Garmin comes with cheaper bicycle computers with a transparent solar panel

Garmin has announced the Edge 540 and 840, cheaper variants of the Edge 1040 presented last year. The 540 and 840 have variants with and without a transparent solar panel to extend battery life.

According to the manufacturer, the variants without a solar panel last 26 hours, while the variants with a solar panel last up to 32 hours. That is a 23 percent longer battery life due to the solar panel. In saving mode, the regular version can last up to 42 hours, while the solar panel can extend the battery life up to 60 hours. That is an extension of 42 percent.

Garmin Edge 840 Solar

Further states ClimbPro now always on on the bicycle computers and that is new. That requires a lot of memory, which is why the Edge 540 only has maps of Western and Central Europe. Scandinavia and Eastern Europe can be activated via Garmin Express.

Compared to the more expensive Edge 1040, the 840 and 540 not only have a shorter battery life, but also have a smaller screen. That is a 2.6″ panel with 322×246 pixels. It is a transflective screen to be able to read the information even in direct sunlight. There is also less storage available: 16GB on the 540 and 32GB on the 840, compared to 64GB on the the Edge 1040 Solar.

The Edge 540 and 840 will be released immediately. The regular versions cost 400 and 500 euros, while the Solar variants cost 100 euros more.