The two biggest players in bike computers – Garmin and Wahoo – have launched new flagship models this year, but which one is best?
I’ve been hands-on with both, ridden hundreds of kilometres and sifted through the claims to decipher which one you should spend your money on.
As you might expect, it’s a close-run thing – the reality is, both have enough individual strengths to remain popular with core Garmin and Wahoo fans, while some specific features might have you considering whether you should switch.
That said, the Wahoo Elemnt Ace just edges our head-to-head comparison by four points to three – read on to find out how it takes the crown.
Don’t forget, I’ve published my in-depth reviews of the Wahoo Elemnt Ace and Garmin Edge 1050, if you want to dive into each in even greater detail.
Display
Both the Wahoo Elemnt Ace and Garmin Edge 1050 have big screens – the biggest you’ll find on the market right now.
The Wahoo’s is largest, measuring 3.8in, or 96.7mm, from corner to corner, while the Garmin’s is 3.5in (88.9mm).
Wahoo wins the size battle because the Elemnt Ace's screen is a lot wider, which it says improves map visibility at junctions compared to a narrower screen such as the Garmin’s. The difference is small, but in Wahoo’s favour.
In terms of detail, there’s little to choose between them – the Garmin has a slightly higher resolution on paper, at 480x800 pixels, compared to the Elemnt Ace’s 480x720, although I’ve found this isn’t really noticeable on the bike.
The matt surface on the Wahoo is a plus point, though, given it practically eliminates reflections. The Garmin’s screen is far more reflective, and I’ve found this can be a slight distraction when riding under dappled tree cover or if it happens to catch sun glare.
Garmin’s decision to opt for a transmissive LCD display makes the colours and contrast appear more vivid than on the Wahoo, which uses a transflective display. This reflects sunlight back onto the inner screen layer, which helps reduce reliance on a backlight.
In reality, both screens are excellent and won’t disappoint, but the Wahoo Elemnt Ace’s extra width and lack of distracting reflections take it to a narrow win.
- Winner: Wahoo Elemnt Ace
Setup ease
There are nuances in the initial setup procedure for each of these models, but the best bike computers, have coalesced around the general procedure of:
- Pairing to your phone via Bluetooth
- Downloading the relevant companion app
- Running through the phone prompts to either set up a new account and preferences or sync your data from a pre-existing account
From this point on, you’re good to go. Linking Garmin Connect and Wahoo accounts to third-party cycling apps such as Strava is easy too.
Prior to testing the Wahoo Elemnt Ace, I needed to start from scratch because I didn’t have the latest Wahoo app downloaded (which the Elemnt Ace needs) or an account set up.
I already had an active Garmin Connect account, so I could sync my personal data and pages across in one go for the Edge 1050. This, of course, saves time, but it’s also fair to say the most familiar system will likely feel easiest to use initially.
In short, the setup procedures are as easy as each other, and – unless you know you prefer one over the other for a particular reason – this shouldn’t serve as a decision-maker.
After all, once everything’s set up, you shouldn’t have to do it again.
- Winner: Draw
User interface
The Garmin Edge 1050 and Wahoo Elemnt Ace feature the latest and most polished versions of their respective operating systems. They will feel immediately familiar to those who have used units from either brand in recent years (albeit the Elemnt Ace’s feels more extensively tweaked), even if they appear refreshed.
You may have a preference for one over the other, based on learned experience, but there are differences to note.
The Wahoo uses its existing multi-function three-button interface with additional toggle (zoom) and power buttons on the side, and pairs this – in a first for Wahoo – with a touchscreen.
Garmin has been using touchscreen tech for years and supplements this with dedicated stop/start, lap and power buttons.
The key takeaway is Garmin’s button functions are defined, while the three buttons on the Wahoo change function depending on what screen you’re looking at.
The touchscreens operate as you’d expect – I think the Garmin is a little faster to load and refresh (it also starts up marginally quicker from off), but the differences are small.
