Garmin is known for its big, bulky fitness watches, but it’s taking a different tack at CES 2024. This year’s launch is all about prioritizing comfort and wearability with a chest strap that is finally compatible with a sports bra and an improved Lily 2. Its smallest smartwatch.
The $149.99 HRM-Fit addresses the real problem with chest straps. If you need to wear a sports bra, especially if you need more support, regular chest straps can feel uncomfortably tight because you have to slip the entire thing under the sports bra band. Everyone’s body type is different, but sweat under the chest is a threat that can make removing a standard chest strap uncomfortable.
Instead, HRM-Fit is a clip-on design that snaps to the bottom band and is designed to be used with both medium and high support bras. Like other chest straps, it’s compatible with Edge cycling computers and a variety of fitness equipment. You can also collect heart rate data for a variety of activities, including running, cycling, strength training, and high-intensity interval training. The strap can also pair with your Garmin smartwatch to provide running feedback and save your workout data if you take off your watch mid-workout.
The company also announced the $249.99 Lily 2, an updated version of its smaller Lily hybrid analog smartwatch. Lily 2 maintains the spirit of the original design, but adds new features such as sleep score, dance fitness activities, and contactless payments.
The original Lily smartwatch was launched in 2021, and its main feature was that it was designed by women, for women. (That said, at the time I argued that gender-specific branding wasn’t necessary for it to be a good idea overall. I would argue that’s still the case for the 2.) It’s a fashion-forward watch with a hidden OLED display that features patterned lenses, and most importantly, a smartwatch. It was the smallest case size ever. The 34mm Lily is just that. small – Even the older Apple Watch started out at 38mm, but most modern “small” smartwatches have hovered in the 40-42mm range. But to achieve that size and design, Lily unfortunately had to make a lot of trade-offs in terms of interface, features, and battery life.
In Lily 2, this problem seems to be less of an issue. The Lily 2 also comes in a slightly more flashy version, the Lily 2 Classic. (The Classic is also pricier, starting at $279.99, depending on the strap material you choose.) Design-wise, it’s technically slightly larger (35mm instead of 34mm), but the difference is substantial. It’s so small that you probably won’t notice it. . Garmin spokeswoman Natalie Miller said the original actually looked a little bigger because the case had a higher lip, but the Lily 2 is more sloping. They also introduced new colors and patterns to the lenses, and removed the original T-lug shape for a more standard lug. That should make it easier to change straps.
As for features, the classic version comes with Garmin Pay, a feature that was missing from the original. The Lily 2 series also features newer sleep score metrics, which were previously limited to more basic sleep tracking. Dance fitness activities also include styles such as Afrobeats, Bollywood, EDM, hip hop, and Zumba. The Lily 2 watch has the same estimated battery life of 5 days, but the original didn’t come close to that, so we’ll have to see how long it lasts in testing.
Finally, Garmin is offering a third update for all users. It’s an update to the Garmin Connect app. The new Connect app takes a more clearly structured approach. Rather than dumping information onto every screen, updates split the information into specific, customizable sections. Today’s “Activity” focuses on recorded and upcoming workouts, while “What’s New” focuses on health and fitness metrics like body battery, sleep score, training status, and more. The “At a Glance” section focuses on stats (VO2 max, HRV status, etc.), and there’s a separate section for Garmin Coach training plans, social challenges, and upcoming events like races and competitions . A beta version of the app will be available to certain Garmin users starting today. Official rollout is expected later this year.
HRM-Fit is available now for $149.99. The Garmin Lily 2 series is also available now. The base model costs $249.99, while the Classic starts at $279.99.