Garmin Nuvi 2597 vs Garmin Nuvi 50LM

No matter how intriguing a price tag Garmin Nuvi 50LM has, it gets outperformed by Garmin Nuvi 2597. With 2.5 hours of battery backup, lifetime maps, and traffic updates, Nuvi 2597 is a better bang for your bucks. Nevertheless, Nuvi 50LM has a few upsides too. Here’s more on that note.

Garmin Nuvi 2597 vs Garmin Nuvi 50LM

Belonging to the same parent company, both the devices have a lot of things in common. Aspects such as screen size and resolution are almost identical, while navigations like route avoidance and lane guidance are also similar. However, below are some factors that do draw the line.

Weight

While Garmin Nuvi 2597 is more on the heavier side with a 188g weight, Garmin Nuvi 50LM weighs only 177.2g. Though the gap is not that much, the extra bit of heft on Nuvi 2597 can sometimes make it uncomfortable to carry. So, this round goes to Nuvi 50LM for its lightweight nature.

Dimensions

Both navigation devices have minor differences in their height and width. In terms of width, Nuvi 2597 measures 137mm as opposed to 140mm of Nuvi 50LM. Similarly, the height difference is also 3mm. Despite the difference being almost negligible, we would lean towards Nuvi 2597 for the compactness.

Other than that, both devices fall in the top 100 GPS navigation systems in terms of thickness. While Nuvi 2597 is 19mm thick, Nuvi 50LM is 18mm. It would be really nitpicking if we told that Garmin Nuvi 50LM has a slight edge.

Battery Life

Neither of the devices scores anything record-breaking in our battery endurance test. Garmin Nuvi 2597 can last up to a respectable 2.5 hours with GPS always on, whereas Nuvi 50LM drains within only 2 hours. Therefore, Nuvi 2597 will give you a better experience during a long drive.

Lifetime Maps Support

Garmin Nuvi 2597 has the upper hand when it comes to after-sale services like maps support. It comes with lifetime maps support, which allows you to download updated maps every 3 months. Most amazingly, you don’t have to pay any subscription fees whatsoever. 

Unfortunately, that’s not the case with Garmin Nuvi 50LM, given its price point. It comes with only preloaded maps that might only get major updates along the way. But there’s no such option as manual downloading.

Lifetime Traffic Updates

Lifetime traffic update is another feature that makes Garmin Nuvi 2597 a better buy. It makes sure traffic alerts appear on one side of your map with additional data, such as updates on delays and possible detours. Besides, it can find the fastest route for you. Unfortunately, this feature is not present in Garmin Nuvi 50LM.

Route Optimizer

Garmin Nuvi 2597 packs a route optimizer feature to save a chunk of your time and fuel. It uses a set of advanced algorithms to find the most efficient route. In the case of multiple destinations, all you have to do is input the data and let the GPS do its trick.

On the contrary, Nuvi 50LM can only show you the routes with no pathfinding involved. You’re on your own when it comes to optimizing the routes. So, chances are you might end up spending more time and more bucks on fuel.

Multi Route Capabilities

Garmin Nuvi 2597 belongs to the top 57% of GPS devices that come with multi-route capabilities. Therefore, it lets you have a number of vias on each route. Garmin Nuvi 50LM, on the other hand, belongs to the remaining 43% and misses out on this technology too.

Voice Command Support

You can use voice commands to access key facilities on the Garmin Nuvi 2597. Thanks to that, you won’t even have to touch any buttons whatsoever, which comes in handy while driving on busy roads. But Garmin Nuvi 50LM, having a lower price tag, ditches voice command. Hence, you’ll have to rely on the buttons.

Quicke Emergency Service

Though none of the devices has a dedicated smartphone application, Garmin Nuvi 50LM has an edge. It lets you reach out to emergency services through a quick shortcut option. Thus, the overall experience seems more responsive and seamless. You won’t find any such shortcuts on the Garmin Nuvi 2597.

Hands-free Calling

Whenever there’s an incoming call, Nuvi 2597 allows you to receive it while keeping your hands on the steering wheel. Therefore, you can answer important calls with no safety tradeoffs. As with inexpensive devices, Nuvi 50LM is void of such options.

Price to Performance Ratio

You cannot go wrong with Garmin Nuvi 2597, as it has a high price to performance ratio. Still, Garmin Nuvi 50LM has an asking price that is even less than half the price of Nuvi 2597. For what it’s worth, Nuvi 50LM lives up to the expectations from an inexpensive GPS.

Additional Features

Garmin Nuvi 50LM has a few add-ons, including a favorites menu. You can save all your preferred destinations inside its built-in storage for later use. So, the next time you want to visit them, the directions are only one click away. Anyhow, Garmin Nuvi 2597 misses out on this important detail despite the higher price tag.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How to update Garmin Nuvi 2597?

Ans: First, choose the myMaps option on the device. There, you can have the info on currently installed updates as well as available updates (if any) listed next to the registered device tab.

Q: Is it possible to update my Garmin Nuvi GPS without a pc?

Ans: Yes, it is. All you have to do is connect your GPS device to a Wi-Fi network. Once the device gets connected to the internet, you can install the available software update. No computer is required.

Verdict

As you see, Garmin Nuvi 2597 gets the better of Garmin Nuvi 50LM in almost every possible aspect. Still, Nuvi 50LM can be a viable option if the price is your first and foremost concern. It ticks most of the boxes while cutting down a few high-end features. So there’s that.