Garmin Lily 2 vs Vivoactive 5
Size, specs & wrist fit compared
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Which one fits you
On wrists narrower than about 44mm, the Lily 2 is the safer pick — it stays proportionate down to roughly 37mm, where the Vivoactive 5 starts to hang over the edge. Above 44mm both sit cleanly, and the Vivoactive 5 gives you more presence.
The Vivoactive 5 wears larger than the Lily 2 (42.2mm vs 35.4mm case), giving it more wrist presence — and needing a wider wrist to sit cleanly.
The Lily 2 is the slimmer of the two (10.1mm vs 11.1mm), so it slides under a cuff more easily.
The Lily 2 is middle-of-the-pack for thickness among the 105 35mm watches in the database.
Among the 694 42mm watches we hold thickness for, the Vivoactive 5 is thinner than 82%, so it wears flatter than its width suggests.
The Vivoactive 5 is 6.8mm wider, 6.8mm longer, 1mm thicker and 1.4g lighter than the Lily 2. Both are circular.
Lily® 2
vívoactive® 5
Switch or add watches
Garmin
Lily® 2
Garmin
vívoactive® 5
Watch Fit Tool
For sports watches, lug-to-lug (L2L) is what matters most — it decides whether a watch overhangs your wrist. Bulky is fine; overhang is not.
Measure at the point where you wear your watch — typically just below the wrist bone.
Flat width — lay your arm on a table, palm facing up, and measure straight across the top of your wrist with a ruler. Bone to bone; do not follow the curve down the sides.
Around — wrap a tape measure snugly round the wrist. No tape? Wrap a strip of paper, mark the overlap and hold the strip against a ruler.
Width ≠ circumference. They are different numbers — around 170mm is about 64mm across — so set the toggle to whichever one you actually measured before you type it in.
Garmin Lily® 2
Case 35.4mm · Lug-to-lug 35.4mm · Thickness 10.1mm · 24g
Understated
35.4mm on a 55mm wrist
Well inside your wrist on every measurement — you have room to go a size up if you want more presence.
On a 55mm wrist the sweet spot is 47–53mm lug to lug. This one is 35.4mm, so you could go bigger.
Measure where you wear it, just below the wrist bone. Either of these works — the tool converts between them.
- 1. Flat width — arm flat on a table, palm up. Measure straight across the top of the wrist, bone to bone, ignoring the curve down the sides.
- 2. Around — a tape, or a strip of paper marked and held against a ruler, snug the whole way round.
Leather: Attaches at the lugs, so the case back rests on your skin. Thins and softens with wear. Typical figures, not this model’s own.
Show the measurementsHide the measurements
- Across the wrist9.8mm spare each side
Comfortable, with visible skin either side.
- Off the wrist10.1mm off the skin
Normal sports-watch height for a wrist this size. (10.1mm case, back against the skin)
- How it seats~2.3mm under the rim
Sits flat on the wrist with contact right across the case back.
- Weight on the wrist24g
Light enough to forget you have it on. (0.4g per mm of wrist)
Garmin vívoactive® 5
Case 42.2mm · Lug-to-lug 42.2mm · Thickness 11.1mm · 23g
Balanced Fit
42.2mm on a 55mm wrist
Comfortably inside the edges of your wrist, and it seats and sits low enough to wear without thinking about it.
On a 55mm wrist the sweet spot is 47–53mm lug to lug. This one is 42.2mm, so you could go bigger.
Measure where you wear it, just below the wrist bone. Either of these works — the tool converts between them.
- 1. Flat width — arm flat on a table, palm up. Measure straight across the top of the wrist, bone to bone, ignoring the curve down the sides.
- 2. Around — a tape, or a strip of paper marked and held against a ruler, snug the whole way round.
Leather: Attaches at the lugs, so the case back rests on your skin. Thins and softens with wear. Typical figures, not this model’s own.
Show the measurementsHide the measurements
- Across the wrist6.4mm spare each side
Comfortable, with visible skin either side.
- Off the wrist11.1mm off the skin
Normal sports-watch height for a wrist this size. (11.1mm case, back against the skin)
- How it seats~4.1mm under the rim
Seats well, with the case back following most of the wrist.
- Weight on the wrist23g
Light enough to forget you have it on. (0.4g per mm of wrist)
2D Dimension Schematics
Every case drawn to scale on a shared centre — from above, and in profile against the wrist.
- Garmin Lily® 235.4mm · 10.1mm thick
- Garmin vívoactive® 542.2mm · 11.1mm thick
3D preview
Lily® 2 vs vívoactive® 5 on a wrist
Sized to your own wrist, turned any way you like.
