Garmin Varia Vue review: A £450 camera-light that promises the world, but falls short

One of the best bike lights are more and more increasing when it comes to their remit; not is a lightweight only for lighting up the highway, as an alternative they’re promising to do extra – built-in radars, GPS, apps, cellphone connectivity and incident detection – aiming to consolidate your biking tech right into a single handy system. In an evolving market, Garmin has positioned itself as a critical contender with the Garmin Varia Vue Entrance Mild.

I’m going to open this piece by sharing that the Varia Vue entrance lights should be among the costliest lights I’ve ever been entrusted to assessment. At an eyewateringly costly price ticket of £450 with further prices of SD playing cards, bike computer systems, and doable subscription, this can be a critical funding. Combining a lightweight with a security digicam is a pleasant concept, but it surely comes with a top-shelf price ticket which means it has lots to dwell as much as.

As a bike owner, I’ve, like many others, skilled dangerously shut passes and altercations with different highway customers which have shaken my enjoyment of the game. The Garmin Varia Vue doesn’t forestall a collision, however does intention to supply peace of thoughts if one thing had been to occur. In contrast to mounting an motion digicam in your handlebars with restricted battery life, Garmin has designed a system that may monitor your experience.

Garmin will not be the primary mover and shaker on this bike-light-slash-safety-camera realm; Cycliq has been a market chief for years and is ready to produce one thing at a value level ever so barely kinder to your pockets. That stated, the Garmin Varia Vue does have benefits, notably for cyclists already embedded within the Garmin ecosystem, providing integration with Garmin gadgets, apps, and radars.

So for such a hefty price ticket, can it ship?

Design and aesthetics

The entire system works collectively to behave a bit like a dashcam for the bike; the sunshine factor is only one a part of the ‘see and be seen’ ethos Garmin has developed.

The Varia Vue entrance mild is designed to work particularly with Garmin fashions 40 and 50 (that is the 540, 550, 840, 850, 1040, and 1050) however are appropriate with different bike computer systems, together with these from Wahoo, COROS, Fenix, so long as they assist the ANT+ bike mild commonplace. Nonetheless, you will need to word that the digicam’s performance is proscribed if you’re utilizing it with a non-Garmin pc. You’ll nonetheless have the ability to alter mild settings from the pc, however extra superior settings equivalent to digicam management, video clip saving and viewing all should be carried out via the Garmin Varia app in your cellphone.

It’s additionally value noting that Garmin’s system is modular. You may pair the entrance mild with the Garmin RCT715 (£299) radar and digicam sensor to offer you an all-round digicam expertise, the marginally cheaper Garmin RTL515 Radar Tail Mild to get simply the alerts and illumination (£169.99), or the RVR315 rear view radar (£129.99) to only obtain alerts. Although the prices can quickly ramp up as you add further ins and outs, the pliability does will let you tailor the system to each a finances and stage of safety you’re feeling most comfy with.

Do not forget that you’ll additionally must buy an SD card which may add an extra £25 to the price of the unit – a 32GB might be an alright dimension for this because the Garmin Varia Vue data in a loop, rewriting outdated clips. To avoid wasting clips from the unit, you’ll must obtain the Varia Vue app in your cellphone, which is able to will let you obtain or lock particular moments from being rewritten. For these wanting extra of a cloud primarily based storage answer to clip administration, an extra subscription of £9.99 a month will supply automated add of all clips to the Garmin Join app – effectively value it for those who’re doing a big quantity of driving, or each day commuting.

Straight out of the field, the Garmin Varia Vue is a great wanting mild and digicam duo. As a slim, rectangular bar with rounded edges, it’s designed to look a bit extra like a regular mild than a digicam, serving to it to mix in slightly bit extra to your setup and making you a bit much less conspicuous.

