Garmin Lily 2 review: A good women's smartwatch with a glaring omission

When Garmin first launched the female-focused Lily smartwatch in 2021, it was a substantial departure from what we had all come to expect from Garmin.

It made a bold statement of being designed specifically for women. Most other brands simply offer a smaller size of a unisex design and leave it at that, but that's not what Lily was about.

Almost three years on from the original, the second generation of the device - the Garmin Lily 2 as it is aptly named - adds a couple of extra features, including Sleep Score and Garmin Pay, but on the whole, remains almost identical to its predecessor.

It's elegant, and packed with decent features, but is it worth buying? Read on for our full Garmin Lily 2 review.

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Tl;dr review

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The Garmin Lily 2 is small, stylish, and exceptionally comfortable to wear, making it an ideal fitness tracker for those who want a discreet device with a good range of some of Garmin's best features.

It makes feature sacrifices though. There's no built-in GPS, the monochrome display could be brighter and more responsive, and the workout pause function is clunky.

If you're a serious fitness enthusiast, I'd steer you in the direction of some of Garmin's other devices instead, namely the Forerunner 265S or even Venu 3S.vI'd also like to see some improvements in sleep tracking and women's health tracking on the Lily 2. With all that said, there's plenty to love here too.

If you're after an elegant tracker with reliable fitness tracking, the Lily 2 is a solid option with a somewhat unique design.

Body Battery and stress monitoring are superb, activity tracking is accurate, and it is a lovely device to wear day and night. For those a little bit more serious about training, I'd recommend considering the Vivoactive instead (similar price), but if you've got small wrists and you want something simple with good accuracy and features, the Garmin Lily 2 is great.

Price and competition

The Lily 2 comes in two models; the Lily 2 and the Lily 2 Classic, with prices starting at £249.99/$249.99. I have the Lily 2 Classic in Dark Bronze with a Mulberry Leather Band as my review unit, which costs £299.99/$299.99.

The biggest difference compared to the standard Lily 2 model is that the Lily 2 Classic offers Garmin Pay and the models have a choice of slightly swankier straps.

In terms of positioning, the Lily 2 is around the same price as Garmin's Vivoactive 5 and Forerunner 165, both of which are quite a bit larger in terms of design, whilst also offering lovely AMOLED displays and more features.

The Lily 2 is cheaper than the likes of the Apple Watch Series 9 by quite a considerable margin, however, as well as Garmin's Venu smartwatch, but it's more expensive than Fitbit's top-of-the-range Sense 2 and certainly Fitbit's trackers like the Charge 6.

It's fair to say, therefore, that the Lily 2 sits in a slightly odd position. There isn't anything directly comparable in terms of design, but some of Garmin's products offer more features for the same price. The Lily 2's design is, therefore, the biggest reason for investing given you get more for your money in terms of features - albeit in a chunkier package - from Garmin's Vivoactive and Forerunner ranges.

Design and display

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When I first put on the Garmin Lily 2 Classic, I'll be honest, it wasn't love at first sight. I don't have particularly dainty wrists, and I have worn an Apple Watch since 2015, switching between the smaller and larger models over the years, so I am not opposed to a larger device.

A week into my review period, however, the Lily 2 Classic won me over. It delivers a stylish look in a design that doesn't look like your typical smartwatch or fitness tracker.

I'm still not a huge fan of the color of the Mulberry Leather Band several weeks in, and I don't think that will change with more time, but the Lily 2 is small, elegant, and considerably light, and there's plenty to be said for that. I barely notice it on my wrist, the anodized aluminum casing makes for a solid and premium design, and the lugs for the standard 14mm straps are much nicer than the proprietary lugs of the original Lily.

The underside of the Lily 2's casing has a slightly raised heart rate monitor that sinks into your wrist, and it's incredibly comfortable to wear day and night.

I like to sleep with my fitness devices to torture myself with how often I miss my 8-hour goal each night, and I was more than happy to keep the Lily 2 on. It wasn't even remotely irritating to sleep in or wear in general, to be honest.

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The display on the top of the predominantly aluminum casing sits below the patterned lens, which is protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The screen isn't always on, so the patterned lens offers some visual interest when the screen is powered down.

I'm not sure the patterned lens is necessary - it's a little overkill in my opinion, especially as it's something you could easily get bored of and can't change like you can the watch face on normal display - but I can see how some may appreciate it. It's more interesting to look at than a plain lens would be, though a plain lens would be nice as an option in the six-strong lineup for those who prefer simplicity.

