Garmin Edge 540 & 840 Comparison
Solar charging, responsive touchscreen, and powerful software. Which one is right for you?
Edge 540 - MSRP $349.99
- Base model
- 26 hours of battery life (up to 42 in battery saver mode)
- Button-only operation (no touchscreen)
- Updated features and apps
- 16GB Internal Storage (w/ preloaded North America maps)
- Same Size as Edge 840
Edge 540 Solar - MSRP $449.99
- Solar charging screen for extended battery life
- 32 hours of battery life (up to 60 in battery saver mode)
- Button-only operation (no touchscreen)
- Updated features and apps
- 16GB Internal Storage (w/ preloaded North America maps)
- Same Size as Edge 840
Edge 840 - MSRP $449.99
- Responsive touchscreen
- Advanced navigation (address search and on-device course creation)
- 26 hours of battery life (up to 42 in battery saver mode)
- Button-only operation is still possible
- Updated features and apps
- 32GB Internal Storage (w/ preloaded North America & EU maps)
- Sleek all black look
- Same Size as Edge 540
Edge 840 Solar - MSRP $549.99
- Solar charging screen for extended battery life
- Responsive touchscreen
- Advanced navigation (address search and on-device course creation)
- 32 hours of battery life (up to 60 in battery saver mode)
- Button-only operation is still possible
- Updated features and apps
- 32GB Internal Storage (w/ preloaded North America & EU maps)
- Sleek all black look
- Same Size as Edge 540
Solar charging
Using technology from Garmin’s solar watches and the 1040 Solar, the Edge 540 and 840 Solar offer the highest level of battery reliability at a much more accessible price. This technology is perfect riders who just don’t stop. For all-day epics and weeklong journeys, solar charging is indispensable.
We had the opportunity to put the solar charging to the test on the Edge 840 and found that on a 1-hour ride the unit gained over 16 minutes of run time (on a sunny afternoon in mid-March). The unit started the ride at 73% charged and only dropped down to 71% after an hour. Overall, this is fairly impressive.
Real-world testing
In one hour of riding, the Edge 840 Solar gained over 16 minutes of battery life. The unit can also charge passively when asleep or turned off. We found that in direct sunlight, it takes around 1-2 hours of passive charging for a 1% increase in battery life. In battery saver mode, that equates to around 35 minutes of extra run time.
Battery Life
Although the solar charging numbers are impressive, the battery on its own is a significant improvement. The non-solar Edge 540/840 boasts 26 hours of battery life (up from 20 hours on the Edge 530). This latest generation of bike computers is also compatible with Garmin’s external charging pack for an additional 24 hours of juice. Pair the charging pack with a solar powered unit for the perfect ultra-endurance setup.
Touchscreen
The primary difference between the 540 and 840 is the responsive touchscreen. On the 840 this enables the use of more advanced navigation features such as address search and on-device course creation. We found that the touchscreen works as you would expect. Though, if you plan on using the navigation features a lot, you might consider the Edge 1040 or the Hammerhead Karoo 2 – the smaller-sized touchscreen on the 840 can sometimes be difficult to use.
Updated Features and apps
As usual, Garmin has added some cool new software updates with this latest release:
- ClimbPro – displays detailed information about climbs. No longer requires a route to be pre-loaded.
- Cycling Ability and Course Demands – this metric helps to classify your on-the-bike strengths (such as climbing or sprinting) and compares them with the demands of specific courses to help you focus your training towards your goals.
- Targeted Adaptive Coaching – provides daily suggested workouts based on your current training load, recovery, and upcoming events.
- Power Guide – provides recommended power targets throughout a course to ensure you pace the day perfectly.
Updated Device Specs
Garmin has updated the charging port to the industry standard USB-C port. The size of the unit is slightly shorter and wider than the 530/830, however, the screen size remains nearly the same. For fans of a minimal and unobtrusive head unit, this ticks the boxes. Under the hood, these units are now equipped with multi-band GNSS technology for improved positional accuracy in challenging environments like canyons or forests.
What would we choose?
“After testing out the Edge 840 Solar, I feel that the touchscreen is unnecessary – the device works well in lockout mode using only the buttons. That said, I do love the extra boost from solar charging – so I would buy the Edge 540 Solar because it has most of the updated features, but is just missing a touchscreen.” –Nick (Performance Bicycle Product Merchant)
Explore Further:
Garmin Edge 840 vs. Hammerhead Karoo 2
Learn More