The sunshine factor and digicam sit aspect by aspect, although with the sunshine very slight setback for the digicam to forestall the wide-angled lens catching any glare when switched on. Two smaller, indicator type lights add to the aspect visibility, and you’ve got two discreet buttons on the aspect for energy and connection to your cellphone and gadgets. From an accessibility perspective, these buttons do require some stress to get them to work – nice to forestall unintended power-on in luggage, however not as nice for those who endure with mobility points or usually have numb and gloved fingers within the chilly.

The Varia Vue entrance mild is mounted beneath the usual Garmin mount, permitting you to have your bike pc and Varia Vue in a single neat little area in your handlebars. Throughout driving, it’s seemingly you’ll do most of your mild and digicam controlling from the Garmin pc itself, so the arrange creates a pleasant centre of management for you. It additionally utilises a regular GoPro-style attachment do you have to want to use any aftermarket mounts.

Weight clever, this whole setup is a bit hefty, so not one for these of you involved about preserving issues feather-light. The entrance mild is available in at a whopping 200g, nevertheless, for those who’re adamant that you really want each a lightweight and a digicam in your bike another arrange of the Magic Shine ALLTY 1200 (as an illustration) and a Go Professional Hero 4K would work out 50g heavier. So, maybe the comfort of all of it rolled into one inconspicuous unit would possibly make it worthwhile for you.

A fast word on the waterproofing – Garmin boasts a powerful IPX7 waterproofing on the casing, that means that it may possibly technically face up to immersion in 1m of water for as much as half-hour. IPX7 is greater than a match for chilly and moist winter driving, even in torrential rain for hours on finish, and so it is you who’s prone to fail slightly than the Varia Vue in these situations. Not that I skilled any apocalyptic summer season storms within the testing interval, however I did not fear as soon as about getting caught in a downpour.

Arrange

As anticipated with a techy product like this, there’s a little bit of arrange required earlier than you’re ready to make use of the Garmin Varia Vue. You’ll want to attach it to your cellphone and your bike pc (I used my Garmin Edge 540), as you’ll do your whole controls right here.

Normally I discover Garmin gadgets are removed from user-friendly, at the very least initially. There’s too many menus and choices, and I don’t discover utilizing its consumer interfaces notably intuitive, and even constant throughout their fashions.

The Varia Vue app in all fairness effectively laid out nevertheless. I may, at the very least, navigate round it with ease and set issues up the best way I needed them, which was a shock. What was much less of a shock was that the gallery facet of the app (the place you’ll watch again your movies) is completely unusable with out the sunshine being switched on, linked to it and linked to WIFI, greater than a bit annoying for those who’re simply eager to verify via bits of footage or simply fiddle with settings rapidly.

Inside the app you may have full management of the digicam and lights, together with recording and determination settings, and it’s the place the clips are initially saved following a experience. From right here you’ll be able to obtain straight to your machine, and do some mild modifying of the clips – together with including experience knowledge. A phrase on the downloads nevertheless: it was an utter headache. I’d hoped it will be seamless – it’s 2025 in spite of everything – but it surely wasn’t. The obtain stored dropping out, and it will take so lengthy that usually the sunshine would die with out me noticing earlier than a video had absolutely downloaded. Maybe my WiFi isn’t adequate, maybe my endurance isn’t lengthy sufficient, however both method, I discovered it very annoying for a tool costing nearly £500.

Equally, I discovered that the longer I used the Varia Vue, the much less dependable the community reference to my cellphone was. I used to be repeatedly having to ‘take away’ the machine and re-pair it each time I needed to make use of it – which frankly made me not wish to use it in any respect and attain as an alternative for different lights that didn’t want 20 minutes of admin simply to get them usable.

I didn’t really feel the necessity for a Varia Vault subscription, which was a pleasant departure from different tech that locks important options behind a paywall. Whereas automated uploads will be helpful, I didn’t retailer sufficient clips to make it needed throughout the testing interval. Most of my driving is on quiet, semi-rural roads in England, so my incidents with vehicles are fortunately few and much between, however in busier cities or cities I think about the advantages of simple storage could be far more pronounced.