Shapes are built from published measurements, not manufacturer 3D models — accurate proportions, generic dial.
Battery life compared
Runtime for every power mode either watch publishes, aligned by mode.
Lily 2Vivoactive 5
Smartwatch
—11 daysBattery life
5 days—GPS
—21 hours
Specifications
The short version
7 key specs| Spec | GarminLily® 2 | Garminvívoactive® 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Case Width | 35.4mm | 42.2mm |
| Thickness | 10.1mm | 11.1mm |
| Weight | 24.4g | 23g |
| Shape | Circular | Circular |
| Display type | Liquid Crystal | OLED/AMOLED |
| Battery life | Up to 5 days See Details | Smartwatch mode: Up to 11 days (5 days display always-on) Battery Saver Smartwatch mode: Up to 21 days GPS-Only GNSS mode: Up to 21 hours All-Systems GNSS mode: Up to 17 hours All-Systems GNSS mode with music: Up to 8 hours See details |
| Released | 2024 | 2023 |
Every specification
301 specs| Spec | Garmin Lily® 2 | Garmin vívoactive® 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Family | Garmin | Garmin |
| General | ||
| Battery life | Up to 5 days See Details | Smartwatch mode: Up to 11 days (5 days display always-on) Battery Saver Smartwatch mode: Up to 21 days GPS-Only GNSS mode: Up to 21 hours All-Systems GNSS mode: Up to 17 hours All-Systems GNSS mode with music: Up to 8 hours See details |
| Display Size | 1.00” x 0.84” (25.4 mm x 21.3 mm) | 1.2" (30.4 mm) diameter |
| Case material | anodized aluminum | fiber-reinforced polymer |
| Color display | no (16 level grayscale) | Yes |
| Lens Material | Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 | Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 |
| Bezel Material | anodized aluminum | anodized aluminum |
| Memory/History | 7 timed activities; 14 days of activity tracking data | 4 GB |
| Strap material | silicone | silicone |
| Charging method | Garmin proprietary clip charger | Garmin proprietary plug charger |
| Display resolution | 240 x 201 pixels | 390 x 390 pixels |
| Quick Release bands | Yes | yes (20 mm, Industry standard) |
| Battery type | — | Lithium ion |
| Large font option | — | Yes |
| Sensors | ||
| Accelerometer | Yes | Yes |
| Ambient light sensor | Yes | Yes |
| Pulse Ox Blood Oxygen Saturation Monitor | Yes | Yes |
| Garmin Elevate™ wrist heart rate monitor | Yes | Yes |
| GPS | — | Yes |
| Compass | — | Yes |
| GLONASS | — | Yes |
| Galileo | — | Yes |
| has GPS | — | Yes |
| Thermometer | — | yes (tempe™ sensor required) |
| has a compass | — | Yes |
| Has a barometer | — | No |
| has a gyroscope | — | No |
| Has a cadence sensor | — | No |
| has an accelerometer | — | Yes |
| Monitors perspiration | — | No |
| Has a heart rate monitor | — | Yes |
| Has a temperature sensor | — | No |
| Monitors blood oxygenation levels | — | Yes |
| Product Info | ||
| Main SKU | 010-02839-01 | 010-02862-11 |
| Product ID | 950277 | 1057989 |
| Product Name | Lily® 2 | vívoactive® 5 |
| Release Date | 1/8/2024 | 9/21/2023 |
| Product Variation | Metallic Lilac with Lilac Silicone Band | Cream Gold Aluminum Bezel with Ivory Case and Silicone Band |
| Clock Features | ||
| Timer | Yes | Yes |
| Stopwatch | Yes | Yes |
| Time/date | Yes | Yes |
| Alarm clock | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic daylight saving time | Yes | Yes |
| GPS Time Sync | — | Yes |
| Sunrise/sunset times | — | Yes |
| Cycling Features | ||
| Alerts (triggers alarm when you reach goals including time, distance, heart rate or calories) | Yes | Yes |
| Compatible with Varia™ lights | — | Yes |
| Speed and cadence sensor support (w/sensor) | — | yes (using ANT+ or BLE) |
| Compatible with Varia™ radar (rear-facing radar) | — | Yes |
| Running Features | ||
| GPS-based distance, time and pace | yes (Connected GPS only) | Yes |
| Run workouts | — | Yes |
| Foot pod capable | — | Yes |
| Run/Walk/Stand detection | — | Yes |
| Cadence (provides real-time number of steps per minute) | — | Yes |
| What You'll Love | ||
| Touchscreen | Yes | Yes |
| Display type | Liquid Crystal | AMOLED (optional always-on mode) |
