Magene C606 Review: Garmin Edge Killer?!

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The C606 is Magene’s newest bike computer. When I saw its specifications and price, I immediately thought: ‘This is a direct attack on the lower-end Garmin Edge.’ It costs way below $200, offers a crisp, colorful touchscreen display, and is customizable via smartphone.

I tested it for a few weeks, and in this review, I will also compare it to other bike computers from brands like Garmin, Wahoo, Hammerhead, and more. Needless to say, C606 is not flawless.

My C606 rating at a glance:
Battery Life 3/5 | Ease of Setup 4/5 | Display 4/5 | Ease of Use 3/5 | GPS Accuracy 4/5 | Maps & Navigation 2/5 | Price 5/5 | OVERALL 3.6/5
More about this bike computer scoring.

Magene C606 Pros and Cons

These are the main pros and cons of the Magene C606 I found during its use.

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Unboxing and Setup

To set up the C606, you have to download OnelapFit. Then, you go through the standard pairing process of scanning a QR code. It’s not as streamlined as the Wahoo process because you have to select the model of your bike computer. I believe this step could be omitted, and you should only be prompted to scan the QR code.

It would also be nice to be able to pair multiple found sensors at once when pairing sensors, but this is no big deal. It’s just me being picky.

Before the first use, I also recommend downloading maps for your region. Remember, you have to download them directly from the bike computer. Downloading from the OnelapFit app is not possible. It took me a while to figure this out. I will explain this further in the Maps and Navigation section.

My Experience

Let’s now talk about individual features in more detail.

Display

The Magene C606’s display is 2.8 inches. Magene doesn’t provide its resolution, but it’s sharp and bright. It’s not as sharp as Hammerhead Karoo 2 but about the same as Garmin Edge bike computers.

Its form factor reminds me of the blend of the Garmin Edge 830 and 1030 (Plus). Its bezels are pretty wide, but the screen offers enough space for up to 10 data fields.

The C606 is basically the same weight as the Bryton S800. It weighs only 105g, which is 21g less than the Edge 1040 and 5g lighter than the Sigma ROX 12.1 EVO, which has only a 3-inch display.

Its readability in direct sunlight is okay, and the display is bright (brighter than Garmin Edge units). But it still reflects more glares than Wahoo ELEMNT bike computers, which have an anti-gloss coating that reduces sun reflections.

C606 also offers to display them in various graphic formats and data layouts.

Battery Life

Magene C606 claims a battery life of between 17 and 25 hours, which puts it slightly above the average. However, it is still less than the Edge 540 or 840. The question is, what is the real battery life?

It lasted me around 16.5 hours. This is an underwhelming result considering the up to 25-hour range. I used it with an HR monitor, Favero Assioma DUO power meter pedals, Magene L508 radar, and connected to a phone. I also used the auto brightness settings.

The chart below shows the claimed battery life of top cycling computers on the market, so you have an idea where it falls.

Lastly, it’s probably no surprise that the C606 has a USB-C charging port.

Control and User Friendliness

Magene C606 is a touchscreen bike computer with 3 buttons, one of which is the power button. They have a similar functionality as the Garmin Edge 830. However, starting a new lap is done via the power button, which is located at the top of the bike computer, so it’s not as easily accessible as the bottom buttons.

I like that the OnelapFit app allows me to manage 90 % of the settings from my smartphone. This includes settings for things like the data pages, fields, sensors, etc.

I believe Magene can solve this with future firmware updates. If they do so, I won’t have many things to complain about considering the low price of this bike computer. The system responds quickly. It’s not as quick as a smartphone, but that’s okay for a bike computer.

Like always with touchscreen bike computers, I tried it when wet and with gloves. The display works well. It’s on par with Garmin Edge bike computers. Watch the video below.

I also discovered that the audible alerts are too similar to each other, leading to confusion. I don’t know if it’s an alert from a radar, a reminder for drinking, or an alert for changing direction when the navigation is turned on.

The red arrows showing cars are also not very visible, so you don’t know where the car is at first glance, unlike with other bike computers, which usually only show the dot.

Maps and Navigation

C606’s map and navigation experience starts with downloading maps for your region. I couldn’t find the maps in the OnelapFit app, but after a while, I found them on the bike computer in settings.

Downloading one package (Europe 4) took around 15 minutes, which I consider pretty long. However, it included several countries (Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania). The 4GB storage may seem like a problem at first. But after downloading 3 regions (Europe 2, 4, and 5), I still had 61% of storage left, so about 2.44 GB.

Anyway, after successfully installing the maps, I went for a ride to try them out. I loaded a route easily via the smartphone. But that’s where my confusion started. Magene C606 navigation behaves slightly differently than other bike computers.

Instead of recalculating your route immediately, the device alerts you when you go off-course for the first 100 meters. Between 100 and 300 meters off-course, it shows a straight line to the point where you deviated. After 300 meters, the bike computer starts recalculating the route.

I also noticed a strange inconsistency. The first time I tried navigation (with my smartphone connected, which is mandatory for route recalculation), it completely stopped, and it was unable to recalculate the route. The recalculation worked on the second attempt (in a different area). I don’t get it because I had a strong enough GPS and cellular signal.

After this experience, I recommend looking elsewhere for a head unit with reliable navigation. For example, Sigma ROX 12.1 EVO offers a great navigation experience. C606 has the hardware to do things right, but the software is programmed in a weird way. It doesn’t suit me at all.

Accuracy

The C606 doesn’t support multi-band GNSS. So, how does this translate into GPS accuracy?

It’s not on par with multi-band GNSS bike computers like the Garmin x40 line, but it’s above average. Despite the recorded route being out of the road in several sections, it’s still more accurate than other non-multi-band GNSS units (BOLT 2, Sigma Rox 12.1 EVO, etc.). See the following pictures from my favorite testing segment in a forest.

Connectivity

Magene C606 has ANT+, Bluetooth, and WiFi connectivity. It can download and update maps wirelessly. The same applies to activities and sync with popular apps like Strava or TrainingPeaks. You can pair it with additional sensors like HR monitors, power meters, cadence and speed sensors, cycling radars, etc. You can also use it to control your smart trainer and radar or connect it to electronic groupsets like SRAM eTap or Shimano Di2.

However, I noticed another inconsistency when syncing activities. They sync with the OneLapFit app when I am in the WiFi range. Sometimes, they sync to third-party apps immediately, and sometimes, it takes a while. I have no explanation for this behavior.

Magene C606 Alternatives

Magene C606 Technical Specifications

Here is the summary of the main features and the technical specifications of the Magene C606.

My Verdict

While the $159 price point is tempting and competitive, the overall user experience is sometimes frustrating. I also find the navigation experience subpar. So, until Magene fixes these “pain points,” I can’t use it as my main bike computer, which is a shame because, hardware-wise, it has everything a head unit at this price point needs.

Based on its specifications, it’s better than its competitors. There are still some UI things to polish, but Magene listened to my feedback and pushed some firmware updates already. Keep them coming!

If you decide to give the C606 a chance, please consider purchasing using the links below. It’s the best way to support this website. Thank you very much in advance.

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Magene C606 FAQ

The product for this review was kindly provided by the manufacturer. This did not influence my overall verdict or my opinion about the product. You can learn more about how I approach reviews here.