Misfit Shine 2

Misfit may not be the first wearable brand that comes to mind when you think of fitness tracking tech, but it is trying to do something quite different to the Fitbit, Nike’s and Jawbones of the world.

Misfit is creating products that blur the line between jewelry and fitness. The Misfit site reads: “Misfit was built on the lexicons of style and design. We see our position as being the perfect accessory to a fashionable life.”

Most of that is marketing speech, but it proves Misfit is trying to do something different and that’s how we’ve ended up with the light and unusual Misfit Shine 2 on our wrists. 

Its jewelry-like design also has the benefit of six month long battery life, something you won't get from a lot of competitors products. But is it just an accessory or will it actually help make you fitter?

Misfit Shine 2 price and release date

• Out now, you can buy from the official Misfit website
• It launched high, but it now costs $69.99 (£55.99, AU$79.99)

You’re able to buy a Misfit Shine 2 from the official Misfit website now, or you could even pick one up in any good jewelry shop.

It didn’t launch at the cheap end of the market though, with an initial price close to a brand new mid-range Fitbit device, at $100 (£80 or AU$137).

Now Misfit has dropped the price of the Shine 2 to $69.99 (£55.99, AU$79.99), making it a touch more affordable and a similar price to a Fitbit Flex 2, rather than the Charge 2.

Design

• Stylish, light and unusual design
• No screen
• Strap doesn't feel very secure

The first thing you’ll notice about the Shine 2 is it doesn’t have a traditional display. We’re used to minimal screen in fitness trackers, such as the Fitbit Charge HR, which had a tiny display, but this literally has no display at all.

Instead you’re greeted with a circle of lights to communicate information to you.

This may seem confusing at first – and it is, believe us – but it will save on the battery life of your tracker and you’ll be surprised by how little you need a display on your wrist.

You can tap on the Shine 2 and it will tell you the time with its 12 LED lights. You'll also get information on how well you're doing with your step target, but for anything extra you'll need to open up the Misfit app on your phone.

The Shine 2 is light, and you’re unlikely to find another wearable device this unsubstantial. 

Some fitness wearables can be big, chunky devices that are often uncomfortable, but we found the Misfit Shine 2 to be so light it would barely be noticeable during your day-to-day business.

In fact, the device itself is only 8.5 grams. As such, there were multiple times during our review that we completely forgot we were wearing the Shine 2.

The strap could do with some upgrading though. It doesn’t feel particularly secure, so we’d recommend getting a new strap if you can.

Misfit sells a Field Strap in leather or nylon, but at $50/£60/AU$50 this is seriously expensive.

But it could be something to consider, as with the standard band the Misfit Shine 2 does sometimes feel like you’ve not strapped it in enough, especially when exercising.

Strap aside, you've got a large color range to choose from for your Shine 2. The device itself can be black, rose gold, pink, gray, navy or red.

The pink and red options are certainly not to everybody's taste, but if you want to make an impact with your fitness tracker these choices will suit you perfectly.

The other thing to note about the Shine 2 design is its unique look. Misfit is creating devices that look different to everything else you can buy, and you don’t need to look any further than the Shine 2 to realize that.

While wearing the device, we were asked numerous times what we had on our wrist, and in some cases people were genuinely fascinated, as it looks so strange.

With a round shape, people automatically expect it to be a watch, but then are struck by its lack of screen.

You can also wear the Shine 2 anywhere on your body, which is a big benefit you don't get from most other fitness trackers. Pop the Shine 2 out of its strap and you can use a clip - which is included in the box - to attach it to your trousers or even your shoe.

Misfit even sells necklaces for you to plug the Shine 2 into. If you want a fashion-focused fitness tracker, the Shine 2 is certainly a strong option.

Specs, performance and fitness

• Works mostly as a step tracker, rewarding points for steps taken
• Won't be perfect if you're looking for a running device
• Lacks heart rate tracking tech that many fitness devices offer

The Misfit Shine 2 may be shaped like a watch, but in order to save on battery life there’s no screen. It's not completely incapable of providing information though. When you’re getting a phone call or a text the Shine 2 will vibrate on your wrist, or you can tap it to see the time.

This is displayed via 12 multicolor LEDs around the edges of the Shine 2, which can also indicate the steps you've taken and any notifications. 

This may seem complicated at first, but you’ll naturally pick up how to tell the time and how to understand the other things it can display.

Don't expect exact step counts though. You’ll be able to track how far towards your target you’re getting, but for specific values you'll need to boot up the Misfit app.

For step tracking we found the Misfit Shine 2 to be as accurate as other fitness trackers on the market right now.

Wearing this on the same day as a Fitbit Charge 2 the two devices were only a few hundred steps apart by the end.

This isn't the optimum device to take on a run though - there's no GPS or heart rate monitor here, so if you're looking for a true fitness device there are better options on the market.

Something the Shine 2 does offer though is swim tracking, and it will be able to count laps for either 25 or 50 meter pools. You'll need the Speedo version of the Shine 2 for this to work, but that's the most common version now.

There’s also sleep tracking on the Shine 2, if you want to see how well you’re sleeping. 

We tried this for a few evenings, and its lightweight nature means it's comfortable and easy to fall asleep while wearing the Shine 2. Some trackers can be too bulky and end up being uncomfortable at night.

The fact you don’t have to recharge the Shine 2 is also a big bonus, as you won’t want to take it off and put it on a pad overnight for a battery top-up. 

The sleep tracking on the Shine 2 isn't very in-depth though - it's just to see how restless your nights are. The app will give you a percentage of how close to your eight hour - or whatever number you set - target you got to.

