Amongst its numerous new merchandise unveiled this yr at CES 2024 in Las Vegas, Garmin has introduced its Lily 2 collection of smartwatches. Relatively than being purpose-built for particular sports activities or duties like among the model’s fashions, the brand new Garmin Lily 2 is designed for on a regular basis life and all kinds of various well being/exercise monitoring. That includes compact metallic instances with a refined and stylish total aesthetic, the actual element that separates the brand new Lily 2 fashions from different smartwatches inside this area are the lenses that cowl their shows. Relatively than having commonplace screens, the Garmin Lily 2 collection options patterned crystals with illuminated LCD shows that shine by them from under.
The Garmin Lily 2 collection is basically the up to date model of the unique Lily mannequin, which first launched the patterned crystal idea and served as essentially the most refined and stylish mannequin within the model’s catalog. From a design standpoint, the Lily 2 is a little more sporty in comparison with the unique Lily, and slightly than having an built-in fashion of lugs (just like what you get on a Cartier Pasha), the brand new Lily 2 mannequin has conventional lugs, though their form is slightly dressy and ornate, with a profile that’s considerably just like what you may discover on a classic costume watch. The principle advantage of this replace to the lugs is that straps can simply be swapped out, and homeowners can change their Lily 2 to adapt to their life-style.
The brand new Garmin Lily 2 lineup is accessible within the type of two fashions (the Lily 2 and the Lily 2 Traditional), with the first variations between these two variations being their straps and the colorways which can be out there for them. With that in thoughts, apart from these bodily variations, the extra premium Lily 2 Traditional fashions additionally embody Garmin Pay, which permits customers to make contactless funds immediately from their units. The usual Garmin Lily 2 watches are fitted with two-piece silicone straps, whereas the Lily 2 Traditional is meant to be the extra elevated choice between the 2, and these fashions are fitted with two-piece straps which can be produced from both nylon or Italian leather-based.
Shade choices for the usual Garmin Lily 2 watches embody a cream gold case with a coconut-colored silicone strap and a metallic lilac case with an identical lilac strap. In the meantime, the Garmin Lily 2 Traditional is accessible in 4 completely different configurations. One mannequin contains a silver case paired with a sage grey nylon strap, whereas one other contains a bark Bronze case and a mulberry-colored leather-based strap. Moreover, the opposite two colorways for the Lily 2 Traditional each have cream gold instances, though one is fitted with a coffee-colored nylon strap, whereas the opposite receives a tan leather-based strap.
The instances of the brand new Garmin Lily 2 smartwatches are crafted from anodized aluminum and measure 35.4mm in diameter by 10.1mm thick. Relative to the scale of the case itself, the lugs are pretty small, and their compact measurement mixed with their notched profile helps create a refined total look. Identical to most different Garmin smartwatches, multi-function sensors and call factors for the charger reside on the casebacks of the Lily 2 collection, whereas water resistance is available in at 50 meters, which is sufficient to be worn within the ocean or pool, and that is confirmed by the truth that the Garmin Lily 2 even contains exercise monitoring modes particularly devoted to swimming.
The Garmin Lily 2 fashions are all fitted with crystals produced from Corning Gorilla Glass 3, though every model contains a completely different metallic sample throughout its floor, which creates a noticeably completely different look in comparison with the black or grey display screen of a conventional smartwatch. The LCD show is ready to shine by the floor of the crystal and the metallic sample finally ends up changing into the background, just like how a dial serves because the backdrop for the palms on a conventional wristwatch. The one disadvantage of this strategy is that it doesn’t enable for a coloration show like what you will see that on many different trendy Garmin smartwatches, though it does create a extra refined and cohesive look that helps to make the Lily 2 really feel a bit completely different from the myriad of different screens and units you encounter in each day life.
When it comes to its performance, the brand new Garmin Lily 2 collection presents the standard suite of well being, sleep, and health monitoring options , together with the identical smartphone connectivity and GPS monitoring that’s commonplace amongst all the model’s current-production smartwatches. Battery life for the Lily 2 is available in at a reasonably respectable 5 days, and just like different entry-level fashions within the model’s lineup, such because the Garmin Vivoactive 5 I beforehand reviewed, the brand new Garmin Lily 2 smartwatches aren’t capable of carry out among the extra superior options like make calls and reply to texts immediately from the system itself, though they will nonetheless show textual content messages and notifications.
Now that the Garmin Lily is in its second era, it is going to be attention-grabbing to see if the model finally ends up integrating this patterned crystal strategy into any of its different fashions. The sensible advantages of smartwatches are simple, however one of many main the reason why some folks draw back from them is that they only really feel a bit an excessive amount of like a tech-oriented system to put on in on a regular basis life. Adorning the crystal with a sample helps to separate it from the “black mirror” look of cellphone or laptop computer display screen, and if a patterned crystal had been to be built-in into the case design and paired with some customized show screens, the web impact could possibly be one thing that feels actually completely different from a conventional smartwatch or linked system.
Costs for the brand new Garmin Lily 2 collection begin out at $249 USD for the usual Lily 2 fashions on silicone straps, whereas the Lily 2 Traditional fashions are priced at $279 USD when fitted with a Nylon strap or $299 USD when paired with an Italian leather-based strap. Though this does symbolize a small enhance in worth in comparison with the unique Lily fashions with resin instances, the brand new Garmin Lily 2 collection exists on the extra reasonably priced aspect of the model’s catalog, particularly contemplating that some fashions from the model’s top-of-the-line MARQ collection could be priced at a number of thousand {dollars}. The unique Garmin Lily was outlined by its elegant built-in lugs, and whereas the brand new Lily 2 won’t be as aesthetically distinct, it does profit from a sensible interchangeable strap system and brings the collection nearer to the remainder of the model’s catalog. For extra data on the Garmin Lily 2 smartwatch assortment, please go to the model’s web site.