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The display itself is Liquid Crystal with 16-level grayscale and a relatively low 240 x 201 pixel resolution. While the monochrome screen works in some parts given this isn't designed to be a device with a large, bright, statement display. Coming from an Apple Watch it feels flat - probably because the display panel is quite far away from the surface due to that patterned lens. 

It doesn't pop the same way devices with AMOLED displays do, and it could do with being a little brighter to make it easier to read through the pattern. As you raise your wrist, the display brightens, but it can be a little slow to respond, and the same can be said for the touchscreen. It's responsive enough but it's not quite the same swift and fluid experience you will find on other smartwatches.

Features

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The Lily 2 might sell itself on its design, but there's plenty more than meets the eye when it comes to features.

I'll start with the non-fitness-related functions, which include Garmin Pay on the Lily 2 Classic. But before you opt for the Classic over the standard specifically for this feature, make sure your bank is supported. Sadly, support in the UK is considerably limited - there's no Barclays, no Natwest, no Lloyds, and no HSBC - so while being able to pay with your Lily 2 is a nice idea, the reality is that it will only be an option for a handful of users.

Elsewhere, features are less limiting, thankfully. There are elements such as weather forecasts, Morning Report, and Find My Phone, the latter of which is particularly useful if your phone is prone to slipping in between the sofa cushions. The Morning Report is great too - and a feature offered on higher-end Garmin devices - with a handy, easy-to-digest summary on weather, sleep, and upcoming events.

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Smartphone notifications are also available on the Lily 2, but they are dictated by your phone, so whatever comes through on your phone will come through on your Lily 2. The only way to change notifications from specific apps is to turn them off on your phone - there's no option to tailor notifications through Garmin itself.

You can turn on Do Not Disturb mode on the Lily 2, which will mute notifications, but unlike Fitbit where you can specify what apps you want notifications from on your Fitbit device, the only control you have over notifications on the Lily 2 is for notifications from Garmin itself.

Smartphone notifications are also limited on iOS devices. With Android, you can respond to texts and reject phone calls with text, but neither is possible if you have your Lily 2 connected to an iPhone. It, therefore, makes smartphone notifications somewhat redundant - and even irritating at times. Sure, you get an alert and you can see your phone is ringing, but you still have to get your phone out to do anything about that notification.

Activity tracking

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When it comes to activity and health tracking features, the Lily 2 doesn't disappoint. It's not as fully-fledged as the likes of Garmin's Vivoactive range or the Forerunner series, but there are some great functions on offer.

What's probably important to note is that if you consider yourself an athlete or you're training for a marathon, or any kind of race or activity, the Lily 2 isn't aimed at you. There are devices out there, including within Garmin's range, that will be much better for you.

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If you casually exercise, however, and you enjoy a stroll, you like the occasional dance fitness class or HIIT workout, or you're partial to an outdoor cycle or 5km, the Lily 2 will serve you well.

I was disappointed to see no indoor cycle activity option - dance was added as a new activity for the Lily 2 over the original Lily - but to include dance, indoor rowing, and stair-stepping but ignoring indoor cycling feels like an unnecessary omission. It meant that for Peloton Bike and spin workouts, I had to use the cardio option, and I would understand if I was requesting an obscure activity, but the gym is full of bikes and spin has been around a long time, so it’s not exactly asking to track PickleBall.

Still, activity tracking is accurate in my experience with the Lily 2's heart rate sensor responding quickly. Some wrist-based activity trackers can be slow to register the quick changes in heart rate during activity like HIIT, but the Lily 2 handled the peaks and troughs well - and often a fraction of a second faster than the Apple Watch Series 9 too. Automatic exercise detection was good as well, kicking in for walks without fail whether I was doing a stroll or a late for school morning rush.

It's worth mentioning that there's no built-in GPS, which is perhaps the biggest indicator that this is more for the casual exerciser than the woman up at 6 am every morning for her 5km run. It means if you want accurate map and distance data, you will need to bring your phone with you for the Lily 2 to use its GPS signal.

There is also no obvious pause button for activity, resulting in an extra step for saving activity. You have to press and hold the only control button on the bottom of the Lily 2's screen to stop an activity, after which you can resume it or save it. Just being able to tap the screen to pause and press and hold the button to stop and save an activity would result in a much better experience.

In terms of other activity features, the Lily 2 offers fitness age, blood oxygen saturation, and respiration, but it misses out on workout benefits and recovery time, as well as VO2 Max and sleep coach, all of which you'll find on the similarly priced Vivoactive 5.

Health tracking

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The Garmin Lily 2 isn't just about fitness tracking; there are several health features onboard too. As you might expect from a female-focused device, women's health tracking is available – though I consider it to be quite basic with room for improvement.

