Garmin Lily 2 evaluation: A smartwatch that doesn't scream 'health tracker'

There are a lot of choices of smartwatches available in the market. From extra “conventional” smartwatches from Apple and Samsung to fitness-focused choices from manufacturers like Fitbit and Garmin, selecting your excellent smartwatch will be overwhelming — particularly if you would like one thing with kind. And working capability.

Personally, I've been an Apple Watch person for a number of years, however – whereas I really like the comfort of my Collection 4 – I'm getting bored with carrying it. The looks of my Apple Watch was by no means my favourite, however many different choices available on the market have had the identical issues. They're both too sq., too ugly, too sporty, or too massive — which is why I used to be thrilled to see that Garmin launched its new Lily 2 smartwatch.

Billed as a fashion-forward smartwatch for girls, the Garmin Lily 2 ticked numerous bins I didn't know I used to be on the lookout for. With a smaller watch face, hidden show, and 6 completely different coloration choices, it undoubtedly seems higher than most smartwatches seen available on the market – however is it definitely worth the $249 price ticket?

I made a decision to attempt it myself, and right here's what it’s essential know:

The Garmin Lily 2 smartwatch seems completely beautiful

Straight out of the field, the Lily 2 is likely one of the most stunning smartwatches I've seen. I selected the Garmin Lily 2 Basic in cream gold with a tan leather-based band, and I used to be impressed with how properly made this watch is. The patterned watch face isn't one thing I assumed I'd admire, but it surely's a delicate characteristic that offers an Artwork Deco really feel to an already stunning watch.

The watch face itself is small and durable, with two completely different finishes on the cream gold exterior, and the Italian leather-based band may be very completely different from the silicone bands I've used previously. The watch additionally has a water resistant score of 5 ATM to a depth of fifty meters – which Garmin says ought to stand up to splashes, rain or snow, rain, swimming and extra. (Nevertheless, the band you select could influence how the watch behaves round water.)

The watch additionally has a hidden show, which is gorgeous in principle, however I discovered the shortage of analog watch palms a bit disappointing. Different Garmin watches have bodily watch palms – permitting you to inform the time with out “activating” the digital show – and I assumed this characteristic would have given the Lily 2 a bit extra sparkle. Plus, the show itself is grayscale and considerably pixelated, making the expertise really feel rather less nice than a bodily watch.

The swipe operate was additionally a bit slower than my Apple Watch, which meant the expertise utilizing the Lily 2 didn't precisely match what it appeared like. Sure, it's a stupendous accent, and it packs a robust punch with well being monitoring — however the smartwatch was a bit missing in performance in comparison with different choices available on the market. It consists of Garmin Pay, and is appropriate with each Apple and Android smartphones, so you may obtain textual content, electronic mail, and calendar alerts in your watch. Nevertheless, it's additionally tied to your telephone – so that you'll must have your telephone with you to get options like GPS information, climate information, and so on. on exercises.

Most of Garmin's monitoring options have been unreliable

Whereas I used to be impressed with the Garmin Lily 2 out-of-the-box, most of the monitoring options have been even higher than I anticipated. The Lily 2 has a collection of Garmin's finest well being monitoring options – together with sleep scores – so you may monitor your coronary heart fee, steps, exercises, respiration, stress ranges, and extra. As somebody new to a Garmin, I used to be notably impressed by the “Physique Battery” rating, which measures your power all through the day utilizing your coronary heart fee variability (HRV), stress ranges, sleep high quality, and train exercise. Estimates the extent.

In comparison with my Apple Watch — which additionally tracks issues like steps, train exercise, respiration, and coronary heart fee — I discovered that the addition of stress scores, sleep scores, and physique battery gave me deeper perception into the information I used to be monitoring. Had been. Not solely did this assist me maintain monitor of my stress and power ranges all through the day, but it surely additionally helped me higher interpret my well being information.

As a result of stress scores are primarily based on bodily stress and never simply emotional stress, for instance, I began discovering out what issues contribute to greater stress scores — like heavy meals, intense exercises, or velocity on telephone calls. My tendency to try this allowed me to regulate my habits all through the day. For instance, if my physique's battery is draining sooner than I need, I'll flip my exercise right into a meditation session (or a nap). As somebody who’s a powerful proponent of power administration, this has made the Lily 2 an unbelievable companion for structuring my day to take care of optimum power.

