Comparison sat Navs

— For passenger cars. Navigators designed for installation in passenger cars. As a rule, they are supposed to be installed on the windshield so that the screen is constantly in front of the driver’s eyes. Power is most often supplied through the cigarette lighter socket. Pre-installed cards, if any, are “tailored” for driving specifically in a passenger car - they contain data on the type and quality of roads, the characteristics of crossings and junctions, and other road factors.

— For trucks. Devices for navigation and routing of trucks. Such models often take into account the design features of trucks, on the basis of which suitable routes are built, taking into account restrictions on weight, height, length, width and other factors. Also, navigators for cargo vehicles can take into account specific rules of different countries such as speed limits, travel time, etc.

— For campers. Navigators for motorhomes, caravans and campers. Models of this type take into account specific features that may be important when traveling on a camper: length, dimensions, weight and other technical parameters of the “motorhome”. Maps in such navigators provide safe routes to travel, taking into account potential restrictions, contain information about camping parks, waste water disposal sites, gas stations, attractions, etc.

— Motorcycles.... Motorcycle navigators are designed to be attached to the handlebars and, as a rule, have enhanced moisture and shock protection, allowing them to withstand the effects of atmospheric precipitation without consequences and withstand impacts and shocks when driving. In such models, screens measuring from 3 " diagonally are installed; power supply from 6 V or 12 V is often provided, which allows you to connect the navigator to the motorcycle’s on-board power supply and save battery power. The software part includes functions related to road traffic - the same ones found in navigators for cars (see the corresponding paragraph). Also, the Bluetooth function is very popular in motorcycle models (see “Interfaces”) - in this embodiment, it allows you to display voice prompts on a headset under the helmet or built into the helmet.

- Tourist. Tourist GPS navigators are designed primarily for hiking and are intended for tourism. The main set of cards for such devices are routes of various tourist destinations, attractions or hiking trails. Most of these models are initially intended to be carried in your pocket, like a smartphone or other similar gadget. They often provide a waterproof case and a good built-in battery for long battery life.

— Wrist. Wrist navigators are aimed at athletes and partly tourists. They are attached to the wrist using a special strap. The display of such models is predominantly monochrome, which is done to reduce energy consumption, and the set of cards is released with an emphasis on walking (or jogging). In addition to navigation tools, they can be equipped with functions for measuring heart rate and a fitness calculator.

The navigation programme, originally installed in the navigator and sold with it, in other words, a set of maps available to the user “out of the box”.

Most modern navigators are equipped with such programs (although the name of pre-installed maps is not indicated for all models). Note that the functionality of complete programs in different models may vary. Most often, these are the simplest maps of the world or the region in which this device is sold. However, there are exceptions: there are models with detailed maps, programs with advanced functionality, etc. Such exceptions are especially common among high-end specialized devices, in particular marine and aviation (see "Scope"). And for some navigators, there may be several options for pre-installed programs and even the ability to select such programs at the request of the user. All these details should be specified in each case according to the manufacturer or seller.

It is also worth considering that the characteristics often indicate only the general name of the cards. At the same time, the same card can be available in several versions that differ in functionality and, sometimes, terms of use (paid / free). However, the main features are basic capabilities, interface device, etc. — usually, are common to all versions. Therefore, by the name of the complete programme, usually, one can quite accurately determine the general capabilities and features of the card's functionality.

Availability of life-long updating of maps in this model of the navigator.

When buying a navigator with this feature, the user also acquires a subscription to map updates supplied in the kit. Such a subscription, in fact, is perpetual: updates are available all the time while the navigator is generally working. Thus, this service allows you to always have the latest maps at your disposal. It is found mainly in automotive and motorcycle models: it is for these areas of application that regular updates are most relevant, since traffic conditions can change very quickly. However note that the cost of subscribing to updates is included in the price of the device and affects it, sometimes quite noticeably.

Parameters of the display installed in the navigator.

— Display diagonal. Size screen size in inches. The larger the screen, the more information can be displayed on it and the more detailed this information will be presented. On the other hand, the size of the display significantly affects the dimensions of the device, and large screens are more expensive.