Again, if you’re looking for a device to track marathon running all the way down to the exact yard you’re on, you don’t want a Misfit Shine 2.

This is designed for someone who just wants a gentle nudge to keep moving and get fitter, in a similar way to the Fitbit Flex range.

App and compatibility

• Simple to use app, which allows you to take in lots of information
• Will work on most mobile phones

Misfit allows you to use two different apps for your Shine 2, which can make things seem a little complicated, and to run them you'll need either iOS 7, Android 4.3 or Windows 8.1 or above.

Any phone you’ve bought in the last two years should be able to handle this, but it’s worth checking the version of the software on your device just to be sure.

This is one of the few fitness trackers you can use with a Windows Phone handset, which is a big selling point if you're using Microsoft's mobile operating system.

The normal Misfit app has a great design that you'll likely enjoy, though it doesn’t feel as simple as the Fitbit app and you may need to spend a little while getting used to it.

That's because unlike other fitness apps, this shows your movement in points rather than the steps you’ve actually taken, as well as detailing the calories burned, distance traveled, the activity you've undertaken and sleep.

Everything is easy to view though, and there are even social features, so you can share a particularly great exercise session with your Facebook or Twitter followers.

Then there's the Misfit Link app, which you can pair with the Shine 2 to control smart devices around your home. It allows you to control your music or even connect the wearable with a Nest thermostat.

It works by having you set up a three-tap function for different things on your phone. For example, we were able to tap the Shine 2 three times to take a selfie, which would be useful for when you want to place your phone far away for a picture.

You can also set it up so the three taps will pause or play your music, but the problem is you can only set up one of these things at a time. It would be useful to have different tap rhythms mean different things, but it's still a nice addition.

It's a shame these features aren't included in the normal Misfit app, but you may find it worth downloading if you want wrist-based control of something.  

Battery life

• Great battery life ensures you don't have to take off the Shine 2 at night
• Replaceable battery, which you should only have to do twice a year

The Misfit Shine 2 isn’t just shaped like a watch – it also offers a similar battery life to a normal watch. The Shine 2 will last you at least six months on a single watch battery.

It's powered by a Panasonic CR2032 coin cell, which you'll be able to pick up from most stores or online for around $3/£2/AU$4. Given that you don't have to charge this up, that's a cost worth paying.

Considering the Apple Watch will only last a full day of use, while a Fitbit Charge 2 will only last five days at best, the Shine 2's life is impressive.

It also means you can take a few days off from wearing it and know that when you go to put it back on you’ll have charge left over.

We didn’t manage to run down the battery on the Shine 2 so we can’t give you a full verdict on how long it will last - just know it’s going to be a long time.

Verdict

Misfit is trying to do something different in the wearable space, and that's appreciated when many devices look the same.

If you're fashion conscious, the Shine 2 may be the best step tracker for you, but it won't be able to do as much as a lot of the competition out there.

Who’s this for?

The Misfit Shine 2 is for anyone who wants a basic fitness tracker but doesn’t want a traditional Fitbit-like device on their wrist. 

If you’re looking for something a little more stylish, that you won’t be nervous about wearing while dressed up for the evening, the Misfit Shine 2 will be the perfect thing for you.

Essentially it's for anyone who wants to be able to track their steps, but also wants a device that will make people stop and look. We lost count of the amount of times we were approached by people we knew who wanted to know what was on our wrist.

The Misfit Shine 2 isn’t for everyone, but you certainly can’t fault it for being unique.

Should you buy it?

That depends on what you need from a fitness tracker. The Shine 2 won’t be able to track your runs or exercise as well as a tailor-made device.

It’s priced similarly to a Fitbit Charge 2, so if you’ll want to do a lot of working out we’d recommend that device over the Shine 2.

But if you’re looking for something a little different, or a step tracker that looks better than the average Fitbit, go for the Shine 2. 

Or look at other products from Misfit, as the company is trying to do something new in a space that is currently very tired, with manufacturers retreading the same designs time and time again.

Competition

Before you buy a Misfit Shine 2, you should know what else is on the market. Below are three other options that you could buy instead of the Shine 2, or check out our best fitness tracker round-up.

Misfit Ray

Like the idea of Misfit? The Ray is one of the latest devices from the company and offers similar features to the Shine 2 but in a different package.

The Ray is a cylinder, which is something we’ve never seen before in a fitness tracker. It will protrude quite a bit from your wrist, but it comes with all the same tracking features as the Shine 2.

You can also wear this in various different positions. Misfit even recommend wearing this around your neck as a necklace instead of on your wrist.

Read the review: Misfit Ray

Fitbit Charge 2

After something that can offer more specific fitness features? The number one device that’s in a similar price bracket as the Shine 2 is the latest from Fitbit – the Charge 2.

Fitbit’s Charge 2 comes with a lot more fitness features built into it, such as heart rate monitoring, and you also get a screen on the tracker, which can be useful for when you’re looking for your stats.

It means you won’t have to take your phone out of your pocket to see how well your run is going, or if you’re near your target for steps.

The Charge 2 has a traditional fitness tracker design, so you’re unlikely to have anyone stop you in a bar and ask you what you’re wearing.

Read the review: Fitbit Charge 2

Fossil Q Founder

Now for something completely different. 

Misfit's parent company Fossil is now making smartwatches, and you may like to take a look at the Fossil Q Founder for your next wrist-worn companion.

Being a smartwatch this is a different ball game to the Shine 2, meaning you will have to spend quite a bit extra to get it, but it's stylish and feature-packed.

Read the review: Fossil Q Founder

First reviewed: December 2016