Which navigator to choose for an Android smartphone. Navigator on a phone without the Internet - which one is better? Other navigation programs and maps

Good afternoon friends. Today we will talk about navigators installed on Android and working without the Internet. Needless to say, navigators have made life much easier for drivers in different countries. Many people simply stopped taking with them various atlases and road maps of different parts of the Earth.

But you don’t always have navigators at your fingertips, which can’t be said about your mobile phone. Also, on the road, the Internet often disappears. Therefore, a decent number of navigator applications for Android have been developed that function without the Internet. By installing this software on your phone, you can choose a shorter and safer route to the desired location, including in an unfamiliar city or country. I suggest you consider 10 such navigators of 2019 on Android and choose the one you like best.

Sygic

This offer is very popular in many countries. But many drivers have found that if the program is used for a long time, the information provided is not entirely reliable. Most likely, some places on Earth simply stopped supporting this software.

But despite this, Sygic is still one of the main leaders among offline navigator programs for smartphones. This application has a good design that is easy on the eyes and fingers. In addition, the program can function using only GPS, which makes it possible to work efficiently without a constant connection to the Internet. The software updates its topographic databases for free in most regions of the Earth.

Overall, this app is one of the best choices for people who spend a decent amount of time on the road. Even if for a number of reasons GPS and the Internet stop working, thanks to the downloaded maps, people will be able to navigate the area. To get additional features, such as voice guidance and detailed instructions, you need to install the PRO version.

Download Sygic.

Until recently, this navigation program did not shine among a number of navigator programs. But, MapFactor developers began to carry out endless updates and improvements to the application. As a result, this software took the top three among similar applications of the Android system.

Its main advantage is that once you install the program on your gadget, you no longer need the Internet for excellent navigation on the ground. It is only necessary to update the application every month to update information about changes in cartography.

MapFactor provides navigation routing in many languages ​​and allows you to plan your route ahead of time. The program makes it possible to see the required route in both 2D and 3D formats. That is, both a map with all the details, and in a simplified form.

For example, when traveling on highways between cities, it is preferable to use simple maps, due to the fact that you only need to carefully observe the traffic. If you are in a populated area, it is better to use maps with all the nuances, such as gas stations, food outlets, recreation and other landmarks.

Download the navigator without the Internet for Android MapFactor.

navigator

A well-worn, proven atlas or an advanced navigator?

A navigator installed on a tablet or mobile phone on the Android platform will lead you out of any remote place, circle traffic jams, and help you find attractions hidden from tourists in small towns. However, everything is not so simple. I would like the application to work quickly offline, but often without a network, even a well-promoted navigator turns into a set of maps, and not with all settlements. You have to take out an old, worn-out atlas and find out where your “eyes led.”

The list of 10 applications below was chosen taking into account the criticism of users who, through their own mistakes, realized where the navigator slows down and what functions it lacks. We are mainly talking about free versions, but there are also several paid options.

Google Maps

The most popular, widespread maps with which you can travel without the Internet. To download a map of a particular city, you need to go to Google Play, find the desired plan and select the area for downloading. Click on the phrase “available offline” and download what you need. This way you can travel without a network by car, metro, tram, bicycle, exploring an unfamiliar area.

Google Maps is the most popular navigator that works without the Internet

• constant updates;
• scaling and the ability to view cities and roads from different angles.

• users of the program note that the program often freezes, cards take a long time to download and take up a lot of space.

Yandex maps

Yandex navigator is also well-known, it is quite widespread and is similar in functionality to Google.

The big disadvantage of both options is that without a network they are just cards. Yes, they are promptly updated and feature extensive information, but they work without the ability to plot the desired route.

Sygic GPS Navigation, MapDroyd and Maverick Pro GPS

Sygic GPS Navigation, MapDroyd and Maverick Pro GPS offer high-quality maps and various additional features. You can download them from a free Wi-Fi hotspot and calmly move on, checking the route. All three applications are designed to work in any state and country of the world.

Advice. In order not to fill up the device’s memory, it is better to download maps of 2-3 cities near which you are located, and then delete them and download the next ones.

• travelers say the apps can provide directions and suggest detours if the road is blocked;
• The downside is that in the Sygic navigator, 3D plans are only available for a fee, although the program itself is free.

GPS Navigation BE-ON-ROAD

It works offline and can be installed for free if you get a license to work with OpenStreetMap.

Among the advantages can be noted:

• clarity of maps;
• user-friendly interface;
• the ability to build a route without connecting to the network.

During the work, several minor shortcomings were noticed:

• the application shows the reversal as a turn;
• does not find house numbers on small streets.

MapFactor for Android

A good application, it works via GPS, so it can be done offline. You can download site plans and use them in the future.

Advantages of the navigator:

• intuitive menu;
• availability of free functions;
• is able to pave the exact path to a given address.

Flaws;

• takes a long time to load;
• maps without small streets and other details.

OsmAnd

An excellent option for offline navigation. The application is equipped with voice support, it is possible to find your way in the Alps or find the shortest route to a cafe.

The disadvantage of Yandex Navigator is the inability to get directions without the Internet

• Only 10 maps are downloaded for free.

