GPS navigation is very useful to help us travel because they can show you the route and find places more conveniently. There are so many devices to use including a dedicated GPS device such as Garmin DriveSmart 61 Vs TomTom Go 620. These compact equipment will have a built in system that can route you to almost any place you want to travel. There are some slight differences as well and let’s see below whether you like Garmin or TomTom better.
In this comparison, we are going to talk about:
- How GPS Navigation Work
- What are Garmin DriveSmart 61 and TomTom Go 620
- How are the Design of Garmin DriveSmart 61 and TomTom Go 620
- How are the Navigation of Garmin DriveSmart 61 and TomTom Go 620
- How are the Features in Garmin DriveSmart 61 and TomTom Go 620
- How are the Experience with Garmin DriveSmart 61 and TomTom Go 620
- Garmin DriveSmart 61 Vs TomTom Go 620
Contents
- 1 GPS Navigation System
- 2 About Garmin DriveSmart 61 and TomTom Go 620
- 3 Garmin DriveSmart 61 and TomTom Go 620 Design
- 4 Garmin DriveSmart 61 and TomTom Go 620 Navigation
- 5 Garmin DriveSmart 61 and TomTom Go 620 Features
- 6 Garmin DriveSmart 61 and TomTom Go 620 Experience
- 7 Garmin DriveSmart 61 Vs TomTom Go 620
- 8 Conclusion
As a social being we humans travel a lot and it is not only about moving from one town to another or one state to another but also on the daily when you have to go and back from work or visiting family and friends on the weekend. Most of the time we already know the distance to travel and the route to arrive at a destination but sometimes we have to ask around to be sure. Thankfully GPS navigation exists to help you travel and navigate safely.
GPS has been around for quite some time but the application is not as wide as it is now today. The widespread use of the internet and smartphone today is making the use of GPS even more crucial such as when you want to find a new restaurant or let the driver know where you want to go in a shared ride or delivery service. The system is free to use and for GPS itself, it is made of the 31 satellites owned and operated by the United States.
Besides GPS there are also other satellite constellations that can provide similar function or service namely GLONASS which is developed and owned by the Russian Federation, Galileo developed and operated by the European Union, and BeiDou owned by China. All of these services are available for free to use by the general people as well as developing International Civil Organization (ICAO) Standards and Recommended Practices to use these constellations for aviation purposes. In general the GPS service has an accuracy of 95% of the time or 7% in accuracy.
When it comes to the device itself, our handheld or wearable or app is acting as the receiver. For example popular GPS devices like Garmin DriveSmart 51 Vs 65 will be the receiver of satellites and the one that interpreted the data. It is based on trilateration so the GPS device must know two things. The location of the place to trace must be calculated at least by three satellites above the place and second it has to know the distance of the satellites.
The device has multiple receivers to pick up signals from several GPS satellites at the same time since the wave itself can travel at the speed of light. The core purpose of GPS devices is to record the position of vehicles as they make the journeys while some can store the data as well. In active GPS tracking, the information is sent to a central tracking portal system in real-time so we can monitor as it moves around and this is best in applications such as monitoring children and elderly-people or for delivery services.
| Garmin DriveSmart 61 | TomTom Go 620 | |
|---|---|---|
  |   |
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| Product Dimensions | 6.8 x 0.7 x 3.9 inches | 6.8 x 0.7 x 3.9 inches |
| Item Weight | 1 pounds | 1 pounds |
| Best Offer | click here | click here |
About Garmin DriveSmart 61 and TomTom Go 620
Most of us already use the GPS system that is in smartphones since it is the most convenient system. The map is also upgradeable and it is used for free but when you want to use the navigation for long, they are less reliable. Moreover if your phone has a small battery because we need to be online and if you only use data, it may take quite some as well from your plan. This is why for navigation specific purposes the dedicated device is more ideal.
