Compare Garmin Forerunner 165 vs Garmin Lily 2

Button controls were a major strength, especially for workouts, gloves, sweat, rain, and avoiding touchscreen reliance.

The no-button design and pseudo-button are a recurring frustration, especially for pausing workouts or navigating during activity.

Watch face quality was praised for full customization.

Watch-face and patterned-lens opinions are mostly negative, with complaints about limited options, flatness, and design compromises.

Brightness was strongly praised in sunlight and adaptive lighting conditions.

Several reviewers wanted the monochrome display to be brighter, especially through the patterned lens or outdoors.

Blood oxygen tracking was treated as a useful extra by reviewers who valued the reassurance, though broader accuracy was not deeply tested.

Pulse Ox/SpO2 is treated skeptically, with reviewers warning that it can hurt battery life and produce readings that seem too low.

Smartphone notifications were described as reliable and easier to read on the AMOLED display.

Notifications are mixed to weak: instant delivery is praised, but iOS limitations and excessive buzzing make them less useful.

Touchscreen responsiveness was widely praised, including smooth swiping, reliable taps, and usability with gloves or wet screens.

Touchscreen responsiveness is a recurring concern, with several reviewers reporting slow response, missed taps, or frustration.

Bluetooth headphone pairing was reported to work without problems.

Reviewers criticized the lack of Bluetooth/ANT+ broadcasting and direct equipment or external sensor pairing, especially for Peloton-style use.

Mapping and navigation were useful for breadcrumb routes and GPX/course following, but the lack of full maps was a repeated limitation.

Mapping is a weakness because accurate route and map data require carrying a phone.

Recovery insights were useful but clearly limited versus higher Forerunners, with some reviewers calling out missing readiness/load tools or odd recovery estimates.

Body Battery and recovery-related guidance are praised for helping users decide when to rest or push harder.

Onboard music storage drew split views: handy or smooth for some, but tedious and poor value for others.

Reviewers consistently criticize the lack of onboard music storage or playback, limiting phone-free workouts.

Charging speed was praised in the reviews that discussed it, ranging from under two hours to very fast top-ups.

Charging is acceptable in some reviews but often criticized as slower than Apple Watch-style fast charging and requiring planning for 24/7 wear.

Durability was reassuring, with reviewers reporting no concerns and even real-world abuse without damage.

Durability evidence is mixed, with praise for the aluminum upgrade but criticism that aluminum is cheaper and less durable than steel.

The app ecosystem was useful through Connect IQ and Garmin features, but Garmin's broader platform could still feel intimidating.

Garmin Connect and the broader Garmin ecosystem earn praise for subscription-free data access, training resources, desktop analysis, and motivating badges.

GPS accuracy was one of the strongest themes, with most reviewers finding reliable tracks even without dual-band GPS; a few dense-terrain issues remained.

Connected GPS works well when paired, but reviewers repeatedly note that phone dependence limits true GPS usefulness.

Display quality was a standout strength thanks to a crisp, vibrant AMOLED screen, though one reviewer still preferred MIP for always-visible use.

Display opinions are mixed: visibility and contrast can be good, but several reviewers call the monochrome hidden screen flat or basic.

Pairing reliability for headphones was described as generally solid.

Phone/GPS pairing is strongly praised in DC Rainmaker evidence, with connections working consistently in testing.

Garmin Pay was viewed as a straightforward, effective contactless payment feature.

Garmin Pay is considered useful, but its value depends heavily on bank support and is limited in some regions.

Charging convenience was mixed: secure contacts helped, but the proprietary/short cable was a drawback.

The proprietary clip is a drawback because losing or forgetting it can leave the user stuck.

Software smoothness was praised as simple, fast, and accurate in use.

Gesture wake and false-pause behavior improved, but some display wake behavior still feels sluggish in other reviews.

Stress tracking was mentioned as part of the watch's helpful health-glance system for knowing when to ease off.

Stress tracking is one of the standout wellness features, repeatedly described as great, enjoyable, or excellent.

Value for money was one of the strongest areas, with reviewers repeatedly calling it a high-value or sweet-spot Garmin.

Value depends on priorities: reviewers justify the price for style and wellness, but criticize missing features at this price.

The interface was repeatedly described as simple, approachable, and easy to use.

The interface is mixed-to-positive: one reviewer found it fine, while another praised the watch and app interface as intuitive.

Outdoor visibility was excellent in direct sun and bright conditions.

Outdoor visibility is mostly praised, especially by DC Rainmaker and DesFit, though one reviewer found sunny conditions harder.

Smartwatch features were considered respectable for a training watch, especially notifications, Garmin Pay, music features, and basic phone-linked tools.

Smartwatch features are useful but intentionally lean, with reviewers noting fewer advanced tools than broader smartwatches.

Sleep tracking was mostly viewed as useful and directionally accurate, though one reviewer reported a poor night that the watch missed.

