In a move that’s unlikely to be a shock, today Garmin is launching the brand new Edge 540 and Edge 840 bike computers. Although timing was unclear, those who’ve been paying attention knew this announcement was coming. For one thing, anyone who’s spent time shopping for the best bike computer would have noticed the two models haven’t gotten an update since 2019. Four years is a lifetime in the world of any consumer electronics and Garmin has hardly been quiet during that time. Then, in case anyone wasn’t sure, US retailer Adorama managed to slip up and leak the product listings ahead of time. Still, even with the surprise gone, today is the day we get the details.
In the world of bike computers, this news is as big as it comes. In many ways, Garmin invented the modern bike computer but history has little relevance in the world of technology and every brand remains vulnerable to innovative competition. Garmin might be the market leader in terms of volume but with such a long gap, questions began to emerge around relevance in the mid-range. With today’s Edge 540 and Edge 840 release, Garmin looks to answer those questions. The two models are the heart of the Garmin bike computer portfolio and, by extension, the heart of the whole bike computer market.
Garmin Edge 540 and Edge 540 Solar
The Garmin Edge 540 is going to be the entry point to full featured cycling computers for many cyclists. The Edge 500 series is the first range of options in the Garmin lineup to offer both a colour screen and full GPS routing and mapping. It’s also the first model to offer nearly identical features as the much more expensive Garmin 1000 series. With today’s release, Garmin takes the features that make the Garmin Edge 530 recognizable and expands on that with features from last year’s Edge 1040 release.
The most obvious result of this trickle down is the completely new solar variant. As we’ve seen previously with the Edge 1040, there are now two Edge 540 options to consider. For those with less demanding power needs, the base option is the Garmin Edge 540. It’s the most affordable version but the battery life increases here as well. While the Edge 530 specs say “up to 20 hours,” the new Edge 540 now offers a max of 42 hours in low power mode or 26 hours of “demanding” use. It also continues to offer support for the Garmin Charge Power Pack as an option to charge…
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