| Water rating | Swim, 5 ATM | Swim, 5 ATM |
| Pulse Ox blood oxygen | yes (spot-check and optionally in sleep) | yes (spot-check, and optionally all-day and in sleep) |
| Sleep score and insights | Yes | Yes |
| Battery life (smartwatch mode) | Up to 5 days | Up to 11 days (5 days display always-on) |
| Garmin Pay™ | — | Yes |
| Music storage | — | Yes |
| Wheelchair mode | — | Yes |
| Activity Profiles | ||
| Gym | Strength, HIIT, Cardio, Elliptical Training, Stair Stepping, Indoor Rowing, Dance Fitness, Jump Roping | Strength, HIIT, Cardio, Elliptical Training, Stair Stepping, Indoor Rowing, Jump Roping |
| Swim | Pool Swimming | Pool Swimming, Open Water Swimming |
| Cycling | Biking | Biking, Indoor Biking, eBiking, Handcycling, Indoor Handcycling |
| Wellness | Walking, Pilates, Yoga, Breathwork | Walking, Pilates, Yoga, Indoor Walking |
| Indoor running | Treadmill Running | Treadmill Running, Indoor Track Running |
| Outdoor running | Running | Running |
| In the ring | — | Boxing, Mixed Martial Arts |
| Team sports | — | Basketball, Volleyball, Field Hockey, Ice Hockey, Football/Soccer, American Football, Lacrosse, Rugby, Ultimate Disc, Cricket, Softball, Baseball |
| On the Water | — | Stand Up Paddleboarding, Rowing |
| Racket sports | — | Tennis, Pickleball, Badminton, Squash, Table Tennis, Padel, Platform Tennis, Racquetball |
| Snow & winter | — | Skiing, Snowboarding, XC Classic Skiing, Snowshoeing |
| Outdoor recreation | — | Disc Golf |
| Daily Smart Features | ||
| Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Passcode | Yes | Yes |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth® | Bluetooth®, ANT+®, Wi-Fi® |
| Connected GPS | Yes | — |
| Find My Phone | Yes | Yes |
| Find My Watch | Yes | Yes |
| Morning report | Yes | Yes |
| Weather forecasts | Yes | Yes |
| Smart Notifications | Yes | Yes |
| Smartphone compatibility | iPhone®, Android™ | iPhone®, Android™ |
| Controls smartphone music | Yes | Yes |
| Pairs with Garmin Connect™ Mobile | Yes | Yes |
| Realtime settings sync with Garmin Connect™ mobile | Yes | Yes |
| Text response/reject phone call with text (Android™ only) | Yes | Yes |
| Red shift mode | — | Yes |
| On-device Connect IQ™ Store | — | Yes |
| Plays and controls watch music | — | Yes |
| Find My Phone during GPS activity | — | Yes |
| Compatible with Garmin Messenger app | — | Yes |
| Battery saver (customizable low power watch) | — | Yes |
| View images from notifications on watch (Android™ only) | — | Yes |
| Connect IQ™ (downloadable watch faces, data fields and apps) | — | Yes |
| Activity Tracking Features | ||
| TrueUp™ | Yes | Yes |
| Move IQ™ | Yes | Yes |
| Step counter | Yes | Yes |
| Calories burned | Yes | Yes |
| Distance traveled | Yes | Yes |
| Intensity minutes | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic rep counting | Yes | Yes |
| Move Alert movement options | Yes | — |
| Move alerts (displays on device after a period of inactivity) | Yes | Yes |
| Auto goal (learns your activity level and assigns a daily step goal) | Yes | Yes |
| Push tracker | — | Yes |
| Weight shift alert | — | Yes |
| Garmin Connect™ Challenges app | — | Yes |
| Health & Wellness Monitoring | ||
| Sleep | yes (advanced) | yes (advanced) |
| Hydration | Yes | Yes |
| Breathwork | Yes | Yes |
| Fitness age | yes (in app) | Yes |
| All-day stress | Yes | Yes |
| Women's health | Yes | Yes |
| Respiration rate | Yes | Yes |
| Resting heart rate | Yes | Yes |
| Relaxation reminders | Yes | Yes |
| Abnormal heart rate alerts | yes (high and low) | yes (high and low) |
| Relaxation breathing timer | Yes | Yes |
| Body Battery™ energy monitor | Yes | Yes |
| Wrist-based heart rate (constant, every second) | Yes | Yes |
| Meditation | — | Yes |
| Sleep coach | — | Yes |
| Nap detection | — | Yes |
| Health snapshot | — | Yes |
| Breathing variations | — | Yes |
| Safety and Tracking Features | ||
| Assistance | Yes | Yes |
| Incident Detection during select activities | Yes | Yes |
| Incident detection alert on phone for wearables | — | Yes |