CityGuide

An advanced program with detailed information on maps of Russia, CIS countries and parts of Europe. Knows everything about traffic jams, sharp turns, accidents, road signs. Can work without the Internet.

Advantage:

• an excellent free support service whose specialists answer questions and take calls with information about incidents and traffic jams.

Flaw:

• The free version does not work without a network.
• free trial period for using the full-fledged application – 15 days.

Navitel navigator

The most popular option after Yandex GPS. High-quality service with detailed maps that can be downloaded and do not depend on the quality of the network. The peculiarity is that this application is not provided for free. After a month of using the demo version, the necessary cards are purchased or periodically subscribed.

Attention! Navitel significantly saves battery power on any Android device.

Advantages

• some of the most accurate data;
• excellent speed;
• Support service;
• paves the way without a network.

Flaws:

• the application is paid.

When choosing which application to install on Android, car enthusiasts advise:

1. If you want to save money, download maps where there are Wi-Fi access points.
2. Free apps provide great maps with detailed information, but they don't always provide directions.

In any case, the above navigators will help you navigate the direction of travel, get out of any wilderness, and see rare sights around the world.

Navigators for Android without the Internet - video

Mandatory!

The problem of turning a smartphone into a hiking GPS navigator has been solved. The main navigator is now a smartphone; in terms of functionality and ease of use, it leaves far behind all existing special hiking GPS navigators. And in terms of reliability, sensitivity and battery life, it is on par with them.

I must say, the problem was not solved by me, but by the manufacturers of smartphones, batteries and software. I only selected worthy candidates and tested them in practice. I won’t make any secrets, I’ll be happy to share detailed recipes, use them and continue experimenting.

First about the software.

There are dozens of programs that turn a smartphone into a navigator. The choice according to my requirements left only one program: Locus Map (Locus Map). It is written only for Android, so the choice of smartphones has narrowed significantly. There is a free, slightly trimmed version of Locus Free, the full version of Locus PRO costs $8 one-time, I advise you to install it right away, because when upgrading from Free to Pro, you will have to do all the settings again, and there are a lot of them.

So, the main advantages of Locus, because of which it turned out to be out of competition:

1. Availability of high-quality free offline vector maps of the whole world based on OSM (Open Street Maps). Here's a link to one of them. There are terabytes of regularly updated maps.
2. The program understands raster maps, which are easy to make yourself from scanned paper maps. For example, using the Mapc2Mapc program. The beloved General Staff will easily take root here. Here is a gift for you: a map of Crimea and the Lycian Way in Turkey that I made. You will find instructions for using the Mapc2Mapc program just below.
3. Convenient recording of track and waypoints. You can draw a track manually and place waypoints anywhere, not just at your current location.
4. Conveniently upload your tracks and points. Both of them can be placed in an unlimited number of folders, enabled/disabled by folders, or individually.
5. There is no limit on the number of points, tracks and points in tracks.
6. The ability to disable auto-locking of the display (the display will still turn off to save energy) and assign functions to the volume keys, such as zooming. In practice, this means that the navigator can be controlled without pressing the screen. This is also true when the screen is wet and does not respond correctly to gestures.
7. It is possible to locate directories with maps on an SD card.
8. Absolutely everything is customizable: the type and size of the cursor, its position (in the center or on ¼ of the screen), the color and width of the tracks, the size of the point icons, options for displaying the names of the points (permanently, open by tap or when approaching)…
9. Unlimitedly customizable trip computers: amount of data, location, font (size, transparency and color) - in any combination.
10. Fine-tuning the recording of track points by time, distance and accuracy. This allows you to record only the points of real movements, and not wandering around and jumping hundreds of meters with poor communication with satellites.
11. Configuring the use of the internal compass and barometer: filtering depth, on and off limits.
12. Setting the GPS receiver to turn off to save power (always on, always off, only on when in use)
13. Customize all buttons on the top and two side panels, auto-hide.
14. Running the application as a service, which eliminates failures when other applications are running simultaneously (calls, photos...). For example, for me, track recording pauses during calls, if not turned on as a service.
15. The program is developing and constantly improving, new convenient functions appear, bugs are fixed when working on new smartphones and versions of Android.

Is it really more than a list? I only wrote down what was interesting to me. The program's capabilities are simply incredible; the developers are trying to create the most universal GPS-based application. Due to the huge number of settings, it is not easy to understand them. I will describe how to make the most necessary things for the hike.

This is what my program window looks like with a vector map of Crimea. The difference from the default one is only in the buttons at the top, on the side and in the trip computer.

Setting up Locus.

1. Select all default directories- in the phone memory, Not on an external SD card. This is done in the settings - miscellaneous. Directories for vector maps locus/mapsVector and raster maps locus/maps can also be placed on an external SD card by specifying this in the program settings.

2. Download a map of the area where you are so that you have something to work with.

First, copy vector maps (in .map format) to locus/mapsVector, and raster maps to locus/maps. If you took a vector map from the link above, then they come with their own styles, which Necessarily you need to install it by going to the site with maps from your smartphone https://www.openandromaps.org/en/legend/elevate-mountain-hike-theme. In a collumn " Quick install in Android" Click Locus. Then you need to enable themes. First, activate the vector map. Then drag the bookmark at the bottom left. there you select “external” and there will be “Elevate” and “Elements”. They are exactly the same, but the first is, by default, designed for wild areas, the second for the city. The only difference is in the checkboxes that include different elements on the map. The theme needs to be installed once, suitable for all cards.

