Related
This discussion has been locked.
You can no longer post new replies to this discussion. If you have a question you can start a new discussion

Real-world battery life

Rudgas
over 5 years ago
So how is everyone's battery life?

I'm currently getting about 9h with the following settings:

-Power save on
-All Wake-ups disabled (screen never turns on unless touched)
-Smart recording
-Display brightness 0%
-no active routing, one track is selected as "show always"
-about 20-30min. Of active routing per day
-no ant+ sensors (all paired are disabled)

This is really short battery life for a day of riding, and since the unit is as power conservative as possible before turning it off... I'm thinking if I got a defective battery maybe?
  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to kristofh

    Hi kristofh,

    Sorry to hear that. However, seems like a common problem. 

    I haven't got the replacement units yet as it takes a couple of weeks to swap them over and we are on a longish bike backing journey where we need a navigator.

    As to the Garmin Support, I made a week long monitoring report on our two units behaviour showing that whatever settings the Explores were on the batteries never lasted longer than 8 hrs, usually plusminus 6 hrs, sometimes only 4. Garmin accepted that these results didn't meet their specs and sent me the necessary docs to swap our units free of charge under warranty. Kudos to them.

    Hopefully the new units will be better in this respect.

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to SalsaRider

    I had the same issue, garmin replaced it but it was worse than the one I returned! I think they just sent me one that somebody else had returned. Read garmin uk reviews on trust pilot, jon oliver needs a kick up the backside.

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to PHILVANTWO

    For my usage ( navigation + HRM + cadance/speed), I max out a 4 hours of battery???

    I'm afraid that replacing the unit won't help. The selected battery seems too poor for this device.

    Edge Explorer would assume that you can explore rides in new terrain, but with the terrible battery live of this device, I won't do it without having an additional USB power bank in my bag.

    Such a pity that marketing crippled this device so much!

    3 small modifications would make it a perfect device for me:

    1. 12h battery life as advertised

    2. Altitude meter

    3. Routing profile for mountainbike and road cycling

    Today I'm not so happy with the device and I won't recommend Garmin to my peers.

    Unfortunately I don't see any real competition on the market.

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to kristofh

    Missing routing options?

    kristofh said:
    3. Routing profile for mountainbike and road cycling

    No, they are available on the Edge Explore! Menu / Ride Settings / Routing / Routing Mode:

    - Road Cycling
    - Mixed Surface Cycling
    - Gravel Cycling
    - Mountain Biking
    - Automobile Driving
    - Motorcycle Driving
    - Pedestrian
    - Straight Line

    If you, whatever choice, don't see an effect while routing on the Garmin Cycle Map try a different map.

    The routing settings are effective only when you let the Edge itself design a course for you using the Course Creator or Round-Trip course.
    It is important to realize that the routing settings are not effective while using Saved Courses!

    My Edge Explore (bought in 2018) consumes 10 - 11% per hour battery charge, so reason enough for you to contact your reseller or Garmin.

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to kristofh

    I sent mine back and got 30% discount off a new edge 830 with a free speed sensor 2 thrown in. The 830 is a bit too small for my liking, the edge explore size was perfect.......just the battery life was terrible.

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to PHILVANTWO

    Well I used my edge 830 for the first time last night, the size is similar to the 800. Was out for an hour and a half and the battery used just 5%! 

  • 0 over 3 years ago

    after 3 hours I was down to 8%. Navigating a route, back light on auto, HR connected. Not great! But, I now use a back up battery pack for longer rides. I'll put up with this as I got the unit used for a great price. The edge 1030 I had was overkill as I record all my activities with a fenix 6. Just need a good screen for navigating, radar and notifications.

  • +1 over 3 years ago

    After upgrading to 5.20 I experience the following:

    After starting a GPS-based activity the battery indicator stays at 100% for almost 2 hours. Then it starts dropping rapidly, reaching 0% after another 2-3 hours. But then, miraculously, runs at 0% for another 4 hours, maybe longer (didn't wait until switching off), and all this with navigation and map display enabled, and some ANT+ sensors connected.

    So my conclusion is:

    There is nothing wrong with battery consumption, but there's something wrong with indicated battery level.

    P.S. I didn't pay attention to battery level before upgrade to 5.20, so I am not sure if the issue started with the latest firmware or perhaps earlier. I am quite convinced, though, that out of the box (16 months ago) the battery indicator behaved much more reasonable.

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to tmk2

    After having four Edge Explore units (two bought in MayJune, both replaced in August) I experience the following:

    The battery indicator is working correctly showing the right % all the time.

    All four units ( incl. those replaced ones) drain between 4 to 6 hrs in normal navigation use. If left on idle without driving the max is 8 hrs.

    So my conclusion is:

    There is a lot wrong with the battery consumption and nothing wrong with the indicated battery level.

    GARMIN EDGE EXPLORE DOES NOT MEET THE BATTERY SPECS OF 12 HRS. In fact at least in Finland Garmin Nordic have added lately a word ”max” (12 hrs) in in their battery life sales specs...and not even this is true!

    This model is not suitable for those looking for over 6 hrs navigation on the road. MOT.

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to kristofh

    I had an Edge Explore 820 where the battery failed to last more than a couple of hours.  I bought an Edge Explore and the same thing is happening - down to 0% battery after being out for 5hr 42min.

    Will have to take a power bank in future to refresh at the coffee stop.  Won't be buying another Garmin if this one packs in altogether.