If you’re fashion-savvy, you’d definitely want every piece of your outfit to be on fleek—even your smartwatch. Garmin clearly understood the assignment when it introduced the Lily 2 Classic late last month.
Launched as part of the Garmin Lily 2 series, the smartwatch doubles as a statement piece with its simple yet stylish design made especially for women. Its sleek build and classic motif prove that gone are the days when smartwatches had to be bulky and heavy.
And the watch’s simplicity goes beyond its look. The Lily 2 Classic comes with features similar to any smartwatch but without the fluff. Even the contents of its box are kept at a minimum, as only the smartwatch and its charger are found inside.
Scroll down to know how the chic smartwatch fares as a daily companion based on our test.
Design and display
One thing that sets the Lily 2 Classic apart from other smartwatches is that it looks anything but. Catered specifically to women, the smartwatch is designed as a timeless fashion piece that will add elegance—from your office co-ords to your denim pants-white sneakers ensemble.
As you can see, the test unit we received comes with an anodized aluminum case in Cream Gold colorway and a tan leather band. All in all, it’s simple yet stylish—which you can also expect in the other Lily 2 Classic models with a Mulberry or Coffee leather band, Coffee or Sage Gray nylon band, and Coconut or Lilac rubber strap.
Our watch is not only attractive but also comfortable to wear because it is lightweight. It has a sleek build with a watch case diameter of 35mm and slim 14mm bands. Since it only weighs 21.4 grams, it is also ideal for overnight wear.
What makes the Lily 2 Classic all the more unique is its patterned lens. It adds a gorgeous touch to its touchscreen display yet doesn’t make the screen difficult to read. In addition, the lens feels durable as it is protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 3.
This lens reveals a 16-level grayscale display, which measures 25.4 mm x 21.3 mm and has a resolution of 240 x 201 pixels. It only lights up when you interact with it which, for us, is a plus because it doesn’t allow others to easily see what’s on our screen.
The watch doesn’t have physical buttons and the only way to wake it up and start using it is only through the small touchscreen button on the lower side of the display. While this buttonless design enhances the premium appearance of the Lily 2 Classic, the responsiveness of its touchscreen button is slow regardless of the gesture sensitivity setting—whether it’s set to low, medium, or high. This sluggish response persists when navigating through menu options, which includes Activities, Clocks, Settings, and Watch Face.
On the Lily 2 Classic’s home screen, you’ll see the time, day, date, and your choice of either the Garmin logo or the following data shortcuts: heart rate, body battery, calories, weather, or watch battery. The device only has one watch face so there’s really nothing you can change on the screen except for these shortcuts.
Swiping from the top to the lower part of the display will give you access to the Controls Menu. which will give you quick access to features such as Sleep Mode, Music Controls, Smart Notification, Finding My Phone, and many others. You can customize this on the Garmin Connect App.
The display also remains bright both indoors and outdoors. Just make sure to manually adjust its brightness to the maximum level when heading outside.
Health and fitness tracking
To begin using your Lily 2 Classic, you must first connect it to your smartphone via Bluetooth through the Garmin Connect app, which is available for download on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. We tried connecting the smartwatch with both Android and iOS devices and the device was able to pair with the latter after several tries.
You’ll need to create a Garmin account to use each of the smartwatch’s features. On the app, you’ll see detailed breakdown of your heart rate, body battery, stress levels, steps taken, calories burned, water intake, and hours you’ve slept, among many others. A summarized version of the data is presented on the app and the watch through the feature called “My Day.”
While the Garmin Connect gives a comprehensive report of your fitness statistics, it can be quite overwhelming, especially for first-time users. A simpler user interface can surely make the app easier to navigate.
Now, on to the real star: the Lily 2 Classic. The smartwatch constantly monitors your heart rate in real-time, and it’s nice that it notifies you whenever your heartbeats are abnormally low or high so you can do something about it. We also compared the sensor’s accuracy against a pulse oximeter, with the smartwatch showing a deviation of only one to three beats.
In addition to the features mentioned earlier, the female-focused device also tracks the user’s menstrual cycle and pregnancy status. We find this convenient, too, as we no longer have to use a separate app for it like many female smartphone users do.
Another interesting feature is how the watch encourages you to stay hydrated by consistently reminding you to drink a glass of water after every energy-intensive activity.
Speaking of, the Lily 2 Classic can track a wide range of activities, including walking, running, treadmill, cardio, HIIT, indoor rowing, pilates, elliptical, and meditation. We took the watch for a spin while walking outdoors for 30 to 40 minutes a day for three straight days.
As promised, the device accurately tracked our steps, duration, and number of laps. It even flashed congratulatory messages on the screen whenever we reached a milestone. However, all of that is only possible with the help of the GPS chip on your smartphone.
Each time you’d like to track your activities with the smartwatch, you’d first have to turn on the GPS of your phone and connect the Lily 2 Garmin to your Garmin Connect app. This could be a dealbreaker for those who’d rather exercise without their smartphones, not to mention those expecting to get their money’s worth from a P18,290 smartwatch.
Other features include “Smart Notifications” for calls and messages from your phone. As the name suggests, the feature notifies you when you have calls and messages on your phone, but answering them would require you to pick up your handset.
The Lily 2 Classic can locate your phone through Bluetooth, as well as notify emergency contacts with its Incident Detection feature. It can also function as an alarm clock, stopwatch, and countdown timer. In addition, the device has water resistance of up to 5 ATM, which makes it safe to use in the shower or swimming at a depth of 50 meters max.
Battery and charging
If you’re thinking of using your Lily 2 Classic daily, you might want to keep its charger handy as the device’s battery lasts for one and a half days based on our test. At that time, we used the device as any smartwatch that tracks various activities throughout the day and constantly lights up for messages and calls.
The result of our test may be a far cry from Garmin’s promise of five days, but that is because their estimated battery life was determined from using the device on Smartwatch Mode, which doesn’t include timed activities and Bluetooth connectivity.
When it comes to charging, the Lily 2 Classic’s battery juices up using Garmin’s propiety clip charger with a USB-C connector. It charges fast, increasing our watch’s battery from a mere 6% to a full 100% in just an hour.
Speed says
The Garmin Lily 2 Classic is, indeed, built for a specific market—stylish women who prefer a good-looking smartwatch over one that’s packed with advanced features. It’s ideal for those who are still starting their fitness journey or are low-key fitness enthusiasts.
The device is worth buying when you want a classy modern timepiece that can complement any outfit, or just one that looks nice. If you’re not big on tracking every single activity and don’t mind exercising with your phone nearby, you’ll find the smartwatch’s features quite appealing.
If you find yourself relating to all these, then the Lily 2 Classic is definitely for you. It is available for P15,190 to P18,290 at Garmin retail stores and online via Shopee and Lazada.
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