ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The Garmin Lily 2 Active is available for $299.99 in Silver with a Purple Jasmine band, Jasper Green with a matching band, and Lunar Gold with a Bone silicone band.
- It’s light and comfortable, with fashionable watch faces and bands, and sleep tracking has been insightful.
- GPS signal acquisition can be slow, notifications are inconsistent with the iPhone, and tapping the screen doesn’t always wake it up.
Regular readers know that I have larger wrists and am always wearing the latest flagship watches on both of my wrists. Thankfully, Garmin continues to offer alternatives for those with smaller wrists who want the full Garmin health and wellness experience.
Also: The best Garmin watches you can buy: Strong tracking tech for fitness, sleep, and more
I was recently given a chance to test out Garmin’s new Lily 2 Active smartwatch, but it was unfortunately too small to fit comfortably, so I had my daughter test it out in my place. I spent a few days learning its features, but the watch’s 38mm diameter and 29 gram weight was perfect for her.
This was the first time I tried out a Garmin Lily device, and it was interesting to see the hidden display that only provides data when activated with a subtle patterned lens. The most significant new feature in the Lily 2 Active is integrated GPS, so you no longer need a connected phone to track your outside activities.
In typical Garmin fashion, I found the GPS to be quite accurate and closely match other flagship GPS devices, but it took longer than other watches to acquire the signal in a few instances.
The Lily 2 Active can be navigated with the touchscreen, but also via the two buttons on the right side. A small circle at the bottom of the display can be used to quickly get back to the watch face. Garmin sent along the Lunar Gold model with the bone silicone band and then I purchased an additional leather band for more formal occasions.
It was interesting to hear the perspective of someone who tried out a Garmin watch for the first time. Sleep tracking is comprehensive and provided insights that were easy to understand and actionable for improving sleep the following evening. My daughter was a little concerned about the stress level tracking, so I recommended she turn off that metric for now or use the integrated meditation activity to calm down during times of high stress.
Also: This Garmin smartwatch convinced my daughter to switch over from Fitbit
Regarding supported activities, the watch’s 5 ATM water resistance supports swimming, but we were also pleased to see support for golf since that is a sport my entire family enjoys. Having the course information provided on the watch helps make informed decisions while reaching to grab your next club.
Battery life has been solid with about a week between charging with some workouts during the week. For context, this is quite a bit better than many of the larger flagship smartwatches I’ve tested. Features like step tracking, heart rate measurements, and the Morning Report have proven useful for understanding how each day went. More time with the Lily 2 Active will help her test out the women’s health tracking features as well.
Lastly, the Assistance and Incident Detection functions are important to help with safety while outside running or walking, especially as we move into the winter season where there’s more darkness.
ZDNET’s buying advice
The Garmin Lily 2 Active is optimized for people with smaller wrists who want a fashionable smartwatch that lasts much longer than a typical smartwatch. The integrated GPS and advanced tracking means you can leave the phone behind altogether for outdoor activities. Combine that with detailed sleep tracking and expanded women’s health insights, and you have a solid smartwatch for fitness and wellness tracking.
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