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Overall Score
Simple average of all criteria: each one counts the same (not weighted).
Battery Life
Real battery life from everyday rides with auto-brightness and navigation on for about 30% of rides, not the claimed one.
- 5Edge 840: Above 25 hours
- 5Edge 840 Solar: Above 25 hours
- 2Edge 850: 10 to 15 hours
Average of the 25 products I rated: 3.7
Ease of Setup
Pairing with the phone and sensors, and changing settings, data pages and fields.
- 5Edge 840: Easy and quick
- 5Edge 840 Solar: Easy and quick
- 5Edge 850: Easy and quick
Average of the 25 products I rated: 4.6
Display
Resolution, brightness, color, responsiveness, readability in direct sunlight, and use in the rain or with gloves.
- 4Edge 840: Bright color display with minor weaknesses or no touchscreen
- 4Edge 840 Solar: Bright color display with minor weaknesses or no touchscreen
- 5Edge 850: Colorful, bright and responsive touchscreen
Average of the 25 products I rated: 3.6
Ease of Use
How easy the system and its menus are to use day to day.
- 4Edge 840: Easy to use with minor quirks
- 4Edge 840 Solar: Easy to use with minor quirks
- 5Edge 850: Easy to use and intuitive
Average of the 25 products I rated: 3.6
GPS Accuracy
Tested on the same forest segment, where weaker units drift off the road.
- 5Edge 840: Multi-band GNSS that holds the correct side of the road
- 5Edge 840 Solar: Multi-band GNSS that holds the correct side of the road
- 5Edge 850: Multi-band GNSS that holds the correct side of the road
Average of the 25 products I rated: 4.2
Maps & Navigation
Map detail, routing along suitable roads, rerouting and turn instructions.
- 5Edge 840: Detailed, easy-to-use maps and a wide range of navigation features
- 5Edge 840 Solar: Detailed, easy-to-use maps and a wide range of navigation features
- 5Edge 850: Detailed, easy-to-use maps and a wide range of navigation features
Average of the 25 products I rated: 4.2
Price
Recommended retail price before discounts.
- 2Edge 840: Between $400 and $499
- 1Edge 840 Solar: Above $500
- 1Edge 850: Above $500
Average of the 25 products I rated: 2.5
Tested with our bike computer methodology
Main Specs
My Pick
Garmin Edge 840. I would pick it for the much longer battery life and the lower price. You give up the Edge 850's brighter screen, built-in speaker, Garmin Pay and 64 GB of storage, but you save about $150 and get more than twice the riding time. If the screen and speaker matter more to you than battery, the Edge 850 is worth a look.
Choose the Edge 840 if
- You want more than twice the battery life
- You want to invest the cost difference elsewhere
- You don't mind not having the electronic bell
Choose the Edge 850 if
- You want a sharper, brighter display
- You want a built-in speaker for voice navigation and an electronic bell
- You want Garmin Pay and double the storage
I’ve been using the Edge 840 and the Edge 850 for several months, so if you are wondering which one to choose, you are in the right place. Below, I’ll summarize them and explain which one I would buy based on experience.
Garmin Edge 840 vs. Edge 850 Technical Specifications
The table below compares the technical specifications of the Garmin Edge 840 and Edge 850.
| Feature | Garmin Edge 840 | Garmin Edge 850 |
|---|---|---|
| Interface¹ | Touchscreen + buttons | Touchscreen + buttons |
| Screen size (resolution) | 2.6″ (246×322px) | 2.7″ (420×600px) |
| Touchscreen | Yes | Yes |
| Claimed battery life Tested battery life | 26 hours 24.2 hours | 12 hours 10.3 hours |
| Dimensions | 85×58×20 mm 3.35×2.28×0.79 in | 92.2×54.6×16.8 mm 3.63×2.15×0.66 in |
| Weight | 85g | 112g |
| Storage | 32 GB | 64 GB |
| Start-up time | ∼13s | ∼26s |
| Charging | USB-C | USB-C |
| Mounts in the box | Out front mount Stem mount | Out front mount Stem mount |
| Speaker / Bell / Voice navigation | No | Yes |
| Garmin Pay | No | Yes |
| Address Search On-Device Course Creation | Yes | Yes |
| Smart navigation (rerouting) | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-band GNSS | Yes | Yes |
| Crash/incident detection | Yes | Yes |
| Connectivity | ANT+, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi | ANT+, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi |
| RRP | $449 | $599 |
| More info | Edge 840 Review | Edge 850 Review |
| Buy | BUY BUY at amazon.com BUY (Solar) BUY at amazon.com | BUY BUY at amazon.com |
¹How is it possible to fully control the device.