The map can be downloaded directly to the smart phone. The maps are multilingual, the language can be switched for each map separately, click the three dots in the catalog with maps to the right of the map name.

There is a big drawback to maps from the openandromaps.org resource. The problem is with street names in populated areas. There are either none, or they are displayed only on a couple of scales. But in terms of detail in the wilderness, these maps have no equal.

It happens that the program sees newly downloaded maps after rebooting the smartphone.

3. Now some important settings. The rest can be left as default.

If you don’t want to deal with long disputes, you can simply restore my settings from a backup. Download the settings file, copy it to the phone in the Locus/Backup folder (do not unpack it, just as downloaded, with the .zip extension), and then in the program menu select “Additional functions” - Backup manager - Restore. Please note that in these settings, map folders are configured in the phone memory by default. If you want, change to an external SD card.

My trip computer and themes for maps from the openandromaps.org resource are already built into the settings file.

If you still want to figure it out yourself (due to constant updating of the application, the settings may be in other sections and renamed):

Editing the top and right sidebar buttons.

Entering the editor - long tap on any element of the panel - panel settings. We set the number of buttons on the top panel to 5, the right panel to 2 and change the elements (remove unnecessary ones and add new functions): GPS, Data, Maps, Track recording, Trip computer, New point, New route. Move elements by clicking on the icon. "GPS" is the satellite visibility icon. Yellow - no signal, green - there is a signal. “Data” is a directory of your tracks and points. “Maps”—entrance to the catalog with maps. “Record track” opens an additional track recording panel (it can be adjusted, I recommend placing it at the bottom). “Trip computer” turns on/off the selected computer, and with a long tap you select the computer. You can draw whatever you want through settings/additional functions/route editor. I didn’t like any of the ready-made ones - the symbols were too large and covered half the screen. I made simple little black numbers at the top of the card, on the left. It shows speed, altitude, distance traveled. “New Point” records the center of the screen as a new point, asks for the name and destination folder. “New Route” allows you to draw a route manually. I use this function as a distance meter.

The first five buttons will be on the top panel, the rest on the side panel.

The sixth, leftmost element of the top panel changes differently: just click and select from several options. I advise you to choose GPS here. Will show the accuracy and number of visible satellites. If the accuracy is displayed at, say, 50m, then the navigator can fool you at 300m; you should not take such readings seriously.

Controls/Screen:

• “Lock auto-rotate” - check “all screens” and “portrait mode” (this will disable auto-rotate display)
• “Disable screen lock” - check the “Disable all locks” checkbox (the screen will still turn off when not in use, but it will not need to be unlocked with gestures)

Controls/Map Screen

• hardware buttons: zoom control

Controls/panels and buttons

• left panel buttons - map style switch - check the box. This is a switch of those very topics. Different themes for different purposes
• It is better not to enable auto-hiding of the top, bottom and function bars, they do not interfere if the screen is more than 4.5 inches

Recording tracks:

• pedestrian profile: 20m/10s/35m
• view of the track recording panel - bottom panel

GPS and sensors:

• launch at application startup - always
• Disable when inactive - I advise you to uncheck the box.

• compass-auto switching, 2km/h
• use true path angle: yes

Miscellaneous:

• exit confirmation: yes
• Locus as a service: yes

Points and tracks:

• track line style: I advise you to choose purple color so as not to blend in with any symbols on the map, track width: 4px

Compass calibration

Locus has a function that allows you to use the built-in compass. But it definitely needs to be calibrated from time to time. For some reason, the compass setting often gets lost.

You can do this like this: open the Google Maps application. Wait until the location is determined and a blue circle appears in the center, marking where you are now. Briefly tap on it, and in the window that opens, at the bottom left, click “calibrate compass.” If the accuracy is written: “high,” then you don’t need to do anything. And if the accuracy is average or low, then turn the phone as shown in the figure until you see a message that the compass is configured.

Instructions for converting raster maps into the Locus.sqlitedb format using the Mapc2Mapc program.

Download the Mapc2Mapc program and install it. In the free version, the functionality is the same, but the map will be littered with red crosses. If this is critical for you, the license costs a one-time fee of $20. Or look for the broken version. I've only seen older versions, they have a lot of bugs and worse functionality.

The program has the ability to link a card: File/load image for calibration. But I haven’t figured out this option and am linking maps in oziexplorer. How the binding is done is a separate topic, read specialized sites and forums.

Open the desired map: File/Load calibrated map. Sometimes the program finds it difficult to select a projection. For example, for Pulkovo1942 (our favorite General Staff) you need to choose from the list, this is Russia, Georgia or Asia.

Then File/Write map for mobile device, select Locus/Rmaps/Galileo .sqlitedb from the list. You can leave Zoom and all the checkboxes as default. Click OK. Now attention! A page will open where the map is divided into squares and you can disable any. If you click OK here, the number of squares increases 4 times so that you can select more accurately. If you do not need to throw out individual pieces of the card (or you have already thrown it away), check the “No more selections” checkbox and click OK. The conversion will begin. Depending on the size of the card and the performance of the computer, it can take a lot of time, up to several hours. Look for the converted map next to the original one.

