Garmin Fenix 6 has multiple variants. There would be a day when your Fenix 6 battery runs out faster as it becomes dated and old. Most people would encounter this situation in a little over 3 or 4 years. Garmin Fenix watches can easily last 3-4 years without hassles. When your Fenix 6 battery runs out of charge, what are the options available to you?
We will look at the possible scenarios for you to remediate the battery issues on the Fenix 6 smartwatches.
Battery Replacement for Fenix 6
Garmin does not offer battery replacement for a Fenix 6 device. This is applicable for all the Fenix 6 models. So, how do you get the battery replaced? And, should you go that far? You need to take into account the costs attached with the replacement battery. And, you need to factor in the expected life of the replaced battery.
Here is what you need to do for replacing battery on a Fenix 6 device:
- You will require the battery Part Number from your watch. If your watch is out of warranty (should be), you can find the part number of the battery by taking off the rear cover. The Part Number for Fenix 6S Pro is 361-00086-12 with a battery capacity of 180 mAH.
- The part number for Fenix 6X series is 361-00126-00. The battery has a capacity of 450 mAH. Some suppliers may offer you a 400 mAH battery.
- Now that the part number is known to you, you can order the replacement battery from one of the third-party suppliers. You may find some directly on AliExpress or Amazon.
If you intend to replace the battery of an old Fenix 6 smartwatch on your own, we do suggest using the services of a local watch technician. Or, perhaps, visit the local watch shop for battery replacement.
Should you replace a dead battery on Fenix 6?
Should you actually be doing the battery replacement on the Fenix 6? This is a tight question, especially, because you need to factor in the costs and expected life of the new battery. The batteries available on AliExpress or Amazon are either used batteries or these are directly imported from China.
When I last checked the cost of a replacement battery of a Fenix 6S Pro on AliExpress, the battery costs $29.99 a piece. You have to buy a minimum 100 pieces. This, effectively, means that you are looking at something close to $50-70 as the range of battery costs for a single unit. I am assuming a best case scenario that allows you to get the battery from a local store at that price.
Add the watch repair shop’s repair bill for battery replacement to the cost of battery. We are touching close to $100 or a tad higher for getting the Fenix 6 battery replaced at a local watch store. Is it worth it? Is there a chance that the replacement battery could last a couple of years? There are no implied or explicit guarantees about the warranty of replacement battery. You are looking at a 50-50 chance about getting lucky with an off-market battery for a Fenix 6 smartwatch.
Besides the cost, you will need to factor in performance issues of the replacement battery that is sourced from third-party suppliers. Will the replacement battery provide the same duration of backup extended by the original Garmin battery?
In our opinion, battery replacement of Fenix 6 may save money in the short term. But, you will be back in the market in a year’s time (or less) with demands for a new battery or a new watch.
I do understand that it is a shame that a watch like Fenix 6 has to be replaced because the battery is dead. Until we have a situation wherein a watch could be serviced by Garmin, there is only a single option that is available for Fenix 6 users.
Get a refurbished Fenix 6 from Garmin
We discuss one of the most followed approaches to battery issues on a dated Fenix 6 watch. You may call Garmin support and explain the fact that the battery of Fenix 6 smartwatch is dead.
Garmin support, generally speaking, may offer you a refurbished model of your Fenix 6 for a moderate fees. For example, Garmin has offered to send in a refurbished Fenix 6S Pro for a fee of $200. You need to send in your Fenix 6S Pro to Garmin as part of the exchange scheme. So, you are exchanging your Fenix 6 with a corresponding refurbished model of Fenix 6 for a moderate fee. The fee varies with the variant of Fenix 6 smartwatch.
How to prolong the battery life of Fenix 6?
Overcharging the battery is one of the silent killers for any good battery. We suggest following the best practices for battery charging. Keep the battery levels maintained between 20-80 percent at all times. As and when the battery level goes beyond 80, stop the charging. And, if the battery levels drain below 20, being charging the battery.
Complete discharge and complete charge are two situations that we are trying to avoid.
Garmin Fenix 6 devices have good battery life. You may need to charge your Fenix 6 device once a week. That would mean around 50 times in a year. If we consider the battery life to be in a range of 300-400 cycles, we are looking at a battery life of over 5 years on Fenix 6.
For the runners and people making use of GPS, we may need to charge the battery in a couple of days time. That would mean a battery life of close to 2 years with complete GPS usage of the Fenix 6 smartwatch.
Depending on the practical use of Garmin Fenix 6 smartwatch, your watch’s battery may last anytime between 2-6 years with a little care and maintenance.
Summary
Replacement of the battery of Fenix 6 is not offered by Garmin. You will need to rely on third-party ecommerce stores or local watch stores for battery replacement of Fenix 6. Garmin may, however, offer you an exchange offer. It will send you a refurbished Fenix 6 smartwatch in exchange of the non-working Fenix 6 smartwatch for a discounted fee.
You may like to read more about Garmin smartwatches below:
Helen Kurt is a geeky nerd who loves to cover the wearables space. She has over 5 years of experience in the smartwatch domain. You can reach her on email at [email protected].