The sunshine

A lot of this assessment has, and can, give attention to the digicam and recording factor of the Varia Vue. Nonetheless, a core element of this method is the ‘see and be seen’ ethos, and for that, we do quickly have to show our consideration to the sunshine.

Like most traditional lights, you get your 5 modes: excessive, medium, low, and day and night time flash. Because the digicam is paired to each your cellphone and / or your Garmin, you need to use the app and / or your Garmin pc to regulate the settings which I discovered slightly bit much less handy than simply clicking a button on the machine to scroll via the settings, particularly after I was navigating with stated Garmin, and subsequently having to flip via completely different screens. I personally actually appreciated to make use of the auto brightness management setting, which adjusts the sunshine depth primarily based on velocity and situations (mild shines brighter at larger speeds, dimmer at decrease speeds), although this did have an effect on the battery life and is just controllable with a Garmin Edge pc.

The brightness of this mild is on the decrease finish of what I really feel is appropriate in a motorcycle mild, at as much as 600 lumens within the dayflash (which truly was very vibrant). ‘Excessive’ regular mode solely presents you 550 lumens, which might be simply okay in city areas, however a bit weak on very darkish nation lanes or trails.

Nonetheless, we should do not forget that lumens aren’t the whole lot when it comes to visibility, notably for those who’re extra involved about being seen on the roads: beam sample and light-weight color additionally play an element. The cutoff beam Garmin has built-in reduces glare for oncoming visitors (fortunately avoiding additional annoying drivers) and creates a cone of sunshine that makes you each simpler to identify and likewise StvZO compliant for those who’re in Germany. Garmin doesn’t present a visibility angle, however you’re supplied a cone of sunshine round your entrance wheel plus some small minimize out ‘indicator’ type lights on the aspect. My handlebars are too giant for these to be that helpful, however In a smaller, nimbler highway set-up, you would possibly discover they’re a pleasant addition.

Garmin Varia Vue Entrance Mild Digicam – biking via the modes. – YouTube

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The digicam

With the sunshine out of the best way, we will now flip our consideration to the extra integral a part of the ‘dashcam’ type unit, and the half that I feel most cyclists are going to be keenly fascinated with for the value. Most accidents, if they’re to happen, (and contact wooden that they don’t ever for you), usually occur head on, or from the aspect at junctions. The digicam, located out-front, is designed to be surveillance for that occasion, in addition to supplying you with some proof of shut passes from the rear, although these are theoretically additionally taken care of by the Varia RCT715 rear radar/mild/digicam.

I feel we should be very clear about what the digicam is and isn’t on the Varia Vue. It’s not an motion digicam, and it will be unfair to assessment it as such. The digicam, located out-front and with a large fish-eye lens, is designed to supply a transparent recording if an incident had been to happen, and for that I do anticipate crystal clear video and audio, prime quality incident detection and a broad sufficient discipline of view. So does it dwell as much as any of those necessities?

I’ll minimize to the chase. Except a automotive will get actually tremendous near you, you’re going to wrestle to get a licence plate studying, particularly at midnight or in vibrant daylight. Even on an peculiar, cloud crammed day, the footage is barely blown out, and also you’re not all the time assured a good shot. That is partly because of the lack of picture stabilisation on the larger 4K decision, which type of defeats the purpose of recording at a better body fee within the first place (particularly because it drains the battery faster), however can also be simply the character of a entrance dealing with digicam – the handlebars may not all the time be angled fairly proper to seize the shot in full. The one time I actually acquired a great shot of a licence plate was whereas in stationary visitors and I used to be proper behind the automotive. As quickly as we pulled off, the recording pixelated and it turned unclear.

Nonetheless, in saying that, common footage from most rides continues to be affordable and can seize sufficient of the context to indicate what has occurred, but it surely’s hit and miss at precisely how a lot element you’ll have the ability to see clearly. When you’re making an attempt to document at midnight although, you’ll not see a lot in any respect – shedding sharpness to fuzzy blackness past the pool of sunshine.

