I'm buying Garmin's most attractive watch for my fiancée, thanks to this Prime Day deal

Garmin Lily 2 Active
(Image credit: Garmin)

Amazon Prime Day arrives on July 8, but Garmin marches to its own beat and has already launched its deals on many of its most popular watches. And if you want a bulky Instinct, thick Fenix, or plain Forerunner, those are all available! But the Garmin Lily 2 Active has dropped to match its all-time low price ($249), hundreds less than your typical Garmin watch.

While I've reviewed most Garmin watches, I haven't tried the Lily 2 Active myself. But my sister, who's not one for bulky tech, swears by it, and it's one of my three Garmin beginner picks to introduce people to the brand.

That's why I'm planning on buying the Lily 2 Active for my fiancée, who currently wears an Apple Watch for her workouts but is sick of the daily charging, now that it's discounted. This 9-day watch with built-in GPS, health/ sleep insights, Garmin Coaching for runners, animated workouts for strength training, and contactless payments has all the essentials.

Garmin Lily 2 Active
Save $50
Garmin Lily 2 Active: was $299.99 now $249.99 at Amazon

The Garmin Lily 2 Active is a hybrid watch that prioritizes style as much as features, without being as limited as the normal Lily 2. You get the essentials — GPS, heart rate, SpO2, stress, sleep coaching, breathing, steps, and menstrual cycle tracking — plus basic notifications, without having to worry about nightly charges. And it only weighs 29g, making it wonderfully comfortable.

Colors: Jasper Green | Lunar Gold | Purple Jasmine

✅ Recommended if: You want a watch you can wear at both the gym or in everyday life without it looking out of place. You want a week of battery life and GPS that works without your phone on hand.

❌ Skip this deal if: You want an AMOLED display or more advanced Garmin training features, at the expense of style, or if you want a true "smartwatch."

Garmin watches tend to be really complicated and dense to use. My fiancée, for instance, really likes my Garmin Venu X1 for its massive 2-inch, 2,000-nit screen, but the $800 price and overwhelming UI makes the Lily 2 Active a much better starter pick, letting her try out the core athlete and lifestyle features before she fully decides to give up on her smartwatch features for Garmin training.

The Lily 2 ($199) is also available for $50 off, but I recommend the Active for the extra four days of battery life, built-in GPS, Garmin Pay, HRV status, sleep coaching, and built-in workouts for strength, HIIT, yoga, and pilates.

Otherwise, there are plenty of other great Garmin watch deals available for Prime Day, including the Garmin Vivoactive 5 for $105 off or the Venu 3S for $50 off.

For everything on Amazon Prime Day, head to our ultimate shopping guide.

Michael L Hicks
Senior Editor, Wearables & AR/VR

Michael is Android Central's resident expert on wearables and fitness. Before joining Android Central, he freelanced for years at Techradar, Wareable, Windows Central, and Digital Trends. Channeling his love of running, he established himself as an expert on fitness watches, testing and reviewing models from Garmin, Fitbit, Samsung, Apple, COROS, Polar, Amazfit, Suunto, and more.

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