I get a lot of emails asking, “What is the Difference between Garmin Edge 1000 and 820?” So I decided to write a post about it! I start this post with a chart comparing all features of the Garmin Edge 1000 and 820, and then I discuss the 7 key differences between them. Then I have another chart that shows only the differences between the two bike computers, so you can see the differences between the Garmin Edge 1000 and 820 at a glance.
Chart Comparing Key Features of the Garmin Edge 1000 vs 820
 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Big picture | Great for training and navigation. Screen size is a lot bigger than 820 (2 cm taller), so it is easier to view maps. Has a microSD slot for adding new maps (the 820 doesn’t have this). Color touchscreen | Great for training and navigation. All the features (and then some) of the 1000, in a smaller unit. Several unique features, including Incident Alert, GroupTrack, Battery Save Mode and Stress Score. Color touchscreen |
| Lowest Price on Amazon Right Now: | Price not available | $249.99 |
| Unit Size | 2 x 3.7 x 1" (5.1 x 9.3 x 2.5 cm) | 1.9” x 2.9” x 0.8” (49.0 x 73.0 x 21.0 mm) |
| Display resolution, W x H | 240 x 400 pixels; color | 200 x 265 pixels; color |
| Screen size | 3" (7.6 cm) diagonal, high res | 2.3" (58.4 mm) diagonal, high res |
| Touchscreen | Yes | Yes |
| Landscape mode available? | Yes | No |
| Water rating | IPX7 (able to withstand immersion in water up to 1 m - 3.2 feet - for up to 30 mins) | IPX7 (able to withstand immersion in water up to 1 m - 3.2 feet - for up to 30 mins) |
| Weight | 4.0 oz (114.5 g) | 2.4 oz (67.7 g) |
| Battery life | Up to 15 hours | Up to 15 hours |
| Battery save mode available? | No | Yes ( powers down the screen but continues to record your ride) |
| History that can be stored on unit | Up to 200 hours of history | Up to 200 hours of history |
| Garmin Edge Remote Control support | Yes | Yes |
| Round-trip routing (input a starting point and distance, and the Edge will suggest up to 3 bike ride options) | Yes | Yes |
| Out front mount (as well as original quarter turn)? | Yes | Yes |
| Is the screen responsive to level of ambient light | No | Yes |
| Incident alert? (to tell your spouse if you have an accident) | No | Yes. Can be switched off if you are uninjured |
| and Garmin Varia Rearview Radar Tail Light? | Yes | Yes |
| Unit-to-unit transfer (shares data wirelessly with similar units) | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic sync (automatically transfers data to your computer) | Yes | Yes |
| Relive and share your rides with Garmin Connect™ (online community where you can analyze, categorize and share data) | Yes | Yes |
| Smart phone Connected features (depends on having a Bluetooth enabled smartphone, and you may have to install the Garmin Connect mobile app on your phone) | Yes - Live Tracking, send/receive courses, workouts and training plans wirelessly, social media sharing, smart notifications (texts and calls) | Yes - Live Tracking, Group Tracking, send/receive courses, workouts and training plans wirelessly, social media sharing, weather updates in real time, smart notifications (texts and calls) |
| Automatically send your activity to Garmin Connect as soon as you finish recording | Yes | Yes |
| Live tracking (allows others to follow your activities in real time, if you invite them) | Yes | Yes |
| Group tracking (GroupTrack is an extension of Garmin’s LiveTrack feature, where your friends or family can follow you on a computer. With GroupTrack, you can have this same visibility, but from your handlebars. The idea is that you can meet up or just keep digital track of your cycling companions) | Yes | Yes |
| BlueTooth to connect wirelessly to smartphone and upload data? | Yes | Yes |
| Accepts data cards | Yes, including optional memory card in the micro-SD slot | No - there is no micro-SD card slot. However, it has 16 GB of internal memory, so you are unlikely to need a card |
| Connect IQ™ compatible? | No | Yes |
| Advanced training features | Advanced performance and power analysis (if you are using a heart rate monitor and a power meter), including VO2 max, Recovery Time Advisor, and FTP (Functional Threshold Power) tracking | Advanced performance and power analysis (if you are using a heart rate monitor and a power meter), including VO2 max, Recovery Time Advisor, FTP (Functional Threshold Power) tracking, Time in Zone, and recovery (Recovery Time advisor) |
