Garmin Lily 2 Review: a small, stylish GPS watch that finally fits smaller wrists

I used the Garmin Lily 2 (38 mm, Purple Jasmine) for a bit over two weeks as my daily watch, replacing a chunkier Samsung Galaxy Watch. I wore it all day, slept with it, took it on runs and walks, and used it for basic notifications. Short version: it’s a small, light watch that looks normal on a slim wrist, and still tracks the usual health stuff without feeling like a gadget stuck to your arm.

The first thing that hit me was the size. If you’re used to 42–45 mm watches, this one feels tiny in a good way. It doesn’t get caught on sleeves, it doesn’t look like a mini smartphone on your wrist, and people around me often thought it was a regular analog watch because of the patterned lens and simple shape. That’s clearly what Garmin is going for here.

In daily use, it’s more of a fitness tracker disguised as a watch than a full-on smartwatch like an Apple Watch. The display is basic (128×128 LCD, black and white style), no always-on, and you mainly swipe and tap to check data. But you still get GPS, heart rate, sleep, steps, notifications, and the whole Garmin health ecosystem. So if you want a small, discreet device that still tracks your runs and walks properly, it fits that role pretty well.

It’s not perfect: the screen is small and not very detailed, there’s no floor tracking, and if you expect lots of apps or fancy watch faces, you’ll be disappointed. But as a simple, light fitness watch that looks decent with normal clothes, it does the job better than a lot of chunky sports watches I’ve tried.

On value, it really depends what you’re comparing it to and what you care about. The Lily 2 sits in a price range where you can also find older Apple Watches on sale, some Samsungs, and a bunch of bigger Garmins or Fitbits. Purely on specs (screen, apps, features), the Lily 2 actually looks weaker than many of those: small low-res screen, no music, no floors, no fancy training metrics. If you only look at the sheet, it’s not the best deal.

Where it makes sense is if you specifically want a small, discreet watch with Garmin health features and real GPS. There aren’t many options that tick those boxes. Most other small watches either rely on your phone’s GPS or look like straight-up fitness bands. The Lily 2 is more like: "I want something that looks fine with normal clothes but still tracks my runs properly." For that niche, the price starts to feel more reasonable.

Another point is Garmin’s ecosystem. If you already use Garmin Connect or have friends/family on Garmin, it’s nice to stay in that world. The app is mature, you get long-term data, and the watch will likely get updates for a while. Also, the 2-year manufacturer warranty is a plus compared to some cheaper brands that give you a year or less.

So, is it the best bang for your buck on the market? No. You can get more raw features for similar money if you don’t care about size and style. But as a compact, comfortable, decent-looking GPS fitness watch, I’d say the value is pretty solid. If you just want maximum features per euro or dollar, look at a bigger Forerunner or a Venu. If comfort and looks on a small wrist matter more to you, then the Lily 2 justifies its price better.

The design is clearly the main selling point of the Lily 2. It’s a 38 mm round case with a patterned lens on top, and when the screen is off it really looks like a simple analog-style watch. On my wrist (which is around 15 cm circumference), it sits nicely without hanging over the sides, unlike most 42–45 mm watches I’ve tried. If you hate the chunky "sports watch" look, this feels more like a normal accessory than a gadget.

The Purple Jasmine colour is basically a soft purple band with a metal case that doesn’t scream "gym watch". It’s not flashy, just a bit of colour. The patterned lens is a love-it-or-hate-it thing: I liked it because it hides the screen when it’s off, but it does slightly affect readability in some angles, especially outdoors with reflections. It’s not a dealbreaker, but don’t expect the clean, bright look of an OLED screen.

There are two small physical buttons on the side plus the touchscreen. The buttons are handy when your fingers are sweaty or when the touch isn’t super responsive (which happens now and then). The interface is simple: swipe up/down for widgets (steps, heart rate, Body Battery, etc.), tap to open, long-press for activities and settings. It’s not fancy, but once you set up the layout in the Garmin Connect app, it’s easy enough to use.

One thing to keep in mind: this is not a tech show-off watch. The bezels are quite big relative to the actual screen, and the resolution is basic. If you’re coming from an Apple Watch or a Garmin Venu, the Lily 2 will look dated from a pure screen standpoint. But if your priority is that it looks like a regular watch and not a mini smartphone, then the design choice makes sense. I personally preferred having something that didn’t stand out in meetings or with more formal clothes.

The battery life is one of the clear strengths. Garmin claims up to 9 days, and in my use I got around 7–8 days with:

• 24/7 heart rate and stress tracking
• Sleep tracking every night
• Notifications on all day (WhatsApp, calls, messages)
• 3–4 GPS activities per week (30–45 minutes each)

So basically, real life use, not everything turned off. That’s already better than most general-purpose smartwatches I’ve tried, where you’re happy if you survive 2–3 days.

The hidden, non-always-on display clearly helps. Because the screen is off most of the time, the watch doesn’t burn through the battery just showing the time. At first I was a bit annoyed by having to tap or flick my wrist to see the time, but when I realized I only needed to charge it about once a week, I made peace with it pretty quickly. It’s just less mental load than having to remember the charger every other day.

