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Garmin edge 530 disappointment…

LOK
over 3 years ago

I just got my 530 today and from being excited have become quite disappointed with the product. I initially had an edge 130 and was very impressed with it so wanted more features like mapping etc. The main bug bearer I have is that coming from the 130 the screen is bad, really bad. In 2021 this is not acceptable I’m amazed how this got past QA!? Yes it has colour but it’s like using a Nokia from the 90’s. Really not good enough for the money especially when compared to the competition like wahoo etc. Sort it out Garmin! I really wanted to love it but the screen is just so bad.

If the 130 had proper navigation it would be perfect. It’s small compact well priced and good looking. This is a great product. However not the 530. The other areas I wasn’t impressed with on the 530 are the feel of the contact points (buttons). Again the 130 has better feel and the buttons are more precise. Finally the materials seem to be of higher quality on the 130 the plastic casing is less shiny and cheap looking and even the garmin logo the way it’s embossed into the plastic front looks better. At this stage I will be going to look at a wahoo or maybe a 130 plus and continue to use my iPhone for mapping and navigation. If Apple make a bike computer Garmin will be dead in the water if this is the best of their efforts. Poor show guys! I’m sure a lot of people are satisfied with this sub standard quality but for £260 personally I don’t think it’s acceptable. Certainly if I worked in your QA I would be throwing it at the person who signed it off and telling them to address those fundament flaws (contacts points and screen very important). 

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to Kontrast77

    Which was my point but maybe not put clearly. You have a simple device(130) with a brighter screen where more of the battery capacity can be used to illuminate the screen vs a complicated device(530) where less of the battery capacity can be used to Illuminate the screen to maintain great battery life. or you go the Apple way and sacrifice battery life for a great screen

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to thomas_nors
    thomas_nors said:
    You have a simple device(130) with a brighter screen where more of the battery capacity can be used to illuminate the screen vs a complicated device(530) where less of the battery capacity can be used to Illuminate the screen to maintain great battery life.

    The difference between the screen on the 130 and the 530 is the first is monochrome and the other is color. Monochrome screens often have higher contrast (making it easer to read). I think the 130 has a smaller battery too. Who knows if the 530 screen uses less power (it's quite possible that it uses the same or more than the 130).

  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 3 years ago in reply to dpawlyk

    You can't really compare a 130 vs 530. What dpawlyk says is correct. I had a 130 also for a brief moment but felt it didn't offer very much for me. I want something with proper navigation and the 130 have a bread crumb mode only. Yes - it was small and cute and the display was probably clearer - only because it's monochrome. The 130 is probably for someone who rides the same route all the time and just want's to keep track of the statistics.

    But i don't disagree with you that the 530's screen can be a problem - the wahoo easily takes the prize having the best screens (best readable screens). I think the wahoo people cycles more than the Garmin executives.

    You'll have to angle the 530 correctly to maximize it's screen readibility. And when the light goes down or the sun is at a lower angle - the screen can be even harder to see. The pixels do need a lot of light to shine onto it.

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to c.jaquier

    Completely agree. I used it today and it’s a great product otherwise just let down by these small gripes. 

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to c.jaquier

    Completely agree. It’s a great product otherwise let down by these two small niggles.