Last year, Garmin released a new model in their (legendary) GPSMAP series: the GPSMAP H1i Plus. This new device comes in two versions, with and without inReach functionality (for satellite communication). The one with inReach is priced at a whopping 999,99 euro while the previous model with inReach (GPSMAP 67i) costs 649,99 euro. This is a price increase of 53%.
I was curious, for such a high price: what does it offer? Looking at the specs, they did add some fancy features. It now has a touchscreen (which you can disable) and the screen is also larger. You can take and send photos, it has a microphone for voice messages and you can also use voice commands… oh and there is a safety siren. The added processing power will most likely result in a smoother operation.
None of the above, except the smoother operation, are features I would personally need and I would label most of them as “fancy features”. Maybe professional guides or Search & Rescue would find the photo/voice option useful as it could provide a faster way of communicating?
Apart from the new features, there are some downsides. The device is slightly heavier (60 grams), takes up more space on your shoulder strap and the battery life has decreased (180 hours to 145 hours in GPS mode). Based on an online review, it sounds like the screen is less bright, and some features have disappeared: custom profiles (I liked this a lot), recording settings, proximity alarms (I used this to receive an alert when approaching a known hazard while packrafting).
More people are nowadays relying on their smartphones for navigation and communication. I don’t, I still prefer the perks of a dedicated GPS device: its reliability in tough conditions, its great battery life, the ease of handling with gloves on and the ability to customize the device through the many settings.
I feel like Garmin might have lost track of what their core GPSMAP user base needs from a device like this. I hope that they keep a more sensibly priced product line alive, focusing on improvements to reliability, battery life and easy of use. Otherwise, they risk pushing more customers toward double bagging their smartphones with offline maps and hoping for the best.
Kind of related and much more positive, but I do applaud Garmin for their new inReach subscription model, with the ability to suspend the service for up to 12 months. This is great news for the more occasional user.
Perhaps I missed some stuff, perhaps I got it completely wrong and I will look back at this in a few years with embarrassment while holding my 1299 euro GPSMAP H3i Plus or something 😁 Feel free to leave a comment if you agree or disagree.
I agree for 100pct. The device they are making becomes more like a smartphone (which we already have, IP68 witch touchscreen). It are the batterylife and the other features (the bomp-proof design and depemdability) for which we buy the garmins