There's no temperature sensor in the Lily 2 like you'll find in the Apple Watch Series 9, for example, so while the Lily 2 will offer period predictions based on the information you give the Garmin Connect app during setup, it doesn't have any sensors to enhance those predictions.

You can add symptoms, and notes, and record the start or end of a period, but it's basic compared to some other devices out there. It's the same as most apps can offer, so it doesn't benefit you from wearing the device at all. Given this device is aimed at women, this part feels like it lacks consideration.

The stress monitoring on the Lily 2 is great, however, and an element I found particularly interesting during my time with it. It's interesting to see how stress levels vary day-to-day and determine certain patterns. For example, I noticed that when I got up early and had to be in London, my stress levels for that day were significantly higher (almost double) than a typical day working at home.

I also love Garmin's Body Battery, which has improved significantly over the years, as well as filtering down to the cheaper devices in Garmin's range rather than being reserved for the higher-end Fenix models.

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Body Battery is a feature I would love to see Apple do something similar with for the Apple Watch, and a little like stress levels, it's one you end up getting addicted to looking at. Get a good night's rest, and your Body Battery recharges - as you would expect - but it doesn't like it when you burn the candle at both ends. Have a late night and an early start, and your Lily 2 will not be best pleased with you, encouraging rest and a nap rather than working out.

I mentioned above that the Lily 2 doesn't have the workout benefit and recovery time feature that you'll find on the more feature-rich Vivoactive 5. Of all the features I would like to see on the Lily 2 from the Vivoactive, recovery time would have been what I asked for.

You get some indication as to when you should take a rest day based on Body Battery, but the Recovery Time feature tells you how many hours you should wait before exercising again, and that's something I would consider to be useful for those of us who feel like exercising every day is the only way when rest is as important.

Sleep tracking

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Sleep tracking is one of the few areas where the Garmin Lily 2 differs from its predecessor in that it adds a Sleep Score. There's no sleep coaching like there is on the Vivoactive, but you get a score based on the duration of your sleep and your sleep metrics. Fitbit has been offering sleep scores for years, so it's not a new feature in the world of fitness trackers, but it is a nice-to-have one.

I rarely got above 80 even with a great night’s sleep, with my average sitting at 74, but I'm also not convinced Garmin is king when it comes to sleep tracking. The graph is much harder to read than the more traditional sleep graphs offered by the likes of Fitbit and Apple Watch, and it often suggested I had been asleep for much less time than I had been.

I wore my Apple Watch Series 9 alongside the Lily 2 every night - opposite wrists - and based on what I know about my sleep, I believe Apple was significantly more accurate, often logging at least an extra half an hour.

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I do, however, like how much data is gathered by Garmin during sleep, from the Body Battery data to resting heart rate, Pulse Ox, and Respiration, all of which make for some interesting reading in an easy-to-understand format. The area Garmin could improve here - except changing how the graph looks - is the same place most fitness trackers could improve: put the data together to mean something.

Garmin, Apple Watch, and Fitbit, wear them night and day, and they know more about you than you know about yourself. Tell me I've likely slept badly because I haven't drunk enough water, I've exercised too much or too little, or my heart rate is higher than usual. Instead, you get the data, but more often than not, you have to work out the patterns yourself.

Battery life and charging

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The Garmin Lily 2 promises up to 5 days of battery life, and in my experience with it, that's pretty much spot on as an estimate. As mentioned above, I have worn the Lily 2 Classic 24 hours a day, seven days a week for the last few weeks, and in that time, it's tracked at least one activity every day, along with sleep every night.

It's also been delivering every smartphone notification that's come through my phone, controlled music for my smartphone, and I turned Pulse OX on too, which is said to reduce battery life.

The Lily 2 is charged via the charging pins on the underside of the device and a proprietary charging cable. There's no USB-C here, so you need to remember the cable if you travel or you're almost at the five days, and you're away. Charging is pretty slow too compared to the Apple Watch Series 9. In 30 minutes, it will increase by around 30 percent, while the Apple Watch Series 9 will be closer to 70 percent in 30 minutes, so you'll need to allow time to charge in your schedule, especially if you want to wear the Lily 2 day and night - which I would recommend if you want to get the most out of all the features.

The Apple Watch Series 9 needs to be charged daily, but I will always do this before getting into bed. I'll watch TV for a bit, and by the time I am ready to sleep, it will be charged. For the Garmin Lily 2, I needed to allow an extra 30 minutes to make sure it was fully charged, but it lasts for nearly a week rather than just a day, so that's not something that's a problem as such, more just something to keep in mind.