Is the new Garmin Edge 830 imminent? A new FCC entry gives a more information.
After almost 3 years, the Garmin Edge 820 is definitely due for replacement. The Edge 520 got a face-lift last year with the 520 plus and the 1030 still being up-to-date, an Edge 820 successor… well it’s about time.
So, the FCC (US Agency for communication devices) just recently lifted the confidentiality on a new Garmin device. You can find the entry here.
The FCC show pictures of the 830:
Garmin Edge 830 © Garmin / FCC
Also it contains the complete manual, giving us a lot of details of that new device.
Garmin Edge 830 manual © Garmin / FCC
The 830 is larger than the 820 with 850mm height (vs. 730mm) and a width of 550mm (vs. 490mm). It comes (if bought in a bundle) with new speed and cadence sensors using bluetooth instead of Ant+. Also the 830 is compatible with the Garmin Charge battery pack, allowing it to extend the battery life for longer bike tours.
Aside from that, there a not many visible differences. The 820 is known for its slow hardware, making routing and the touchscreen no fun to use. I assume that will change with the 830. Maybe we will get some additional FirstBeat metrics in it, but I wouldn’t expect the training status/recovery metrics from the Edge 1030 to be in it.
There are rumors, that it will use a new Sony GPS chip, which will consume less battery. Giving the bad reports about GPS accuracy, Polar users give with that chip, I really hope Garmin does not go into that direction.
A release day has not been confirmed, but I would expect it to be available in May or June 2019.
Conclusion
The 830 does not look like a big step forward from the 820. And it most likely isn’t. The bluetooth sensors and Charge support, are only minor changes. Hopefully the hardware is up-to-date to make it a decent bike sensor.
What is your opinion? Are you going to buy the 830? Let me known in the comments.
Update
Guess I was wrong. At least about the minor changes. Garmin announced the Edge 830 today (plus a new 530). It has a heavily improved hardware, a lot of new training metrics (making it the garmin device with the most FirstBeat features) and new features for bikers and mountain bikers. It supports Bluetooth and Ant+ sensors, so you can use all your peripherals with them. Both the 530 and 830 are a huge leap ahead. Maybe Garmin is really reacting to the new competitors like Wahoo Elemnt or the Sigma Rox 12.
Check here for DC Rainmaker’s review of the Edge 830. He had access to pre-relase devices and tested them thoroughly.
Release date is early May 2019.