| Training calendar (The calendar on your device is an extension of the training calendar or schedule you set up in Garmin Connect. After you have added a few workouts or courses to the Garmin Connect calendar, you can send them to your device) | Yes | Yes |
| Stress score (requires HR monitor) | No | Yes - first time ever on a Garmin Edge |
| Courses (compete against previous activities) | Yes (compete against your previous time by entering the % you want to improve by, then race your virtual partner; or enter a shorter time that you want to achieve) | Yes (compete against your previous time by entering the % you want to improve by, then race your virtual partner; or enter a shorter time that you want to achieve) |
| Virtual Partner® (train against a digital person) | Yes | Yes |
| Advanced workouts (create custom, goal-oriented workouts) | Yes | Yes |
| Time/distance alert (triggers alarm when you reach goal) | Yes | Yes |
| Interval training (set up exercise and rest intervals) | Yes | Yes |
| Garmin Connect Real-Time segments | Yes | Yes |
| Download Strava Real-Time segments? | Yes, if you have Strava premium | Yes, if you have Strava premium |
| Auto upload your rides to Strava? | Yes, once you sync your Garmin Connect account with Strava | Yes, once you sync your Garmin Connect account with Strava |
| Heart rate-based calorie computation | Yes | Yes |
| Optional heart rate, speed/cadence and power meter? | Yes | Yes |
| Can you use it for indoor training? | Yes | Yes |
| Can add a third-party compatible ANT+ sensor as a power meter? | Yes | Yes |
| Can be paired with wireless ANT+ Heart Rate monitor? | Yes | Yes |
| Bike speed/cadence sensor | Yes | Yes |
| Shimano Di2 gearing information | Yes | Yes |
| Activity profiles - store preferences for different cycling activities (For example, you can create a separate activity profile for training, for racing, and for mountain biking. The activity profile includes customized data pages, activity totals, alerts, training zones (such as heart rate and speed), training settings (such as Auto Pause® and Auto Lap®), and navigation settings) | Yes | Yes |
| Auto Scroll (cycles through data pages during workout) | Yes | Yes |
| GPS enabled? (this is the Global Positioning System, the US satellite navigation system) | Yes | Yes |
| GLONASS enabled? (this is the GLObal NAVigation Satellite System, the Russian satellite navigation system) | Yes | Yes |
| Distance, speed, ascent/descent and GPS position | Yes | Yes |
| Navigation? | Yes - once you pick a location, it will guide you to that location | Yes - once you pick a location, it will guide you to that location |
| Turn-by-turn guidance? | Yes - just like a car GPS, it will warn you a turn is coming, and tell you when to turn (with text and a beep) | Yes - just like a car GPS, it will warn you a turn is coming, and tell you when to turn (with text and a beep) |
| Preloaded basemap? | Yes, preloaded Garmin Cycle Map with bike-specific navigation so it can give you turn-by-turn navigation instructions | Yes, preloaded Garmin Cycle Map with bike-specific navigation so it can give you turn-by-turn navigation instructions |
| Ability to add maps, such as optional City Navigator® maps or Open Street maps or topographical maps? | Yes | Yes |
| Live tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Points of Interest (POIs) specifically for cyclists | Yes | Requires optional City Navigator® maps to access general points of interest |
| Plan and download new routes to follow (a route is a sequence of waypoints that leads you to your final destination) | You can upload routes you create elsewhere, and follow them; plus you can also enter in an address on the computer itself and it will create a route | You can upload routes you create elsewhere, and follow them; plus you can also enter in an address on the computer itself and it will create a route |
| Barometric altimeter (to tell you your elevation) | Yes | Yes |
| Temperature (displays and records temperature while you ride) | Yes | Yes |
| Buy it now! Find the best price for Garmin Edge 820 | |
| REI | $ |
| Buy it now! Find the best price for Garmin Edge 1000 |
As you can see, both of the Garmin Edge bike computers have tons of features, and they are in fact extremely similar. Both are optimized for bike training and for navigation on a bike, with advanced features like course navigation and turn-by-turn directions. Both are premium, rugged bike computers.
Differences between the Garmin Edge 1000 and the Garmin Edge 820
Physical Differences between the Garmin Edge 1000 and the Garmin Edge 820
Difference #1: The Edge 1000 is bigger
The first and most obvious difference between these two units is the size. The Edge 1000 is substantially bigger. In fact, the screen on the Edge 1000 is almost 2 cm taller than the screen on the 820. That makes the maps a whole lot easier to see on the Edge 1000, especially if your eyes are over 40 years old. Plus, you can turn the Edge 1000 into landscape mode, so you see the maps even more clearly. You cannot do that with the 820.
Difference #2: The Edge 1000 is Heavier
Of course, because the Edge 1000 is bigger, it is also heavier – 4 oz (114.5 g) vs 2.4 oz (67.7 g). However, unless you are cycling up the Alps at the front of a Tour de France peloton, I don’t really see how a 1.6 oz weight difference is going to impact your ride!
Difference #3: The Edge 1000 has a Micro-SD card slot
The Edge 1000 has a micro-SD card slot, while the Edge 820 does not have a card slot. You can use this slot to put in a micro-card with even more maps. However, in practice, the 16 GB memory on the Edge 820 can store so many maps that I do not see how the lack of a micro-SD card slot would be a problem. Bear in mind that you can erase maps you don’t use any more, to make space for new maps – for example, if you were cycling around the world and found you couldn’t quite fit the whole world onto your tiny bike computer!
Unique Features on the Garmin Edge 820
The Garmin Edge 820 is a newer bike computer, so of course it has all the latest features. This means that the cheaper bike computer has more features! The Edge 820 has several brand new features that the Edge 1000 does not have, including Group Track, Incident Alert, Battery Save Mode and Stress Score. For a start, take a look at my unboxing the Garmin Edge 820 video, in which I show all that comes in the box (if you get the Edge 820 bundle), how to set it up, and the immediately obvious changes in appearance and menu options on this upgraded unit.
Difference #4: Group Track on the Garmin Edge 820
The Garmin Edge 820 is the first (and so far the only, apart from the dumbed-down version of the 820, the Edge Explore 820) Garmin Edge bike computer to offer the brand new GroupTrack feature. This lets you pair your device through Garmin Connect so you can see where your riding buddies are, right on your bike computer screen. This could be handy if, for example, your wife leaves you in the dust and you need to try and catch up (yes, this has happened to me – thanks, Mrs. Average Joe Cyclist)!
Note that the other cyclists do not need to have an Edge 820 or Edge Explore 820 – they can make themselves visible to you if they have any connected, LiveTrack-compatible Edge or Forerunner. Here’s a video that shows you how the Garmin Edge 820 GroupTrack feature works:
Difference #5: Incident Alert on the Garmin Edge 820
The Garmin Edge 820 has a built-in ability to detect an “incident,” which is basically an event that seems to be a crash. You could for example simulate it by picking up your bike and throwing it at a wall (not recommended!) If you fall off your bike, the Garmin Edge 820 will interpret this as an incident. It will then notify a person who you have designated. If you fall off and you are fine, you have 20 seconds in which you can cancel the alert.