About smartphones and increasing their reliability.

Once Locus is selected, Iphone and others automatically disappear, leaving only Android. It would be nice to use a special protected smartphone. They are not only protected from damage and water, but can also work normally in temperatures down to -20. True, they are so hefty that you don’t want to carry them around in everyday life. And if you don’t have the means to buy a separate device for a hike, you can get by with a regular smartphone with water protection. Super impact protection is useless. You need to put the smart phone in silicone, stick on a protective glass and tie the device with a cord to a backpack or belt. The cord is ordinary, 35-40 cm long, so that the phone does not reach the ground and does not interfere with putting it to your ear. If your phone doesn't have an eyelet for a lanyard, you can attach it to the silicone case.

This is how I carry mine in my backpack pocket.

Experience has shown that the minimum requirements are: 4-core processor 1.5 GHz, 2 GB of RAM, 5″ screen. It is vital that the screen can be operated normally in the rain, that is, when there are drops of water on it and your fingers are wet. For example, Samsung S7-S10 has such screens. I have already tried Samsung S5, S7 edge, S9+ and am very pleased.

Autonomy of the smartphone.

Conventional devices can withstand 1.5 hiking days under the following conditions: constant track recording, moderate use of the screen, constantly in touch, 10 minutes of calls, 5 MB of Internet (mail, weather forecast). If you turn off the connection, it lasts for 2 days. Not much. Removable batteries are a thing of the past, now the only option is to charge. The solar battery charging option is not suitable for active hiking. Attaching it to a backpack is inconvenient and ineffective. Normally, you can use solar charging only on vacation.

Therefore, there is only one way out: charging from a power bank with lithium-ion batteries. I have already tried a dozen of them, of different designs. You need to choose according to the optimal combination of main parameters: capacity, weight, price, reliability and convenience. With weight and price, everything is simple and clear. But with the most important thing - capacity, manufacturers are messing up. First: absolutely everyone indicates the capacity of the internal battery for a voltage of 3.7V. But it comes out of the power bank 5V. Second: no one indicates the efficiency of the converter from 3.7 to 5V. And it ranges from 70 to 88%. Typical figure is 80%. So it turns out that it is written 10000mAh, but in reality it is 5400-6400mAh. This power bank will charge a 3600mAh smartphone battery from 5 to 100% 1.5 times.

Manufacturers also mess with the charge and discharge current. Of course, to a lesser extent. The higher the charge current, the faster the power bank charges. And the greater the current supplied (per discharge), the faster the phone will charge. Take power banks with fast charging capabilities, this is very important when you only have a short opportunity to connect to an outlet while on a hike.

From the point of view of reliability and convenience, I consider it optimal to use power banks with a “written” capacity of around 10000mAh. One large one is certainly more economical in price and weight. But power banks are often lost, forgotten and broken. Therefore, it is safer to take several smaller pieces.

A solar panel on a power bank is a useless weight. It takes 2 weeks for her to charge it!

The built-in flashlight is a dangerous thing because it likes to turn on accidentally and wastes its charge in vain.

I measure the capacity of power banks with a USB tester. And it’s even better not to compare capacity, but Watt hours. Then we avoid the need to take into account the voltage, which changes during the measurement process and produces an incorrect result.

Here are some tested options for comparison to get an idea of ​​how different they are.

Globex 11500mAh: weight 240 g (plastic body), actual capacity 6000mah/30Wh. Charges with a current of 1A, outputs up to 1.5A. Full charge time 10 hours.

Drobak power roverII 10000mAh: weight 280 g (steel case), actual capacity 5400mAh/27Wh. It charges and produces 0.85A. Full charge time 12 hours.

Xiaomi 10000mAh: weight 210g (aluminum body), actual capacity 6400mAh/32Wh. Charges 2.2A, outputs 1.8A. Full charge time 5.5 hours.

Xiaomi 2 10000mAh (with fast charging): weight 222g (aluminum body), actual capacity 6520mAh/32.6Wh. Charges 2.2A/5V, 1.5A/9-12V, outputs 2A/5V, 1.5A/9-12V. Full charge time is 3-5.5 hours.

If you consider that Xiaomi is also not expensive, then they win in all respects! Here is a photo of the hero:

One BUT: the market is flooded with fakes of terrible quality. Look for an original item in trusted stores with a good reputation, and under no circumstances look at one-page sites with a discount of many%. By the way, do not buy anything on such sites! The real price per 10,000 is 15-20 dollars.

The rest of the tested power banks were collapsible, using standard 18650 batteries. Here is the best of them, TOMO:

The charger separately weighs 108 grams, each battery weighs 46 grams. All together weighs 292 grams. It charges and outputs 1.8A. In terms of money, it’s a little more expensive than the previous ones. TOMO has 4 independent charge/discharge channels, one for each battery. There is a charge indicator separately for each battery. And it even shows the strength of the recoil current. It is not necessary to insert all 4 batteries, it will work from one. Of course, the key here is the quality of the batteries. And I took the best ones - industrial Panasonic NCR 18650B with a real capacity of 3300-3400 mAh. This is the discharge capacity, measured with a special charger. That is, the total was 13400mAh. When discharged, 7200 mAh comes out of the TOMO. Obviously, the efficiency of the converter is only 72%. Very bad. Another important nuance: when turned off, the discharge current is 0.34 mA for each battery. This means that 8% of the charge will go to waste in a week. So you need to remove the batteries if it is temporarily lying around idle.