— Display resolution. Display size in dots (pixels) horizontally and vertically. The higher the resolution (with the same diagonal), the more detailed and clear the image the screen can produce. In addition, on high-resolution displays, small details are better visible, which increases the comfort of viewing information. Too high a resolution is usually not required for GPS navigator displays: for example, 800x480 pixels, limited by the standards of smartphones or tablets, with a diagonal screen size of about 6” are considered quite sufficient even for an advanced device.

— Matrix type. This parameter is indicated mainly for tech cases when the screen uses a high-quality IPS type matrix. This technology provides high quality color rendering, good brightness and wide viewing angles; moreover, IPS screens are relatively inexpensive to produce.

- Touch. Screen support for touch control. You can give commands to the device by touching the icons on the display itself - similar to how this is done in smartphones and tablets. Touch control opens up...many more possibilities than classic controls and provides flexibility in working with the navigator. In particular, by touching the screen you can set points on the route, zoom in or out on the map, etc.

- Color. This parameter determines whether the screen is color or monochrome (black and white). Black and white displays are simple, inexpensive, consume little power, and are quite suitable for displaying basic navigation information. At the same time, color screens are more functional: maps often use different colors to highlight individual objects, which would not be possible on monochrome displays. As a result, black and white screens are quite rare among modern navigators - mainly among the most compact and inexpensive models.

— Backlight. The screen has its own backlight system. This function makes the device independent of external lighting: the illuminated image will be normally visible both at dusk and even in complete darkness. It is also worth noting that many LCD screens have a backlight by default; it is activated when the screen itself is turned on and works regardless of external lighting - without it, the image on the matrix would simply be impossible to see. In particular, this operating principle is used in IPS-type matrices, which have gained popularity in modern portable electronics (including navigators).

Resolution of the video recorded by the built-in video recorder of the navigator

The higher the video resolution, other things being equal, the more detailed the video is, the better you can see the small details of what is happening on it. This is especially important when analyzing traffic accidents or ambiguous situations, as well as identifying people, fixing car numbers, etc. On the other hand, higher resolution requires more powerful hardware and more capacious drives for storing footage — all this has a corresponding effect on the price of the device.

The frame rate at which the built-in DVR can capture video.

The higher the frame rate, ceteris paribus, the smoother the image, the less fast moving objects are blurred, and the more accurately you can make out the details in dynamic scenes (including freeze frames). On the other hand, a high frame rate increases the power requirements of the electronic hardware. Therefore, in navigators, this indicator usually does not exceed 30 fps — this provides a fairly good shooting quality with relatively low hardware requirements.

Viewing angle of the built-in video recorder installed in the navigator.

The size of the space covered by the camera directly depends on the viewing angle: the wider the angle, the larger the size of the area that enters the frame, and the less likely it is to miss an object or event located on the periphery of the frame. On the other hand, ceteris paribus, an increase in the viewing angle gives the effect of reducing the picture — individual details look smaller and are less clearly visible. And at too wide angles, noticeable distortions appear on the edges of the image.

Speaking about the specific values of the angles, it is worth noting that the minimum indicator found among the registrars is about 50 ° — this is comparable to the field of view and the degree of magnification of the human eye (excluding side vision). The maximum viewing angle can theoretically reach 180°, however, in fact, navigators use cameras with more modest characteristics — mainly up to 120°.

Possibility of sound recording by the built-in video recorder of the navigator.

In this case, we are talking about sound recording in the cabin. Such a "soundtrack" can give a lot of additional information about the situation recorded by the device. For example, in the event of an accident, it can be established whether the driver was talking on the phone at the time of the accident, when he noticed the danger on the road, how he reacted to it, etc.

A sensor that monitors shocks and vibrations acting on the device. The main function of this sensor is to ensure the safety of video footage captured by the DVR in the event of an accident: in the event of a strong impact, typical of a collision or fall, the DVR with a G-sensor automatically saves the previously recorded video to a non-volatile memory protected from overwriting. Thus, materials about an emergency are not only guaranteed to be saved, but with a high probability remain intact even if the navigator itself is damaged.