The recordings, usually, will fall into 10 minute clips saved to the app. After a experience, you’ll be able to take a look at what footage you’ve captured and ‘lock’ it, to forestall it from being written over in subsequent rides. Theoretically this can be a nice concept. In follow, nevertheless, looking for one shut go amongst a 2 hour experience consisting of 12 completely different 10 minute clips of sort-of-fuzzy-ish drivers was like trying to find a needle in a haystack, and I rapidly stopped bothering.

Although it’s not in scope for this assessment, I examined the entrance headlight alongside the RCT715 (£299), which helped construct a type of 360 diploma system for collision detection and I felt bolstered the entrance mild’s poor digicam high quality a bit, and made me really feel like I had a number of extra eyes on the highway. Nonetheless, would I wish to pay an additional £299 simply to make my £450 headlight really feel prefer it was working correctly?

The battery life

You’re in all probability going to be unsurprised to seek out that recording in 4k, on steady mode with the sunshine on excessive 550 lumens goes to empty your battery like nothing else. At this setting, you’re taking a look at about 1.5 hours of battery life, most, which isn’t actually optimum. Decreasing the decision right down to 1080p, and dropping the lumens will stretch the battery life out, however even at its greatest the battery life is just about 9 hours. It IS considerably higher than strapping a Go-Professional or different motion digicam to your handlebars although, so if you’re adamant in regards to the digicam remaining on document all through your rides, you are in all probability nonetheless higher off with a Garmin Varia Vue.

Garmin Varia Vue Entrance mild Footage – YouTube

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Every day efficiency

To check the Varia Vue, I stored it mounted for all of my commute and shorter highway rides, figuring that primarily based on the battery life and proximity to highway visitors, that is in all probability Garmin’s goal utilization.

One of many sudden results of getting the Varia Vue consistently recording is the way it shifts your consciousness on the highway. On one hand, it made me hyper-vigilant about each automotive that handed me, questioning whether or not or not the digicam would catch that interplay – if there was one in any respect. This added a layer of stress initially that I did discover a bit unsettling. Nonetheless, on the flip aspect (and maybe in nearly direct contradiction), I did really feel a peace of thoughts of understanding if something had been to occur, I’d seemingly have the footage to show it. Of all of the bits of tech I’ve reviewed through the years on a motorcycle, the Garmin Varia Vue did noticeably change how I felt on a motorcycle.

Maybe understandably, the testing of this mild sparked numerous conversations with mates who had been curious and fascinated with how the system labored. Ask any bike owner and I feel they’d nearly definitely agree that footage of an altercation could be helpful, and plenty of of them appeared to really feel that the peace of thoughts the Varia Vue affords maybe negates its hefty price ticket significantly. Nonetheless, for me, there have been only one or two many issues not-quite-perfect in regards to the setup that I needed may very well be tightened up earlier than I may give it a full 5 stars.

Firstly, the mounting of the headlight, although a good suggestion initially, begins to throw up extra issues than it solves. Although the Garmin mount retains your handlebars uncluttered, the unit is hung by the highest and so can act as a pendulum. Regardless of tightening the connecting bolt correctly a number of occasions it had a behavior of coming unfastened and free-swinging. As it’s linked by easy plastic attachments, there’s additionally no try at vibration dampening, and it completely contributes to the poorer-than-expected video high quality. To me, this appears a weird oversight that may very well be simply remedied with the power to tighten up the seating angle of the sunshine itself to maintain it safe and fewer vulnerable to leaping on rugged durations of tarmac.

