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A solid alternative
Garmin Lily
This sleek and elegant smartwatch boasts a distinctive patterned lens, a responsive touchscreen, multiple biometric sensors, fitness apps, and more. It’s a great performer in a less macho style than the typical Garmin product.
Pros- Accurate activity tracking
- Interesting design concept with a nice-looking finish
- Small, compact, and lightweight
Cons- No built-in GPS
- No always-on display option
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Best overall
Garmin Lily 2
The Garmin Lily 2 builds on the original Lily in subtle ways, adding new activity profiles and safety features. Garmin also added a model with NFC payment capabilities, though keeps the stylish, slim design.
Pros- Multiple stylish designs to choose from
- Very compact, lightweight, and comfortable
- Accurately tracks sleep, stress, activities, and more
Cons- No built-in GPS
- Display can be a bit hard to see
Garmin is best known for its advanced fitness watches, but many of those offerings are larger, somewhat bulky, expensive, and offer decidedly fitness-focused looks. Though lesser known, the company also makes some excellent and more budget-friendly smartwatches and fitness trackers that are ideal for smaller wrists as well. One such offering is the Garmin Lily, which came out in 2021. Garmin designed the Lily specifically for women, as is evident by its tiny size. The minimalistic smartwatch offered paired-down fitness features but more fashionable styling worthy of office or party attire.
Garmin followed up with the Garmin Lily 2 at the beginning of 2024. With three years in between the two models, one would expect quite a few changes with the second iteration. Alas, that isn’t quite the story. So, what’s the difference between the Lily and Lily 2, and is it worth the upgrade?
Related
Garmin’s Lily 2 smartwatch is a classy but capable fitness tracker
The Garmin Lily 2 is a stylish smartwatch designed for small wrists with plenty of fitness and health features.
Price, availability, and specs
The original Lily is getting a bit hard to find. You can still purchase the Lily Sport in the cream gold and dust rose colorway, which features a silicone band, new on Amazon for $198.99. The Lily Classic, however, is hard to find new, so you may be stuck opting for a used version from the likes of eBay.
The Lily 2 is also available in a Classic and sport version, though Garmin now just calls that the Lily 2. The differentiating feature is that the Lily 2 Classic offers Garmin Pay, whereas the Lily 2 does not. The Lily 2 is available for $249.99 in metallic lilac or cream gold, both of which include a silicone band in lilac and coconut, respectively. The Lily 2 Classic comes in cream gold with a coffee nylon band and silver with sage gray nylon band for $279.99, or cream gold with tan leather band and dark bronze with mulberry leather band for $299.99.
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Garmin Lily Garmin Lily 2 Brand Garmin Garmin Heart Rate Monitor Yes Yes Color Screen No No Notification Support Yes Yes Battery Life 5 days 5 days Onboard GPS No No Customizable Strap Yes Yes SIM Support No No Lens Material Corning Gorilla Glass 3 Corning Gorilla Glass 3 Case Material Plastic Aluminum Connected GPS Yes Yes Calendar Yes Yes Weather Yes Yes Smartphone Music Control Yes Yes Display Liquid Crystal Liquid Crystal Strap size 14 mm 14 mm Dimensions 34.50 x 34.50 x 10.15 mm 35.4 x 35.4 x 10.1 mm Weight 24.0 g fabric: 20.6 g; leather: 21.4 g Mobile payments No Yes, in the Lily 2 Classic Exercise modes Strength, Cardio, Elliptical Training, Stair Stepping, Walking, Pilates, Yoga, Treadmill Running Running, Biking, Pool Swimming Strength, HIIT, Cardio, Elliptical Training, Stair Stepping, Indoor Rowing, Dance Fitness, Jump Roping, Walking, Pilates, Yoga, Breathwork, Treadmill Running, Running, Biking, Pool Swimming
Design
Similarities abound
Design-wise, not much changed from the Garmin Lily to the Garmin Lily 2. As mentioned, there are still two versions of the watch, offering a slightly sportier look or a more classic watch look. The size is nearly identical between the original and second edition, with a slight increase in diameter and a slight decrease in thickness in the Lily 2, though it’s not enough to notice. The Lily 2 keeps the hidden LED display and patterned lens found in the original.
