Handheld GPS Reviews

This report covers handheld GPS receivers mainly intended for outdoor use. These are lighter in weight and have smaller screens than auto GPS units meant primarily for driving navigation, and they are sometimes (but not always) less expensive. Handheld GPS receivers also have longer battery life and are built to resist the elements. This report also covers products marketed as crossover GPS units (car and field). Many smartphones also have GPS capabilities. Those are covered in the ConsumerSearch report on smartphones .

Car GPS units are less portable than handheld GPS units because of their shape and high-power demands, but their screens are much larger (for better viewing from the driver's seat). See our companion report on auto GPS for units you can use primarily while driving.

A handheld GPS unit receives data from multiple satellites orbiting the Earth, performing the necessary calculations to arrive at a position fix accurate to within 50 feet. The GPS receiver can plot your location on a display, provide driving directions or help you find your way back to camp.

GPS is a fast-moving technology, with companies constantly introducing new and better units. But users say two of the newest models seem to have been introduced before all of the bugs were worked out.

Reviewers eagerly awaited the new Magellan Triton 2000 (*est. $445) , a handheld hiking GPS that The New York Times predicted would be "top-of-the-line" in its holiday gift guide. In November, a review at The Seattle Times called Magellan's design "the most current GPS technology on the market," and About.com's Guide to GPS, Fred Zahradnik, named the Triton 2000 to his list of "High-Tech Handhelds That Will Wow You." The Triton 200 handheld GPS comes loaded with an MP3 player, camera and color touchscreen, and the ability to directly upload National Geographic TOPO! maps -- a big selling point for outdoor enthusiasts.

But consumers who post at Amazon.com and GPSReview.net report problems with the Magellan Triton 2000. The units operate sluggishly and crash at random, they say. Some complain that the maps are subpar and Magellan customer service isn't helpful. A few note that Magellan had them send the units back for updates. On the other hand, some consumers are quite happy and report no problems. Still, for buyers interested in a pricey, state-of-the-art hiking GPS, we found much better reviews for the new Garmin Colorado 400t (*est. $485) -- which waited until January to make its debut.

In a different gadget category – the handheld GPS/PDA combo – the Mio DigiWalker P550 (*est. $300) tells a similar story. Reviewers had high hopes that this new all-in-one handheld GPS/organizer would allow mobile professionals to pare down the array of electronic devices they carry. The P550 offers not only GPS, but a full-featured PDA. Though it only runs the older Windows Mobile 5 Pocket PC Edition, it ships with Windows Office Mobile versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and more, along with a host of personal information management applications such as a calendar, task list and notebook.

"On paper, the P550 has the makings of a great travel companion," CNet.com's Bonnie Cha writes, "but sadly, it just doesn't deliver on performance." The GPS doesn't generate efficient routes, the screen isn't sharp and the battery drains quickly, Cha concludes after testing. The Mio DigiWalker P550 also froze up during the test, requiring a reboot. Consumers posting at CNet.com and Amazon.com report the same problems, and several have customer service complaints. Even some consumers who give the Mio P550 good overall marks say it has a bad screen, clunky software and takes a long time to get a signal. CNet instead recommends the HP iPAQ rx5900 Travel Companion (*est. $380) , for similar GPS/PDA features and better performance.  ... Continued

Our Consensus Report shows how many times products are top-ranked by reviewers included in our
All The Reviews Reviewed chart.

Garmin handheld GPS units are the most favored in GPS reviews. The Garmin Colorado 400t is Garmin's new top-of-the-line handheld, loaded with innovative features and a price to match. Some reviewers still favor the Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx, Garmin's tried-and-true former flagship handheld that now comes at a moderate price. In the budget category, the Garmin eTrex H omits some common features, such as a color screen and mapping ability, but its high-sensitivity receiver allows it to navigate just as capably as pricier units.

The Garmin Forerunner 305, designed specifically for runners, gets more nods from reviewers than any other fitness GPS -- even more than Garmin's new top-of-the-line Forerunner 405. The similar Garmin Edge series has special features for cyclists.