Mobile Sat-nav Test

June 2009

If you hate maps cluttering your car and don’t want to splash out on a portable sat-nav, then a version for your phone could be the answer to your prayers!

If you already have a suitable mobile, a sat-nav application is a fraction of the price of a standalone unit, and there’s just one bit of kit stuck to your screen. Security is not a problem either, as you always carry your phone. The only real downside is the sound and screen quality is only as good as your mobile. Some systems are server-based, where the map and routing are held remotely and supplied when requested.

This means you’ll need a GPRS tariff, something also required for live traffic data. If your system depends on GPRS, a good signal is essential; card-based set-ups don’t suffer from this problem. Finally, always check your phone and the sat-nav system are compatible.

So which are the best mobile sat-navs? We dialled up eight.

We rated features, including points of interest (POI), speed trap location and traffic info where applicable, before taking them on the road, looking for clear, accurate mapping, with good voice commands. We also took a wrong turning to see how quickly the unit recalculated.

Verdict

With Garmin and TomTom effectively out of the running, it was a close run thing between the Snooper and CoPilot, both card-based options.
The latter is more versatile, but both do a good job. If you want a server system, we’ve only one minor gripe with Smartnav Mobile and for many, its simpler symbol set-up is preferable.

Top 3

1. Navmii
2. Snooper S290M Sapphire Plus Mobile
3. Smartnav Mobile

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