Moreover, I used to be dissatisfied to seek out that the seating of the Varia Vue entrance mild – dropped down beneath the handlebars beneath a Garmin mount – limits your actual property extensively on the bike. Virtually all of my driving, whether or not commutes, journeys to the outlets or weekend bikepacking, is finished with a entrance rack and pack, which turns into totally not possible with the bike mild mounted on this method. You merely can’t match each a loaded pack and the Varia Vue on the identical time, and really you’re even going to wrestle with a barely bulging handlebar bag. I do know I’ve a distinct segment setup, and never everybody makes use of their bike in fairly the utilitarian method that I do, however this does largely limit the flexibility.

And talking of versatility, this isn’t the sunshine I’d suggest for an all-day (or multi day) journey. At full cost, I solely managed 5 hours of sunshine at 550 lumens on dayflash, which is simply shy of the 7 hours that Garmin state – and that was on the bottom decision and on ‘radar’ sensor. This may not be such a giant deal for those who’re utilizing it for commutes or shorter coaching rides, but it surely does imply you’ll want an extra battery pack (and even further lights) for those who’re the extra adventurous-y type. Typically I felt that I used to be all the time charging – or fascinated by charging – my Garmin tools. There’s no quick-glance battery indicator on both of the gadgets, which suggests you’re consistently having to attach all of them to see whether or not they’ll get you thru a experience.

Consequently, I do really feel I’ve to level out the ‘admin fatigue’ concerned in utilizing these the Garmin Varia Vue every day.The maintenance in charging of the entrance headlight (and the RCT715 for those who’ve chosen to show this right into a system), your cellphone and your garmin navigation machine, ensuring all of them are linked and arrange appropriately, which as talked about, isn’t all the time easy, after which remembering to take away them once more for those who cease at a restaurant or a store does put on skinny at occasions. At dwelling, you’ll want to make sure all gadgets are up to date to make sure you’re getting the most effective use out of them. You’ll must obtain and save your movies in case you want them for the longer term as in any other case the Varia Vue will ultimately document over them. Typically I simply wish to go on a motorcycle experience and click on a button for a dayflash on a lightweight and be carried out with all of it.

Regardless of the negativity although, I do should admit that the most effective issues in regards to the Varia Vue is that you may hold it on steady recording. Offered your connectivity is secure, a lot of your driving will get captured robotically and saved. I notably appreciated how effectively it recorded audio with minimal wind distortion, although I’ll admit most of my clips ended up that includes some less-than-stellar Taylor Swift renditions. The pliability to regulate recording decision was one other spotlight, letting me steadiness battery life with footage high quality. I didn’t discover sufficient high quality distinction between the decision modes to fret about obsessively recording in 4K, and reasoned that the improved battery life made extra sense to protect for longer rides than footage constancy.

Verdict

Penning this assessment has been difficult, and condensing my ideas right into a single part is even more durable – I really feel like I’m conflicted. Certainly one of my largest hesitations in awarding a better ranking comes right down to the fundamentals: the digicam high quality, battery life, and connection points all go away lots to be desired, particularly at this value level. The idea is nice and it does convey peace of thoughts to riders and their households, but it surely’s removed from excellent.

On the optimistic aspect, the Varia Vue is way extra sensible than merely strapping a Go-Professional to your handlebars, with steady recording and built-in bike mild controls. I beloved that it offered an extra pair of eyes whereas on the highway. If I needed to sum it up in a few sentences: it’s an alright system, particularly for these already deep within the Garmin ecosystem and comfy spending a good sum of money.

That stated, for the Varia Vue to really feel actually full, you’re taking a look at a number of dear additions: SD playing cards, presumably the rear digicam, and a appropriate Garmin Edge for full performance. It’s a steep value to pay, and I’m nonetheless not satisfied that I’d use it often sufficient to be definitely worth the value – particularly with the connectivity points and fixed charging required.

However maybe the peace of thoughts you obtain from this method has no value? A part of my hesitation is, I feel, that I needed the Garmin Varia Vue to be the answer to biking security, and finally I’ve to just accept that it isn’t, and received’t ever be. As an alternative, the Varia Vue presents an built-in system that helps you retain one other eye out for bother, and possibly that’s sufficient.