Gotta ask. With todays smart phones why bother with dedicated GPS unit. Its a dying business. Use a app like scenic, download maps so no using up of data. Your music is there, search function is easy to use and best of all we all have one already. I get that cell service can be an issue but so rarely. Seems like a waist of $500-$600.
Am I missing something?
There is a whole thread about it somewhere as it can be a heated debate. Personally I prefer a Garmin over a phone for a few reasons:
1) With Garmin I can use Basecamp, have all maps and POI offline, no need for an internet connection to plan a route. No one else does this and I have been in places with no internet connection and needing/wanting to adjust and alter routes for the next day. Sure you could do it on the phone itself but working on such a small screen and trying to make any complex changes or even see a large view of what you have going on just does not compare
2) GPS devices are starting to be integrated into the bike. My BMW gives me hand controls over my GPS without needing to take my hands off the bar. I can switch songs, zoom in and out of the map, find fuel, one button click to go home, see all my bike stats i.e. speed, temp, voltage, fuel consumption and a million other things.
3) New devices when connected with your phone give you the features that were only found on phones before, i.e. weather and traffic. When out in Utah and Colorado last summer my Nav routed me past a few heavy congested areas and saved me a fair bit of time.
4) Music directly on the Nav, no worry about battery life of the phone when riding all day and wanting to play music all day long. The limitation here is the battery in my helmet, though I think that is good for 12 hours or so.
These are just my reasons and they work for me, might not and probably not what everyone else wants or needs. Thankfully we have choice and people can find what works for them.