I also tested similar charges, but with one charge/discharge channel, with batteries connected in parallel. The results are similar to TOMO, but the execution is poor and the quality is low. During the hike, I didn’t dare rely on such things; they would let me down at any moment. One plus is that when the device is turned off, there is no discharge at all.

What are the advantages of charging on 18650 batteries: You can take one charger for 2-4 batteries, and take as many batteries as you need! Yes, at least 10. It will be cheaper and easier.

The main drawback was discovered on the very first trip. Often poor contact with batteries. You have to wipe them and rotate them. You think it's charging, but it's not really charging or it's weak. Such a serious drawback offsets the advantages in price and weight. In addition, all of them have low efficiency. So I recommend non-separable power banks.

Another use for power banks is charging batteries for cameras and video cameras. If their charging only works from 220V, it doesn’t matter: on aliexpress you will find USB 5V chargers for all types of batteries.

Please note: Lithium-ion batteries self-discharge by 10% per month. Therefore, be sure to recharge them before going on a trip.

Here is the final part of the “series” about popular car navigation applications for Android. In it, we tried to summarize all the information from five previously published reviews of individual applications and give a final assessment. In order not to burden the reader, we will try to do this in the most concise and clear form using tables, providing them with relatively small comments.

Why did you choose these particular applications? The main criteria were popularity and the presence of a large number of positive reviews, as well as ease of use. The updated Shturmann did not fit into the first two criteria a little. The “Seven Roads” application did not pass all three criteria. Google Maps as a navigator is still in beta testing. Megafon navigation is essentially the same as Progorod, but only in an online version. The iGO app has not yet officially appeared in the Android version. Therefore, there are only five participants.

Prices and popularity

Putting ourselves in the buyer’s shoes, let’s start by looking at price tags and studying information about how popular a particular product has gained among users.

* if you purchase a key on the developer’s website. The price is for the application itself with unlimited access to maps.
** rental of foreign cards.
*** for Europe the service is paid - from 12 euros per year.

So, the most expensive product is Sygic. It is aimed at European consumers, so the price tag is quite appropriate. In addition, you will have to pay separately for traffic jams and advanced information about cameras, but this all applies only to Europe. Network services do not work in Russia.

The prices of Navitel and Progorod seem to be the most adequate. However, Navitel has a very strict policy regarding reinstallation. Transferring the application to another smartphone will most likely not work at all.

Against the backdrop of all these restrictions, Yandex looks like a king. However, the application has a number of significant limitations, thereby leaving good chances for others.

Feature Set Comparison

The developers of most of the presented applications are trying to attract users with various additional functions, for example, weather, photos on a map, articles from encyclopedias, tagging in social networks, displaying the location of friends and even augmented reality.

We have summarized the entire core set of functions of all five applications in one table:

* only for European countries for a fee

This table is intended for self-study. Here everyone must answer the question for themselves whether this or that program has a minimum sufficient set of functions. For example, some people definitely need to work with tracks, while others need to install free OSM maps. Some applications also have extraordinary abilities. For example, displaying on a map photos of places taken by Panoramio users (from Sygic), or an augmented reality mode (Progorod), as well as speech recognition and voice commands (Yandex.Navigator).

The applications also have major flaws. Thus, Sygic does not have a function for displaying traffic (traffic jams), and Yandex.Navigator will not work fully in the absence of an Internet connection.

Interface

Since each of us has our own ideas about beauty, we will not talk much about which program’s interface is more beautiful. Our eyes found the “picture” of Navitel Navigator, Progorod and Yandex more pleasant. But this does not mean that the other two programs have any problems with their “appearance”. They're all good. These just stand out a little from the general background.

But if you step back from looking at the “pictures,” then completely different properties of interfaces come to the fore - practicality and information content. The first of them is when you always feel at ease. All you need is a quick glance at the screen to get as much information as you need. A not very good example of practicality is the interface of the same Navitel - a jumble of thin lines and small details makes it difficult to read information while driving. Practicality also includes ease of operation with menus and search.

By information content we mean displaying various related information on the screen, such as the speed limit in a given area, information about cameras, etc. Availability of all kinds of hints and additional information in the POI database.

So, below we will provide screenshots of the interfaces of all programs with a short list of the main advantages and disadvantages. This time we will use a smartphone with a small screen resolution of 480x800, which is regulated by almost all software developers in today's test.

Let's start with the vertical map display option, which is the most natural for smartphones and more practical for navigation. Next to the usual map view we will place a 3D version.

