Amidst the launch of Garmin’s new Edge 550 & Edge 850 cycling GPS units, there’s one detail that went slightly unnoticed. Or at least, unmentioned: It actually features a user-replaceable battery. Or more specifically, a user-serviceable battery. This allows a user to replace the battery down the road, should there be some sort of significant battery degradation.
Note that this is *NOT* designed to be used for swapping the battery on a super-long ride or such (use battery saver for that). Meaning, this is not a GoPro battery swap. This is a service-oriented feature, designed for some number of years from now, if your battery isn’t doing the battery thing very well anymore.
Sadly, for my review, I had entirely forgotten about this ‘feature’ when I had discussed it on a side tangent with them many months ago. But hey, now I have an excuse to take apart the Edge after the review…ya know…just in case I break something.
Now it should be noted that the reason Garmin is doing this is to stay compliant with upcoming EU regulations on February 17th, 2027 that will require user replaceable batteries, and that said battery swap can be done with common tools, and that the battery is made available by the company. With a typical 2-year refresh cycle for Edge units, this would still be well within the date realm of when Garmin would be making new Edge 550/850 units, which is to say nothing of how many years they still tend to make older devices even after a new device is announced. Heck, they were still making Garmin Edge 530 devices until somewhat recently (which is why they quietly switched that to a USB-C port, to stay compliant with other EU regulations there).
In any case, let’s go take apart an Edge 850. I could do the Edge 550, but given I haven’t quite finished hitting ‘publish’ on my review yet (just some final editing), I don’t want to accidentally break that one.
How it works:
First up, again, this is not designed for daily battery swaps. It’s instead designed for a long-term battery replacement scenario. Garmin says there isn’t any change or such with the battery cycle count on their devices, and they expect they’ll still continue to last as they always have (plenty of people have much older Edge devices). Thus, given the launch right now, you can’t yet get a new Edge 550/850 battery from Garmin. Instead, that’ll come at some point down the road, and would be done as a service part (e.g., ones you buy off of Garmin’s site, or from Garmin support, or what-not). Akin to any other service part you can get from Garmin today.
With that noted, on the back, you’ll find 6 Torx screws. These appear to be either T3 or T4 screws, both of the bits I had from a $3 dollar-store jewelry screw driver worked just fine.
Then, once inside, you’ll simply remove the four tiny Philips-head screws that hold the battery case in:
Finally, you’ll need to remove the little connector that attaches to the battery. DO NOT PULL IT STRAIGHT OUT. Instead, it lifts up vertically. I just simply stuck a flat-blade screwdriver in there, and it very easily popped out.
And with that, your battery is out and ready to swap to a new battery (once those become available). You can watch the video where I reverse the steps and put it back in, taking care to ensure the o-ring is properly in the channel.
Then, just to prove it was done properly, I decided to toss it in the pool for a while:
All that’s covered in the video too. Nifty, huh?
Wrap-Up:
While some folks like to give the EU a hard time for regulations, we’ve seen time and time again that these regulations are mostly doing good things for technology and sports tech. Sure, some of the new EU regulations on encrypted wireless connection requirements are probably a bit misguided in their application for certain areas (including reducing features that users actually like), but many of the user serviceability pieces are awesome for consumers. I’ll take an 80-90% win rate in this case.
We don’t, of course, know what Garmin’s battery cost/price will be, though, if the tech world at large does what they normally do, there would, at worst, be some random 3rd party battery provider option for a reasonable price. The number of crazy unique batteries that you can find on Amazon from 3rd party companies for all manner of older devices always astounds me.
With that – thanks for reading!
Found This Post Useful? Support The Site!
Hopefully you found this review/post useful. At the end of the day, I’m an athlete just like you looking for the most detail possible on a new purchase – so my review is written from the standpoint of how I used the device. The reviews generally take a lot of hours to put together, so it’s a fair bit of work (and labor of love). As you probably noticed by looking below, I also take time to answer all the questions posted in the comments – and there’s quite a bit of detail in there as well.
If you're shopping for the Garmin Edge 550 or Garmin Edge 850 or any other accessory items, please consider using the affiliate links below! As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, but your purchases help support this website a lot.
And of course – you can always sign-up to be a DCR Supporter! That gets you an ad-free DCR, access to the DCR Quarantine Corner video series packed with behind the scenes tidbits...and it also makes you awesome. And being awesome is what it’s all about!
Thanks for reading! And as always, feel free to post comments or questions in the comments section below, I’ll be happy to try and answer them as quickly as possible. And lastly, if you felt this review was useful – I always appreciate feedback in the comments below. Thanks!
If both T3 and T4 fit, always take the larger one.
Most times with Torx, the size one number to small fits. But it’s easy then to either strip the tool or worse, the screw. And then the fitting size doesn’t fit anymore because the inner points of the star profile are burred into the place the screwdriver has to go.
Good call!
Thank you EU! That is great!
This is absolutely great, and for me the standout feature that will get me over the fence. Even though I hate the pricing of this thing, I will very likely get one relatively soon.
Also, some obligatory kudos to the EU. This should have been a regulation a decade ago!
Thanks for going the extra mile and testing this Ray!
Nice! This is also a case of Edge 1050?
No, it’s not.
I suspect if Garmin follows a typical 2-year cycle for their Edge 10×0 series, that’d put a replacement for the Edge 1050 next spring/summer, so, well ahead of the deadline. And even then, Garmin typically doesn’t keep making those top-end Edge ones as long as they do the other products.
