If you have shied away from purchasing a fitness tracker because of the bulky size, the compact, stylish Garmin Lily is right on time. With a circular face, small bezel, and thin wrist strap, the Lily reminds us more of a traditional women’s wristwatch than their large, square counterparts. This watch is specifically designed for women which is evident in the attention to detail such as a more slender and shorter wrist strap.
However, just because it doesn't take up the same amount of real estate on your wrist as other smartwatches doesn’t mean that it skimps on the health features that we’ve come to know and expect from fitness trackers. Check out our full Garmin Lily review so you can decide if it should adorn your arm.
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Garmin Lily
SPECS
- Dimensions:/strong> 34.50mm x 34.50mm x 10.1mm
- Weight: 24g
- Display size: 25mm x 21.3mm
- Display: LCD screen
- Display resolution: 240 x 201 pixels
- Touchscreen: Yes
- Compatibility: iPhone, Android
- Connectivity: Bluetooth
- Battery life: Up to 5 days
- Water rating: 5 ATM
- Heart rate monitor: Yes
- GPS: No built-in GPS
What We Like
- Long battery life
- Sleek, fashionable design
- Heart rate alerts
- Pregnancy tracking app
- Concentrates on women’s health and wellness
What We Don’t Like
- Uses GPS via phone (no built-in GPS)
- Only Android users can reply to messages
- Expensive for available features
Design
The Lily Garmin was specifically made for women. It has a classic wristwatch look with a circular face and a slender band. The traditional women’s watch reminders only increase if you choose to upgrade from the Lily Sport which comes with a silicone band to the Lily Classic with a leather band. The Sport and the Classic are both offered in three colorways, and although the display screen is not in color, it does have a 16-shade grayscale palette and a bright TFT LCD screen. When you combine the patterned lens with the other design features, the Lily truly takes on the feel of a classic piece of jewelry.
Features
I have mixed feelings about the Lily’s features, but overall I am impressed with everything that Garmin offers as far as tracking goes. It offers continuous heart rate monitoring that alerts you if your heart rate gets too high or too low. The watch also tracks your workouts and sleep, as well as your stress and estimated energy levels. Considering that this watch was designed for women, it also offers features like pregnancy and period tracking.
My biggest sticking point with the Lily’s feature is its lack of onboard GPS. Additionally, only Android users have messaging capabilities. Therefore, it may be a hard sell for iPhone users to choose this over an Apple Watch. It also doesn’t have an onboard music app.
Display
Although this watch is small and compact, the touchscreen display is easy to read. Unlike many of its competitors, the Lily uses a monochrome grayscale palette on its LCD touchscreen. The text is legible and the icons are recognizable and simple to navigate. You can access the main menu through a haptic button on the bottom of the screen. When the watch isn’t in use, the screen fades away and an etched pattern becomes visible. We like this extra touch which many other fitness trackers don’t have.
Battery Life
The lack of a full-color display actually is a bonus when it comes to battery life. With most smart watches, it’s just standard practice to charge them at bedtime (or at least once a day). However, the Lily is capable of lasting up to five days, with a typical lifespan of 3.5 to 4 days, before needing to be charged. One thing to note is that Lily is charged by using a somewhat awkward screen clamp. Overall, I didn’t find this to be a big deal, but it may take a minute to get accustomed to it.
App
The health, wellness, and fitness data that's collected while wearing the Lily is housed in the Garmin connect app. The information about your heart rate, steps, sleep, calories burned, and more are available here. When using the “My Day” section of the app, you can see all of your daily activities, and if you want a deep dive into a particular area, you can expand each section.
FAQs About the Garmin Lily
Is the Garmin Lily sport worth it?
The Garmin Lily sport is a sleek and stylish watch that looks more like a traditional women’s wristwatch or a piece of jewelry than typical smartwatches or fitness trackers. However, it’s still packed with plenty of great features, many of which are specific to women’s health and wellness. If you want a fashionable and functional watch, the Garmin Lily is definitely worth it if you plan on getting regular use out of it. But, if you don’t plan on using this tracker on a daily basis, it might not be worth investing in.
Can you answer calls on the Garmin Lily watch?
The Garmin Lily notifies you of calls from your connected smartphone by displaying the name of the phone number of the caller. However, you can’t answer the call from your watch as you’ll need to use your phone for that.
Does the Garmin Lily have live music?
Although the Garmin Lily doesn’t have onboard music storage, it does provide a setting that allows you to control the volume and playback of music that’s played through a connected device.
How long does the Garmin Lily last?
The Garmin Lily has impressive battery life. It can last up to five days before it needs to be charged.