Garmin's next watch may be a new version of the Lily, according to the sharp-eyed Florian of Fitness Tracker Test. While browsing Garmin's Spanish website, Flo spotted listings for two currently unreleased devices: the Lily 2 and a new heart rate monitor called the HRM-Fit.
If you're not familiar with the Lily, it's the first and only Garmin watch aimed specifically at women. It's the company's smallest adult watch, with a case diameter of just 34.5cm, and takes a special thin band that's easier to slip under a cuff. Like watches in Garmin's Vivomove series, the Lily has an LCD display that's hidden until activated. Unlike the Vivomove, however, the Lily has no physical hands. When not in use, the face is gold with a subtle pattern, making the device look more like a piece of jewelry than a sports watch.
In terms of specs, the Lily is relatively simple. It tracks steps, heart rate, stress, and sleep. It had a modest but carefully chosen selection of workout modes, and although it doesn't have its own GPS module, its connected GPS (which piggybacks on your phone for location tracking) is excellent. During my tests it far outshone the newer Vivomove Trend, securing a lock faster and plotting my running route more accurately.
There are also some female-specific features. Period tracking is easily accessible, and you can trigger an emergency alert by rapidly tapping on the watch's face (I wish it wasn't, but sadly it's a useful feature to have readily accessible).
It's not perfect, but I enjoyed testing it for Advnture's sister site TechRadar, and have warmed to it even more since. It's discreet, affordable (particularly now, a couple of years after release) and would be a great everyday option for someone who wants a gentle nudge towards healthier habits, or owns a fully-featured Garmin GPS watch, but doesn't want to wear it around the office.
There's not much information to be gleaned from the company's Spanish website, but it seems that the new Lily will come with three different strap options: silicone, leather, and as a new addition, nylon. This is good to see; nylon bands are lightweight and more breathable than silicone, and many wearers find them more comfortable.
Much as I'd love the tiny Lily to get its own GPS module, I don't see that happening unless it becomes much larger. I do, however, expect the Lily 2 to get Garmin's new sleep coaching tools, plus skin temperature tracking. If skin temperature could be integrated into menstrual cycle tracking, so much the better (raised skin temperature can be an indicator of ovulation). Improved battery life would be excellent too – ideally a week rather than five days.
Garmin HRM-Fit
The other unreleased device spotted by Florian is the HRM-Fit – a new heart rate monitor. If you've been keeping a close eye on Garmin news, you'll remember that we first heard that name back in August, when the device received the green light for sale from regulators in Malaysia.
Again, there are no details about the device to be harvested from Garmin's Spanish site, but I'm going to stick with my theory that this might be different from the company's current lineup of heart rate monitors, using the same optical sensor as the new Fenix 7 Pro and Epix Pro attached to a band that can be worn anywhere on the arm, much like the Polar Verity Sense.
Garmin doesn't tend to release new devices this late in the year, so it's likely we'll need to wait until January 2024 at the earliest to learn whether this is the case or not. I'll keep my ear to the ground for more details, and bring you more news as soon as I have it.
- The best cheap GPS watches: our recommendations for runners on a budget
