Garmin's elegant Lily 2 watch becomes (finally) sportier and now includes GPS

With the Lily 2, Garmin had not hidden its desire to offer a watch that was first and foremost eleganteven borrowing codes from jeweler's watches. With the new version, the Lily 2 Active, the American manufacturer gives a new dimension to its watch by making it more sporty.

Indeed, the big novelty of the model remains the integration of a GPS, allowing you to precisely follow your outdoor outings, such as cycling, running or walking. To do the same with the previous model, users had to take care of their smartphone. With this integrated GPS – a single frequency multi-GNSS chip – Garmin then overcomes a problem often pointed out by athletes, whether they are Sunday riders or more seasoned. They can then know the distance traveled and their pace in real time.

However, the Lily 2 Active is not losing its steam since it would go from 5 days of autonomy to almost 9 days, according to Garmin. In return, the case gains a little extra weight to accommodate a larger battery; it then goes from 35.4 mm x 10.1 mm to 38 mm x 11 mm.

If this metal case remains circular, it now includes two physical buttons located on the right side. As with other Garmin models, these controls allow smoother navigation between the different menus: the first starts and stops the activity, while the second allows you to move from one screen to another. These buttons are welcome as handling the touch screen could be problematic, especially in the case of sweaty and sweaty hands.

To further mark its sporting turn, the Lily 2 Active includes new applications for playing tennis, pickleball, indoor cycling and golf. The new Garmin can also start a workout directly from the watch screen, without using the smartphone.

For all these new features, the Garmin Lily 2 Active costs €70 more compared to the old model and increases its price to €350.