Garmin Venu 3 vs Lily 2

Garmin Venu 3 vs Lily 2: which to go for?

January 9, 2024 Marko Maslakovic Device matchup, Smartwatch 11 min read

More and more watches are a great fit for women. Two Garmin devices that fit this description are Venu 3 and Lily 2. Launched in the latter half of 2023 and early 2024 respectively, they cater to a diverse audience, each with its unique set of features and design elements.

Essential reading: Top fitness trackers and health gadgets

This piece delves into the nuances of the these two timepieces, exploring their functionalities, look, and overall user experience. By the conclusion of this read, hopefully you’ll have a clearer if one of these is right for you.

Key takeaways

The Garmin Venu 3 and Lily 2 cater to different user needs with their unique features and designs. The Venu 3 stands out with its advanced health monitoring, GPS capabilities and built-in music storage. It is therefore suited for the active and tech-savvy user. The Lily 2, on the other hand, offers a more fashion-forward approach with essential tracking features, ideal for those who value style and simplicity. The price points reflect the differences in their functionalities, with the Venu 3 positioned as a premium offering and the Lily 2 as a more affordable, yet stylish alternative.

View on Garmin; View on Amazon (Venu 3, Lily 2).

Jump to

Hardware
Technical specs
Features
Bottom line

Garmin Venu 3 vs Lily 2: Hardware

Look & feel

Both the Venu 3 and Lily 2 adopt a round shape, a nod to traditional watch aesthetics. The Venu 3, available in two sizes (standard and the smaller 3S), is encased in fiber-reinforced polymer, contributing to a lightweight yet durable build. The Lily 2, on the other hand, opts for an anodized aluminum case and bezel, offering a more refined and sophisticated look. This choice in materials reflects the Lily 2’s focus on a sleek and stylish design, while the Venu 3 leans towards a sporty and versatile appearance.

The Venu 3 series is equipped with three physical buttons, enhancing its functionality and ease of navigation, especially during activities where touch screen interaction might be challenging. It boasts a high-resolution AMOLED display (1.4-inch for Venu 3 and 1.2-inch for Venu 3S), offering vibrant visuals. The Lily 2, in contrast, lacks physical buttons and relies solely on its touchscreen interface. It features a smaller 1-inch TFT LCD display with 16-level grayscale, emphasizing a minimalist and elegant interface.

Colour options, water-resistance

Both series offer a range of color options. The Venu 3 series includes choices like Whitestone, Black, French Grey, Pebble Grey, and more, providing versatility for personal style preferences. The Lily 2 also offers various colors and styles, including the Sport and Classic Editions, each with different band materials and colors.

When it comes to water resistance, both models are rated at 5 ATM. This makes them suitable for swimming and other water-related activities.

Sensor technology

In terms of sensor technology and connectivity, the Garmin Venu 3 and Lily 2 offer differ quite a bit. The Venu 3 series is equipped with a comprehensive array of sensors. This includes a heart rate monitor (Gen 5 Elevate), accelerometer, altimeter, compass, gyroscope, Pulse Ox, thermometer, ECG, ambient light sensor, and a temperature sensor. Additionally, it features the latest generation heart rate sensor, enhancing its health monitoring capabilities.

For GPS connectivity, the Venu 3 series stands out with its built-in GPS, GLONASS, and GALILEO support, offering precise location tracking without the need for a connected smartphone. This makes it an ideal choice for outdoor enthusiasts and athletes who require accurate location data for their activities. And it has ANT+ connectivity, which allows it to link up to external heart rate monitors and other equipment.

The Garmin Lily 2, on the other hand, sticks to the basics. It, includes an accelerometer, a Gen 4 Elevate heart rate sensor, SpO2, and an ambient light sensor. Unlike the Venu 3, it relies on connected GPS, requiring a paired smartphone for location tracking. This design choice reflects its focus on balancing essential functionalities in a sleek form factor.

Both models support NFC, enabling contactless payments through Garmin Pay, adding a layer of convenience for everyday transactions. When it comes to music storage, the Venu 3 series offers onboard music storage capability, allowing users to store and play music directly from the watch. This feature is absent in the Lily 2.

Battery life

In the realm of battery life, the Garmin Venu 3 series marks a nice improvement over its predecessors. The standard Venu 3 offers up to 14 days of battery life in smartwatch mode with the display always-on. The Venu 3S, the smaller variant, provides up to 10 days with the display always-on. This extended battery life in the Venu 3 series is a key feature for users who prioritize longevity and minimal charging frequency.

In contrast, the Garmin Lily 2 maintains a consistent battery performance of up to 5 days, similar to its predecessor. This efficiency is maintained despite the inclusion of improved health monitoring features, making it a reliable choice for users who need a balance between functionality and battery life.

Garmin Venu 3 vs Lily 2: Technical specs

Here’s a detailed tech specs comparison table for the Garmin Lily 2, Garmin Venu 3, and Garmin Venu 3s:

Feature	Garmin Lily 2	Garmin Venu 3	Garmin Venu 3s
Release Date	Jan-24	Aug-23	Aug-23
Case Material	Anodized aluminum; Lens: Corning Gorilla Glass 3; Bezel: Anodized aluminum	Stainless steel	Stainless steel
Number of Physical Buttons	0	3	3
Shape	Round	Round	Round
Size	35.4 x 35.4 x 10.1 mm	45 x 45 x 12 mm	41 x 41 x 12 mm
Display Type	TFT LCD (16 level grayscale)	AMOLED	AMOLED
Resolution	240 x 201 pixels	454×454 pixels	390 x 390 pixels
Screen Size	1 inch	1.4 inch	1.2 inch
Weight (Without Strap)	24 grams	47 grams	40 grams
Sensors	Accelerometer, Gen 4 Elevate heart rate, SpO2, Ambient light sensor	Gen 5 Elevate heart rate, Accelerometer, Altimeter, Compass, Gyroscope, Pulse Ox, Thermometer, Ambient light sensor, ECG, Temperature sensor	Gen 5 Elevate heart rate,, Accelerometer, Altimeter, Compass, Gyroscope, Pulse Ox, Thermometer, Ambient light sensor, ECG, Temperature sensor
Water-Resistance	5 ATM	5 ATM	5 ATM
Positioning	Connected GPS	GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO	GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO
Built-in Speaker	No	Yes	Yes
Microphone	No	Yes	Yes
NFC	Yes	Yes	Yes
Music Storage	No	Yes	Yes
Connection	Bluetooth Smart	WLAN 2.4GHz, Bluetooth 5.3 & BLE, ANT+	WLAN 2.4GHz, Bluetooth 5.3 & BLE, ANT+
Cellular Connectivity	No	No	No
Battery Type	Li-po	N/A	N/A
Battery Life	Up to 5 days	Up to 14 days (Smartwatch mode with display always-on), Up to 26 days (Battery Saver mode), Up to 26 hours (GPS-Only GNSS mode), Up to 20 hours (All-Systems GNSS mode), Up to 11 hours (All-Systems GNSS mode with music)	Up to 10 days (Smartwatch mode with display always-on), Up to 20 days (Battery Saver mode), Up to 21 hours (GPS-Only GNSS mode), Up to 15 hours (All-Systems GNSS mode), Up to 8 hours (All-Systems GNSS mode with music)
Operating System	Proprietary	Garmin OS	Garmin OS
Colors	Sport Edition (Silico Crema Oro / Coco, Lila), Classic Edition (Nylon – Brown, Gray), Classic Edition (Leather – Beige/Gold, Black/Blue)	Whitestone, Black	French Grey, Pebble Grey, Sage Grey, Dust Rose, Ivory
Typical RRP	$250 and up	$450	$450

Garmin Venu 3 vs Lily 2: Features

The Garmin Venu 3 series, with its advanced sensor array, is a powerhouse for the health and fitness savvy. It includes comprehensive monitoring features like wrist-based heart rate tracking, pulse ox blood oxygen saturation, advanced sleep tracking with Sleep Coach, Nap Detection, and Jet Lag Adviser. These features are particularly beneficial for users who are serious about tracking their health metrics in detail. The Venu 3 series also supports a wide range of activity profiles, making it suitable for various sports and fitness activities. The addition of new features like skin temperature monitoring during sleep further enhances its capability as a health monitoring tool.

In contrast, the Garmin Lily 2, while more compact, focuses on essential health and fitness tracking. It is particularly adept at tracking activities like yoga, pilates, and aerobics, and includes stress tracking. Plus it has feature such as Body Battery, abnormal heart rate alerts, and menstrual cycle tracking. While it may not have the extensive range of sensors found in the Venu 3, the Lily 2 covers the basics effectively, making it a suitable choice for users who need a balance between functionality and simplicity.

Where Lily 2 does lack is in term of satellite connectivity. Unlike the Venu 3 which is self-sufficient, it relies on your smartphone for the GPS signal. So that’s something to consider. Also, Lily 2 does not have an ANT+ connection. Which means you cannot connect it to a external heart rate chest strap.

Smartwatch-type features

As for smartwatch-type features, both the Venu 3 and Lily 2 offer a suite of functionalities that enhance everyday convenience. They display notifications for messages and calls, provide calendar and weather information, and include music control functionalities.

The Venu 3, though, allows you to store music directly on your watch. Also, with its built-in speaker and microphone, allows users to make and receive phone calls directly from the watch and utilize the smartphone’s voice assistant. This feature is absent in the Lily 2, which focuses more on basic smartwatch functionalities. The Venu 3 also offers the capability to view images directly from notifications on Android devices, a feature not available on the Lily 2. Both models support NFC for contactless payments via Garmin Pay, adding a layer of convenience for transactions.

Garmin Venu 3 vs Lily 2: Price

With its wealth of features, it is no surprise that the Garmin Venu 3 series is positioned at a higher price point. Typically retailing for around $450, it offers more bang for your buck for users who seek a feature-rich, versatile smartwatch.

The Garmin Lily 2, on the other hand, is more affordably priced, starting at around $250. This makes it an attractive option for users who are looking for a stylish, compact wearable with essential smartwatch functionalities and health tracking features.

Garmin Venu 3 vs Lily 2: Final thoughts

The Garmin Venu 3 and Lily 2 present a compelling side-by-side comparison, each excelling in their respective domains. The Venu 3, priced at around $450, is a feature-rich option for those seeking a versatile smartwatch with advanced health and fitness capabilities. Its comprehensive sensor array, including the latest generation heart rate sensor, built-in GPS, ANT+ connectivity for connecting to external chest straps, and music storage, make it ideal for those looking for a powerful timepiece.

In contrast, the Garmin Lily 2, with a more accessible price point starting at $250, offers a stylish and compact design, focusing on essential health and fitness tracking. It’s particularly suitable for activities like yoga, pilates, and aerobics, and includes features like stress tracking and menstrual cycle tracking. While it lacks the extensive sensor range and standalone GPS functionality of the Venu 3, the Lily 2 is a perfect match for users who prioritize a balance of style, simplicity, and essential smartwatch functionalities.