Polar v650 vs Garmin Edge 520 is a comparison that many cyclists are searching for. Two sophisticated devices that can make your cycling experience even better than before. These devices can make your life much easier and make your cycling adventure more challenging, safe and fun. Both devices are almost similar in terms of price tag, so this is going to be a close battle. Each device has its own advantages and disadvantages, and in this article, we’re going to see which one is a better buy for you.
Polar v650 Review
Polar v650 features:
· Integrated GPS and Smart Coaching training features.
· Includes Polar H6 Bluetooth Smart heart rate sensor.
· 2.8inch color touch screen, 240 x 320 resolution, easily readable at high speeds
· Water resistant IPX7.
· Accurate altitude data with barometric pressure sensor
· Ne bike mount for solid and easy mounting.
· Instant data sync, training analysis and sharing via Flow app and the web service.
· Polar Flow syncs with Strava.
· Seamless connectivity with any compatible Bluetooth Smart heart rate and cycling sensors.
Polar v650 is priced at $248 and has been around since 2014. It’s impressive that it’s still regarded as a reliable device for 5 years now. With the recent update, Polar v650 is still competitive and able to compete with other newer devices from brands such as Garmin and Wahoo.
Polar v650 looks like a simple bike GPS and it has some basic functionality, complete with an awesome data storage capacity. Unfortunately, Polar v650 lacks live GPS tracking and turn-by-turn navigation, but other features such as the ANT+ sensor capability, which allows the GPS to be paired with heart rate and pedal power for advanced metric monitoring is available. Also, the GPS has built-in navigational capabilities, and plenty of metric-tracking stats.
| Polar v650 | Garmin Edge 520 | |
|---|---|---|
  |   |
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| 3 x 3.8 x 6.5 inches | 2.9 x 0.8 x 1.9 inches |
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| Item Weight | 12 ounces | 2.08 ounces |
| Best Offer | click here | click here |
Polar v650 will be able to satisfy most cyclists who are looking to improve their fitness and cycling experience. Polar v650 is able to monitor your cycling sessions in details and the metric-tracking stats can be very useful for both amateurs and professionals. Polar v650 can boost your training and track your benefits immediately after you’re done riding.
Polar v650 received a new addition of Open Street Mapping, so now you can dare yourself to explore new paths without getting lost. Go down the new paths, and immerse yourself in the new scenery and cycling adventure.
Design-wise, Polar v650 is very compact and looks really good. Despite being released back in 2014, Polar v650 looks modern and fits well with you other gadgets. If you’re still skeptical about the design, just know that Polar v650 won the Red Dot design award. See also: Polar M450 vs Polar V650.
Polar v650’s screen looks really clear with a nice-looking interface and compared to other competitors, Polar v650 is no doubt on top of the ladder in terms of look. It has black and white shell with a contrasting red button. The red button acts as a home button, stop and start button (held down), and lap button (tapped).
There is a side button on the GPS that will show the sub-menu for screen lock, calibration, sensors and turning the unit on and off when pressed or held down. If you’re familiar with smartphones’ designs from a few years ago, then you’ll be familiar with Polar v650.
Overall, Polar v650 is easy to use, has a decent file storage, easy to read the data, and can measure your performance accurately. But it doesn’t have route navigation and no Wi-Fi connectivity either.
Garmin Edge 520 Review
Garmin Edge 520 features:
· Advanced GPS for competing and navigation, including new rider alerts and pre-loaded map with turn-by-turn directions on and off road.
· Pre-loaded Strava Live Segments let you compete with your previous best record and other rider’s record, you can see the result in real-time too.
· You can connect Garmin Edge 520 with your smartphone using LiveTrack and Group track, smart notifications, rider to rider communication and a built-in Incident Detection.
· It can also monitor cycling specific Vo2 Max and recovery time with option power and heart rate monitors.
Garmin Edge 520 has a lot of advanced features that aren’t present in other devices and it’s quite affordable at $215. The interface is simple and easy to use and can be paired with a smartphone and a few external sensors. Garmin Edge 520 is small and powerful. Garmin Edge 520 won a Top Ten Reviews Bronze Award Winner thanks to its function and value.
Garmin Edge 520 displays time, altitude, speed, distance, and temperature data on a pretty bright color screen. Garmin Edge 520 is compatible with ANT+ sensors that can detect heart rate, pedal power and cadence, along with other important training metrics while you ride.
Garmin Edge 520’s bright color screen is very readable even at high speeds and much easier to read than all monochrome screens on cheaper bike GPS units.
Garmin Edge 520 has map support and turn-by-turn navigation. With Garmin Connect website you can create a route and then transfer it to your Garmin Edge 520 via phone or a USB connection. The route will be displayed as a line and your bike is represented by an arrow.
You can also see street names and basic topographical features and the built-in compass. It’s impossible to get lost with Garmin Edge 520. Live Track makes it possible for your friends to watch you as a moving dot on a map. It lets everyone know in case of an emergency and your progress in a race.
Polar v650 vs Garmin Edge 520
Conclusion
Polar v650 vs Garmin Edge 520 was initially going to be a very close battle. As both devices as great for casuals and enthusiasts alike. But as we write this article, we noticed that Garmin Edge 520 is actually cheaper now.
So, we have to go with Garmin Edge 520 for this comparison. Garmin Edge 520 has more features and better tracking and GPS system and with a lower price tag compared to Polar v650, Garmin Edge 520 is a steal and we recommend it to everyone.