Garmin Edge 820. Garmin renews the 800 range

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This is just the presentation. Were you looking for the complete test? The analysis is already finished, so if you are interested in knowing all the details of the Garmin Edge 820 I recommend you to read the complete review by clicking here.

Today Garmin is making a new member of its 800 family official. The new Garmin Edge 820 comes to replace the 810, after several years of success in the market. It comes to bridge the gap between the Garmin Edge 520 (from which you can read the best evidence here), introduced almost a year ago, with the top of the range still being the Edge 1000. In the 820 Garmin it maintains the aesthetics but adds features from the higher ranges, such as WiFi connectivity, touch screen and point-to-point navigation.

You ready to get all the details on the Garmin Edge 820? Let's get started.

What's New in Garmin Edge 820

First and foremost, before going into the analysis of all the details, I will list what is new about the Edge 520, with which we can compare it directly because of the obvious aesthetic similarity. And as I know that many of you are very busy people and come to look for quick information, there is nothing better than making a list.

• New color. The white frame is replaced by a more elegant silver color.
• Touch screen.
• Synchronization via WiFi.
• Lighting sensor.
• More memory capacity: 16GB (no expansion possible).
• The weight increases slightly, with the 820 being 7.7 grams heavier. But the dimensions of the device and the screen resolution remain the same.
• New control menu, with direct access to Connect IQ applications
• Recovery status and stress test.
• New GroupTrack function.
• Point-to-point navigation, similar to that found on the Edge 1000. A major improvement over the 520, which only allows you to follow previously designed routes from your computer. This allows you to make roundtrip routes and plan routes.
• Battery saving mode.
• Accident detection mode, similar to the one introduced last year with the Garmin Edge Explore 1000The Garmin 820 has an internal accelerometer that can detect shocks and falls.

Within the specification list, there are several things to note. The touch screen that had disappeared on the 520 is the most important point, as it now changes the way the device is controlled. The Edge 520 had several control buttons (up to 7); which in the case of the new Edge 820 has been reduced to just three. The remaining ones remain in the same place, the power button in the upper left and two dedicated buttons for starting or stopping the activity and marking laps.

These last two buttons have received some criticism because of their location (at the bottom of the device), as on the 810 and 1000 they were considerably easier to use, being located at the top of the device. Depending on the type of bracket used, it can be somewhat complicated to press it, for example with a handlebar bracket in front, depending on the thickness of the stem cover or the screws, it can leave little room to put your hand in.

But beyond touchscreen control, WiFi connectivity or the light sensor, the most important thing is always at the software level. So let's go with those new features.

GroupTrack

Until now, Garmin included the LiveTrack function in its devices. Through the connection with the mobile phone we could send data of our training (location, speed, metrics such as heart rate and power, etc.).

Garmin gives it a twist and includes a new feature called GroupTrack. It combines your position with that of other friends, allowing you to join them somewhere along the route. The screen will look like you can see in this image, where you are the arrow and B, T, L and O are not subway stations, but the friends you are routing with.

As you can see, this feature depends on your mobile phone, as it's essentially an extended LiveTrack. And since the Garmin 820 doesn't have any connectivity of its own, you can... carry your phone with you. As for the more technical part, it will be able to track up to 50 cyclists and allows you to track up to 10 miles away (about 16 kilometers). Garmin has prepared a video in which you can see the function in actionso take a look at it that will make the concept much clearer.

This feature will also be available on the Edge 1000, although it will take a while to arrive (end 2016/beginning 2017), but there is a difference between viewing the position of others and sending the position. The former is currently available only on the Garmin 820, while sending the position can be done by any unit with LiveTracking.

In other words, on an Edge 820 we can see friends with the same type of device or any other device that has LiveTracking enabled (Edge 520, clocks, etc).

Navigation

Navigation is the aspect in which the Edge 520 limps the most. Not because it's bad, but because it's deliberately limited. Firstly because of the map it includes, which is tremendously basic. However we can load much more complete mapsIn addition, the type of navigation we can do is simply follow routes previously created through Garmin Connect (or any other route option, such as RideWithGPS, Wikiloc or Strava).

All this changes in the Edge 820. The navigation is like the one found on the Edge 1000, in which 1TP10We can enter a destination where we want to go and it is the device itself that prepares the navigation. Because it understands where we are and where we want to go, and in addition to creating the route directly it will also include turn information (such as "turn at the next right turn").

There is also a route planner option, in which you can include several points you want to go through, for example if you want to go from A to C but you don't want to go the fastest way, but go through B because they put some covers to remove the sense.

Or the "round-trip" option, where you simply tell the Edge how much you want to bike and it comes up with three different route options.

As for storage, 16GB of internal memory is available but not expandable through an external microSD card, as is present in the Edge 1000.

Battery saving mode

Another new feature of the Garmin Edge 820 is a battery saver mode. When you are short on battery life and want to continue your route, you can activate this mode. The screen will turn off but you will still receive occasional notifications such as navigation turns. And of course it will still record the route you are taking, the only difference being that it will try to squeeze the battery as much as possible when the screen is turned off.

Accident reporting

It is not new, as it was one of the main features in the Edge Explore 1000If you don't remember what it was, the Edge Explore 1000 would send a message if it detected a serious incident (such as a sudden slowdown), thanks to an internal accelerometer. And it's worth remembering that it's always possible to cancel the sending of a warning message for a period of 30 seconds, mainly to avoid false positives.

Other software news

The menu changes slightly. There are shortcuts to the main functions (such as navigation or training), as well as to Connect IQ, which is already seamlessly integrated with Edge units including applications (not just data fields as before).

Well, it's almost integrated. It's already in beta mode and will be coming to all our devices, probably, over the summer.

Garmin Edge Explore 820

The Edge 820 wasn't the only model Garmin announced, it also unveiled the Edge Explore 820. It's simply a smaller version with fewer features and a little less expensive. What's the cut?

• No WiFi connectivity available
• No ambient light sensor
• No support for training (such as interval sessions, etc.)
• No support for power meters or electronic switches
• As it does not support potentiometer, it does not have advanced metrics such as FTP calculation, VO2Max, etc.

So it is simply an option for anyone who wants a good navigation device, but without any major pretensions. But with the small price difference, I find it uninteresting.

Garmin 820, availability and price

As for its price, as with the Edge 520 there will be two options to buy. On the one hand the device independently, which will have a retail price of £399.99 (including various mounts), which is £100 more than the range small brother the Edge 520.

And if you want to get the full pack along with the speed, cadence and pulse sensors then you'll have to pay a little more, £499.99.

It will arrive at the market soon, in the next weeks you will be able to have it already mounted on your handlebars, so it is a good moment to think about when you are going to make the slaughter with the piglet.

Opinion

The Edge 820 is a small evolution within the range. There's nothing revolutionary, no new features like hiccups or anything that forces you to run to the store and swap out your Edge 520 or Edge 1000 for the new model. Within the range it's a good progress, although maybe it's what the Edge 520 should have been (at least in terms of navigation options). And of course the GroupTrack feature, but given the poor compatibility at launch (only other Edge 820s) it will still take time to become popular.

What I don't see clearly is what the situation is with the Edge 1000, except for those who want/need a larger screen. The 820 and 1000 are very similar. And if your doubt is whether you should opt for the 520 or the 820, the easiest answer is whether you will make use of the navigation options present in the superior model. In case you are going to navigate frequently, the 820 is the device you should opt for, but if your training is usually in the same area then it is advisable to opt for the cheaper version.

And with that... thanks for reading!