Dura 2 Solar and Garmin Edge 1040 Solar are the only two bike computers with solar charging and long battery life, but they do it differently. COROS rates the Dura 2 Solar at 120 hours of GPS recording, with up to 2 hours added per hour of direct sun. Garmin rates the Edge 1040 Solar at 70 hours in battery saver, or 100 hours with solar, with the sun adding up to 42 minutes per hour.
Dura 2 Solar is 34g lighter and costs £150 / $200 less with a mount. Edge 1040 Solar plans routes and renavigates without a phone, carries Garmin’s full training suite and has been on sale since June 2022, so it is often discounted.
Full figures are on the Dura 2 Solar specifications and Edge 1040 Solar specifications pages.
The differences at a glance
| COROS Dura 2 Solar | Garmin Edge 1040 Solar | |
|---|---|---|
| Launched | October 2026 | June 2022 |
| List price | £479 / $549 with mount; £429 / $499 without | £629.99 / $749.99 |
| Battery, longest mode, before solar | 120 hours, multi-constellation (COROS’s All Systems mode) | 70 hours, battery saver |
| Battery, dual-frequency GPS, before solar | 70 hours | 35 hours, demanding use (dual-frequency GPS, four sensors, LiveTrack and a course on the map) |
| Battery with solar, Garmin’s figures | Not published | 100 hours battery saver, 45 hours demanding use |
| Solar gain per hour of sun | Up to 2 hours of riding | Up to 42 minutes in battery saver, 20 minutes in demanding use |
| Screen | 3.5-inch MIP touchscreen, 336 x 620 | 3.5-inch transflective touchscreen, 282 x 470 |
| Weight | 99g | 133g |
| Voice control | Yes | No |
| Rerouting | Through the COROS app on a paired phone | On the device |
| Storage | 32GB | 64GB |
| Water rating | IP67 | IPX7 |
| Apps | None | Connect IQ |
| © the5krunner. Link required. | ||
Battery and solar
Dura 2 lasts longer on paper in every mode, and its solar panel claims to add more for each hour of sun.
| COROS Dura 2 Solar | Garmin Edge 1040 Solar | |
|---|---|---|
| Longest mode, no solar | 120 hours | 70 hours |
| Dual-frequency GPS, no solar | 70 hours | 35 hours |
| Solar gain per hour of direct sun | Up to 2 hours of riding | Up to 42 minutes (longest mode), 20 minutes (dual-frequency) |
| With solar, maker’s figure | Not published | 100 hours and 45 hours |
| What the figures assume | All Systems mode or Dual-Frequency mode; sensors and backlight not stated | Battery saver, or demanding use: dual-frequency GPS, four sensors, phone, LiveTrack and a course on the map |
The two shorter figures are not quite like-for-like. Garmin’s 35 hours include sensors, a phone, and LiveTrack; COROS doesn’t say what its 70 hours include. Both computers have dual-frequency GPS (Garmin calls it dual-band), so accuracy isn’t what separates them. Expect the real gap in that mode to be smaller than 70 against 35.
Both solar claims assume 75,000 lux, a clear summer day. A British winter cuts both to a fraction of that.
On the road, the gap narrows further. Garmin’s battery saver mode dims the screen and reduces recording, and my testing of the first Dura gave about 40 hours with maximum backlight and dual-frequency GPS, against a claim of 70. Either computer will see a rider through a week without a charger. Dura 2 Solar should go further, and the Edge 1040 Solar can also be charged mid-ride from a Garmin Charge power pack mounted on the bike.
Navigation
This is where Edge 1040 Solar wins outright. Miss a turn, and it calculates a new route on the device, with no phone involved. It also offers ride-type routing for road, gravel and mountain, Trailforks trail data and ClimbPro.
Dura 2 Solar cannot reroute on its own. When a rider leaves the course, the COROS app on a paired phone calculates the new route and sends it to the computer. The phone doesn’t need a mobile signal for this, provided the map region was downloaded beforehand, but it does need to be with you and switched on. With no phone, Dura 2 Solar shows only a straight line back to the course.