As one would expect three years later, Garmin updated the Lily 2’s color options. Garmin also adjusted the band attachment point, which was a welcome change. The original Lily required tools to change the band, which wasn’t ideal if you wanted to switch between a silicone and leather option on a regular basis. The Lily 2, though, uses a quick-release design, so no tools are required.
Another subtle difference is the move to an all-aluminum build. The original Lily uses a stainless steel bezel with a plastic body, while the Lily Sport was made with an aluminum bezel and plastic casing. Now, the bezel and case are aluminum, which results in a lightweight design that should be slightly more durable than plastic.
The Lily 2 also sees an upgraded sensor array. However, the sensor’s core functionality has not changed. It still allows you to track heart rate, respiration, Pulse Ox, and stress day and night. Finally, the Lily 2 and Lily 2 Classic keep the original’s five-day battery life and proprietary clip-on charger.
Features
Get your groove on
Like the design, the features of the Lily 2 are not much different from the original Lily, though there are some worthwhile updates. The most notable change is that Garmin added NFC to the Lily 2 Classic, which enables Garmin Pay. That means you can use your Lily 2 Classic for contactless debit and credit card purchases. If you don’t need Garmin pay, you can save $50 and opt for the Lily 2, which does not offer Garmin Pay.
While the original Lily and Lily Sport could track all the most popular activities, such as walking, running, yoga, and cycling, both versions of the Lily 2 offer a new dance fitness activity not found in the first iteration. It allows you to track a wide range of dance styles, including Zumba, Afrobeat, Bollywood, and hip-hop. Plus, HIIT, indoor rowing, jump roping, and more were also added to the Lily 2 models, offering a much more well-rounded set of activity profiles.
Garmin also added Incident Detection to the Lily 2 and Lily 2 Classic. The watch can send a message with your live location if it senses an incident occurred, or you can send one manually if you feel unsafe. It’s a safety feature that I love having on my watch, so it’s nice to see this added to the Lily. Plus, as a watch designed for women, Garmin added women’s health tracking to the watch itself instead of needing to open Garmin Connect on your phone.
Beyond those changes, the Lily 2 and Lily 2 Classic keep the reliance on your phone for GPS tracking as they don’t offer on-board GPS. Garmin’s tethered GPS is the most accurate I have tested, though, so as long as you don’t mind having your phone on you, you can still get fairly accurate distance, speed, and pace.
Like the original Lily, both Lily 2 models can track steps and sleep, provide movement reminders, and even automatically count reps during strength workouts. You’ll ave access to heart rate alerts, heart rate zones, VO2 max, and Garmin’s Body Battery feature to help manage your fitness and recovery. The smartwatch functionality remains the same as well, with phone notifications, Bluetooth music control, and weather forecasts.
Which should you buy?
If you don’t already have the Garmin Lily and are shopping for this wearable line for the first time, you should opt for the Garmin Lily 2. The original Lily is hard to find, and you won’t have many options in terms of colors or band style. Although the updates are minimal, the additional workout profiles, Incident Detection, and on-board women’s health tracking are worth the extra money for most people.
Garmin Lily 2
The Garmin Lily 2 offers a more robust range of activity profiles, safety features, and women’s health tracking than its predecessor, giving it a slight edge. Plus, you can now opt for a model with Garmin Pay and choose from new colors.
If you already own a Garmin Lily, the incremental updates likely aren’t worth an upgrade unless you would like access to Garmin Pay or need the ability to track more types of exercises. But for most who already own the original Lily, there just aren’t many features that would warrant purchasing the new version.