Navitel Navigator 8.5

Progorod 2.0

Sygic 13.4

CityGuide 7.8

Yandex.Navigator 1.5

This is the junction of the Warsaw Highway and the Moscow Ring Road. Alas, the picture is static, and its perception while moving, when the scale of the map is constantly changing depending on the speed and upcoming events (turns), is radically different from what you will get simply by contemplating these two sets of screenshots. In addition, in 3D mode a lot depends on the tilt angle, which is adjustable in all programs. The developers have made it so that from one angle the map is beautiful and practical, but from another it is inconvenient to use, because the detail, perspective, etc. change. A similar remark can be made about scale. Therefore, we will give a verbal comment, but first we will post another portion of screenshots taken in navigation mode:

Navitel Navigator 8.5

Progorod 2.0

Sygic 13.4

CityGuide 7.8

Yandex.Navigator 1.5

Navitel Navigator

The picture deserves all the praise, but it is extremely impractical. The accumulation of a mass of small lines and contours makes it difficult to perceive the route line on the screen, which is slightly thicker than the road itself, but with busy traffic jams is in no way different from it in color. Camera icons, signs and other details are barely visible on the screen.

Progorod

The “Picture” is a little similar to Navitel, but there are fewer small details, and the route line is much easier to read than in the previous case. There are two complaints: the status panel takes up a lot of space on the screen and chaos reigns on it, as well as the graphics and all the control buttons are too small.

Sygic

In the screenshots, the interface is unimpressive, but from the point of view of ease of reading information while driving, it deserves the highest rating. There is one significant drawback - house numbers are not displayed in navigation mode. They only appear if you try to scroll the map in one of the directions, which will switch it to viewing mode.

CityGuide

The map interface is quite good in practical terms. It may not be as beautiful, but it is quite comfortable.

Yandex.Navigator

Trying to find fault with the Yandex.Navigator interface did not work out well. He is very practical. The only issue is that users of platforms with screens with a high pixel density per inch complain about small buttons and other elements in the menu. For some reason, these UI elements did not fully comply with Google's developer guidelines, and programmers were working with absolute units of element sizes instead of relative DP and SP.

Well, for those who for some reason prefer the horizontal position of the map, we will post another set of screenshots.

Navitel Navigator 8.5

Progorod 2.0

Sygic 13.4

CityGuide 7.8

Yandex.Navigator 1.5

Cards

Unfortunately, most developers do not provide detailed information about their cards, since they may not look so brilliant compared to competitors.

We tried to collect as much information as possible and summarize it in one table. Pay attention to the line “Map online” - this is your chance to independently evaluate the quality of coverage. True, it also does not entirely accurately reflect the situation. Navitel and Progorod do not have the latest release online, while Yandex’s maps in the app and online are strikingly different in places, which sometimes causes confusion.

*data from Foursquare is also used as POIs
** the volume of the full map of Moscow is indicated
*** The map of Russia is updated almost every month, but changes in it each time concern a couple of separate areas. If we take, for example, the map of Moscow, it is updated twice a year.
**** Ukraine, Belarus and Türkiye are mentioned. There is no longer a word about Turkey in the company video, and only Ukraine appears on Google Play. However, in the list of maps for download you can find, for example, a map of Almaty.

According to the results of the 2010 census, the number of settlements in Russia was just over 153 thousand and about 20 thousand of them do not have a permanent population. Where did Yandex get 170 thousand from then? Firstly, nesting. A specific settlement always belongs to other territorial units. Secondly, the census does not take into account all types of settlements. Railway stations, winter huts, etc. may fall out of it.

So, our leaders, apparently, are Navitel and Yandex. The volume of cards is an indirect indicator. In Yandex.Navigator it has such unimaginable values ​​because these maps contain a huge number of raster images.

As for the details, this issue is complex and requires a lot of time to study. For our own understanding, we took several settlements and looked at how things stand with this issue.

The leaders were Navitel, Progorod and Cityguide. Moreover, the maps of Progorod in almost all settlements from the table have buildings not only with corresponding contours, but also with height. Although CityGuide is good (OSM maps are used), you will have to search for maps of the regions you need in a large list and download them separately, which is not very convenient. For some reason, you can’t download the entire map of Russia at once. In addition, the Kamchatka Territory was not on the list.

Yandex.Navigator surprised me a little, and this considering the fact that the online browser map is beyond praise. At the same time, it is very funny that in the same Bogoroditsk you can indicate the exact address, it will be marked with a marker on the map and a route to it will be built. But the "last mile" will not be displayed correctly.

Well, Sygic doesn’t like small towns the most. He knows them only by hearsay.

The issue of map relevance is also important. Here we looked at the map of Moscow, noting the presence of new well-known roads, overpasses and interchanges that were opened in the summer-autumn of 2013. Progorod, Cityguide and Yandex had no problems with this. Navitel had all the junctions and overpasses we were looking for, but for some reason at the intersection of Yaroslavskoe Highway and Malyginsky Proezd there was no turnaround under the overpass. But Sygic's map is at least a year old. We did not find any of the required road objects on it.

Our selection by cards: Navitel, Progorod and Cityguide.

Routes and navigation

All applications build quite adequate routes. And this is the most important thing. Navitel has some minor glitches. We described one of them in detail, but there is no reason to panic here. But it’s definitely worth reducing the sensitivity to traffic jams in its settings for residents of megacities.

To save the reader time, we will collect information on routes and navigation into one table.

