Garmin Edge 1030 Plus vs Edge 1030: What Does The ‘Plus’ Mean?

Here’s a quick post to note down the main differences that you should care about between the Garmin Edge 1030 vs the Edge 1030 Plus bike computers. 

To be clear, I don’t own either of these devices (yet!). This post is intended to act as a reference point when I get around to buying one*.

(* Or, who knows, both, if this blog ever turns into a magic money tree…)

I’m publishing on the blog just in case YOU are also looking for this info and you’d like it delivered in a handy summary, all in one place.

I’ll keep my scribblings to the main differences rather than go into detail about what a bike GPS device is, etc. You can check out my other posts for that guff (like this one comparing the 1030 (non-plus) with the Edge 830).

Righty ho? Onward dear lycra-clad warriors!

Want To Watch My Edge 1030 Plus Video Instead?

Good news. Here it is:

Edge 1030 vs Edge 1030 Plus: Which is The New One?

The Edge 1030 Plus is newer than the Edge 1030. It was launched in June 2020.

The Edge 1030 is a bit older – launched in August 2017 (wow, nearly four years old). But it’s still getting software updates from Garmin to add new features.

Case in point, when Garmin launched the newer Edge 830 and 530 devices, with a raft of new software features, almost all of them were added to the Edge 1030 via a subsequent firmware update.

Garmin Edge 1030

🦍 Top end bike GPS device

🔍 Large colour touchscreen

📌 Sophisticated navigation features

Check price - Amazon Check price - Competitive Cyclist

If you click this link and make a purchase, I earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

Best for performance

Garmin Edge 1030 Plus

🏆 Garmin's top-of-the-range GPS

📲 Large colour touchscreen

🏹 Super fast processor

Check price - Amazon Check price - Competitive Cyclist

If you click this link and make a purchase, I earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

Key Difference: The Colour (Color…)

Let’s start with the important things Mont.

The case on the Edge 1030 Plus is all black.

The Edge 1030 is predominantly white in the case stakes, with a black panel taking up half of the back and a black surround to the screen.

The 1030 Plus is just sleeker and smarter. This alone makes me choose it over the 1030.

Battery Life On The Edge 1030 Plus vs Edge 1030 

The 1030 Plus purports to last longer than the 1030 (actually it’s Garmin that purports it).

They claim 24 hours battery life with GPS, connected features and paired sensors (48 hours with a less intensive GPS setup).

I remember the last time I did a 24 hour event on the bike, whilst being tracked by family all gathered around the coal-powered laptop. It was … never.

But nice to know I could record a 24 hour ride if I wanted to…

Garmin Charge power pack fans – you know who you are – will be pleased to hear that it is compatible with both the 1030 and the ‘Plus’.

Which means that a fully-tracked, fully-sensored 48 hour ride is back on the table. See you when you get back. I’ll put the kettle on.

The 1030 Plus Has Increased Onboard Data Storage

1030 has 16Gb. 1030 Plus has 32Gb.

Whatever. I just bought a new desktop PC with a terrabyte hard drive. Gonna attach it to my handlebars on Saturday….

Wait, I’m back in the room.

With the onboard storage increased (nay, doubled!), Garmin has eschewed (I say, eschewed!) the microSD port.

That said, according to the Garmin website, both devices can save 200 routes, 100 courses and up to 200 hours of history.

So it’s not like you can store more on the Plus in total, you just don’t need to fiddle with microSDs and whatnot.

The 1030 Plus Has More Software Features (Though You Won’t Need Them All)

There are not enough words available in the known universe to describe all the features on the existing 1030. A raft of them came via a big software update in 2019. If you line all the features up end to end, they will reach to Uranus.

(Ahem)

The 1030 Plus was launched with a bunch of new features. Some, like the new streamlined setup process fandango, came to the Edge 1030 later in 2020.

Others … will not (who knows, maybe they will at some point).

Many of these software features have names like Trailforks and ForkSight, which are mountain-bikery.

Others are relevant for road cyclists (and veloists of all persuasions, to be fair), including suggested daily workouts linked to how much training you’ve been subjecting yourself to.

More Processing Grunt

Which is a technical term. With the launch of the Edge 530 and 830 in 2019, Garmin introduced a new more powerful chipset to its GPS device range. The 1030 Plus has this more powerful processor. The basic ‘non-Plus’ Edge 1030 does … not.

The Edge 1030 Plus is therefore significantly faster than the 1030. You won’t notice it for most of the basic features (displaying ride data and the like). You *will* notice it when it comes to navigation. Route calculation should be a heck of a lot faster (although probably still not as fast as your smartphone in places with a lot of roads – otherwise known as cities). 

Edge 1030 Plus vs 1030: Key Things That Remain The Same

Screen. One word. Three and a half inches. Still touchscreen.

Probably the main thing pushing you towards buying a 1030 (Plus) over, say, the Edge 830. They share all the same snazzy on-device navigation features, the 1030 (and Plus) just have a bit more screen ‘real estate’ for you to use them.

Pretty much everything not mentioned above. 99% of the functionality required by any normal road cycling enthusiast

Same size (58mm width x 114mm height x 19mm depth for the stat fans).

I was going to (jokingly) make a big deal about the increase in weight. The Garmin website shows the 1030 Plus at 124g. The older 1030 at 123g.

Then I remembered that the joke about road cyclists being weight weenies is a bit old casquette.

So, to all intents and purposes (like being a bike computer), the Edge 1030 and 1030 Plus weigh the same.

Price

Huh, I wrote this whole post without looking at the price difference.

I assumed, I don’t know, at least $50/£50/$100/£100 (choose your favourite currency).

Nowhere near that. On the Garmin website here in the UK, the difference is £20.

Let’s see if I can get the Garmin site to play nice and show me the USD difference. Answer: I can. And it shows both devices at THE SAME PRICE.

That said, just looking at the likes of Amazon and Wiggle, the original 1030 is available for less than the list price. In fact, for ~$100 less.

So, more or less, the effective price difference is about £90/$100.

For all that, if I’m in the market for spending this sort of money ($600 / £500) on a bike computer, I think I’d be buying the newer 1030 Plus.

Because I prefer the colour.

You’ve Made Your Mind Up – You Want To Buy One?

You’re ahead of me then, but go for it.

Here are some places you can buy a brand spanking new bike computer:

Garmin Edge 1030

🦍 Top end bike GPS device

🔍 Large colour touchscreen

📌 Sophisticated navigation features

Check price - Amazon Check price - Competitive Cyclist

If you click this link and make a purchase, I earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

Best for performance

Garmin Edge 1030 Plus

🏆 Garmin's top-of-the-range GPS

📲 Large colour touchscreen

🏹 Super fast processor

Check price - Amazon Check price - Competitive Cyclist

If you click this link and make a purchase, I earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

Note: These are affiliate links. If you click and buy something, I get a commission. You pay the same price.

Too Simplistical? Want More Info?

If you are looking for more detail than supplied in this little bike tech amuse bouche, here’s a link to the DC Rainmaker in-depth review of the 1030 Plus (which has plenty of references back to the Edge 1030 original model).

Monty is an enthusiastic road cyclist with only moderate talent. He started Sportive Cyclist in 2013 to record the journey to his first 100 mile ride, the RideLondon 100. Over time the blog has expanded to include training advice, gear reviews and road cycling tales, all from the perspective of a not-very-fit MAMIL. Since you're here, Monty would also like you to check out his YouTube channel. Also, Monty really needs to stop referring to himself in the third person.

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