Sleep tracking is mixed: some reviewers found it aligned well, while others saw inaccurate sleep duration or not enough detail.

Fitness tracking accuracy was praised for broad data quality and even strength-training rep counting in testing.

Core activity tracking is generally praised as accurate for casual exercise, though unsupported sports can reduce accuracy.

Safety features such as LiveTrack were valued for sharing location during activities.

Fall/incident detection, assistance, and LiveTrack are positively received as practical safety tools.

Coaching and structured workouts were praised as approachable, flexible, and valuable for beginner and intermediate runners.

Garmin’s subscription-free courses, prepared trainings, and plans are praised as helpful ecosystem-level coaching support.

Wellness insights such as Morning Report and Body Battery were considered fun, useful, and sometimes addictive.

Body Battery, stress, sleep summaries, and energy insights are repeatedly praised as useful, motivating wellness guidance.

Menu navigation was considered intuitive after a short adjustment period.

Menu navigation is usually described as straightforward or intuitive, though one reviewer notes a learning curve.

Garmin Connect was seen as powerful and useful, with cleaner or comprehensive analysis, though one reviewer found the redesign not much easier.

Garmin Connect is divisive: some reviewers find it detailed and intuitive, while others call it clunky or hard to navigate.

Workout variety covers most mainstream running, gym, cycling, swimming, and fitness needs, but reviewers consistently noted missing triathlon or backcountry profiles.

Workout variety is mixed: reviewers like the added profiles and dance modes, but often miss indoor cycling or sports options.

Build quality was viewed as solid and well-made for a lightweight running watch.

The aluminum case and overall construction are praised as more premium, solid, and durable than the original Lily.

Materials quality was mixed: plastic kept it light and affordable but felt less premium.

One reviewer criticized the aluminum build as cheaper and less durable than stainless steel.

Reliability was praised in workout use, with one reviewer reporting no issues with stability.

User-review evidence says the Lily 2 works well and reliably handles the basics expected from it.

Comfort was consistently excellent, with reviewers praising the lightweight feel for all-day wear and sleep.

Comfort is one of the clearest strengths: reviewers repeatedly say the Lily 2 is light, discreet, and easy to wear day and night.

Band quality was mostly comfortable and flexible, but one reviewer warned the stock strap needs frequent washing to avoid irritation.

Standard quick-release bands are a widely praised upgrade, with most reviewers liking the flexibility; one reviewer disliked the fixed keeper loop.

Customization was a strength, from watch faces and widgets to activity screens and data pages.

Reviewers like the band and sport-profile flexibility, especially the standard bands and ability to keep all profiles on the watch.

Water resistance was considered more than enough for rain, sweat, showering, and swimming use.

One review positively notes that the 5ATM rating allowed showering, bathing, swimming, and pool length counting.

Heart-rate accuracy was generally praised across runs, rides, and intervals, with only occasional optical-sensor lag or spikes.

Heart-rate tracking receives broad praise, often matching or staying close to chest straps, Apple Watch, Polar, or Oura comparisons.

Style and design were viewed as slim, low-profile, sleek, and suitable for daily wear, though still sporty.

Style and design are the product’s strongest consensus win: reviewers praise the elegant, jewelry-like look and discreet size.

Fit was strong for many wrists, with secure wear and little slipping, though the single case size remained a caveat.

The small case and strap setup are praised for fitting small wrists and wearing snugly.

Battery life was generally good for an AMOLED Garmin and daily training, but reviewers flagged limits for long adventures, always-on use, or heavy GPS/music.

Most reviewers found battery life close to Garmin’s multi-day claim, often four to five days, though one heavy-use YouTube review saw only about three and a half days.

Reviewers described the Forerunner 165 as having reliable sensors and detailed data collection for general health and fitness tracking.

General health tracking is praised as reliable across basics such as sleep, steps, heart rate, calories, SpO2, and wellness metrics.

Step counting was reported as close to other tested devices.

Step tracking is praised as accurate and reliable in the reviews that evaluate it directly.

Walk detection is praised as reliable in several reviews, though automatic Move IQ entries are considered thin on detail.

Multiple reviewers treated the missing temperature sensor as a meaningful weakness for a female-focused wearable and period prediction.

Android quick replies are useful, but iPhone users repeatedly lose reply and call-response functions, making call handling limited.

Calorie estimates are mixed, with one reviewer calling them slightly off and another finding them more generous than other devices.

One reviewer praised the Lily 2 Classic for integrating smoothly with both Android and Apple devices.

The absence of ECG is criticized as a gap, especially given the product’s price and female-focused positioning.

Music controls were criticized as unintuitive during runs.

The operating experience was familiar and straightforward for Garmin users.

Size options were limited because the watch comes in only one size, though one reviewer liked the in-between fit.

Third-party app/widget support was available and sometimes useful for tailoring data, though one reviewer did not find it especially useful.

Wi-Fi/music setup drew criticism when troubleshooting made the watch appear connected even though playlist syncing failed.