It will be most convenient to travel with Progorod, Cityguide and Navitel. Sygic, despite its very practical interface, works only in offline mode: no traffic jams or DPOI. In addition, his logic of behavior when the driver leaves the route is far from civilized. But there are no less problems with Yandex: it will not warn you about speeding, it will only tell you about the camera when you drive past it, and without a connection to the Internet, search and route planning will not work in the application! But before starting navigation, it will offer the user alternative route options, which can be viewed on the map and the most suitable one can be selected. Progorod can do this too, although it uses a slightly different logic. We really liked both of these features.

Our choice: Progorod and CityGuide. With some stretch - Navitel and Yandex.

Tests

We've run a series of tests to show how fast these apps will run on different mobile platforms. In a separate table we have summarized the results obtained on two systems, the main characteristics of which are as follows:

Both platforms are budget, but the tablet has a 4-core SoC, while the smartphone has a single-core SoC, but with a more modern architecture. Will there be any significant difference between them? In the table, smartphone and tablet data are separated by two vertical bars.

* the dash indicates the time of laying two routes: from the south of Moscow to the city of Olenegorsk in the Murmansk region; the second route is to Vladivostok.
** already two seconds after loading you see your approximate position on the map, determined by signals from base stations and their coordinates. And after another 20-30 seconds the device “clings” to the satellites.
***routes are calculated on a remote server, and construction time depends on the quality of communication at a particular time. In GPRS or EDGE coverage area it may take a minute or more, but with good connection - 2-3 seconds.
**** The first digit indicates the traffic volume in the case of a pre-loaded full map of the region. The second digit indicates an empty card cache.

So, the main problem with application performance is the inability to use all available computing cores of the SoC. And although multithreading is declared by almost all developers, in practice on a 4-core system this results in one core being loaded at 100%, the second at 30%, and the other two cooling down. The only exception is Yandex. The application not only has low requirements for system resources, but also, when actively running on four cores, can show a total load of 60-70%, which indicates that someone is still able to create multi-threaded applications (benchmark developers are not check).

If we talk about the smoothness and comfort of working with the map, then Yandex, Cityguide and Sygic behave quite well, which cannot be said about Navitel and Progorod. Scrolling the map and scaling occurs with noticeable jerks, slowdowns and jerks. Moreover, if your smartphone has a resolution of 1280 pixels or more, the situation will worsen regardless of the type of SoC installed in the system.

Our choice: Yandex, CityGuide and, probably, Sygic. The latter takes a very long time to build routes, but otherwise is very smart.

Application Features

Since the competition is great, developers try to add a few highlights to their creation, and it would be a shame not to mention them.

Navitel Navigator

Progorod

Here we will only note the augmented reality mode, which will work quite well on those devices that have an orientation sensor.

Perhaps it will come in handy when traveling by car.

Sygic

Sygic tries to attract users with all sorts of useful and interesting little things: universal search, photos on the map from Panoramio, POIs from Foursquare, articles from Wikipedia (if they have a link to coordinates), a sidebar and a trip computer. All details in the corresponding .

CityGuide

Nothing unusual.

Yandex.Navigator

The main trump card is a universal search with a speech recognition system and voice commands, which works quite well.

Results

So, the most mentions marked “our choice” went to CityGuide and Progorod. Navitel, Yandex.Navigator and Sygic are lagging behind. But if we evaluate applications by their main functions (the quality of maps and the navigation process), then the following three leaders emerge before us: Progorod, CityGuide and Navitel. The cheapest of them is Progorod. The most expensive is CityGuide. And Navitel will receive the title of the most unfriendly due to the impossibility of transferring the application to other smartphones.

If you live in one of the Russian megacities, your region has reliable and high-quality cellular communications, you are not afraid of speed cameras and prefer not to spend extra money, then you can use Yandex.Navigator. It's free. Moreover, it works quickly and has a practical interface.

Sygic can be useful when traveling abroad. However, it will not be cheap at all. In this regard, Navitel is many times more attractive, but it will not contain information about traffic. Just like Sygic in Russia.

P.S. Better to see once than hear a hundred times. Therefore, we encourage you to try out the apps you like and draw your own conclusions. But at the same time, it is important not to forget that all navigation programs, without exception, after they are deleted through the application manager, leave almost all of their files in the internal memory of the phone forever, “freezing” hundreds of useful megabytes. Don’t forget to delete them manually later, based on the names of the folders on the drive. Oh, Android, Android...

Modern Android devices are required to be equipped with a GPS module. This allows you to use your smartphone as a navigator. All that remains is to decide which navigation application is better than its competitors. This is exactly what we will do in this article.

GPS technology has penetrated our lives completely unnoticed. More recently, only flagship mobile phones were equipped with the corresponding chip. And now it is available in every smartphone. Nowadays, even budget devices allow you to turn yourself into a navigator! However, do not rush to rejoice. If you install a bad navigation app, then driving along the route it creates will turn into torture. That's why we decided to compare the best navigators. We will try to find out which program copes with its responsibilities better than others.

Price: Free

The application received its name in honor of the mapping service that it uses. OpenStreetMap is involved here. The main advantage of these maps is that they can be edited by any user. That is why even small towns and villages are presented in detail.