| Training, Planning and Analysis Features | ||
| % HR max | Yes | Yes |
| HR zones | Yes | Yes |
| HR alerts | Yes | Yes |
| HR calories | Yes | Yes |
| Custom alerts | Yes | — |
| Physio TrueUp | Yes | Yes |
| VO2 Max (Run) | Yes | Yes |
| GPS speed and distance | yes (Connected GPS only) | Yes |
| Customizable data pages | Yes | Yes |
| Customizable activity profiles | Yes | Yes |
| Respiration rate (during exercise) | Yoga and Breathwork only | yoga, breathwork and meditation only |
| Auto Lap® interval tracking feature | Yes | Yes |
| HRV status | — | Yes |
| Manual lap | — | Yes |
| Auto scroll | — | Yes |
| Voice alerts | — | Yes |
| Recovery time | — | Yes |
| Workout benefit | — | Yes |
| Advanced workouts | — | Yes |
| Interval training | — | Yes |
| Improved recovery time | — | yes (limited) |
| Touch and/or button lock | — | Yes |
| Activity history on watch | — | Yes |
| Downloadable training plans | — | Yes |
| HRM running pace and distance | — | Yes |
| Auto Pause® automatic timer halt | — | Yes |
| HR broadcast (broadcasts HR data over ANT+® to paired devices) | — | yes (using ANT+ or BLE) |
| Improved interval (includes open repeats, intervals data page, rest screen and auto detection) | — | Yes |
| Design | ||
| width | — | 42.2 |
| height | — | 42.2 |
| volume | — | 19.77 cm³ |
| weight | — | 36 g |
| thickness | — | 11.1 |
| ATM rating | — | 5 ATM |
| resolution | — | 390 x 390 px |
| screen size | — | 1.2 inches |
| Display type | — | OLED/AMOLED |
| Has a display | — | Yes |
| pixel density | — | 459 ppi |
| width of band | — | 20 mm |
| water resistance | — | Waterproof |
| Always-On Display | — | Yes |
| has a touch screen | — | Yes |
| is designed for kids | — | No |
| Gorilla Glass version | — | Gorilla Glass 3 |
| waterproof depth rating | — | 50 m |
| Watch band is replaceable | — | Yes |
| Has sapphire glass display | — | No |
| maximum operating temperature | — | 60 °C |
| has branded damage-resistant glass | — | Yes |
| lowest potential operating temperature | — | -20 °C |
| Battery | ||
| charge time | — | 1.5 hours |
| battery life | — | 11 days |
| has wireless charging | — | No |
| has a removable battery | — | No |
| battery life with GPS on | — | 21 hours |
| Has a solar power battery | — | No |
| has a rechargeable battery | — | Yes |
| Features | ||
| RAM | — | 4GB |
| release date | — | 2023-09-20 |
| Has a stopwatch | — | Yes |
| Has smart alarm | — | No |
| warranty period | — | 1 years |
| Has call control | — | Yes |
| Has silent alarm | — | Yes |
| has HRV tracking | — | Yes |
| internal storage | — | 4GB |
| measures VO2 max | — | Yes |
| Has notifications | — | Yes |
| Has ECG technology | — | No |
| Locates your phone | — | Yes |
| has a front camera | — | No |
| has fall detection | — | Yes |
| has voice commands | — | No |
| Acquires GPS faster | — | No |
| Has vibrating alerts | — | Yes |
| shows readiness level | — | No |
| Can be used to answer calls | — | No |
| measures resting heart rate | — | Yes |
| has irregular heart rate warnings | — | No |
| has fast/slow heart rate notifications | — | Yes |
| Has a built-in camera remote control function | — | No |
| Languages | ||
| Device languages | — | Arabic, Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English (US), Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Malay, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (EU), Romanian, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish (International), Swedish, Thai, Traditional Chinese, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese |
| Connectivity | ||
| has NFC | — | Yes |
| supports ANT+ | — | Yes |
| supports Wi-Fi | — | Yes |
| supports Galileo | — | Yes |
| has a cellular module | — | No |
| Is compatible with iOS | — | Yes |
| Is compatible with Android | — | Yes |
| Miscellaneous | ||
| has aptX | — | No |
| Has auto pause | — | Yes |
| Available on PC | — | Yes |
| Is compatible with Windows | — | Yes |
| Is compatible with Mac OS X | — | Yes |
| has an external memory slot | — | No |
| Compatible with smart scales | — | Yes |