In neither device can you rely solely on the touchscreen, though – both require you to use the physical buttons to start and pause a ride.
Fans of on-device simplicity will appreciate the fact that much of the customisation for the Wahoo Elemnt Ace must be done in the app. Some, understandably, don’t want the maze of menus found in the Garmin.
That said, being able to make setting changes locally on the device, rather than using your phone, will appeal to others – especially if you know your way around.
Notably, Wahoo and Garmin go about screen customisation a little differently. With the Edge 1050, you enter the profile and page editor on the device and select how many fields you want – and can decide what you want to display in each.
In the Wahoo, each screen’s fields are organised by a priority system in the app, and you can toggle the zoom to show more or less of them while riding.
While you can set up more pages to show specific groups of data on both devices, the Wahoo system feels slightly more complicated to me because you’re locked into the priority order unless you stop and change it on your phone.
Objectively, though, both are very usable (think of how Windows and Mac computers are both very functional) and given this, the fairest result is a draw.
- Winner: Draw
Mapping, routing and GPS accuracy
Enough of this drawing nonsense, though, because from here on, things get really interesting.
While both work well and as intended, the Wahoo Elemnt Ace has a clearer map – mainly because it uses plain white lines for all but large main roads, with relative sizes suggested by the width of the lines.
The Garmin takes a similar approach, but the road lines appear less clear, while road names can fit awkwardly next to them, making the map feel more crowded.
Routing for both is easy, though, with the ability to navigate home or directly to a location on the device.
Both are reliable, both reroute quickly when asked and neither nags you to make a U-turn for too long when you decide to cut a corner off your planned route.
The Wahoo has led me astray once so far by directing me down a footpath on a road ride, although ignoring this quickly pushed the computer to find the next (more suitable) route.
I prefer the purple breadcrumb line Garmin offers to show the way, but Wahoo’s distinctive chevron line is easy to follow too.
You can create a custom route on the Garmin Edge 1050, although I find this process quite time-consuming and imprecise.
So-called GPS drift, where trace lines stray off the road through weak signals, appears to be an issue of the past – both computers have proven reliable for me. Both use GPS, GLONASS and Galileo satellites for signal.
For its map clarity, though, and with little else to separate them, the Wahoo Elemnt Ace pinches it.
- Winner: Wahoo Elemnt Ace
Key features
As you might expect, both devices are awash with features.
The Garmin’s feature set is slightly deeper overall and notably includes things such as a recovery time advisor, virtual partner function, device route sharing, weather alerts and rider messaging.
You can also download third-party apps through its Connect IQ service.
The Edge 1050 has the most advanced version of Garmin’s GroupRide function, which basically groups riders with compatible computers so they can communicate and compete on a ride.
It also has hazard notifications built in – meaning you can identify hazards and leave warnings for other compatible Garmin users when they come across the same obstacle.
These features are great and have lots of potential, although their success depends on riders using compatible devices and engaging with those features. If no one’s recording the hazards, or no one’s receiving them, it’s a bit pointless.
The Elemnt Ace comes to the table with its wind sensor, which measures the air impacting upon it, and compares that to groundspeed to let you know whether you’re in a tailwind or headwind situation.
As things stand, it's not as refined as it could be, though.
The sensor can’t measure crosswinds given its position on the front, and it’s limited to a live by-the-second feed to your screen (so the reading is constantly jumping around, as the wind tends to do).
It also can’t yet tell you anything about your drag coefficient, which some speculated about when the device leaked before the launch.
Aside from confirming that you ought to seek shelter in a group to make your ride easier, I’m not sure what it can tell you that you can’t already feel.
That said, there’s definitely scope for racers and coaches to dig into this detail to refine their tactics and racing technique.
Wahoo says it has plans to develop the tech, confirming the sensor could be used to measure drag in the future, plus apply the data to create planning tools such as wind maps – but there’s no timeline on when we can expect either.
