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Cycling News

Sport

Josh Ross

Garmin announces the Edge 540 and Edge 840 with solar variants in tow

Garmin Josh Ross United States

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.

Hardware changes aren't drastic but the details that matter most see improvements (Image credit: Josh Ross)

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 while in use and both variants of the Edge 540 gain a USB-C charging port.

Along with the base model option, the Edge 540 now also offers an Edge 540 Solar variant. For a price increase of £100 / $100 / €100 the Solar variant extends battery life up to an extra 25 minutes per hour during daytime riding. That puts estimates at 32 hours in "demanding" use and up to 60 hours in battery saver mode. It also means that it's possible to go long periods of time without ever plugging in your bike computer if you've got a sunny shelf available.

No metal mount to be found on the lower models but the wings are easy to replace now (Image credit: Josh Ross)

Hardware wise, other changes are less noticeable. The available memory and CPU remain unchanged and the screen size is the same 2.6" (66 mm) diagonal with a resolution of 246x322 pixels. Garmin says the panel has changed though and compared to the Edge 530 users will see an improved contrast ratio, enhanced colour filters and more backlight LEDs to improve colour representation. The new Edge 540, as well as the Edge 840, also sees the same GPS update as the Edge 1040 with a switch from single band to multi-band GNSS for better performance in cities or under tree cover.

The Edge 540 does see a slight increase in overall size as well. While the Edge 530 measured 1.9" x 3.2" x 0.8" (50 x 82 x 20 mm), the Edge 540 is now 2.3 x 3.4 x 0.8″ (57.8 x 85.1 x 19.6mm). It's obviously not a big increase but it is there and it brings three extra grams with it.

Far more interesting to most people is going to be the update to the Garmin quarter turn mount. Unfortunately the full metal design of the Edge 1040 does not make the jump but you'll no longer need to rely on third party options if you have an issue with yours. Instead of using metal, Garmin has made the outer ring of the mount user replaceable with a pair of screws.

The Edge 540 series and the Edge 840 series are nearly identical but the 840 gives the option of touch screen or buttons (Image credit: Garmin)

Garmin Edge 840 and Edge 840 Solar

In the past, the Garmin 500 series and 800 series have been almost exactly the same and that tradition continues. The Edge 840 and Edge 840 Solar offer the same screen, the same outer dimensions, and the same battery life as the corresponding Edge 540 and Edge 540 Solar. What's brand new to this generation is an expansion of interaction options for the Edge 840. Instead of being touch screen only, you now have the choice to use either a touchscreen or buttons depending on the situation.

That means the latest generation of Garmin computers offers a lot of choice in the mid-range. Previously choosing the Edge 530 meant no touchscreen while choosing the Edge 830 meant no buttons. With the 540 and 840 the extra cost of the higher model adds touchscreen but takes nothing away. Then, further complicating the decision, pricing is the same for the 540 Solar and the 840 non-solar giving an additional layer of decision making.

All of the training features introduced on the Edge 1040 series are now making their way to the less expensive computers (Image credit: Josh Ross)

Shared software updates

The hardware in the Edge 549 and Edge 840 might offer near parity, but the two computers are identical on the software side. The one caveat being that it’s not possible to create a course directly on the Edge 540. Otherwise, the two are the same and the only truly new feature is a change to the Garmin climbing screen that makes it usable even without a route loaded. Given the Hammerhead lead on this feature it was widely expected but it will still come as a welcome addition for a wide swath of users. This feature will also make its way to the Edge 1040 through incoming software updates.

Other software features available at launch are not new to Garmin in general, but they are new to the mid-range 500 and 800 series. Previously the suite of training related software features introduced with the Edge 1040 remained locked behind the more expensive bike computer. Today, Garmin brings everything to the Edge 540 and the Edge 840.

That starts with a widget based home screen. One of those widgets will be training advice that changes each time you turn on the unit. It’s an adaptive system that even takes into account efforts put in through partner systems such as Zwift or efforts recorded on other Garmin devices. The training features then expand from there to help you analyse your cycling ability and compare that to similarly formatted course demands. While riding, the Real-time Stamina feature can let you know how your exertion is likely to influence your ability to finish or you can create a Power Guide to give exact power targets as you ride.