Garmin vívoactive 6 vs Garmin Lily 2 Active
On the headline smartwatch-mode figure, 11 days for the Garmin vívoactive 6 against 9 days for the Garmin Lily 2 Active. For a GPS workout the figures are 21 h and 9 h. Every other published figure for both is in the table, with the rows where they differ tinted.
Garmin
Garmin vívoactive 6
~$300
Garmin's April 2025 health-and-fitness watch keeps the price low while carrying music storage, Garmin Pay and an AMOLED screen Garmin calls brighter than before.
Best for: A gym-goer or casual runner who wants music, payments and sleep tracking at the lowest Garmin price with both
Garmin
Garmin Lily 2 Active
~$300
Garmin calls it its smallest smartwatch with GPS (October 2024 release), and unlike the regular Lily 2 it records runs and walks without a phone.
Best for: A smaller wrist that wants a jewelry-like tracker which can still record a run without the phone
| Specification | Garmin vívoactive 6 | Garmin Lily 2 Active |
|---|---|---|
| Approx. price | ~$300 (vívoactive 6, $299.99 list on garmin.com/en-US/p/1555457) | ~$300 (Lily 2 Active, $299.99 list on garmin.com/en-US/p/1196650) |
| Type | Fitness | Fitness |
| Platform | Garmin | Garmin |
| Case sizes | 42.2 mm | 38 mm |
| Weight | 42.2 mm: 23 g (Garmin spec: '23 g (36 g with included band)') | 38 mm: 29 g (Garmin spec: 'Weight: 29 g' (band inclusion not stated)) |
| Battery, smartwatch mode | 11 days (Garmin: 'Smartwatch mode: Up to 11 days') | 9 days (Garmin: 'Smartwatch Mode: Up to 9 days') |
| Battery, always-on display | 5 days (Garmin: '(5 days display always-on)') | Not published by the maker |
| Always-on keeps | 45% of the headline figure | not published |
| Battery, GPS workout | 21 h (Garmin: 'GPS-Only GNSS mode: Up to 21 hours'; 'All-Systems GNSS mode: Up to 17 hours') | 9 h (Garmin: 'GPS Mode: 9 hours') |
| Battery note | Garmin: 'Battery Saver Smartwatch mode: Up to 21 days'; no multi-band mode | Monochrome 16-level grayscale screen hidden under a patterned lens; Garmin publishes no always-on figure |
| Works with | Android; iPhone with limits | Android; iPhone with limits |
| iPhone | Yes, with limits | Yes, with limits |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| Phone limits | Garmin's spec table marks text replies and reject-call-with-text as Android only; iPhone owners get notifications but cannot reply from the watch | Garmin's spec table marks text replies and reject-call-with-text as Android only; iPhone owners get notifications but cannot reply from the watch |
| Paid tier | Garmin Connect+, $69.99/year | Garmin Connect+, $69.99/year |
| What the paid tier gates | No watch feature requires it: Garmin's chart keeps activity details, health stats, performance metrics, Garmin Coach plans, courses and LiveTrack in the free app. Connect+ adds Active Intelligence AI insights, nutrition logging, a desktop performance dashboard, live activity on the phone, 3D maps and offline Garmin Trails downloads | No watch feature requires it: Garmin's chart keeps activity details, health stats, performance metrics, Garmin Coach plans, courses and LiveTrack in the free app. Connect+ adds Active Intelligence AI insights, nutrition logging, a desktop performance dashboard, live activity on the phone, 3D maps and offline Garmin Trails downloads |
| Update years | Not published by the maker | Not published by the maker |
| Cleared health features | None the maker cites | None the maker cites |
| Display | AMOLED | LCD |
| Always-on display | Yes | not published |
| Dual-band GPS | No | No |
| Maps | No maps (Garmin lists Back to start only; no courses or maps) | No maps (No maps or courses) |
| Music on the watch | Yes | No |
| LTE | No LTE version | No LTE version |
| Contactless pay | Yes | Yes |
| Flashlight | No | No |
| Water rating | Swim, 5 ATM | Swim, 5 ATM |
| Case | fiber-reinforced polymer | anodized aluminum |
| Released | 2025 | 2024 |
Garmin vívoactive 6: what it gives up
- No barometric altimeter, so floors and elevation gain come from GPS only
- No ECG app, flashlight or calls; the Venu 4 has all three
- No courses or maps
Garmin Lily 2 Active: what it gives up
- Grayscale screen with low resolution, harder to read than the AMOLED vívoactive 6 at the same price
- No music storage
- Nine hours of GPS limits it to shorter workouts
- iPhone owners cannot reply to texts
- No barometric altimeter
Full pages: Garmin vívoactive 6 · Garmin Lily 2 Active