There are arguments for and against here, but the Garmin just takes this round.
- Winner: Garmin Edge 1050
Size, weight and mounting options
Neither device is small. In fact, neither will fit on a standard-sized out-front mount.
Given the Garmin weighs 161g versus the Wahoo’s hefty 209g, I wonder if Garmin really needed to move the quarter-turn mount interface to where it is now. The similarly sized Edge 1040 was a tight squeeze on my existing mounts, but it would just fit.
The Elemnt Ace is the biggest and heaviest bike computer I’ve ever used, though, and positioning the mount interface in the middle of the device is probably a smart move for stability’s sake.
In both cases, the computers require specific mounts to accommodate their size, and while some third-party mounts exist, the integrated mounts found on some bikes are simply too small. We expect to see more appearing in 2025.
Both brands supply a compatible out-front mount, of course. Wahoo’s aluminium unit certainly feels and looks more premium than Garmin’s plastic mount, but this is a minor detail.
The Garmin is visibly narrower and slimmer than the Wahoo, which helps it appear sleeker, although the Elemnt Ace benefits from its width through a broader screen.
- Winner: Garmin Edge 1050
Battery life
If you want the device with the longest potential battery life, it would appear you'll be better off with the Garmin Edge 1050.
That said, achieving anything close to the claimed maximum of 60 hours means you’ll need to engage the device’s power-save features – including reducing the backlight, GPS bands and sensor connections, and even turning off the mapping.
In reality, I’ve seen a little more than 20 hours battery life when everything is switched on and I’m using the majority of the computer’s recording features. Credit to Garmin, that’s in line with its claims – rather than the optimistic 35 hours it used to quote for Edge 1040.
Wahoo says it wanted to prioritise battery life with all features activated, though, rather than limiting the device’s functionality to get there.
So, the Elemnt Ace doesn’t have a dedicated battery-save mode (although you can tweak things such as screen brightness). This means it can’t reach the same top-end battery life as the Garmin.
However, with the same sensors connected, it will last for between 25 and 30 hours, based on the limited time I’ve had with the unit so far.
If I wanted the device with the best battery life, without sacrificing features – as I suspect most riders do – the Wahoo would be the way to go.
- Winner: Wahoo Elemnt Ace
Value
There’s no denying that both of these bike computers are very expensive.
However, the Wahoo Elemnt Ace is the least expensive of the two, at £549.99 / $599.99 / €599.99 / AU$999.99. This is by no means cheap, but it compares favourably with the Garmin Edge 1050 at £650 / $700 / €700 / AU$1,170.
Comparing features and ascribing a value to them is a fool’s game – you’ll know if you really value a specific feature the other computer doesn’t have, or mind if the Wahoo is bigger and heavier, or care that the Garmin’s screen isn’t quite as good, overall.
However, £100 / $100 / €100 / AU$170 isn’t to be sniffed at.
- Winner: Wahoo Elemnt Ace
The Winner: Wahoo Elemnt Ace
Looking at the final scores, the Wahoo Elemnt Ace has the beating of the Garmin Edge 1050, 4-3.
It has the best screen, the best mapping, the best battery life for most people, and is the cheaper of the two units.
The Garmin has slightly more features overall – although it’s fair to say both brands have work to do to get their latest toys working at full potential – and is the lighter and sleeker-looking computer.
I think they’re just as easy to set up and use as each other (each has its own quirks), although naturally much depends on which you’re familiar with. Ultimately, once you’re used to either, they’re logical and intuitive in their own way.
As ever, your personal experience will factor into the decision – maybe you’ve had a particularly good or bad experience with a Garmin or Wahoo in the past, maybe you have a wider gadget ecosystem you’d like to build or maintain, or perhaps you just fancy a change.
Whatever your motivation, both computers are very good and will do a great job if you’re in the market for a flagship product.