Charging itself is pretty quick. With the included Garmin cable, I usually went from around 20% to full in roughly an hour and a bit. The cable is proprietary (Garmin style), so you can’t just use any USB-C cable lying around, which is mildly annoying. I’d recommend having a spare cable if you travel a lot or tend to lose things.

Overall, if you’re sick of babysitting your watch battery, the Lily 2 is pleasantly low-maintenance. It’s not the multi-week battery of some basic fitness bands, but for a smartwatch with GPS and notifications, getting a full week without worrying about it is pretty solid. For me, charging it once every Sunday became a simple routine and that was it.

Comfort is where the Lily 2 really does well. The watch weighs around 29 grams, which is very light. On the wrist it feels more like a bracelet than a watch. I wore it 24/7, including at night for sleep tracking, and it never bothered me. Compared to my old Galaxy Watch, which I usually took off at night, this one was easy to keep on all the time. For anyone who hates bulky watches, that’s a big plus.

The silicone band is soft and flexible, and the buckle is a standard tang buckle that stays in place. I didn’t get any skin irritation or marks even after runs or showers. The band has plenty of adjustment holes, so it fits slim wrists without having a massive tail hanging off. Also, the bands are swappable, and there are a lot of third-party options online. I tried a metal band for a few days: it instantly made it look more like a classic watch and still stayed comfortable.

During workouts, the watch stayed put and didn’t slide around, which is important for heart rate accuracy. Because it’s so light, it doesn’t feel like it’s bouncing on the wrist during runs or HIIT. Also, it doesn’t get stuck under long sleeves or jacket cuffs as much as bigger watches do. For winter or office wear, that’s honestly very practical: I wasn’t constantly pulling my sleeve over the watch.

If I had to nitpick, the small screen can be a bit annoying during workouts if you want to see detailed stats while moving. Text is small, and if you’re running, you sometimes have to hold the wrist closer to your face to read pace or distance. But in terms of pure comfort, it’s one of the easiest watches I’ve worn. If you prioritize something you can just forget about on your wrist, this one hits that target pretty well.

On the performance and tracking side, the Lily 2 is basically a compact Garmin. GPS lock was usually quick for me, around 5–15 seconds outdoors. I tested it on a few 5–7 km runs and some walks, and the distance matched pretty closely with my phone and a friend’s Forerunner. The GPS track on the map wasn’t razor-sharp around tight corners, but for normal use, it was absolutely fine. For someone training casually for a 5K or 10K, it does the job.

Heart rate tracking was also good enough for everyday use. Resting heart rate and all-day tracking looked consistent with other devices I’ve used. During runs and HIIT, it sometimes lagged a bit on sudden spikes (like most wrist sensors), but overall the curves looked realistic. If you’re very serious about intervals, a chest strap would still be better, but for regular fitness it’s fine.

Daily activity tracking (steps, calories, intensity minutes) is classic Garmin. Steps are in the same ballpark as my phone and other watches. The Body Battery feature gives you an idea of how "recovered" you are, based on sleep and stress. It’s not scientific, but it’s handy to see if your body is under more stress than you think. Sleep tracking gave me bed time, wake time, light/deep/REM breakdown, and a sleep score. It wasn’t perfect on nights when I tossed and turned, but again, it’s close enough to be useful.

There are some limitations: no floor/climb tracking (which some users complain about), very basic workout screens, and not many advanced training metrics. If you’re a serious runner or cyclist who loves detailed graphs and zones, the Lily 2 will feel too basic. But if your goal is: "log my runs, keep an eye on my health, and see a summary in Garmin Connect", it performs well, just without the "pro athlete" features.

On paper, the Garmin Lily 2 is a 38 mm smartwatch aimed mainly at women or anyone with smaller wrists. It has built-in GPS, heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, stress tracking, menstrual and pregnancy tracking, step counting, calories, and the usual Garmin Body Battery thing. It’s water resistant to 50 m, so you can shower and swim with it. Battery life is advertised up to 9 days, which is pretty close to what I got with normal use (no all-day GPS, just 30–45 min activities some days).

The screen is a 1-inch LCD with 128×128 resolution, hidden under a patterned lens. When the screen is off, you just see a design on the glass; when you tap or raise your wrist, the display appears. There’s no always-on mode, so you rely on the gesture or tap to see the time. At first it felt weird coming from a watch that’s always visible, but after a few days I just got used to tapping the screen. In return, the battery clearly lasts longer than more advanced smartwatches I’ve used.

In terms of features, you get built-in GPS for outdoor activities (no need to carry your phone for tracking runs or walks), sports modes like walking, running, yoga, Pilates, cardio, dance, and even golf. You also get safety features like LiveTrack and incident detection, but those need your phone nearby with a data connection. Notifications work fine: calls, texts, WhatsApp, calendar, etc. You can’t reply from the watch in any meaningful way, but you can at least see what’s going on without grabbing your phone right away.

Overall, I’d describe it as a fitness tracker with GPS and smartwatch notifications, dressed up as a small watch. If you’re expecting the flexibility of an Apple Watch or a big Garmin Forerunner with advanced training tools, this is not that. But if your needs are: "track my health, track my walks/runs, show my notifications, don’t look huge", the feature set is pretty solid and covers the basics well.