I use Garmin Lily sports. Got it for 22k from US last year. I was looking for a non bulky small watch for thin wrists that can be comfortably worn 24*7 and it meets my expectations. No complaints. Does everything i wanted and little more.
TL;DR Yes, overall, this IS a good switch from the Apple Watch if you're prioritizing battery life, fitness tracking, and a cute, dainty look.
When my SO and I started a weight loss journey early this year, I encouraged her to get a Lily 2 -the Classic, because she's frugal and was unsure if she'd like it or use it. Recently, she said to me, "This is something that I never thought I needed, that I now can't imagine not having."
She jokingly calls herself "Princess Luddite" (she's not, really). She's an executive, and the size & style of the Lily was a huge plus, as well as the reasonable cost. She loves that most people simply see it as a watch, not a fitness or smart watch. Battery life IS terrific on Garmins. GPS use will run down the battery, but my Venu is still a multi-day smart watch unless I'm using the GPS all day long, like skiing or sailboat racing.
The Classic is missing the onboard GPS, which the Sport has. That should do the trick nicely for tracking your outdoor runs, as it does on my Venu 3 for my cycling, skiing, and more -no need for your phone to be with you.
Specs say that it does control smartphone music, but neither of us does that. We use Tidal, which is not compatible. Spotify is compatible, IDK about Apple Music.
She isn't much of a fitness person. However, as a walker, she particularly enjoys the step tracking and sleep tracking features. Lily tracks her sleep better than my Venu, which seems iffy on my falling asleep (could be me!). Sleep tracking might be the weakest feature on Garmins in general.
Notifications/message reading work well with all of my messaging apps (I'm not sure about Viber, but it should work the same), and are customizable as you desire, so you're not overwhelmed with unimportant ones.
Bands are easy to change; she wears a more posh, dressy, jewelry-like, less sporty-looking band. I change my bands and watch faces for everyday casual wear vs more formal events. She hasn't mentioned any durability concerns or wear in 2 years of daily use, even from gardening. She's mainly in an office, so not really beating it up.
The Sport has nearly all the activity tracking features available on my old Fenix 5, as well as on my Venu 3. It's not missing much, TBH. Apple compatibility appears comparable. As Android users, we just have access to messaging response options that Apple does not allow, but all the notifications should be the same on an iPhone. She doesn't use any third-party apps, but they should work, I guess?
my sister loves her lily 2 active - very fashionable and really good looking but can work for fitness too.
The other pro over the lily 2 is the much longer battery life (almost double) and added buttons. so its not just the gps. Though it is slightly larger than the lily 2.
all day wear no issue and she lives in a very hot climate so no issues with sweat etc. Took a bit for her to get used to wearing at night as didn't used to wear a watch to bed and its her first smartwatch. But yes its tiny and light so no biggie.
Do not even consider the Lily - insult to women. The Venu3 is a good choice if you insist on going wth Garmin but the Apple Watch is a better choice. Maybe you should ask her what she would prefer.
The Lily is what Garmin thinks women want - they put GPS into the Lily 2 Active - still an insult to women. I don't count steps lol I understand that many find it a valuable metric but personally I see no meaningful value in it.
Garmin lacks watches that are designed for woman that provide rich data sets and instead makes the Lily which lacks robust training data - it is a Fashion watch. Women train just like men and want robust training data on a watch that does not look cheap and in the tackiest of colours. The Lily 2 Active is a step up from the Lily 2 but is still as what one other poster said - a watch you take to the office so your step count stays accurate, it isn't a watch you train with. It is dainty and feminine of course but it fails on so many level to be an actually viable fitness watch. Garmin designs and makes watches to suit men.
Saying that the Lily is an insult to women is not an insult to you or anyone who uses that watch personally it is a statement about how Garmin views women.
You are correct in that not all women train like men but they can train like men so why shouldn't they have a watch that is designed for them that has all those features? The Lily is clearly designed for women and Garmin purposely chooses to give it basic fitness features. There are no aesthetically pleasing small watches with all the training features that are designed with women in mind. Garmin has made a pretty watch but failed to give it the more robust features that many women want and to get the data they want they are stuck with ugly oversized watches with tacky colours. That is what makes the Lily an insult to women.
abhihyd10
