I have Garmin magnetless speed and cadence sensors paired to it along with a Sony Z5 Compact Android phone and a scosche rhythm+ HR.
Initial impressions:
- It?s ginormous! Coming from the smaller computers (Edge 520, Edge 820, Wahoo Bolt) this thing is massive! I assume I will get use to the size over time but I feel like I have an iPad strapped to my bike! Towards the end of the ride it was starting to grow on me.
- The larger screen is nice to have especially with older eyes like mine. I still need to wear my contacts to read anything but the larger screen comes in handy for map viewing and reading SMS messages mainly.
- The backlight is dim, even at 100%. Not really an issue for me as I keep all my other computers set to zero. I cycle in the desert and the sun is always bright so I don?t really need backlight.
- Huge improvement in direct sun readability -v- the Edge 1000 and the Edge 820. Garmin and touchscreens have always meant somewhat cruddy contrast. The Edge 1030 is super crisp and clear outdoors! Dare I say close to the Wahoo screen contrast.
- The screen is responsive to touch and it is slightly improved over my Edge 820. I'd peg that the Edge 1030, when set to Medium sensitivity, is equal to the Edge 820 when it's set to High sensetivity. The Edge 1030 when set to High sensitivity is very responsive to input, touch and swipes.
- Not diggin the white color. Maybe it will grow on me and I do not like the silicone cases
- Need to get screen protector for it (dusty desert rides)
- Like the new SD card placement
- New out front mount is rock solid and the computer gets locked in firmly
- I dig the redesigned look of the home screen (similar to the 820) and I like the new widget options. Swipe down then left or right to see missed messages, weather, segments ect. I had hoped the 820 would get this but it has not yet.
I went on a 36 mile ride without using navigation. Tomorrow I?ll load a route and follow it to see how the Edge 1030 does. I?ll also go off course to see how it behaves. I also didn?t do any Segments today so I?ll test those as well going forward.
I didn?t have any sensor or BT phone disconnects during the ride. I received 12 text messages and they all displayed on the Edge 1030.
One cool thing to note, on Android, is that you can respond right from the Edge 1030 to SMS's. There are a few short responses available and you can't customize (add more or delete the ready made ones) but hopefully that option will come at some point. Responding to SMS is different from rider to rider messaging and it lets you respond to SMS from anyone that texts you on your phone.
When the Edge alerts to an SMS on the left side is an X to clear it and on the right side is a SMS bubble icon. Tapping on that icon brings you to the list of short messages to select from. Tap on the one you want and away it goes like magic! Pretty cool but I would not try and respond while moving. My responses were sent when stopped at a red light.
Here are a few screen grabs from my phone that I took after the ride showing how the responses look to the receiver.

I wondered how she knew it was coming from my Garmin but you can see that after my short response it says -Sent from my Garmin. I do not believe this feature is available on iOS..
I have screen sensitivity set to High and it worked well. It is slightly better than the Edge 820 and is more responsive to touch, input and swipes.. The screen while dim indoors, is crisp and clear when viewed in direct sunlight and the colors really pop on it.
Battery started at 100% and my ride was 2 hours and 41 minutes (2:16 moving time) and when the ride ended the battery was at 89%. Backlight was set to zero, 1 second recording, BT phone connected with GPS and Glonass on.
The ride uploaded fine to GC after it was ended and then auto sync'd over to Strava.
Overall it worked fine, battery life was stellar (if these #'s hold up), outdoor readability in direct sun is vastly improved, and the screen was very responsive.
A few photos:


