The Garmin Lily 2 boasts a trendy design, correct exercise monitoring, and spectacular battery life. It isn’t good although. It lacks built-in GPS, has a reasonably primary show, and its sleep and girls’s well being monitoring options could possibly be improved. It excels for informal exercisers prioritising aesthetics and lengthy battery over superior options nevertheless, and whereas severe athletes ought to contemplate Garmin’s Vivoactive or Forerunner ranges, the Lily 2 is a superb choice for small wrists and people after a easy, correct health tracker.
- Elegant and light-weight design
- Good set of health and well being options
- First rate accuracy
- Physique Battery and stress monitoring are nice
- No built-in GPS
- Low res, monochrome show
- Common girls’s well being trackinbg
- Sleep monitoring could possibly be improved
When Garmin first launched the female-focused Lily smartwatch in 2021, it was a considerable departure from what we had all come to anticipate from Garmin.
It made a daring assertion of being designed particularly for girls. Most different manufacturers merely provide a smaller measurement of a unisex design and go away it at that, however that is not what Lily was about.
Virtually three years on from the unique, the second technology of the machine – the Garmin Lily 2 as it’s aptly named – provides a few further options, together with Sleep Rating and Garmin Pay, however on the entire, stays nearly an identical to its predecessor.
It is elegant, and filled with respectable options, however is it price shopping for? Learn on for our full Garmin Lily 2 evaluate.
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Tl;dr evaluate
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The Garmin Lily 2 is small, trendy, and exceptionally snug to put on, making it a super health tracker for many who desire a discreet machine with a great vary of a few of Garmin’s finest options.
It makes function sacrifices although. There is not any built-in GPS, the monochrome show could possibly be brighter and extra responsive, and the exercise pause operate is clunky.
If you happen to’re a severe health fanatic, I might steer you within the path of a few of Garmin’s different gadgets as a substitute, specifically the Forerunner 265S and even Venu 3S.vI’d additionally prefer to see some enhancements in sleep monitoring and girls’s well being monitoring on the Lily 2. With all that stated, there’s lots to like right here too.
If you happen to’re after a sublime tracker with dependable health monitoring, the Lily 2 is a strong choice with a considerably distinctive design.
Physique Battery and stress monitoring are very good, exercise monitoring is correct, and it’s a pretty machine to put on day and night time. For these a little bit bit extra severe about coaching, I might suggest contemplating the Vivoactive as a substitute (comparable worth), however for those who’ve obtained small wrists and also you need one thing easy with good accuracy and options, the Garmin Lily 2 is nice.
Worth and competitors
The Lily 2 is available in two fashions; the Lily 2 and the Lily 2 Basic, with costs beginning at £249.99/$249.99. I’ve the Lily 2 Basic in Darkish Bronze with a Mulberry Leather-based Band as my evaluate unit, which prices £299.99/$299.99.
The most important distinction in comparison with the usual Lily 2 mannequin is that the Lily 2 Basic presents Garmin Pay and the fashions have a alternative of barely swankier straps.
By way of positioning, the Lily 2 is across the identical worth as Garmin’s Vivoactive 5 and Forerunner 165, each of that are fairly a bit bigger by way of design, while additionally providing pretty AMOLED shows and extra options.
The Lily 2 is cheaper than the likes of the Apple Watch Series 9 by fairly a substantial margin, nevertheless, in addition to Garmin’s Venu smartwatch, but it surely’s costlier than Fitbit’s top-of-the-range Sense 2 and positively Fitbit’s trackers just like the Charge 6.
It is honest to say, subsequently, that the Lily 2 sits in a barely odd place. There is not something straight comparable by way of design, however a few of Garmin’s merchandise provide extra options for a similar worth. The Lily 2’s design is, subsequently, the largest motive for investing given you get extra to your cash by way of options – albeit in a chunkier package deal – from Garmin’s Vivoactive and Forerunner ranges.
Design and show
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Once I first placed on the Garmin Lily 2 Basic, I will be trustworthy, it wasn’t love at first sight. I haven’t got significantly dainty wrists, and I’ve worn an Apple Watch since 2015, switching between the smaller and bigger fashions through the years, so I’m not against a bigger machine.
Every week into my evaluate interval, nevertheless, the Lily 2 Basic gained me over. It delivers a trendy look in a design that does not seem like your typical smartwatch or health tracker.
I am nonetheless not an enormous fan of the colour of the Mulberry Leather-based Band a number of weeks in, and I do not assume that can change with extra time, however the Lily 2 is small, elegant, and significantly mild, and there is lots to be stated for that. I barely discover it on my wrist, the anodized aluminum casing makes for a strong and premium design, and the lugs for the usual 14mm straps are a lot nicer than the proprietary lugs of the unique Lily.
The underside of the Lily 2’s casing has a barely raised coronary heart price monitor that sinks into your wrist, and it is extremely snug to put on day and night time.
I prefer to sleep with my health gadgets to torture myself with how usually I miss my 8-hour objective every night time, and I used to be more than pleased to maintain the Lily 2 on. It wasn’t even remotely irritating to sleep in or put on usually, to be trustworthy.
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The show on the highest of the predominantly aluminum casing sits under the patterned lens, which is protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The display screen is not at all times on, so the patterned lens presents some visible curiosity when the display screen is powered down.
I am unsure the patterned lens is important – it is a little bit overkill for my part, particularly because it’s one thing you might simply get tired of and might’t change like you may the watch face on regular show – however I can see how some could admire it. It is extra fascinating to have a look at than a plain lens can be, although a plain lens can be good as an choice within the six-strong lineup for many who desire simplicity.
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The show itself is Liquid Crystal with 16-level grayscale and a comparatively low 240 x 201 pixel decision. Whereas the monochrome display screen works in some elements given this is not designed to be a tool with a big, vibrant, assertion show. Coming from an Apple Watch it feels flat – in all probability as a result of the show panel is sort of distant from the floor because of that patterned lens.
It does not pop the identical manner gadgets with AMOLED shows do, and it might do with being a little bit brighter to make it simpler to learn by way of the sample. As you increase your wrist, the show brightens, however it may be a little bit gradual to reply, and the identical could be stated for the touchscreen. It is responsive sufficient but it surely’s not fairly the identical swift and fluid expertise you can see on different smartwatches.
Options
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The Lily 2 may promote itself on its design, however there’s lots greater than meets the attention on the subject of options.
I will begin with the non-fitness-related capabilities, which embrace Garmin Pay on the Lily 2 Basic. However earlier than you go for the Basic over the usual particularly for this function, make certain your financial institution is supported. Sadly, assist within the UK is significantly restricted – there is no Barclays, no Natwest, no Lloyds, and no HSBC – so whereas with the ability to pay along with your Lily 2 is a pleasant thought, the truth is that it’ll solely be an choice for a handful of customers.
Elsewhere, options are much less limiting, fortunately. There are parts resembling climate forecasts, Morning Report, and Discover My Cellphone, the latter of which is especially helpful in case your cellphone is susceptible to slipping in between the couch cushions. The Morning Report is nice too – and a function provided on higher-end Garmin gadgets – with a helpful, easy-to-digest abstract on climate, sleep, and upcoming occasions.
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Smartphone notifications are additionally obtainable on the Lily 2, however they’re dictated by your cellphone, so no matter comes by way of in your cellphone will come by way of in your Lily 2. The one strategy to change notifications from particular apps is to show them off in your cellphone – there is no choice to tailor notifications by way of Garmin itself.
You may activate Do Not Disturb mode on the Lily 2, which can mute notifications, however not like Fitbit the place you may specify what apps you need notifications from in your Fitbit machine, the one management you have got over notifications on the Lily 2 is for notifications from Garmin itself.
Smartphone notifications are additionally restricted on iOS gadgets. With Android, you may reply to texts and reject cellphone calls with textual content, however neither is feasible you probably have your Lily 2 related to an iPhone. It, subsequently, makes smartphone notifications considerably redundant – and even irritating at occasions. Certain, you get an alert and you may see your cellphone is ringing, however you continue to must get your cellphone out to do something about that notification.
Exercise monitoring
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In the case of exercise and well being monitoring options, the Lily 2 does not disappoint. It is not as fully-fledged because the likes of Garmin’s Vivoactive vary or the Forerunner sequence, however there are some nice capabilities on provide.
What’s in all probability essential to notice is that for those who contemplate your self an athlete otherwise you’re coaching for a marathon, or any form of race or exercise, the Lily 2 is not aimed toward you. There are gadgets on the market, together with inside Garmin’s vary, that might be a lot better for you.
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If you happen to casually train, nevertheless, and also you get pleasure from a stroll, you just like the occasional dance health class or HIIT exercise, otherwise you’re keen on an out of doors cycle or 5km, the Lily 2 will serve you nicely.
I used to be upset to see no indoor cycle exercise choice – dance was added as a brand new exercise for the Lily 2 over the unique Lily – however to incorporate dance, indoor rowing, and stair-stepping however ignoring indoor biking seems like an pointless omission. It meant that for Peloton Bike and spin exercises, I had to make use of the cardio choice, and I’d perceive if I used to be requesting an obscure exercise, however the gymnasium is filled with bikes and spin has been round a very long time, so it’s not precisely asking to trace PickleBall.
Nonetheless, exercise monitoring is correct in my expertise with the Lily 2’s coronary heart price sensor responding rapidly. Some wrist-based exercise trackers could be gradual to register the short adjustments in coronary heart price throughout exercise like HIIT, however the Lily 2 dealt with the peaks and troughs nicely – and infrequently a fraction of a second sooner than the Apple Watch Sequence 9 too. Computerized train detection was good as nicely, kicking in for walks with out fail whether or not I used to be doing a stroll or a late for college morning rush.
It is price mentioning that there is no built-in GPS, which is probably the largest indicator that that is extra for the informal exerciser than the lady up at 6 am each morning for her 5km run. It means if you need correct map and distance information, you will want to carry your cellphone with you for the Lily 2 to make use of its GPS sign.
There’s additionally no apparent pause button for exercise, leading to an additional step for saving exercise. You need to press and maintain the one management button on the underside of the Lily 2’s display screen to cease an exercise, after which you’ll be able to resume it or reserve it. Simply with the ability to faucet the display screen to pause and press and maintain the button to cease and save an exercise would end in a a lot better expertise.
By way of different exercise options, the Lily 2 presents health age, blood oxygen saturation, and respiration, but it surely misses out on exercise advantages and restoration time, in addition to VO2 Max and sleep coach, all of which you will discover on the equally priced Vivoactive 5.
Well being monitoring
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The Garmin Lily 2 is not nearly health monitoring; there are a number of well being options onboard too. As you may anticipate from a female-focused machine, girls’s well being monitoring is out there – although I contemplate it to be fairly primary with room for enchancment.
There is not any temperature sensor within the Lily 2 such as you’ll discover within the Apple Watch Sequence 9, for instance, so whereas the Lily 2 will provide interval predictions primarily based on the data you give the Garmin Join app throughout setup, it does not have any sensors to boost these predictions.
You may add signs, and notes, and document the beginning or finish of a interval, but it surely’s primary in comparison with another gadgets on the market. It is the identical as most apps can provide, so it does not profit you from carrying the machine in any respect. Given this machine is aimed toward girls, this half feels prefer it lacks consideration.
The stress monitoring on the Lily 2 is nice, nevertheless, and a component I discovered significantly fascinating throughout my time with it. It is fascinating to see how stress ranges differ day-to-day and decide sure patterns. For instance, I seen that after I obtained up early and needed to be in London, my stress ranges for that day had been considerably greater (nearly double) than a typical day working at house.
I additionally love Garmin’s Physique Battery, which has improved considerably through the years, in addition to filtering all the way down to the cheaper gadgets in Garmin’s vary reasonably than being reserved for the higher-end Fenix fashions.
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Physique Battery is a function I’d like to see Apple do one thing comparable with for the Apple Watch, and a little bit like stress ranges, it is one you find yourself getting hooked on taking a look at. Get a great night time’s relaxation, and your Physique Battery recharges – as you’ll anticipate – but it surely does not prefer it once you burn the candle at each ends. Have a late night time and an early begin, and your Lily 2 is not going to be finest happy with you, encouraging relaxation and a nap reasonably than figuring out.
I discussed above that the Lily 2 does not have the exercise profit and restoration time function that you will discover on the extra feature-rich Vivoactive 5. Of all of the options I want to see on the Lily 2 from the Vivoactive, restoration time would have been what I requested for.
You get some indication as to when you need to take a relaxation day primarily based on Physique Battery, however the Restoration Time function tells you what number of hours you need to wait earlier than exercising once more, and that is one thing I’d contemplate to be helpful for these of us who really feel like exercising on daily basis is the one manner when relaxation is as essential.
Sleep monitoring
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Sleep monitoring is without doubt one of the few areas the place the Garmin Lily 2 differs from its predecessor in that it provides a Sleep Rating. There is not any sleep teaching like there may be on the Vivoactive, however you get a rating primarily based on the length of your sleep and your sleep metrics. Fitbit has been providing sleep scores for years, so it is not a brand new function on the planet of health trackers, however it’s a nice-to-have one.
I hardly ever obtained above 80 even with an incredible night time’s sleep, with my common sitting at 74, however I am additionally not satisfied Garmin is king on the subject of sleep monitoring. The graph is way tougher to learn than the extra conventional sleep graphs provided by the likes of Fitbit and Apple Watch, and it usually advised I had been asleep for a lot much less time than I had been.
I wore my Apple Watch Sequence 9 alongside the Lily 2 each night time – reverse wrists – and primarily based on what I learn about my sleep, I imagine Apple was considerably extra correct, usually logging at the very least an additional half an hour.
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I do, nevertheless, like how a lot information is gathered by Garmin throughout sleep, from the Physique Battery information to resting coronary heart price, Pulse Ox, and Respiration, all of which make for some fascinating studying in an easy-to-understand format. The realm Garmin might enhance right here – besides altering how the graph seems – is similar place most health trackers might enhance: put the info collectively to imply one thing.
Garmin, Apple Watch, and Fitbit, put on them night time and day, and so they know extra about you than you recognize about your self. Inform me I’ve possible slept badly as a result of I have not drunk sufficient water, I’ve exercised an excessive amount of or too little, or my coronary heart price is greater than typical. As an alternative, you get the info, however most of the time, it’s important to work out the patterns your self.
Battery life and charging
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The Garmin Lily 2 guarantees as much as 5 days of battery life, and in my expertise with it, that is just about spot on as an estimate. As talked about above, I’ve worn the Lily 2 Basic 24 hours a day, seven days per week for the previous couple of weeks, and in that point, it is tracked at the very least one exercise on daily basis, together with sleep each night time.
It is also been delivering each smartphone notification that is come by way of my cellphone, managed music for my smartphone, and I turned Pulse OX on too, which is alleged to cut back battery life.
The Lily 2 is charged through the charging pins on the underside of the machine and a proprietary charging cable. There is not any USB-C right here, so you might want to keep in mind the cable for those who journey otherwise you’re nearly on the 5 days, and also you’re away. Charging is fairly gradual too in comparison with the Apple Watch Sequence 9. In half-hour, it’ll improve by round 30 %, whereas the Apple Watch Sequence 9 might be nearer to 70 % in half-hour, so you will want to permit time to cost in your schedule, particularly if you wish to put on the Lily 2 day and night time – which I’d suggest if you wish to get probably the most out of all of the options.
The Apple Watch Sequence 9 must be charged day by day, however I’ll at all times do that earlier than entering into mattress. I will watch TV for a bit, and by the point I’m able to sleep, will probably be charged. For the Garmin Lily 2, I wanted to permit an additional half-hour to ensure it was absolutely charged, but it surely lasts for practically per week reasonably than only a day, in order that’s not one thing that is an issue as such, extra simply one thing to bear in mind.
