Dive computer specifications, A to Z
Every dive computer we have specification data for, grouped by brand and by tier. Decompression model, nitrox ceiling, air integration, display technology, battery arrangement and price band, in one place. Where a figure could not be confirmed against the maker's own documentation, the row is left out rather than guessed at.
This index covers 50 dive computers from 9 brands, spanning roughly $200 to $1,400. Of those, 32 support wireless tank pressure in some form, 15 support trimix and 13 support closed circuit rebreathers. A dive computer is the single most important instrument a diver owns personally, which is why it gets a specification page of its own rather than a line in a roundup.
How should you read this index?
Four fields decide almost every purchase, and the rest are detail.
- Decompression model. Buhlmann ZHL-16C with gradient factors is the most transparent option, because conservatism is a setting you can see. RGBM implementations tend to be more conservative at defaults. Pelagic DSAT sits at the liberal end. Two computers on the same dive can legitimately disagree by tens of minutes, and a buddy pair runs the dive on the more conservative one.
- Display. Legibility beats size. A colour screen separates warnings from data by hue and holds up in deep blue-green light. A segment display shows fewer things, very large, and runs for a year on one cell.
- Air integration. A convenience rather than a requirement. It adds a transmitter, several hundred dollars, and an ecosystem lock, since transmitters do not cross brands. A mechanical pressure gauge stays in the kit either way.
- Battery. User replaceable means a dead cell on a trip is a ten minute fix and a hatch you have to close correctly. Rechargeable means no hatch to flood and a charger to remember.
Nothing on this page is a ranking. The cheapest unit indexed here, the Cressi Donatello at $180 to $230, is a perfectly good first computer, and the most expensive is more computer than any recreational profile requires.
Beginner tier dive computers
| Model | Brand | Algorithm | Nitrox | Air integration | Display | Price band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donatello | Cressi | Cressi RGBM | 99% | No | Segment LCD with backlight | $180 to $230 |
| Puck Pro Ultra | Mares | Mares-Wienke RGBM | 99% | No | Segment LCD with backlight | $200 to $260 |
| Leonardo 2.0 | Cressi | Cressi RGBM | 50% | No | Segment LCD with backlight | $200 to $250 |
| Goa | Cressi | Cressi RGBM | 99% | No | Segment LCD with backlight | $230 to $300 |
| Zoop Novo | Suunto | Suunto RGBM | 50% | No | Segment LCD with backlight | $250 to $320 |
| Puck 4 | Mares | Mares-Wienke RGBM | 99% | No | Segment LCD with backlight | $280 to $340 |
| Neon | Cressi | Cressi RGBM | 99% | No | Large segment LCD | $280 to $340 |
| Aladin A1 | Scubapro | Not published | 100% | No | Segment LCD with backlight | $280 to $360 |
| Veo 4.0 | Oceanic | Dual algorithm, Pelagic DSAT or Pelagic Z+ | 100% | No | Large segment LCD | $300 to $400 |
Intermediate tier dive computers
| Model | Brand | Algorithm | Nitrox | Air integration | Display | Price band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michelangelo | Cressi | Cressi RGBM | 99% | No | Segment LCD | $300 to $400 |
| i200C | Aqua Lung | Pelagic Z+, based on Bühlmann ZHL-16C | 100% | No | Segment LCD with backlight | $320 to $400 |
| Quad | Mares | Mares-Wienke RGBM | 99% | No | Large segment LCD | $350 to $450 |
| Luna 2.0 | Scubapro | Not published | 100% | No | Segment LCD | $350 to $450 |
| D4f | Suunto | Suunto RGBM | No | Segment LCD | $400 to $550 | |
| Descent G1 | Garmin | Bühlmann ZHL-16C with Gradient Factors | 100% | No | Memory in pixel monochrome | $400 to $500 |
| Geo 4.0 | Oceanic | Dual algorithm, Pelagic DSAT or Pelagic Z+ | 100% | No | Segment LCD with backlight | $400 to $500 |
| Vyper Novo | Suunto | Suunto RGBM | 99% | Optional | Segment LCD with backlight | $450 to $550 |
| Smart Air | Mares | Mares-Wienke RGBM | 99% | Optional | Segment LCD | $450 to $600 |
| Aladin A2 | Scubapro | Not published | 100% | Optional | Segment LCD with backlight | $450 to $600 |
| i300C | Aqua Lung | Pelagic Z+, based on Bühlmann ZHL-16C | 100% | Included | Segment LCD with backlight | $450 to $550 |
| Peregrine | Shearwater Research | Bühlmann ZHL-16C with Gradient Factors | 100% | No | Full colour LCD | $500 to $600 |
| Quad Ci | Mares | Mares-Wienke RGBM | 99% | Optional | Large segment LCD | $500 to $650 |
| Amphos Air 2.0 | Sherwood | Pelagic DSAT | 100% | Optional | Segment LCD with backlight | $500 to $650 |
| D5 | Suunto | Suunto Fused RGBM 2 | 99% | Optional | Full colour LCD | $550 to $700 |
| i470TC | Aqua Lung | Pelagic Z+, based on Bühlmann ZHL-16C | 100% | Optional | Segment LCD with backlight | $550 to $700 |
