Motorsports communicator giant Cardo has introduced yet another unit in their PackTalk lineup. This newest addition is called “Neo.”
What’s The Difference?
At first glance it looks exactly like the company’s flagship communicator unit, the PackTalk Edge. You’d be forgiven for confusing the two. The more I read about the new comm system, the more I wondered, beyond the fantastic magnetic mount the Edge boasts, what the difference is. Spoiler alert: that magnetic mount is one of only two differences. The other feature that sets the Edge apart is the ability to charge the unit while using it.
To be fair, those are two pretty major differences. The Edge’s magnetic mount is a spectacular feature, and removes any worry about whether the unit is properly secured to your helmet. The Neo’s clip-type mount, shared in concept by the PackTalk Bold, is still pretty trustworthy.
Note, however, that (of course) the Neo’s mount is not the same as either the Edge or the Bold, and are not interchangeable.
Everything Else Is The Same
The Neo does share the rest of its features with the PackTalk Edge, and the testers here at ADVRider really like that unit. And the Neo is, of course, compatible with the rest of Cardo’s offerings when it comes to on-road communication.
Universal, For Some Values Of The Word
As a side note: the two leading manufacturers of bike-to-bike communication systems, Sena and Cardo, both claim that their units offer “universal” pairing and will talk to each other. It can be done, but it is not straightforward or simple. When they say “universal connectivity,” don’t believe them. Get the comms your friends use.
The Specifics
The Neo’s features, like the Edge, make this comm a great addition to your riding gear:
- Operating Temperature: -4˚ F to 131 ˚ F (-20˚C to 55˚C)
- Waterproof
- FM Radio – 6 preset station memory
- Software Updates Over-the-air (to be fair, this is a really nice feature)
- Speakers: Diameter: 40mm – Depth: 10mm
- Connectivity: 2 channels for mobile phone and GPS; Bluetooth 5.2
- Intercom: 2nd gen DMC intercom with Auto-reconnect, HD Live Bluetooth Intercom. Group size : up to 15 riders. Rider to Rider Range: up to 1.6km / 1mi (line of sight)
- User interface: Natural Voice operation. Multilingual status announcements.
- Audio: Sound by JBL. 40mm JBL speakers, JBL Audio profiles, Automatic Volume Control.
- Battery: Talk time: 13 hours (we at ADV have tested this, and it’s true). Charging Time: up to 2 hours. Fast charging: 2 hours talk time after 20 min charge. Standby Time: 10 days.
- Charge port: USB-C.
- Certificates: CE IC/FCC SIG BT TELEC UKCA
Currently there’s no definite release date for the Neo, nor has Cardo released the sale price for the unit. All we know is, Cardo advertises it as less expensive than the (MSRP) $390 US Edge. We’ll update when we know more.