And what’s stunning? Many of the information appeared fairly correct. I don't like carrying watches or bracelets at night time, however I wore the Lily 2 whereas sleeping for per week, and the sleep rating was a helpful piece of knowledge. That being stated, I wasn't so health-conscious that I wished to put on it at night time, however the remainder of my info — like my stress rating and physique battery — nonetheless appeared fairly correct even with out monitoring my sleep.

What I preferred in regards to the Garmin Lily 2: Monitoring, aesthetics, connectivity

Clearly, Lily 2 gave me numerous love. Except for minor disappointments with the efficiency, the great thing about the watch was unbelievable, and the monitoring options have been an enormous asset. I liked having the ability to use the watch to handle my power ranges, perceive how completely different selections affected my well-being, and alter my habits accordingly. Moreover, battery life was on par with the estimated 5 days, and – because it expenses extremely quick – I used to be in a position to take the watch off in the course of the bathe and totally cost it.

Not solely is it an awesome smartwatch filled with some nice monitoring performance, however the Lily 2 additionally pairs simply with my Apple iPhone 11 Professional, which means I can obtain textual content messages, notifications, climate updates, and extra. Can. Whether or not I used to be understanding, going for a stroll, or going about my workday, the watch was stunning, comfy, and surprisingly handy — apart from just a few key options.

What I didn't like about it: Exercise UX and the Garmin Join app

Whereas the Garmin Lily 2 labored nice more often than not, it failed in just a few key areas: exercise monitoring and the Garmin Join app.

Watch with exercise monitoring normally Efficiency was nice, however some actions revealed some critical issues. For instance, treadmill actions didn't document any distance — every little thing else was working nice, together with my step rely and coronary heart fee — however after half a mile on the treadmill, I glanced at my watch. And noticed that the space he had recorded was zero ft.

I received off, opened the app to troubleshoot, and spent the subsequent thirty minutes combating the Garmin Join app. I attempted discovering options on Garmin's help kind, restarting my telephone and watch, and even resetting the watch to manufacturing unit settings, however nothing was working. I may modify the space within the Garmin Join on-line portal to match my treadmill's readings — and the space labored nice on outside walks and runs — however treadmill exercises remained a supply of frustration.

Different actions appeared to work nice — distances on outside walks and runs have been recorded appropriately — but it surely felt just like the “Actions” characteristic on the app was surprisingly missing for a fitness-focused smartwatch. For instance, as soon as I begin an exercise, I grow to be busy holding monitor of it. I couldn't entry the rest on the watch with out pausing the exercise, and as soon as the exercise began I didn't even get the choice to pause and restart it.

Once more, it felt like the information I used to be receiving was unbelievable – aside from my constraints with treadmill exercise – however the precise expertise of utilizing it fell quick. It wasn't essentially unhealthy, but it surely didn't really feel prefer it both. Good In comparison with different smartwatches I've tried.

Sadly, my expertise with the Garmin Join app was additionally considerably lackluster. The app labored nice, but it surely was disorganized, overwhelming, and complicated — even for somebody who is sort of tech-savvy. Some settings have been buried underneath a number of menus, whereas others have been solely accessible on the Garmin Join on-line portal, not the app.

Though I'm not often a fan of companion apps, particularly once they're pointless, the Garmin Join app Is Important – which made the shortage of user-friendliness much more disappointing. Some days my info didn't present up in any respect on the “My Day” window except I refreshed my watch's connection a number of instances, and making an attempt to determine the varied settings underneath the “Extra” part felt unattainable. . That being stated, this wasn't essentially a deal-breaker for me – the app performance didn't influence my expertise with the watch, apart from the problem of distance measurement on treadmill exercises – it simply felt unnecessarily difficult. .

Is the Garmin Lily 2 price it?

In the event you're on the lookout for a small, cute watch with some easy on a regular basis health-tracking performance, the Lily 2 may be the right smartwatch for you. Garmin has clearly created an incredible piece of {hardware} with this watch, however as I discussed above, it's the software program that feels a bit missing. Though not everybody will discover (or care about) these issues, the Lily 2 is a good possibility for many who desire a trendy, easy smartwatch to trace exercise with none bells and whistles.

Nevertheless, as a smartwatch for health obsessives, I discovered myself wanting extra. Sure, the watch is trendy, but it surely doesn't stack up in opposition to extra highly effective sports activities watches – and it's definitely not as “sensible” as different smartwatches. So when you're on the lookout for an awesome exercise companion – otherwise you wish to check out extra superior smartwatch options – you'll in all probability wish to look elsewhere.

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health trackers smartwatch