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The new Garmin Lily 2 isn’t like other smartwatches

Garmin Lily 2 press image.
Garmin

Though most smartwatches are bulky and clearly look like a piece of smart tech strapped on your wrist, Garmin has other ideas with the Lily line. At CES 2024 in Las Vegas, Garmin has just announced the next generation of the Lily with the Lily 2 and Lily 2 Classic smartwatches.

With the Lily 2 and Lily 2 Classic, Garmin has added new health, wellness, and other connected features. Both models of the Lily 2 feature an elegant and refreshed design with new metal watch cases.

On top of that, they have hidden displays that feature unique patterned lenses and come in beautiful, fashion-forward colors like Cream Gold and Coconut or Dark Bronze and Mulberry. To wake up the display, simply do a quick tap or turn your wrist, and the touchscreen display will come to life.

Garmin Lily 2 family render.
Garmin

And since the Lily 2 is about fashion, that goes right down to the straps, too. You can choose from Italian leather, nylon, or silicone bands that can be swapped out with ease. And if you really want to make something completely tailored to your tastes, you can design your own Lily 2 by mixing bands and bezels with the Your Watch, Your Way designer on Garmin’s website.

Despite the simple design of the Garmin Lily 2, it’s packed with many powerful health and fitness features. It has the basics of other fitness trackers like 24/7 heart rate monitoring, step count, calories burned, respiration, Pulse Ox, stress levels, and sleep tracking. When you wake up the next day, the Garmin app will give you a morning report that includes an overview of sleep, daily calendar, weather, and more so you can get ready for the day.

If the Lily 2 detects high stress levels, it offers meditation practices and breathing techniques to help you reduce stress. And since the Garmin Lily 2 is more targeted at women, it has the ability to track menstrual cycles and pregnancy on top of exercise and nutrition education.

Garmin Lily 2 smartwatch being worn on wrist.
Garmin

For fitness tracking, Lily 2 offers built-in sports apps specially designed for cardio, yoga, strength training, and more. There is also a new dance fitness activity that can track different types of dance styles, including Zumba, Afrobeat, Bollywood, EDM, and hip-hop. For basic exercises like walking, biking, or outdoor runs, you can connect to a compatible smartphone GPS for an accurate route and tracking stats.

The Lily 2 will also remind users to move after being sedentary for a while. But these aren’t just stand reminders like on Apple Watch. Instead, the Lily 2 will suggest a variety of movements to try — such as neck rolls, side bends, squats, and more, with options for seated movement.

The Garmin Lily 2 also has plenty of connected features when paired with your favorite Android phone or iPhone. You can get notifications for emails, text messages, and alerts right on the Lily 2 watch face. When paired with the Garmin Connect app (which just got a big redesign), a message with the user’s name and location can be sent to preselected emergency contacts if there is a detected incident. Through Garmin Connect, users can see their health and fitness data, connect with friends, and participate in challenges without a subscription.

The Garmin Lily 2 smartwatch, in purple and gold colors.
Garmin

Furthermore, those who prefer contactless payment can opt for the Garmin Lily 2 Classic, which offers Garmin Pay. Unfortunately, this feature is exclusive to the Classic model and not available on the standard Lily 2.

The Garmin Lily 2 will have a retail price of $250, while the Lily 2 Classic will start at $280.

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Christine Romero-Chan
Christine Romero-Chan has been writing about technology, specifically Apple, for over a decade. She graduated from California…
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