TomTom's Top GPS Navigator Makes Google Maps and Waze Feel Redundant

There's a good explanation for this. Everybody owns a phone, and running them behind the wheel is extremely convenient because these applications come with very basic requirements.

For instance, Google Maps doesn't need a permanent Internet connection. The offline map support allows users to navigate in remote areas or regions with a spotty cellular signal without worrying about losing connectivity.

As such, few people consider buying a dedicated GPS navigator these days, as their mobile phones already do pretty much everything they'd need.

TomTom, however, believes GPS navigators still have a market of their own. The company currently produces several such products, including the top-of-the-range GO Discover.

Technical specifications

Before jumping into features, because that's pretty much the part most people are interested in, let's review the technical specs. They are as important as the feature lineup, as a large and high-quality screen is often more important than certain capabilities.

TomTom GO Discover packs a 7-inch display with a 1280x800 pixels resolution. The device sports 32GB of storage for maps, voice control, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi.

The GPS navigator can connect to a mobile phone for additional capabilities powered by TomTom Services, and as you'll learn in a minute, this is something that most people are going to love.

The specs look good on paper, and there's nothing you'd miss when replacing a mobile phone with this GPS navigator. The screen is large enough (it's almost the size of an iPhone 14 Pro Max), so the device ticks most essential boxes for a top navigator.

The feature lineup

Now it's time to discover the actual magic of a TomTom GPS unit.

TomTom is known as a leader in the navigation space, particularly thanks to its advanced mapping platform and accurate maps. As a result, GO Discover comes with state-of-the-art maps that include up-to-date information, including road closures and everything else.

The primary benefit of the likes of Google Maps and Waze is that they're updated almost in real-time whenever a map change is made. The process isn't necessarily extremely convenient on a GPS unit, but TomTom has tried to make it a bit more straightforward with smaller and faster updates. With built-in Wi-Fi, updates can be installed in a matter of seconds, and TomTom promises it'll ship them as often as possible without charging you a single cent.

As most drivers already know, a top navigation solution doesn't only come down to maps. It also needs additional information, such as traffic information, camera alerts, and so on.

TomTom GO Discover provides all these extras with help from TomTom Services running on a mobile device. This way, the company can offer up-to-date traffic information even without an Internet connection on the GPS unit itself.

TomTom's traffic data looks at the current conditions and then helps generate alternative route options and accurate arrival times.

The parent company is also offering some premium services at no extra cost for a limited time. TomTom GO Discover buyers get one year of live safety camera alerts, fuel price info, and off-street parking details. With camera alerts, drivers receive a notification when they approach the location of a fixed-speed camera. The live fuel price database includes information about the cost of gas in real time, so you can search for nearby stations based on your preferences.

As an advanced GPS navigator, GO Discover also includes extra features to help with navigation. For example, it comes with lane guidance, so you'll know precisely what lane to use as you approach an intersection.

It's not hard to determine the big difference when comparing the GPS navigator with the likes of Google Maps and Waze. Traffic reports are missing, so if you're addicted to sending and getting traffic data from your screen, that's not available on TomTom's GO Discover. In fact, no GPS navigator comes with such capabilities, but TomTom tries to make up for this with the addition of real-time traffic data.

On the other hand, getting a dedicated GPS navigator means you can keep your phone in your pocket without worrying about draining the battery. Sure enough, plugging in the mobile device is already pretty convenient, and given new cars also pack wireless chargers, the whole thing is no longer a problem.

At $299, TomTom's GPS navigator is a solid choice that can replace Google Maps and Waze if you don't need traffic reports. It can still connect to a mobile phone to pull traffic data, but other than that, it's an advanced solution for anyone who doesn’t want to use a smartphone for navigation. The box includes a dedicated mount, a USB cable, and a car charger. The built-in battery provides almost two hours of usage per charge if you set the screen at 100 percent brightness.