Edge 840 vs. Edge 850: What’s New?
Here is a quick overview of what’s new:
- Edge 850 has a larger, brighter, and higher-resolution 2.7” transmissive LCD touchscreen; Edge 840 uses a smaller 2.6” transflective TFT touchscreen.
- Edge 850’s battery life is shorter in typical use (12 hours vs. 26 hours).
- Edge 850 includes a built-in speaker (voice navigation, digital bell, workout prompts); Edge 840 only beeps.
- Edge 850 is heavier (113g) but slimmer; Edge 840 is lighter (84.8g) but thicker.
- Edge 850 has double the internal storage (64 GB vs. 32 GB).
- Edge 850 supports Garmin Pay for contactless payments; Edge 840 does not.
- Edge 850 uses a faster processor.
- Edge 850 features 5 Hz GPS recording for higher trail/enduro accuracy.
- Edge 850 introduces Smart Fueling (intelligent nutrition reminders) and an expanded Garmin Cycle Coach with weather and route adaptation.
- Edge 850 allows on-device route creation directly on the touchscreen.
- GroupRide and integration with SRAM AXS are available on both. The Edge 850 launched with GroupRide averages and real-time weather overlays on maps. Garmin’s November 2025 update brought some of these features to select Edge 540, 840, and 1050 models
- Edge 850 is significantly more expensive ($599 vs. $449).
The Edge 840 features a 2.6″ transflective TFT screen, which offers slightly worse readability than the Edge 850’s 2.7″ transmissive LCD (the same one as on the Edge 1050). Both retain the touchscreen and button-based interfaces, allowing you to choose the one that suits you best in a given scenario.
Battery life is the most significant talking point. The one on the Edge 850 was slashed to “up to 12 hours”. For comparison, the Edge 840 is expected to last up to 26 hours (depending on factors such as brightness and sensor usage) and is also available in a Solar option ($499.99 at Garmin US, as of October 2026). The Edge 850 is not. Therefore, if you prioritize battery life, this makes your decision easier. The Edge 850’s design reportedly allows easier battery replacement due to European regulations, but Garmin’s US product page does not mention it. Below, you can see the battery life of the selected Garmin Edge models.
The Edge 850 doubles the base storage from 32 GB to 64 GB, providing more space for multiple map regions. However, the built-in speaker is a bigger deal. It enables you to use an electronic bell (which is more useful than it might seem), voice prompts, and audible alerts.
Both models use multi-band GNSS for fast, accurate positioning, but the Edge 850 also offers 5 Hz GPS recording for enduro and downhill ride profiles. These are new features, along with the timing gates feature.
Both models can show weather updates, but only the 850 can announce them audibly. You can set timing gates to track split times, a feature for interval and competitive training. Garmin also improved its Cycle Coach, Power Guide, and “Smart Fueling” features. They can now take into account the wider context, calibrating nutrition and pacing based on route elevation, weather, and user profile.
There are also new features for group rides, additional points of interest, and improved map layers and weather widgets. These can be especially useful if you don’t carry a smartphone with you and like to explore new routes.
Garmin Edge x50 Alternatives
If you don’t want a Garmin Edge 840 or 850, consider these alternatives:
The first is the Hammerhead Karoo 3 (3rd generation, $525 at SRAM as of October 2026). It offers better battery life than the Edge 850, but a more limited feature set and a different user interface.
The second is the new Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT 3 and ROAM 3. Wahoo claims up to 25 hours for the ROAM 3 (about twice the Edge 850) and up to 20 hours for the BOLT 3. Neither beats the Edge 840’s 26 hours. Both have a less bright display and fewer features. The ROAM 3 offers better value than the BOLT 3 for most users.
Summary
Garmin’s pricing strategy is pretty clever. I’m sure they designed it to subconsciously push you to the higher tiers. Why would you pay $449 for the Edge 840 when you can pay just $150 more for the Edge 850, which includes a speaker and a much brighter screen? But wait, it has a terrible battery, so why not pay more for the Edge 1050? I don’t like where the prices of bike computers are going, but we can’t deny that this is clever.
If you value an excellent screen more than long battery life and appreciate advanced training features, the E850, priced at $599, is worth considering. Personally, I would rather pay a bit more ($699) for the E1050 because of its longer battery life and larger display, but it offers a similar feature set (and, most importantly, the same display technology).
Alternatively, I would opt for the previous generation, the E840, for its lower price ($449) and even longer battery life.
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