| has a battery level indicator | — | Yes |
| has a socket for a 3.5 mm audio jack | — | No |
| Compatible with external heart rate monitors | — | Yes |
| App & Software | ||
| Ad-free | — | Yes |
| Free app | — | Yes |
| Tracks BMI | — | Yes |
| Has coaching | — | Yes |
| Includes maps | — | Yes |
| Supports routes | — | Yes |
| Has achievements | — | Yes |
| Has goal setting | — | Yes |
| Has live tracking | — | Yes |
| Has exercise diary | — | Yes |
| Predicts ovulation | — | Yes |
| Can be personalised | — | Yes |
| Has weight tracking | — | No |
| Predicts start date | — | Yes |
| Tracks water intake | — | Yes |
| Has inactivity alerts | — | Yes |
| Has period notifications | — | Yes |
| Has temperature tracking | — | No |
| Doesn’t require account | — | No |
| Provides activity reports | — | Yes |
| Displays fertile window notifications | — | Yes |
| Counts how many calories you've burned | — | Yes |
| Gaming Features | ||
| Gaming Activity | — | Yes |
| GameOn™ app compatible | — | Yes |
| Golfing Features | ||
| PinPointer | — | Yes |
| Tournament legal | — | Yes |
| Digital scorecard | — | Yes |
| Garmin AutoShot™ | — | Yes |
| Round timer/odometer | — | Yes |
| Yardage to layups/doglegs | — | Yes |
| Hazards and course targets | — | Yes |
| Pairs with Garmin Golf app | — | Yes |
| Green View with manual pin position | — | Yes |
| CT10 Automatic club tracking compatible (requires accessory) | — | Yes |
| Yardage to F/M/B (distance to front, middle and back of green) | — | Yes |
| Stat tracking (strokes, putts per round, greens and fairways hit) | — | Yes |
| Measures shot distance (calculates exact yardage for shots from anywhere on course) | — | automatic |
| Activity tracking | ||
| Measures pace | — | Yes |
| Tracks distance | — | Yes |
| Tracks elevation | — | No |
| Designed for golf | — | Yes |
| Tracks your sleep | — | Yes |
| Tracks steps taken | — | Yes |
| Designed for diving | — | No |
| Has a route tracker | — | No |
| Has exercise tagging | — | Yes |
| Has multi-sport mode | — | No |
| Tracks calorie intake | — | Yes |
| Provides sleep reports | — | Yes |
| Detects activities automatically | — | Yes |
| Has a stroke counter for swimming | — | Yes |
| Swimming Features | ||
| Time and distance alerts | — | Yes |
| Auto rest (pool swim only) | — | Yes |
| Underwater wrist-based heart rate | — | Yes |
| Basic rest timer (up from 0) (pool swim only) | — | Yes |
| Stroke type detection (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly) (pool swim only) | — | Yes |
| Pool swim metrics (lengths, distance, pace, stroke count, swim efficiency (SWOLF), calories) | — | Yes |
| Open-water swim metrics (distance, pace, stroke count/rate, stroke distance, swim efficiency (SWOLF), calories) | — | Yes |
| Outdoor Recreation | ||
| Back to start | — | Yes |
| Fish forecast | — | yes (via Connect IQ™) |
| Area calculation | — | yes (via Connect IQ™) |
| Sun and moon information | — | yes (via Connect IQ™) |
| Workout and Training Plans | ||
| HIIT workouts | — | Yes |
| Yoga workouts | — | Yes |
| Cardio workouts | — | Yes |
| Pilates workouts | — | Yes |
| Strength workouts | — | Yes |
| Garmin Running Coach Experts | — | Yes |
| On-screen workout muscle maps | — | Yes |
| Workouts for wheelchair users | — | Yes |
Wrist Fit
Garmin Lily 2
Sits best on wrists ~37–51mm wide (≈ 9.9–13.6cm circumference).
Garmin Vivoactive 5
Sits best on wrists ~44–60mm wide (≈ 11.7–16.0cm circumference).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Garmin Lily 2 bigger than the Garmin Vivoactive 5?
The Garmin Vivoactive 5 is bigger — 42.2mm vs 35.4mm case width.
Which fits a smaller wrist better, the Garmin Lily 2 or the Garmin Vivoactive 5?
The Garmin Lily 2 suits wrists around 37–51mm wide, and the Garmin Vivoactive 5 around 44–60mm. The one with the smaller lower bound is the safer pick for a small wrist.
Can I see the Garmin Lily 2 and Garmin Vivoactive 5 side by side at true scale?
Yes — the schematics and photos above show both watches at matched scale, and our fit tool overlays each on your wrist width.