Ugreen offers this car smartphone holder to be fixed on a ventilation grille and which works thanks to the weight of the smartphone. When “gravity” rhymes with “simplicity”. The holder can be attached to car vent. It also may not hold all the smartphone. 

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Pros and Cons

Pros

• Smartphone well maintained.
• Very convenient “gravity” system.
• Correct finishes.

Cons

• Not suitable for large and thick mobiles.
• No landscape mode.
• Limited guidance.

Design and Installation

The Ugreen support that we are testing here is a model that attaches to car ventilation grilles. The fixing is done by means of a clip covered with a rather soft rubber which has the merit of not scratching the fins of the grid.

This hanging system is simple to set up, but does not provide flawless support. We prefer the solution proposed by Lisen which offers excellent support.

In this specific case, the choice of Ugreen can be explained by the absence of a ball joint allowing the support to be oriented. The orientation is then done directly by playing on the binding.

This system therefore remains limited by the latitude left by the ventilation grid. It will sometimes be impossible to orient the support as desired.

Without being the most discreet smartphone holder for cars, the Ugreen one blends quite easily into the cabin. The finishes are good and the materials chosen remain correct.

The plastic on the arms doesn’t feel very sturdy, but the design of the stand means they won’t be put to the test with use.

Holding the smartphone

The principle of this Ugreen so-called “gravity” support is quite simple. The weight of the smartphone pushes the lower part of the support downwards, which has the effect of bringing the two arms located on either side of the mobile closer together.

It is therefore sufficient to slide the smartphone into the support so that it is maintained. A perfectly simple gesture, which is carried out with one hand and almost with your eyes closed. To remove the terminal from its location, simply lift it so that the arms move apart. Again, one hand is enough.

The arms and the lower part are covered with small pieces of rubber that help to hold the smartphone properly. Even on slightly bumpy roads, the phone stays firmly in place in its holder.

The arms support enough to hold the mobile, but not enough to trigger the volume keys or screen lock. Not all mobiles can be accommodated by this support.

The smartphone and its possible cover must not exceed 76 mm in width and 1.2 cm in thickness. A limit that will therefore affect the majority of smartphones whose screen exceeds 6.5 inches diagonally.

A Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro or an Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max will not be able to slip between the arms of this Ugreen support, even without a protective cover.

If it is very convenient to insert and remove your phone from the Ugreen support, it still suffers from some disadvantages. The first is that the arms fold slightly in front of the smartphone screen.

This can be awkward for screen input if you want to reach an element on the edge. However, this does not hide the lower part, where the virtual keyboard generally appears, which leaves the part reserved for entering an address in a navigation application free.

Another pitfall that may bother some, the design of the Ugreen gravity support actually prohibits use in landscape mode. In this sense, the clamping system does not work.
Finally, note that a small space is left in the platform supporting the mobile to pass a charger.

Supported Smartphones:

iPhone 13 12 11 Pro Max, new iPhone SE, iPhone XS XR X 8 Plus 7 6 6s, Samsung Galaxy Note20 S20 Ultra S10 Plus S9 Note 9 8, etc, LG V20 V30 G5 G8 ThinQ, Google Pixel 4, Pixel 2 XL, Pixel 3 XL, and other phones with same sizes. 

Conclusion

The Ugreen Gravity Car Smartphone Holder won’t be for everyone. Its fastening system to the ventilation grilles is restrictive and the support does not accept mobiles that are too wide or too thick. On the other hand, the method of holding the smartphone is effective and very practical to use if you often place and remove your phone in the car.

Specs

We took a closer look at the Edge 830 – a feature-rich GPS bike computer from Garmin with touchscreen operation. The manufacturer has made a huge improvement over the 820 model with this Edge 830 GPS Computer. This model is actually an Edge 1030 Plus but smaller. Garmin released the Edge 830 and 530 at the same time 3 years ago. 

This makes the Edge 830 in good company. Garmin has several bicycle navigation systems with touchscreen in the program.

