied to Secret_squirrel | 2 years ago
1 like

Secret_squirrel wrote:

do you really want to rely on your emergency device doing double duty?  I don't

For half the price of a top-end Garmin Edge, you could buy a Garmin inreach mini and have a genuine emergency communication device, and use your phone for bike computer duties.

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GMBasix | 2 years ago
0 likes

Big, red, "re-route to nearest coffee" button.

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sparrowlegs replied to GMBasix | 2 years ago
1 like

Better yet, one that has a chest sensor that measures blood sugar levels and automatically routes to the nearest coffee shop. Maybe it could also call ahead and make sure there cakes available, re-routing to another if there are only crappy ones left. 

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mdavidford replied to GMBasix | 2 years ago
0 likes

Brown and bean-shaped, surely?

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chocim | 2 years ago
1 like

A very useful thing (which I don't expect to see, however) would be basic voice control as in "Zoom in", "Zoom out", "Next screen", "Previous screen". Would be great to have without moving hands off the bars (next and previous screen can be had via Di2 or similar, but zoom in/out not so much).

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RoubaixCube replied to chocim | 2 years ago
0 likes

That would leave the device with a battery life of 5 mins as it would always be listening and waiting for commands.

Also, you'd have to shout pretty loudly to get the device to hear you and hear you clearly through the wind noise never mind traffic noise while youre peddling

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