This is a useful feature if you have a significant other who worries about you while you are on your bike. To be honest, I sometimes worry myself sick when Mrs. Average Joe Cyclist is bike commuting to work, because her route is dangerous, and she was once hit by a truck while on her way to work. Every morning it is a HUGE weight off my mind when I do not get an incident alert, so I know she has not been hit by a truck again. (Yeah I know, it’s NEVER going to happen again, but still …)
Difference #6: Battery Save Mode on the Garmin Edge 820
To me, this is the most useful new feature on the Garmin Edge 820. If you are worried about losing battery power, just put the bike computer into battery save mode. The screen will blank out, but it will keep recording your ride. You can bring the screen back to life at any time. This extends the battery life by several hours.
Difference #7: Stress Score on the Garmin Edge 820
The Stress Score basically shows you on a graphical interface how much you stressed your body (in a good way) during a bike ride. I find this very useful, as it tells me objectively if I have pushed myself hard enough (or if I have pushed myself too hard).
So, those are the 7 key differences between the Garmin Edge 1000 and 820. And here are these differences, handily summed up in this table. This is basically the table at the top of the post, edited down to only the rows that have differences.
Table Showing the Differences between Garmin Edge 1000 and 820
| | |
|---|---|---|
| Big picture | Great for training and navigation. Screen size is a lot bigger than 820 (2 cm taller), so it is easier to view maps. Has a microSD slot for adding new maps (the 820 doesn’t have this). Color touchscreen | Great for training and navigation. All the features (and then some) of the 1000, in a smaller unit. Several unique features, including Incident Alert, GroupTrack, Battery Save Mode and Stress Score. Color touchscreen |
| Lowest Price on Amazon Right Now: | Price not available | $249.99 |
| Unit Size | 2 x 3.7 x 1" (5.1 x 9.3 x 2.5 cm) | 1.9” x 2.9” x 0.8” (49.0 x 73.0 x 21.0 mm) |
| Display resolution, W x H | 240 x 400 pixels; color | 200 x 265 pixels; color |
| Screen size | 3" (7.6 cm) diagonal, high res | 2.3" (58.4 mm) diagonal, high res |
| Landscape mode available? | Yes | No |
| Weight | 4.0 oz (114.5g) | 2.4 oz (67.7 g) |
| Battery save mode available? | No | Yes ( powers down the screen but continues to record your ride) |
| Is the screen responsive to level of ambient light? | No | Yes |
| Incident alert? (to tell your spouse if you have an accident) | No | Yes. Can be switched off if you are uninjured |
| Group tracking (GroupTrack is an extension of Garmin’s LiveTrack feature, where your friends or family can follow you on a computer. With GroupTrack, you can have this same visibility, but from your handlebars. The idea is that you can meet up or just keep digital track of your cycling companions) | No | Yes |
| Accepts data cards | Yes, including optional memory card in the micro-SD slot | No - there is no micro-SD card slot. However, it has 16 GB of internal memory, so you are unlikely to need a card |
| Connect IQ™ compatible? | No | Yes |
| Advanced training features | Advanced performance and power analysis (if you are using a heart rate monitor and a power meter), including VO2 max, Recovery Time Advisor, and FTP (Functional Threshold Power) tracking | Advanced performance and power analysis (if you are using a heart rate monitor and a power meter), including VO2 max, Recovery Time Advisor, FTP (Functional Threshold Power) tracking, Time in Zone, and recovery (Recovery Time advisor) |
| Stress score (requires HR monitor) | No | Yes - first time ever on a Garmin Edge |
Bottom Line on the Differences between Garmin Edge 1000 and 820
Either one of these bike computers is excellent if you want to train smart and you want navigation assistance. Clearly the choice between them comes down to what is more important to you: the bigger size of the Garmin Edge 1000, or the new features of the Garmin Edge 820. Also, of course, the Garmin Edge 820 is usually about a hundred dollars cheaper. In my opinion, the only serious reason to consider the 1000 is if you find it hard to see maps on a smaller screen. However, I am not you. Maybe you have great eyesight, and one of the new features on the Edge 820 is a must-have for you.
It’s a tough choice, but someone has to make it. Good luck, and have fun!
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