In addition to the 830, there are:

• The top model Edge 1030 Plus
• The popular & affordable Edge Explore

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Garmin Edge 830: Pros and Cons

Pros

• Great display,
• Accurate,
• great mapping
• generally reliable
• Compact design
• Strong technology
• Comprehensive connectivity
• Support of a variety of sensors & devices
• Import of routes via smartphone

Cons

• Fairly constant lockups at the end of the ride
• Fairly complex
• Unnecessary notifications cluttering the screen.

Design & Construction

Overall, the display is excellently readable, but the 2021 competition from Hammerhead and Wahoo can certainly top Garmin.

In shady areas, it is even better than the display of the 1030 Plus because of its higher maximum brightness. In direct sunlight, the same applies as with all Edge models: Excellent, but only at a certain, rather narrowly defined angle to the sun.

(Note: With me display is always tested in the setting “Lighting = 100%”)

The system reacts quickly, which manifests itself positively, for example, when searching the POIs or when moving the card.

Even if the 830 does not have a memory card slot, there is still enough space for additional cards. The almost 7 GB of free storage space allows, for example, to install OSM leisure maps of completely Germany, Austria and Italy as well as contour lines of Germany – then still about 350 MB are available.

Garmin states that the battery life is up to 20 hours. This value can be taken as an indication – in practice, the term is slightly lower, it depends in particular on the following factors:

• Which GNSS are enabled?
• Are sensors & devices paired?
• Power saving mode yes/no?
• What duration & strength are set for the display illumination?
• Automatic brightness yes/no?
• User interactions such as “wild” moving the map?

If necessary, the runtime can be significantly improved by the Garmin Charge battery pack, charging while driving via USB is also possible.

For GPS reception, there are the options

• GPS
• GPS + GLONASS
• GPS + GALILEO

to choose from, which can be individually configured for each activity profile (road bike, mountain bike, …).

The position is determined very quickly, when testing the GPS accuracy it is important to be careful. Several GPS devices on the handlebars are critical, the distance between them should be at least 20 cm!

My Garmin Edge 830 review shows: The 830 does its job well, deviations are in the “usual” range of 10 to 15 meters (figure below).

Performance

From the immense variety of functions – which should satisfy all road cyclists, mountain bikers & touring cyclists – I pick out a few topics as part of my Garmin Edge 830 test.

Sensors & Devices

Sensors & devices can be paired via ANT+ or Bluetooth Smart – in contrast to the GPS settings, however, not for each individual profile, but across devices.

The following can be used:

• Cadence (ANT+, BT)
• Speed (ANT+, BT)
• Tritt./Geschw. combined (ANT+, BT)
• Heart rate (ANT+, BT)
• Edge Remote Control (ANT+)
• E-Bike (ANT+) (Shimano Steps, ANT+ LEV e.g. from Specialized)
• inReach (ANT+)
• Light (ANT+)
• Power (ANT+, BT)
• Radar (ANT+)
• Circuit (ANT+)
• Shimano Di2 (ANT+)
• Varia Vision (ANT+)
• VIRB (ANT+)
• Indoor Trainer (ANT+ FE-C)

There is also a convenient “sensor pool” for configuring and managing, and the heart rate measured by a Garmin wearable can also be received.

Navigation

Navigating with tracks is certainly the most commonly used method.

How do the routes get to the Edge 830?

There is a wide range of options, the transfer takes place via Bluetooth (from the smartphone), USB (from the computer) or via Wi-Fi.

• Manually copy FIT or .GPX files to internal memory.
• Plan routes on the Garmin Connect website and transfer them to the 830.
• Schedule in Garmin BaseCamp and send to the Edge.
• Import into the Garmin Connect smartphone app and send to the 830 (e.g. komoot, Strava)
• Import from the smartphone with the help of numerous Connect IQ apps (e.g. komoot)
• Device to device transmission, e.g. Edge 1030 to Edge 830 (but only worked bumpy in the test)
• Download TrailFork’s routes

How do you navigate routes?

First of all, it should be noted that there are important options hidden in the menu!

