| Feature | Smartphones | Handhelds |
| Cost | Cheaper, especially if you own a phone. | More expensive. |
| Positional accuracy | Excellent. | Excellent. |
| Commercial mapping | Any maps can be used with the right apps | Limited to the manufacturers offer which may be good. |
| OSM and OS/OSM hybrid mapping | A range of apps use these. | Both are available for Garmins. |
| Maps cost | OS maps are cheaper. OSM and OS/OSM hybrids are free or cheap. | OS maps are expensive. Third-party OSM and OS/OSM hybrids are free or cheap for Garmins. |
| Storage for maps | Great. Some phones support huge capacity microSD cards. | Good and many Garmins offer microSD slots. |
| Battery life | Variable. Careful management needed. | Usually better. An eTrex 20x will run for about 20 hours. |
| Can the battery be swapped? | No. | In many models, yes. Integrated batteries usually last well. |
| Waterproofness | Poor. Extra protection is essential. | Usually OK out of the box. |
| Robustness | Poor. Protection is a good idea. | Usually built to take a few knocks. |
| Reliability | Good. But a few pitfalls. Battery life! | Very good. |
| Screen size and quality | Large and high quality. | Smaller and lower resolution. |
| Sunlight readability | Usually poor, except an e-ink phone. | Better. Transflective screens work in bright sunlight. |
| Ease of use | Easy to use and fast. | Can be tediously slow. eg A Garmin eTrex. |
| Managing routes, tracks and waypoints. | A good app can be excellent. | Variable. Software and a cable may be needed. |
| Use with gloves | Normal gloves won’t work. | Big buttons work well. |
| Use in the rain | Touchscreens can get ‘jumpy’. | Buttons work well. Resistive touchscreens still work. |
| Mounting options | None. | Yes. |
| Weight | Light | Only the smallest are as light as phones. |
