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Hema's new Navigator, the HN6, was released in May, not as a replacement to the HN5i, but as an addition to the family. Since then, there has been pretty much universal confusion about the differences between the two models and why you should buy one or the other. Read on to find out, in as succinct a way as possible, what the difference is.

Technical differences

Hardware

The HN5i is a 5" unit with a screen resolution of 480 x 272, 2GB of internal storage and a battery life of about 4 hours. The HN6 is a 6" unit with a higher screen resolution of 800 x 480, it has a bigger 4GB of internal storage and a battery life of about 2 hours less than the HN5i. Both units come with 8GB microSD card and can take up to a 32GB card if you need more space.

Software

The HN6 has a more recent version of the iGO Primo street mapping software (which gives you not much more than some user interface improvements) and a newer version of OziExplorer's Ezi Ozi (now with extra ezi), but does not have Memory Map installed.

Maps

Both units come preloaded with the epically popular Camps 6, but the HN6 also has points of interest from Caravan Parks Australia Wide and shows you where dump points are. Both are loaded with Hema's award winning mapping and have a seamless 1:250 000 scale topographic map of the country, but the HN6 also comes with a 1:1 Million seamless map of Australia and 1:350 000 & 1:1 Million scale mapping of all of New Zealand. Both units also come with 2 years of free map updates.

Who are they aimed at?

In a nutshell, the HN5i is aimed at the 4WDriver and the HN6 is designed for touring. Memory Map on the HN5i gives you an extra tool for 4WDriving (which can also be used for marine navigation), the extra 2300 caravan parks and dump points on the HN6, along with the bigger screen, are specifically aimed at people who are touring throughout the country with a caravan or camper. That's basically all there is to it, at the end of the day, you just have to weigh up bigger screen with more points of interest versus longer battery life with extra functionality, whichever means more to you, that's the one to choose. One more difference now is the price, with the RRP on the HN5i recently dropping to $699, $100 cheaper than the new HN6. If you want more information, we currently have a man in the field testing the HN6 and he will be writing a full review for us some time in the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned!