In this article we will compare the battery life of the most popular garmin watches and GPS. We will also compare the battery life claims (by Garmin) vs the reality.
Introduction
Battery life claims by manufacturers will almost never live up to the reality. This is not only the case for watches and GPS systems, it’s the case for almost any electronical device, smartphones and laptops being the most obvious one.
The battery life is tested under perfect conditions and without really using the device how a human being would use it, this results in results that are simply not realistic.
The claims are still useful because we can get some idea and we can still compare devices. It’s just really important to keep in mind that these are not realistic numbers. For example, when a manufacturer claims that a smartwatch will last 7 days in smartwatch mode, you can’t expect it to last more than 5 days.
It can all get really confusing, therefore I intend to create a resource that can help.
Statements about battery life are taken from the official manufacturer website: www8.garmin.com
Garmin battery life – watch comparison
The difficulty with comparing all these different watches is that they all have different features. For example, in “smartwatch mode”, 24/7 heartrate monitoring is included. However, if a watch doesn’t have this feature, it might have a better battery life in smartwatch mode because of this. Which isn’t a completely fair comparison.
You can find more information about each of these watches battery life later in the article.
| Name | Smartwatch mode | GPS Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Garmin Venu | 5 days | 20 hours |
| Garmin Venu 2 | 11 days | 22 hours |
| Garmin Vivoactive 3 | 7 days | 13 hours |
| Garmin Vivoactive 4 | 8 days | 18 hours |
| Garmin Forerunner 945 | 14 days | 36 hours |
| Garmin Forerunner 235 | 9 days | 11 hours |
| Garmin Forerunner 245 | 7 days | 24 hours |
| Garmin Forerunner 35 | 9 days | 13 hr. |
| Garmin Forerunner 45 | 7 days | 13 hr. |
| Garmin Fenix 5 | 14 days | 24 hr. |
| Garmin Fenix 6 | 14 days | 36 hr. |
| Garmin Instinct | 14 days | 16 hr. |
| Garmin Instinct 2 | 28 days | 30 hr. |
Extra info
Some information is needed to correctly interpret the provided numbers:
UltraTrac mode is a GPS setting that periodically turns off GPS to save battery power. When GPS is off, the device uses the accelerometer to calculate speed and distance. Speed, distance, and track data accuracy are reduced in UltraTrac mode. The accuracy of the data improves after a few outdoor runs using GPS.
Keep in mind that the battery life of a solar powered watch depends on the sun. This means that the numbers can vary more since the manufacturer cannot predict the amount of sun you will be getting.
Garmin venu battery life
The Garmin Venu is a decent budget option, with a maximum battery life of 5 days in smartwatch mode.
If you want to use it with the GPS functionality, you have a maximum life span of 20 hours.
Good for a nice long day trip!
| Mode | Battery life |
|---|---|
| Smartwatch mode with activity tracking and 24/7 wrist-based heart rate monitoring | Up to 5 days |
| Smartwatch mode with music playback | Up to 7.5 hr. |
| GPS mode | Up to 20 hr. |
| GPS mode with music playback | Up to 6 hr. |
| Activity mode with workout animations | Up to 8 hr. |
| Activity mode with workout animations and music playback | Up to 4 hr. |
| Always on display mode | Up to 2 days |
Interested in this watch? You can find it from amazon: Garmin Venu
This might also be helpful: Tips on maximizing battery life for the garmin venu.
Garmin venu 2 battery life
The Garmin Venu 2 is a nice upgrade from the previous version in terms of battery life.
In smartwatch mode, we have a maximum battery life of 11 days. That’s an increase of 6 days.
In GPS mode, the upgrade is more limited, we end up with 22 hours of GPS time.
A real life test resulted in 8 days of actual usage in smartwatch mode. I would say that’s acceptable.
| Mode | Battery life |
|---|---|
| Smartwatch mode with activity tracking and 24/7 wrist-based heart rate monitoring | Up to 11 days |
| Smartwatch mode with music playback | Up to 11 hr. |
| GPS mode | Up to 22 hr. |
| GPS mode with music playback | Up to 8 hr. |
| Always on display mode | Up to 2 days |
Note that the Garmin Venu 2 also has a smaller variant, the Garmin Venu 2S.
This watch is similar to the original, but has a slightly worse battery. In smartwatch mode, it will last 10 days. In GPS mode, you have a battery life of 19 hours.
Interested in this watch? You can find it from amazon: Garmin Venu 2
This might also be helpful: Tips on maximizing battery life for the garmin venu 2.
Garmin vivoactive 3 battery life
The Vivoactive is a decent budget option. It is one of the cheaper watches with GPS that exist today.
Considering the price, it’s pretty nice that this watch can still last up to 7 days in smartwatch mode.
In GPS mode you can expect a maximum of 13 hours. This should suffice for day trips.
| Mode | Battery life |
|---|---|
| Smartwatch mode | Up to 7 days |
| GPS mode | Up to 13 hr. |
Interested in this watch? You can find it from amazon: Garmin Vivoactive 3
This might also be helpful: Tips on maximizing battery life for the garmin Vivoactive 3.
Garmin vivoactive 4 battery life
The vivoactive 4 is another popular option and it’s a nice upgrade from the vivoactive 3. Especially when we take a look at the GPS hours.
| Mode | Battery life |
|---|---|
| Smartwatch mode with activity tracking and 24/7 wrist-based heart rate monitoring | Up to 8 days |
| Smartwatch mode with music playback | Up to 7.5 hr. |
| GPS mode | Up to 18 hr. |
| GPS mode with music playback | Up to 6 hr. |
| Activity mode with workout animations | Up to 9.5 hr. |
| Activity mode with workout animations and music playback | Up to 4.5 hr. |
Note that the Garmin Vivoactive 4 also has a smaller variant, the Garmin Vivoactive 4S.
This watch is similar to the original, but has a slightly worse battery. In smartwatch mode, it will last 7 days. In GPS mode, you have a battery life of 15 hours.
Interested in this watch? You can find it from amazon: Garmin Vivoactive 4
This might also be helpful: Tips on maximizing battery life for the garmin Vivoactive 4.
Garmin Forerunner 945 battery life
The Garmin Forerunner 945 is one of the more expensive models. The price buys you a nice watch with good battery life.
Also, it comes with ultratrac mode, which can be interesting for those of you who need a tracking watch to keep functioning for more than a day.
| Mode | Battery life |
|---|---|
| Smartwatch mode | Up to 14 days |
| Smartwatch mode with music | Up to 14 hr. |
| GPS mode | Up to 36 hr. |
| GPS mode with music playback | Up to 10 hr. |
| Ultratrac | Up to 60 hr. |
| Ultratrac with heart rate monitor | Up to 50 hr. |
Interested in this watch? You can find it from amazon: Garmin Forerunner 945
This might also be helpful: Tips on maximizing battery life for the garmin Forerunner 945.
Garmin Forerunner 245 battery life
The 245 is a solid “in-between” option, with a battery that last up to 7 days.
In GPS you can expect a battery life of 24 hours. When playing music, the battery will be drastically lower than that.
| Mode | Battery life |
|---|---|
| Smartwatch mode | Up to 7 days |
| Smartwatch mode with music | Up to 8 hr. |
| GPS mode | Up to 24 hr. |
| GPS mode with music playback | Up to 6 hr. |
Interested in this watch? You can find it from amazon: Garmin Forerunner 245
This might also be helpful: Tips on maximizing battery life for the garmin Forerunner 245.
Garmin forerunner 35 battery life
The Garmin forerunner 35 is one of the cheapest watches that include a GPS.
When keeping the price in mind, 9 days is a pretty solid battery life.
| Mode | Battery life |
|---|---|
| Smartwatch mode | Up to 9 days |
| GPS mode | Up to 13 hr. |
Interested in this watch? You can find it from amazon: Garmin Forerunner 35
This might also be helpful: Tips on maximizing battery life for the garmin Forerunner 35.
Garmin forerunner 45 battery life
The Garmin forerunner 45 is a solid upgrade from the 35, especially considering the price difference is minimal (at least at the time of writing).
However, the additional features result in a slightly decreased battery life in smartwatch mode.
As usual, playing with the settings might result in a similar result as the 35 in terms of battery life.
| Mode | Battery life |
|---|---|
| Smartwatch mode | Up to 7 days |
| GPS mode | Up to 13 hr. |
Interested in this watch? You can find it from amazon: Garmin Forerunner 45
This might also be helpful: Tips on maximizing battery life for the garmin Forerunner 45.
Garmin fenix 5 battery life
Even though the fenix 5 is already an older watch, it’s still a solid watch.
In terms of battery life it performs pretty good.
| Mode | Battery life |
|---|---|
| Smartwatch mode | Up to 14 days |
| GPS mode | Up to 24 hr. |
| Ultratrac mode | Up to 75 hr. |
Note that the Garmin Fenix 5 also has a smaller variant, the Garmin Fenix 5S.
This watch is similar to the original, but has a slightly worse battery. In smartwatch mode, it will last 9 days. In GPS mode, you have a battery life of 14 hours. Ultratrac will give you 40 hours when using the Fenix 5S.
Interested in this watch? You can find it from amazon: Garmin Fenix 5
This might also be helpful: Tips on maximizing battery life for the garmin Fenix 5.
Garmin fenix 6 battery life
Even though the fenix 5 is already an older watch, it’s still a solid watch.
In terms of battery life it performs pretty good.
| Mode | Battery life | Battery life – solar |
|---|---|---|
| Smartwatch mode | Up to 14 days | Up to 16 days |
| GPS mode | Up to 36 hr. | Up to 40 hr. |
| Max battery GPS mode | Up to 72 hr. | Up to 93 hr. |
| Expedition GPS mode | Up to 28 days | Up to 36 days |
| Battery saver watch mode | Up to 48 days | Up to 80 days |
Note that the Garmin Fenix 6 also has a smaller variant, the Garmin Fenix 6S.
This watch is similar to the original, but has a slightly worse battery. In smartwatch mode, it will last 9 days. In GPS mode, you have a battery life of 25 hours.
Interested in this watch? You can find it from amazon: Garmin Fenix 6
This might also be helpful: Tips on maximizing battery life for the garmin Fenix 6.
Garmin instinct battery life
My favourite budget hiking watch, the Garmin instinct, has an incredible battery life.
It even got a place in the list of the best cheap hiking watches.
Especially the solar version is exceptional. However, if you want an even longer battery life, make sure to check the garmin instinct solar 2.
| Mode | Battery life | Battery life – solar |
|---|---|---|
| Smartwatch mode with activity tracking and 24/7 wrist-based heart rate monitoring | Up to 14 days | Up to 24 days |
| GPS mode with wrist-based heart rate | Up to 16 hr. | Up to 30 hr. |
| UltraTrac GPS mode | Up to 40 hr. | Up to 70 hr. |
| Expedition GPS mode | Up to 28 days | |
| Battery saver mode | Up to 56 days |
Interested in this watch? You can find it from amazon: Garmin Instinct
This might also be helpful: Tips on maximizing battery life for the garmin Instinct.
Garmin instinct 2 battery life
The Garmin Instinct 2 is the king of battery life. The solar version should theoretically not be charged in certain modes. Ofcourse, this depends on the amount of sun you will be getting.
Even the normal edition will last up to 28 days in solar mode.
| Mode | Battery life | Battery life – solar |
|---|---|---|
| Smartwatch mode with activity tracking and 24/7 wrist-based heart rate monitoring | Up to 28 days | Up to unlimited |
| GPS mode | Up to 30 hr. | Up to 48 hr. |
| Max battery GPS mode | Up to 70 hr. | Up to 370 hr. |
| Expedition GPS mode | Up to 32 days | Up to unlimited |
| Battery saver mode | Up to 65 days | Up to unlimited |
Interested in this watch? You can find it from amazon: Garmin Instinct 2
This might also be helpful: Tips on maximizing battery life for the garmin Instinct 2.
Garmin battery life claims vs reality
As stated before, there is a clear difference between the claimed battery life and the real battery life.
The battery life is tested under perfect conditions that don’t reflect real situations. It’s important to keep this in mind.
A good rule of thumb is 70% of the claimed battery life is the real battery life. Of course it isn’t as simple as that, but it’s a good way to simplify things.
Certain brands perform a lot worse than others. Garmin performs pretty decent overall in comparison to other brands.
Another factor to keep in mind is that batteries do decrease in battery life over time.
Some advice on battery life
If you care a lot about the battery life of your watch, you might be ready to buy the garmin fenix or the garmin instinct.
The idea would be that the Ultratrac or expedition mode would be perfect for you. After all, these modes do give you a very high battery life.
However, keep in mind that these modes do limit the functionality of your watch dramatically. A lot of hikers (or other outdoor activities) had a different idea about how these modes actually worked. A lot of them turned out to be pretty disapointed.
You can always create a custom mode, where you turn off the functionalitities that you don’t need. However, you could decide for yourself what functionalities you want to keep turned on.
In any case, bringing a lightweight powerbank on your trip is the answer to many problems.
I can recommend the Iniu power bank. It has 10000mAh and weighs only 7 ounces. On top of that, it’s not that expensive either. It might save you a lot of trouble.
For more recommendations, I did write an article about the best cheap powerbanks a while ago, feel free to check it out!
Conclusion
The battery life of a watch is an important factor in deciding in which watch you should get.
Most garmin watches have a decent battery life, but there is still a big difference between them.
The Garmin Instinct 2 Solar is the currently the best in terms of battery life.
If you are interested in buying a Garmin watch for the purpose of hiking, make sure to take a look at Best garmin watches for hikers.