The application can operate in three modes, designed for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists. In each of them, some interface elements are turned on and others are turned off. You can customize their display at your discretion. However, we warn you right away: it will be extremely difficult for a beginner to master the program menu.

OsmAnd provides a map without the Internet if you have previously downloaded it. As in other similar applications, there is a function for displaying POIs (points of interest) - these are all kinds of restaurants, shops, pharmacies, gas stations and even garbage containers. Ordinary users are also responsible for their availability. Therefore, you should not be surprised that some points are outdated, while others are simply missing.

Advantages:

• Distributed free of charge;
• Availability of offline mode;
• Availability of a large number of POI points;
• Good detail of small settlements;
• Availability of voice prompts;
• Ability to edit the map;
• Modes for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.

Flaws:

• Lack of 3D mode;
• Poor routing on rural roads;
• Lack of traffic jams service;
• The free version is limited in the number of maps you can download.

Yandex.Navigator

Price: Free

This application is not very different from traditional Yandex.Maps. The creators added a 3D mode and improved the routing system. They also introduced voice prompts, thanks to which you can avoid being distracted while driving. And, of course, this is a free navigator, like all other Yandex products.

The application has very accurate maps. This is no accident, because on the Yandex website it is possible to edit them by any user. The only pity is that you can’t download maps so easily, and therefore the program requires a constant Internet connection. If this does not cause problems on the territory of our country, then it is better to forget about Yandex.Navigator abroad. However, foreign cards are not implemented in the best way here, so something else should be used in another country.

Advantages:

• Availability of 3D mode;
• Voice prompts;
• Free traffic for MTS subscribers;
• A large number of POI objects;
• Competent route planning;
• Availability of the “Traffic” service;
• Distributed free of charge;
• Ability to add traffic events;
• Voice command support.

Flaws:

• Lack of a full offline mode;
• Minimal detail of foreign maps.

Navitel

Price: Free

You must have heard about the availability of Navitel GPS navigators in car stores. They work using the appropriate program. Fortunately, you can now download it to your phone. Interestingly, the company still supports not only Android and iOS, but also all sorts of outdated operating systems - for example, Symbian. The Navitel application has been improving for a good dozen years. This is not to say that it has now become ideal. But for the motorist, nothing better has really been created.

The program was created for use in a car. Therefore, there is a 3D mode and voice prompts, and among the POI points, special attention is paid to gas stations, hotels and service points. The map shows only those roads that you can actually drive on - all sorts of paths are forgotten. And one cannot help but note the fact that the Navitel application only requires the Internet to display traffic jams, road events and weather. If you are ready to sacrifice this, then you can use the offline mode.

Advantages:

• Very beautiful drawing of the cards;
• Support for the services “Traffic” and “Navitel.Friends”;
• Offline mode;
• A large number of settings;
• Competent route planning;
• Availability of SpeedCam option (display of traffic police cameras);
• Detailed maps of many foreign cities.

Flaws:

• Worst choice for a pedestrian;
• The license costs a lot of money (required after 7 days);
• Not the widest list of POI objects.

HERE Maps

Price: Free

In the old days, the navigation app industry was dominated by . And how could it be otherwise, if every second smartphone sold in those days was produced by this Finnish company? Unfortunately, HERE Maps is going through hard times right now. Cataclysms, which we will not talk about, led to the fact that the program was updated extremely rarely. Because of this, the accuracy of the maps gradually decreased.

However, you still can’t help but consider installing HERE Maps. The offline mode is perfectly implemented here. A fairly large number of POIs is also good news. And there are usually no problems with route planning. But it should be noted that this smartphone navigator performs best abroad. In Russia, maps of many small settlements have too little detail.

Advantages:

• Suitable for both motorists and pedestrians;
• Work offline;
• A large number of POI points;
• Detailed maps of foreign cities;
• Simple interface;
• Distributed free of charge.

Flaws:

The “7 Roads” application uses the OpenStreetMaps library, which has already been discussed in this article. This allows you to use offline mode, which is especially important when navigating abroad. The program engine turns a traditional map into a three-dimensional one - this greatly simplifies the understanding of the route. The route editing function has not been forgotten here, which should appeal to most drivers. For now, one can only regret the lack of support for the “Traffic” service here.

Advantages:

• Plugin support;
• Voice prompts;
• Creating your own maps;
• Nice rendering of maps in 3D mode;
• Competent route planning;
• Possibility to download paid cards if necessary;
• Distributed free of charge.

Flaws:

• Cards often weigh a lot;
• Lack of numbering of houses in small settlements;
• Lack of traffic jams service;
• Slow performance on some devices;
• Not everyone's favorite interface.

The best navigators for Android without an Internet connection

To summarize, let's decide which navigator to download for Android if you want to use only offline mode? Perhaps the best choice in this case would be Navitel. Especially if you plan to use the app in your car. Well, we can recommend it to pedestrians OsmAnd, including due to the fact that this program functions stably even on weak smartphones.

The best online navigator for Android

If you have the opportunity to spend mobile traffic, we recommend downloading "Yandex.Navigator". It uses simplified map rendering, but you will always be aware of traffic jams and road events. Other users of this application write about some of them in detail. And they write in Russian, since Yandex products are most often used in Russia.