Although there’s plenty of portable GPS out there, the market isn’t as competitive as it once was, with Garmin dominating…well, the world. Two of the hottest products are both from Garmin, the GPSmap 696 and the aera series, Garmins first aviation touchscreen. These represent a conundrum for buyers in that they have nearly the same capability, but at different price points. And “nearly” isn’t the same as “exactly.” The 696 has some features the aera doesnt and vice versa. One outlier in this equation is whether Apples large-screen iPad can step in for either one of the Garmins. Weve been asked this, so were examining in it in this article. The quick answer is the iPad isn’t a replacement for the 696, but, as with the aera, it does some things-a lot of things-that expensive GPS cant. 
Size is the Thing
With an intro price of $3295 (now discounted to below $3000 at the major outlets), the 696 was (and is) Garmins most expensive portable. If it had in mind an EFB-wannabe, the 696 has evolved into that niche, even though it doesnt do third-party computing, as some EFBs do.
All of Garmins recent portables have included named approach fixes, but the 696 was the first to include an actual chart library, using the FAAs AeroNav plates. The 696 also displays jet and low-altitude airways. If thats beginning to sound like the 696 is optimized for IFR, thats exactly what it is. Weve heard from a number of pilots and commercial operators with 696s semi-permanently mounted as navigators and/or flight libraries. Other GPS products have this feature, too, including Bendix/Kings AV8OR and Anywhere Maps ATC. At the expense of larger size and weight, the 696 allows full view of the chart and, more recently, geo-referencing of the aircraft position on the plate.