iGPSPORT’s new flagship cycling computer

Marketed as “the one for all” the new iGS630 is iGPSPORT’s new flagship cycling computer. The iGS630 was developed to be an easy to use cycling computer to satisfy beginner to expert cyclists and boasts a variety of features such as a color screen, full navigation and smart trainer connectivity. In terms of specifications, the iGS630 retails for $219.99 and has a 2.8” color LCD screen with 240×400 pixel resolution. As with some Wahoo computers, the iGS630 is a non-touch screen design that utilizes six buttons to navigate the interface. An integrated USB Type-C rechargeable battery allows the iGS630 to be used for up to 35 hours. The iGS630 also has an industry standard Garmin quarter turn style mount built directly into the base.

The iGPSPORT iGS630 is an affordable color GPS screen with navigation and data view customization.

Retail Price	$219.99
Rating	8.0 / 10
Measured Weight (in g)	88 (head unit), 10 (mount)
Likes	+ Intuitive button setup + Highly configurable data display, graphical displays and layouts + Color screen and strong back light
Dislikes	– Confusing navigation overlays and routing – App can be clumsy to use at times – Current version lacks re-routing capability
Where to Buy (US)	iGPSPORT

UNBOXING

The iGS630 comes in a premium cardboard box with white and orange graphics printed on it. Opening the box feels special as they’ve used cell phone styling packaging with an exterior sleeve and folding cardboard inner box. Inside you’ll find:

• iGS630 GPS computer
• USB Type-C charging cable
• O-ring style handlebar mount
• Lanyard
• Screen protector
• User manual

Although you’ll likely just end up tossing the packaging away after you’ve set up the computer, it is an important part of a product and can set your initial expectations. The premium packaging iGPSPORT has used with the iGS630 is great to see considering the relatively small size of the company.

MOUNTING

iGPSPORT has integrated a standard Garmin quarter-turn style mount into the base of the iGS630 computer. It is a standard mounting interface that uses a round puck with two extended tabs that is used in a variety of GPS computers and bike lights. The mount is easy to use and only requires a 45 degree rotation to install or remove the computer from the mount. Although the simple rubber strap handlebar mount that is included with the computer works well, we’d recommend an out-front mount like the Topeak UTF mount or iGPSPORT’s own M80 out-front mount for a cleaner cockpit setup. Out-front mounts also place the computer directly in front of the stem which provides a better viewing angle.

FIT & FINISH

Visually, the iGS630 has a standard rectangular design with a laminated glass screen and minimal bezels. The bottom edges are beveled to give the computer a thinner appearance (16.5mm) and help disguise the integrated lithium ion battery. Aside from the large iGPSPORT logo printed on the front of the computer, it would be easy to confuse the GPS for a Garmin or Wahoo cycling computer. The 2.8” screen is well sized and has a glossy glass screen that looks similar to the iGS320 but utilizes a color display. Interestingly, the iGS630 is a non-touch screen design and instead uses a six button setup to operate. We’re not sure if iGPSPORT chose this approach to reduce costs or to simplify the user interface and avoid the issues touch screens have with water or touch sensitivity.

The iGS630 also has several modern features that are great to see at this budget price point including an ambient light sensor similar to the Bryton S500 and S800, and a USB-C charging port. A simple rubber cover protects the USB-C port from rain or moisture and is located below the Garmin quarter turn mount on the base. The iGS630’s main screen has six main options with three available themes to change the appearance. Two of the themes look similar to a Microsoft Windows tile design while the third theme is a futuristic scrolling style that is more similar to a smart watch interface. The computer also supports up to eight user profiles, four are loaded by default, which can be renamed via the app.

NAVIGATION

One of the main features of a higher-end cycling computer like the iGS630 is the ability to do navigation. The computer allows you to view your position on a real-time map as well as create or upload GPX routes directly from the app. Route creation via the app is a bit cumbersome as you have to individually select waypoints along the map and then save the route with a name. Once you have a route created and uploaded to the device you can load it by clicking “navigation” on the main screen. Only the route name, total mileage and a zoomed out view of the route are visible on the route preview which means you’ll want to be careful to name routes with verbose names. We would have liked to see at least an altitude graph for the route or the ability to view data stats for the route to avoid selecting the wrong route.

Once you’re riding the selected route shows up as a blue dotted line overlay on the map view. Turn-by-turn navigation is shown as left/right arrows and a distance overlay as you approach the intersection. On the non map views this shows up as large white lettering on a black background on the bottom of the page while the map view shows the information on the top of the page without a background. There are no street names or intersection illustrations shown on the turn overlays, something Bryton does, which can make it confusing to follow. There is also no re-routing available if you go off route, only a red arrow to help direct you to the closest point on your route. The two issues we also ran into is that the navigation would generate false turns on mountain switchbacks and that route navigation would get confused if the route overlaps. The latter issue is more worrisome in our opinion, especially if you’re riding a new route as you may end up skipping most of a route accidently.

USER INTERFACE

Despite the color screen, the iGS630 uses a 2.8” non-touch display. There are six buttons on the device to navigate through the various menus and options. With so many buttons, each one has a clearly defined role without the need for context specific actions that makes other budget computers like the Bontrager RIDEtime Elite so difficult to use. Every button except the power button, which will power the computer on or off with a long hold, only does one action when pressed. The top left button is the power / return button that backs you out of the current screen. On the right is the enter button which activates the currently highlighted UI element.

Additional up/down buttons on the bottom right allow you to scroll upward or downward in menus or switch the current data page. Finally there is a lap button on the bottom left and a start/pause button on the bottom right. Each of the buttons is well placed and have good tactical feedback when pressed. Even though we sometimes found ourselves trying to touch the screen, the button interface is easy to use and doesn’t require a reference manual or learning curve to understand. Nearly all the interactions involve using the up/down buttons and the confirmation button to enter menus or confirm actions. One downside of lack of touch screen is that the map view has no panning functionality, instead you can only cycle through zoom levels using the return button.

iGPSPORT APP

The iGS6300 is designed to pair with iGPSPORT’s app that is available for free on both the Google Play and Apple’s App Stores. Despite being a small company, iGPSPORT has their own dedicated app with matching startup graphics as the GPS computer. At first glance, the app is very similar to the Bryton Active and XOSS apps with four tabs on the bottom (home / activity / device / me)  and an overview of your ride activity. As with those apps you can review ride data and routes from previously recorded and synced rides. While it isn’t as polished as Strava or other analysis tools, the ride review has easy to digest graphs and data breakdown. The activity tab shows a calendar view and ride data summary and data statistics for various time frames.

The third tab is the “device” tab which allows you to pair with various iGPSPORT computers. We were able to quickly pair with the iGS630 to sync recorded rides and do customization. Nearly all the GPS computer options are accessible via the app and it’s easier to use thanks to your cell phone’s larger touch screen. Unfortunately the iGPSPORT has a lot of confusing English translations and user interactions that make it feel clumsy to use. For example, ride profiles are labeled as “pattern management” with a “delete or not?” confirmation prompt if you decide to delete one. One of the more frustrating issues with the app is the page layout customization option which only has a delete item and add item option instead of a layout selection option. It’s so annoying to use that we’d recommend setting up the number of items per page directly on the GPS and then using the app to customize the displayed items.

Although we expect most of the bugs and inconsistencies will be addressed in future software releases, it’s a clear sign that the company hasn’t fully refined the app. The app lacks the polish Garmin or Wahoo apps have or even the Bryton Active app which also has minor issues. Most users should only need to use the app to sync rides with third-party platforms such as Strava or to enable the on screen notifications and weather display on the main page. Note, iGPSPORT has added a social element with the ability to follow other cyclists within the app and view your rank. It is a fun feature, but could use some refinement and feature improvement before being widely adopted.

THE VERDICT

Overall, we found the iGPSPORT iGS630 to be a well priced and highly configurable cycling GPS computer. At only slightly over $200, the iGS630 offers premium features such as a 2.8” color screen, USB-C charging, Garmin style mount and full data screen customization. We were happy to see graphical data views such as ring and bar graphs which we prefer for viewing speed or heart rate information. While the computer lacks a touch screen, the six button interface is easy to understand and use. The most obvious indicator that this is a cheaper computer is the app which has confusing English translations and cumbersome workflows such as route creation and customizing the screen layouts. Given the smaller size of iGPSPORT as a company the lack of polish and refinement on the UI/UX components isn’t a surprise and is offset by the lower price of the computer. That said, if you’re looking for a color cycling GPS computer with higher-end features at a budget friendly price the iGS630 is a good option.

Disclaimer:  The product for this review was provided by iGPSPORT. The views expressed on this website are solely those of the authors and are here to help people make an informed choice before a purchase. The authors or the blog itself does not get any monetary compensation from the product manufacturer or third-party websites/vendor links that are posted here.