The Dura’s maps have improved: street and trail names now appear on the map, and climb alerts work without a loaded route. But for anyone who wants the computer to handle navigation unaided, the Edge’s on-device rerouting is the single biggest difference between them for the enduro bikepacker.
Screen and controls
Both use a sunlight-readable 3.5-inch touchscreen that is easier on the battery than the bright LCD in Edge 1060. Dura 2 Solar’s 336 x 620 panel is sharper than the Edge’s 282 x 470 and runs edge to edge. Dura 2 Solar adds voice control via a windproof microphone, used by holding the left button, plus a lap button on the left, a start and stop button on the right, and two pressure-sensitive buttons on the solar panel. The Edge 1040 Solar has a touchscreen and buttons, but no microphone or speaker.
Training, safety and the rest
Both cover the core set: FTP, structured workouts, training load, Strava Live Segments, power meter dynamics and electronic shifting. Edge 1040 Solar goes further with real-time stamina, Power Guide pacing, Cycling Ability and Course Demands, Connect IQ apps, inReach satellite messaging through a paired device, and Garmin Cycling Coach and GroupRide, which arrived in beta this week. Dura 2 Solar’s extras include a bike bell, action-camera control, and automatic heart rate from a paired COROS watch. Both offer crash detection, live tracking, group tracking and radar support.
Price and age
Edge 1040 Solar lists at £629.99 / $749.99 and is more than four years old, so it is regularly discounted and will keep getting Garmin’s new features late and only where its hardware allows. The Dura 2 Solar is new at £479 / $549 with a mount, or £429 / $499 without one, and COROS rarely discounts. If Garmin replaces the 1040 Solar in 2027, the gap on paper closes.
Note: Black Friday 2025 saw the Edge 1040 Solar fall to $570.96
Which to buy
- Buy the Dura 2 Solar for the longest battery life, the lightest unit, and voice control, especially if you already train with a COROS watch.
- Buy the Edge 1040 Solar for riding off-grid, where on-device rerouting matters more than an extra day of battery, and if you want Garmin’s training and safety tools or can find it on sale.
For Garmin’s brighter and shorter-lived options, see Edge 1060 vs 850 vs 550, and for the wider field, the best cycling computer guide. What changed from the first COROS model is in Dura 2 Solar vs Dura.
COROS Dura 2 Solar
Solar bike computer that rides 120 hours between charges, with a big touchscreen, maps and voice control
+other retailers
Quick answers
Which lasts longer, COROS Dura 2 Solar or Garmin Edge 1040 Solar?
Dura 2 Solar on paper. Before solar, COROS rates it at 120 hours in multi-constellation GPS and 70 hours in dual-frequency GPS; Garmin rates Edge 1040 Solar at 70 hours in battery saver and 35 hours in demanding use, which includes dual-frequency GPS, four sensors and LiveTrack. With solar, Garmin’s figures rise to 100 and 45 hours.
Which has the better solar charging?
Dura 2 Solar. COROS claims up to two hours of riding per hour of direct sun; Garmin claims up to 42 minutes in battery saver mode and 20 minutes in demanding use. Both assume 75,000 lux.
Can the COROS Dura 2 Solar reroute without a phone like the Edge 1040 Solar?
No. Edge 1040 Solar calculates new routes on the device. Dura 2 Solar reroutes through the COROS app on a paired phone, which works without a mobile signal when the map region is downloaded.
Is the COROS Dura 2 Solar cheaper than the Garmin Edge 1040 Solar?
At list price, yes. Dura 2 Solar costs £479 / $549 with a mount, or £429 / $499 without one. Edge 1040 Solar lists at £629.99 / $749.99 but is often discounted.
Last Updated on 23 October 2026 by tfk the5krunner
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tfk is the founder and author of the5krunner, an independent endurance sports technology publication. With 20 years of hands-on testing of GPS watches and wearables, and competing in triathlons at an international age-group level, tfk provides in-depth expert analysis of fitness technology for serious athletes and endurance sport competitors. See the gear tfk uses. ID