| Tern | Shearwater Research | Bühlmann ZHL-16C with Gradient Factors | 100% | No | AMOLED | $600 to $700 |
| i330R | Aqua Lung | Pelagic Z+, based on Bühlmann ZHL-16C | 100% | Included | Full colour LCD | $600 to $700 |
| Wisdom 4 | Sherwood | Pelagic DSAT | 100% | Included | Large segment LCD | $600 to $800 |
Expert tier dive computers
| Model | Brand | Algorithm | Nitrox | Air integration | Display | Price band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eon Core | Suunto | Suunto Fused RGBM 2 | 99% | Optional | Full colour LCD | $650 to $800 |
| Aladin H Matrix | Scubapro | Not published | 100% | Optional | Matrix LCD | $650 to $800 |
| Descent G2 | Garmin | Bühlmann ZHL-16C with Gradient Factors | 100% | Optional | AMOLED | $700 to $850 |
| Nepto | Cressi | Cressi RGBM | 99% | Optional | Full colour LCD | $700 to $900 |
| Tern TX | Shearwater Research | Bühlmann ZHL-16C with Gradient Factors | 100% | Optional | AMOLED | $750 to $850 |
| Ocean | Suunto | Not published | 99% | Optional | Full colour AMOLED | $750 to $900 |
| Genius | Mares | Mares-Wienke RGBM | 100% | Optional | Full colour LCD | $750 to $900 |
| Peregrine TX | Shearwater Research | Bühlmann ZHL-16C with Gradient Factors | 100% | Optional | AMOLED | $800 to $900 |
| Perdix 2 | Shearwater Research | Bühlmann ZHL-16C with Gradient Factors, optional VPM-B | 100% | Optional | Full colour LCD | $850 to $1,000 |
| Pro Plus 4.0 | Oceanic | Dual algorithm, Pelagic DSAT or Pelagic Z+ | 100% | Included | Large segment LCD with backlight | $850 to $1,000 |
| G2 | Scubapro | Bühlmann ZH-L16 ADT MB | 100% | Optional | Full colour LCD | $900 to $1,100 |
| i770R | Aqua Lung | Pelagic Z+, based on Bühlmann ZHL-16C | 100% | Optional | Full colour LCD | $900 to $1,200 |
| Eon Steel Black | Suunto | Suunto Fused RGBM 2 | 99% | Optional | Full colour LCD | $1,000 to $1,300 |
| Descent Mk2i | Garmin | Bühlmann ZHL-16C with Gradient Factors | 100% | Optional | Memory in pixel colour | $1,000 to $1,300 |
| G2 Tek | Scubapro | Bühlmann ZH-L16 ADT MB | 100% | Optional | Full colour LCD | $1,000 to $1,200 |
| Pro Plus X | Oceanic | Dual algorithm, Pelagic DSAT or Pelagic Z+ | 100% | Included | Full colour LCD | $1,000 and up |
| Teric | Shearwater Research | Bühlmann ZHL-16C with Gradient Factors, optional VPM-B | 100% | Optional | Full colour LCD | $1,100 to $1,300 |
| Horizon | Mares | Mares-Wienke RGBM | Optional | Full colour LCD | $1,100 and up | |
| Perdix 3 | Shearwater Research | Bühlmann ZHL-16C with Gradient Factors, optional VPM-B | 100% | Optional | AMOLED | $1,200 to $1,400 |
| Descent Mk3i 43mm | Garmin | Bühlmann ZHL-16C with Gradient Factors | 100% | Optional | AMOLED | $1,300 to $1,500 |
| Descent Mk3i 51mm | Garmin | Bühlmann ZHL-16C with Gradient Factors | 100% | Optional | AMOLED | $1,500 to $1,700 |
| NERD 2 | Shearwater Research | Bühlmann ZHL-16C with Gradient Factors, optional VPM-B | 100% | Optional | Near eye heads up display | $1,600 and up |
Every model by brand
Aqua Lung
Cressi
- Leonardo 2.0 $200 to $250
- Goa $230 to $300
- Neon $280 to $340
- Donatello $180 to $230
- Michelangelo $300 to $400
- Nepto $700 to $900
Garmin
- Descent Mk3i 43mm $1,300 to $1,500
- Descent Mk3i 51mm $1,500 to $1,700
- Descent Mk2i $1,000 to $1,300
- Descent G1 $400 to $500
- Descent G2 $700 to $850
Mares
Oceanic
- Geo 4.0 $400 to $500
- Veo 4.0 $300 to $400
- Pro Plus 4.0 $850 to $1,000
- Pro Plus X $1,000 and up
Scubapro
Shearwater Research
Sherwood
- Amphos Air 2.0 $500 to $650
- Wisdom 4 $600 to $800
Suunto
- Zoop Novo $250 to $320
- Vyper Novo $450 to $550
- D5 $550 to $700
- Eon Core $650 to $800
- Eon Steel Black $1,000 to $1,300
- Ocean $750 to $900
- D4f $400 to $550
How much should you spend on a dive computer?
Around $225 to $320 buys a capable first computer with air and nitrox modes, a large legible display and a user replaceable battery. Around $500 to $700 buys a colour screen and, on the better units, a decompression model you can configure yourself. Above $900 you are buying trimix, closed circuit support, multiple transmitters or maximum screen legibility, none of which a recreational profile touches.
The honest advice is that the middle band is where most divers who dive regularly should be shopping, and that the cheapest band is entirely adequate for a diver doing a few warm water trips a year. Spending more does not make a dive safer. Reading the screen and understanding the model does.
Do you need a backup dive computer?
For most recreational diving, no. For anything where a failed primary would end a trip rather than a dive, yes, and the cheapest way to do it is a second inexpensive unit rather than a second expensive one. A backup computer running its own model from the surface keeps a valid no-stop time and a record of the dive if the primary floods or fails to wake, and it costs a fraction of the primary. The expert setup carries two for exactly this reason.