In the menu “Navigation > routes > Gesp. As with all current Edge models, two functions can be deactivated/activated via the hamburger symbol at the bottom right (figure):

• Turning instructions
• Route deviation warnings

The “route deviation warnings” – as the name suggests – provide information when leaving a route. However, this function often leads to a “Well, other bike navigation systems can do this much better” (examples: Hammerhead Karoo 2, Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT 2). Garmin still has some catching up to do here, and there are significant improvements, at least for the Edge 1030 Plus.

Much more important is the point “Turning instructions”. When activated, the Edge calculates a new route along the specified route – recognizable by a message on the display such as “Calculate 55%”. Subsequently, there are turning instructions with direction arrows.

Connectivity & Features

In terms of functions, the Edge 830 actually realizes everything Garmin currently has to offer. These include Live & GroupTrack, training plans, intervals, smart alarms (drinking, eating), segments and more.

Segments is a feature to be able to compete and compare with other bikers. In addition to the well-known Strava segments, there are also Garmin segments, which are most easily selected via the Garmin Connect app and reach the Edge via Bluetooth.

14 Firstbeat metrics support performance-oriented bikers:

• VO2max Fitness Level
• Functional Threshold Power (FTP)
• Aerobic training effect
• Anaerobic training effect
• Real-time performance
• Calories burned
• Training load
• Training Status
• Training load balance
• Workout Labels
• Recovery Guide
• Quick stress level test
• Altitude and heat acclimatization
• Respiration rate

In order to be able to use these metrics and functions in their entirety in a targeted manner, not only a certain amount of expertise is required, but also equipment such as a heart rate sensor and, if possible, a power meter such as the Garmin Rally XC100. What is unfortunately missing are training suggestions based on this data (analogous to the 1030 Plus).

Battery life

Garmin claims the battery can last up to 20 hours on GPS mode and up to 40 hours with an additional power pack or if it’s in battery save mode.

In reality, these figures are going to be less but like any electronic device it’s battery life depends greatly on how you use it and what you’re using it for, how bright the display is and how many times you use the touchscreen.

In navigation mode and with plenty of device messing about, route reprogramming and general use I drained about 25 percent of the battery after two hours of recording. With these heavy usage habits, it’s safe to extrapolate that the battery would last eight hours in on-trail recording — pretty impressive considering the outgoing Edge 820 only lasted four hours in similar conditions.

Conclusion

From my point of view, the Edge 830 is a top bike computer for touchscreen fans! Be it on the handlebars of a racing bike, a gravel bike or a mountain bike.

Practically everything Garmin currently has to offer is integrated in terms of functions – performance-oriented road cyclists or mountain bike trail racers should get their money’s worth.

Only for leisure & touring cyclists the Edge 830 is a bit overkill – in this application, navigation is usually in the foreground. But there is the also recommended but cheaper Edge Explore. And if you are bothered by the small display, you can reach for the Edge 1030 Plus, which is in a different price range. You may want to check our comparison for Edge 830 vs Edge 1030 Plus as well.

Specs

• The 1030 Plus starts at €599,99,
• the 830 from €399,99,
• the Explore from €249,99.

Edge 830 vs Edge 1030 Plus Comparison

The Edge 830 is similar to the Edge 1030 Plus in many ways, except for the following differences:

• The 830 is lighter & more compact, the display correspondingly smaller.
• The battery life of the 830 is shorter.
• The 830 has only 16 GB of memory (32 GB on the 1030 Plus).
• With the 1030, the touchscreen sensitivity can be adjusted.
• The Edge 830 display appears slightly brighter, more contrasting and more colorful at maximum illumination.
• The menu and all settings are practically identical except for a few points.
• The 1030 Plus has sophisticated re-routing options when deviating routes.
• With the 830, Garmin dispenses with the daily training suggestions.
• The 830 as well as the 1030 Plus stand out clearly from the Edge Explore. After all, Garmin has different target groups in its sights.

While the Explore is intended more for leisure and touring cyclists – who primarily want to navigate – the 830 and the 1030 Plus are interesting for all performance-oriented bikers who need fully equipped GPS bike computers with all imaginable training functions.

With the Edge 530, Garmin still has a sibling model to the Edge 830 in the program. The Edge 530 is operated exclusively with buttons and has slightly fewer navigation functions – it is priced around €100.- cheaper.