They are very affordable as well so everyone can have one and if you are currently looking for one, there are more than plenty to choose from. Depending on which seems to fit you the most, the brand will vary too such as from Garmin and TomTom. These are few of the most popular options in the market and it is for good reasons. They have not only reliable devices but also varying models depending on the budget and your preference.
In general their devices will be able to deliver the same type of functionalities so if you just want to find places and navigate, any models will be good. For those who prefer to have something that is easy to look at, the Garmin DriveSmart 61 and TomTom Go 620 will be two ideal options to consider. As you can guess, they are very similar because the two offer a wide 6 inches display. It should be large enough for aging eyes and for ease of use.
Price wise they are around the same price point and sometimes one can be cheaper as well depending on the discount. The Garmin DriveSmart 61 and TomTom Go 620 are capable of showing you the map to almost any place on this earth. They come loaded with maps already depending on where you live the built-in maps may vary. The navigation view is actually almost identical and what we love is they both can do split screen for more information shown at the same time.
Garmin DriveSmart 61 and TomTom Go 620 Design
Before getting into what these devices can offer, first let’s take a look into the unit. The familiar shape of Garmin and TomTom are different because in our opinion Garmin is often the sleeker option when it comes to design such as what you can see on the sample picture above. The TomTom is often rounded on the edges and it makes the bezel look unattractively thick in comparison. In addition, while they are similarly 6 inches, the Garmin is almost 7 inches or 6.9 inches making it wider too.
They are charged or working with the power cord on but we are unsure whether the battery itself is removable or not. In addition, everything will be included in your purchase to accompany the main device so we are getting the USB and charging cable. They will give you the mount too but TomTom uses a magnetic mount while the Garmin gives you a suction cup mount with ball bracket.
Moving further to the most important part, let’s see what the Garmin DriveSmart 61 and TomTom Go 620 can offer, starting from the interface and honestly they are very much the same to each other. Not exactly identical but if you are familiar with any digital device, the two will be very easy to understand. Just choose what you want to use in the device, for example showing a direction to a destination. Type the place name or street name and choose the spot then we can start driving.
What we like the most from these GPS devices is their split screen. The split screen is very useful to both show you the direction and information regarding the spot we want to visit or the important information and spots along the driveway. The display is good too and looks clean but they may not be as responsive as our typical smartphone today. We also like Garmin inclusion for TripAdvisor in most of its new DriveSmart series because it contains more information especially for tourists.
Garmin DriveSmart 61 and TomTom Go 620 Features
For the features, both Garmin DriveSmart 61 and TomTom Go 620 are also similar and if you wonder, yes, the two are connected to the smartphone to enjoy more from the system. What you may note is the traffic receiver is already built-in to the system, but it also means we will need to connect the phone to receive the information and thus, we will have to rely on this connectivity when using the feature. In addition, both can work with voice commands as well.
When connected to the phone they can show alerts or notifications from your phone such as people calling or text messages. Just like most GPS devices, they are sold with free updates that can be done wirelessly via Wi-Fi.
Garmin DriveSmart 61 and TomTom Go 620 Experience
For the experience, with the same abilities the Garmin DriveSmart 61 and TomTom Go 620 are very much the same as well. Do check whether the model you buy includes a lifetime update because it seems there are options that don’t cover the service. The difference in menu is also not affecting the usage and we do think they are still very easy to use. The performance is also reliable but DS 61 has a slightly wider display and it makes the information more comfy to read too.
Garmin DriveSmart 61 Vs TomTom Go 620
There are so many good GPS devices that you can count on, in which Garmin DriveSmart 61 and TomTom Go 620 are two of them. We like the larger display of DriveSmart 61 as it makes the map easier to see while for the system they are similarly reliable. The update is also free and available via wireless connectivity for convenience. They can be connected to smartphones to receive traffic and in addition also offer voice command.
Conclusion
There is no bad option between the two so we can choose any of these GPS devices but if you don’t mind adding slightly more, we will recommend the Garmin DriveSmart 61 because it is more streamlined and has a slightly bigger display.