$100 off, but…
Is it worth it, any updates? Interesting to note that they they dropped solar charging (gimmick) and the metal back of the 1040. It looks slimmer, possibly slightly larger but…
Having broken an ear off the back of an Edge during a crash, I’d rather see them keep the metal back mount as replacing a mount is cheaper than replacing the Edge.
I’ll check for a DCR video too. TIA…
Just went from a 1040 to a 1050, and it’s definitely worth it for old eyes. The screen is massively brighter, so I don’t have to spend time squinting at it from different angles depending on the light. I just look down, get my info, and I’m eyes front again. The bell’s nice, and some of the new graphical fields are handy, but it really hinges on the visibility improvement.
You can also replace the bracket where it fits into the quarter-turn mount. T25 Torx, I think?
Well replaceable would be better than tape or straps to hold a broken one in.
Old eyes here too. 
Beats the alternative.
Thanks…
Just Allen head bolts, same as those in the power mount.
Oh, right. Couldn’t be bothered to look at my own, so went with a random internet site.
For those who like to actually see what’s on the screen 1050 is worth the upgrade. The fact that Garmin charges through the nose for these is the key downside.
And when I had a unit to be repaired, I was offered a ‘replacement’ at a huge discount. I posted on the sewer FB that the ‘true value’ of the model I had was THAT price, not the inflated MSRP (they did still sell that model at the time). I mean, great that they did that, rather than me buying a newer model at retail, but they could offer ‘upgrade pricing’, if they wanted to… I guess one reason not to is that the older units could ‘flood’ the secondary market and eliminate MSRP purchases, possibly.
IDK, but FWIW, 840/1040 have replaceable tabs. I’m old and have no probs seeing the 840 screen with my progressive bifocal riding glasses. The 840 is already bigger than I want on my bars.
I have a 1050, my favorite feature is the bell. I may have overpaid for it.
I haven’t used a 1040 so have no reference but some of the nice features I like on the 1050:
Biggest downside has been no Apple Watch support, and I don’t know if that’s on Garmin or Apple but shameful. I have to take a hand off my handlebars to get a heart reading which is just energy lost.
Sorry, I have to ask here: I got my girlfriend a 1040 (over a 1050) recently, precisely because I was concerned the display would be worse to read, for example in bright sunlight. I have not seen a 1050 in person though, so you say it’s better on most conditions? Thanks!
Pretty much all the things (other than bell) are available on any edge released in last 3 years).
@cborsbach I’d say it’s better in all conditions. The backlight is … bright. Burn your eyes out bright. 
Yeah, it’s a pretty massive difference. I keep it at 50% brightness and I’ve never had any trouble reading what I need at a quick glance. Although full disclosure: I live in northern New England so we haven’t really seen much of that big yellow burn-y thing up in the sky yet this spring.
I’ll try to get some real world side-by-sides later today.
Same here lol. I have it set up to ring when I press my Di2 hood buttons and I use it way more than I thought I would. It’s a shame Garmin doesn’t sell the Edge remote anymore, I’d love to put one on my aerobars just for the bell.
Relatedly, I also like that the 1050 has a speaker instead of just the beeper on the 1040. The alert sounds and tones are much more pleasant; I found the beeps on the 1040 shrill and grating.
Gads!! That alone might make it worth upgrading. I have grown to HATE the beeper! My first group ride with a varia was with an Edge 10xx and the damn beeper was just grating for some people in the ride group. I could ignore it so it eventually didn’t bother me, but a few were hoping I’d ‘turn that damn thing off’. (was it jealousy? Maybe, but on really busy roads (or lots of falsing) the beep-beep gets to me too. Yeah, it can be turned down/up, but it was never a real feature to change the damn beeping. It’s basically nearly on or off (actually was on or off on one Edge), which is unfortunate)
Speak to me… 
Yeah, forgot to mention how nice this is on a quiet early morning out on the bike. I live very rural and don’t need much volume, so I have it set a bit quieter and just get some chirps every now and then.
This is where SRAM AXS has the ‘Edge’ - You can do exactly this with a wireless Blip.
The bell control on the 1050 with Di2/AXS bonus buttons is one of those ‘simple is best’ things that I never knew I needed. I’ve also assigned media play/pause to the same button with press-and=hold. Also something that might seem only mildly handy on paper… yet it’s extremely useful on the bike to have that control without having to take your hands off the hoods.
Just when people might have thought that there was no way to update an existing product with a feature that is really usable, and Garmin has a bell on the Edge. Maybe others have done that, but for someone in a Garmin world, that’s a great feature!
I was surprised to see that the 1050 battery life actually went down compared to the 1040. I understand the brighter screen, but battery technology and tech reducing power demands is increasing pretty rapidly.
From Garmin, it appears the 1050 is 20-60 hrs depending on use, while the 1040 is 35-90 hrs.
Both of those are way more than I would currently need, but I dream of doing much longer multi day events.. I’m sure I’ll be upgrading head units before then anyways.
I know people rave about the bell, but my personal experience is that no one but me seems to hear it. When I ring it for walkers/runners, they NEVER acknowledge it. I’ve hit it behind other cyclists on the road too, and they never acknowledge it either. I’ve probably rang it 100x and only been acknowledged 2-3 times. I eventually just quit using it and went back to shouting.