So a new Edge 1060 would cover them there.
Thanks for reply, it makes sense.
Thanks for this insights!
But what about MIP display edge? 1040 solar will see an update as well?
Nobody knows what Garmin’s plans are there.
I think there’s very clearly still a market for a long-battery-life unit. I mean, if they’re gonna build the Edge MTB (which I think is kinda silly in terms of product segmentation), then there’s certainly just as much a market for a 80-100hr unit.
“Now it should be noted that the reason Garmin is doing this is to stay compliant with upcoming EU regulations on February 17th, 2027 that will require user replaceable batteries, and that said battery swap can be done with common tools, and that the battery is made available by the company.”
Does this mean that the newly released Fenix 8 Pro also features easily replaceable battery, or that it will not be sold in a year and a half anymore?
Not to anyone’s knowledge. My bet here is twofold:
1) Garmin finally got to their goal this year of an annual release cycle for Fenix. This was the first time they snapped to 12 months. They were hovering in the 14-18 month range for a long time.
2) Thus, a Fenix 9 would come out likely next August.
3) And as such, while that might limit their ability to keep making Fenix 8 Pro units into 2027, they also might be betting a bit on two other factors:
A) The EU delaying things (as it often does)
B) Finally figuring out their Fenix E lineup, as the cheaper alternative. Right now, they use their Gen minus 1 as the cheaper alternative (a strategy they have formally acknledged in recent earnings calls). But, long-term, I feel like the E variants is the long-term thing.
Most Garmin watches can still be opened, they use the typical heat activated glue. I stuck my old on face down on a 3dprinter bed and it popped off easily.
Nice pool water temperature :P
This makes me far more interested in the 850 – I reckon someone will release a higher capacity battery at some point.
Thanks Ray as always.
How about new Rally (or Assioma) Pedal based powermeters? Are they also required to be servicable by the end user?
I don’t believe they count. I’ve gotta re-read the regulations, but there was some sort of carve-out for devices that required super-high levels of sealing.
Amidst all the stressful news of the world this, at least, is a bright spot. Thank you Garmin!
Does this new regulation mean anything toward the release of a new Varia radar taillight (with replaceable battery, and finally USB-C) in the near future?
One of my favorite products, but battery fade is real, and it’s literally the only micro-USB item left in my house.
And I’d love to have a 24+-hour battery.
My understanding is Varia managed to slide in between the EU laws around USB-C. I don’t know off-hand if this law impacts the battery on this device class.
They get that they need a new USB-C version. They really do. Why on earth it hasn’t happened yet sounds like it was one of those “grab a beer and pull up a chair” type stories.
I ordered because of this. Garmin owes you a commission
@TedP – I hope you did it via Ray’s affiliate link! 😁
Here’s a question, can you do the same with the Wdge MTB, it was released like ten minutes ago, surely all of their 2025 releases will be looking for compliance with EU legislation on repairability?
Not on the Edge MTB.
I got the impression that Garmin would be thrilled if that’s a problem that they had to deal with prior to 2027. In the same way I got the impression they are unsure if the MTB will be a strong success, or a one-shot model. Obviously, they think its going to work out (inversely, I’m less confident).
Just curious…is that a polymer cel (vs prismatic)?
Thank you – very informative
Does this mean there could be a user upgradable battery with higher capacity, either from Garmin aftermarket or a third party?
Since you opened the case, I am curious: is the USB connector soldered on the PCB or is it “loose” with a (flatband or otherwise) cable connected to the PCB?
I once had to replace my 810 when the connector had broken of the PCB (I blame charging while riding ultras, the shocks and vibrations getting amplified by the USB plug sticking out)
Good job DC.
Thank you European Union! This single feature makes the Edge 850 a viable product for customers. It turns a weakness (low battery life -> many full charging cycles -> defunct) into a strength. Garmin should list that as first new feature, even before the switch from MIPS to LCD.
And this is another proof that regulation works. It is the kind bureaucracy we want, regulation applied upon companies for the public good.
Now force Apple to transmit HR-Data from their Apple Watch and AirPods to other manufacturers via ANT+/BLE. And now to the Rally 210. With the Rally 200 we can quickly swap the coin-cell. Can we do this with the integrated battery?
Some thoughts:
1) I wonder how this new regulation can ve implemented for smaller gadgets like waterproof watches, especially diving watches.
2) I wonder whether this regulation will result in faster degrading batteries or not.
3) I wonder whether it will be a good excuse for shorter battery life like that of Edge 850/550.
It would be great on the 550 review if you could add thoughts on moving from an 8xx series with touchscreen to the button only. I’m split between holding on for a sale 840 or getting 550 coming from an 810 with touchscreen
That’s a tough one. I think prior to the Edge 550, I would have said go Edge 840. But, I’ve been using the Edge 550 solo on a few rides lately (so no other units), and I think Garmin has got the button thing down now, and it feels pretty natural.
Coming from touch, the first few rides you might want to touch the screen for some quick action (like a homescreen or such), but once in-ride, it’s no biggie.
Thank you, that is super helpful. From what I can in the uk an 840 and 550 are retailing at the same so will decide on whether the new features are essentials for me or if the 840 is good enough as an upgrade from the 810 with touch screen retained