RideLoop
Garmin Edge 1040 vs 1050: which should you buy?
Garmin's two 3.5-inch Edges now cost the same $699.99, carry the same maps and follow a route the same way. They split on one trade: the 1050's sharp, bright screen and extras against the 1040 Solar's battery, which lasts for days.
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Short version: get the Edge 1050 for the clearest map: a 480 × 800 screen in bright color, plus a speaker, a bike bell and Garmin Pay, with 20 hours of battery. Get the Edge 1040 Solar if you ride long: Garmin claims 35 hours, 45 with sun, and it's 28 g lighter, but its screen looks coarse and muted beside the 1050's. Both are $699.99 at Garmin; the plain 1040, without solar, is about $599.99 where it's still sold.
Specs side by side
| Edge 1050 | Edge 1040 Solar | |
|---|---|---|
| Price at Garmin | $699.99 | $699.99 (launched at $749.99) |
| Screen | 3.5", 480 × 800, color LCD touchscreen | 3.5", 282 × 470, transflective touchscreen |
| Battery, demanding use | 20 h | 35 h, 45 h with sun |
| Battery saver | 60 h | 70 h, up to 100 h with sun |
| Weight | 161 g | 133 g |
| Storage | 64 GB | 64 GB |
| Speaker and bike bell | Yes | No |
| Garmin Pay | Yes | No |
| Plan a course or find an address on the bike | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-band GPS | Yes | Yes |
| Launched | June 2024 | June 2022 |
| Shops |
Battery figures are Garmin's own; its solar numbers assume strong sun (75,000 lux). Garmin's prices; the shops charged the same when we checked.
The screen: the real difference
Both screens are 3.5 inches, but they're different kinds. The 1050 has a color LCD at 480 × 800, the sharpest Garmin makes: street names, the turn arrow and the climb profile look crisp, and the map reads at a glance. The 1040 Solar has a transflective screen at 282 × 470, which works by reflecting daylight. It stays readable in direct sun and uses little power, which is a big part of its battery life, but beside the 1050 its colors look muted and its map looks coarse.
If you mostly follow a course you know is good, the 1040's screen does the job. If you navigate new roads and read the map a lot, the 1050's is the reason to buy it.
Battery: hours or days
A 100-mile ride at 15 mph is close to 7 hours, and either Edge does that with hours to spare. The difference shows on the longest days: a 600 km brevet, two days of bikepacking without a charger, or a week of riding where you'd rather not plug in. That's where the 1050's 20 hours runs out and the 1040 Solar keeps going, topping up from the sun as you ride.
What only the 1050 has
- A speaker for alerts you can hear over wind noise, and a bike bell.
- Garmin Pay, to pay for the coffee stop without your phone.
- The newer screen, described above.
The cost is 28 g more on the bars (161 g against 133) and less battery.
What's the same
Full cycling maps, turn prompts and rerouting when you miss a turn, planning a course or searching an address on the bike, ClimbPro on the hills, multi-band GPS, Varia radar support, and courses from Garmin Connect. For following a route, either one is as capable as anything Garmin makes.
And the plain 1040?
The Edge 1040 without solar is the same computer without the solar charging lens. Garmin lists it as a previous model, and some shops still sell it at around $599.99, $100 less than either of the others. If you want the 1040's screen and size and rarely ride all day, it's the cheapest way into a 3.5-inch Edge.
Which to buy
- You read the map a lot, or ride new roads: Edge 1050.
- You want audible alerts, the bell or Garmin Pay: Edge 1050.
- Brevets, bikepacking or long days away from a charger: Edge 1040 Solar.
- The lightest big-screen Edge: Edge 1040 Solar.
- The cheapest 3.5-inch Edge: the plain 1040, while it's sold.
- Neither needs to be this big: the 2.7-inch Edge 850 or 550.
Garmin hasn't announced anything newer than these; we'll update this page when it does.
Whichever you pick
Both take courses from Garmin Connect, so both work with RideLoop: each loop you build lands in your Garmin Connect account, and on Silver and Gold it goes straight to your Edge. Getting a course on by hand is in how to send a route to your Garmin.
Questions
Is the Edge 1050 better than the Edge 1040?
For the screen, yes: 480 x 800 pixels against 282 x 470, in brighter color, and it adds a speaker, a bike bell and Garmin Pay. For battery, no: Garmin claims 20 hours of demanding use for the 1050 and 35 for the 1040 Solar, 45 with sun. Both follow routes the same way.
Which has the longer battery, the Edge 1040 Solar or the 1050?
The 1040 Solar. Garmin claims 35 hours of demanding use against the 1050's 20, and in battery saver up to 100 hours with strong sun against 60.
Is the Edge 1040 still worth buying in 2026?
Yes, if battery and weight matter more to you than the screen. The 1040 Solar costs the same $699.99 as the 1050 at Garmin, and the plain 1040, without solar charging, is about $599.99 where shops still sell it.
Can the Edge 1040 and 1050 follow RideLoop loops?
Yes. Both take courses from Garmin Connect, where RideLoop puts every loop you build. On Silver and Gold, loops go straight to the Edge.
Give your Edge something to follow
Pick a start and a distance. RideLoop builds the loop on graded roads and sends it to your Garmin.
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