Misfit Wearables seems determined to increase their share of quantifying activity with the release of their newest activity tracker the Misfit Flash. At half the price,the Misfit Flash functions almost identically to Misfit’s crown jewel, the Shine. We spent a week with the Misfit Flash and here’s what we have to say.

LOOK AND FEEL

The Misfit Flash is not as thick as I thought it’d be and definitely way lighter. It comes with a wrist strap and a belt clip, both of which feels plasticky. And therein lies the reason for the difference in price compared to the Misfit Shine; materials. All functions are activated by pressing the Flash tracker.

The unit I had was black in colour with red LED lights emiting that Sith Lord look (think star wars). Love it. You have the option of wearing the Misfit Flash on the wrist, belt or even on your bag.

Materials aside, housed within the Misfit Flash is the same brain that runs on the Misfit Shine. Users can  count on accurate step counting and activity detection, water resistant to 30m, up to 6 months of battery life on a single coin battery and a fancy mobile app.

FUNCTIONS AND DATA PRESENTATION

A LG Nexus 5 was used for this review so the app screen captures are Android based. If you would like to see the Misfit app on iOS, check out GadFit’s Misfit Shine review.

The Misfit Flash tracks steps, calories burned, distance travelled and sleep and quantifies it further by points. It can also track the intensity of your step count by time. This is very impressive considering that this information can be accessed right from the Misfit mobile app. That’s a lot of information we’re looking at.

The Social tab gives you an overview of your current standing amongst your friends or frenemies. If you haven’t added anyone as a potential competitor, the average misfit user is on your rank by default so you get an idea where you are in the world of Misfits. The Misfit mobile app also has a “Feed” tab. This is where you get to see how Misfit wearables users all over the world are faring.

Users can also access personal logging history for both activity and sleep. The simple use of colours to indicate intensity is both clever and effective. Orange for activity and Purple for sleep. Misfit mobile app gives you the option to look at your data by day, week or month.

Misfit Flash too sporty for a formal occasion? We guessed so. Sensing that users might “need” to switch between trackers for the right occasion, Misfit has included the option but only if you have more than 1 tracker that is. Shall I wear the Misfit Shine or the Misfit Flash…Decisions decisions.

Users can also inititate activity tagging. A long press initiates activity tagging which the user can pre-set beforehand. For example, if you tagged the activity as swimming, then a long press would tell the Misfit Flash to commence tracking swimming. To end tracking, long –press again.

Sleep detection is automatic so there’s no need to commence tracking or press any buttons upon waking. And the duration is about right. Users can also purchase the Beddit sleep monitoring system and track sleep from on the Misfit mobile app. Read more about the Misfit Beddit sleep monitoring system here. The Misfit Beddit system is compatible with select iOS devices for now.

Compatible apps:

• Lose It!
• RunKeeper
• Walgreens
• IFTTT
• MapMyFitness
• MyFitnessPal

The number of apps that can connect to the Misfit mobile app has exploded compared to a year ago. Users now have the option of connecting 6 popular apps  to their Misfit mobile app.

IN A NUTSHELL

In case you need to see how the Flash compares against the Shine, the above chart should come in handy.

Pros:

• Competive pricing, same functions as the Misfit Shine
• Multitude of colours
• Tracks steps, calories burned, distance travelled, sleep
• Automatic sleep detection and waking up
• Progress is indicated through 12 LED lights
• Water resistant to 30m
• Tracks activities like cycling, swimming, tennis, basketball and soccer upon activation
• 6 connecting apps
• Wireless syncing via Bluetooth
• Compatible with select iOS, Android and Windows Phone
• Functions as a watch
• Up to 6 months of battery life on a single coin battery

Cons:

• Belt clip doesn’t clip tightly.

To be fair, I can’t compare this to the trackers priced at $150 and above and lament the lack of vibration, idle alert or smart phone notifications.

At $49.99, there’s very little to dislike about the Misfit Flash. It has all the functions comparable to that of the doubly priced Misfit Shine. The gamut of colours ensure you’ll find something likeable. Very few trackers on the market can stake a claim on 30m water resistance. Add auto sleep tracking, activity tagging, lengthy battery life, option to wear it anywhere you like, it’s too good and it’s true.

If I had to pick, the quality of the wrist strap and belt clip could be improved. There were times the belt clip, together with the Misfit Flash tracker, almost slipped out during a run. (Had it clipped to my shorts)

The dated Fitbit Zip pales in comparison when compared to the Misfit Flash. Presently, the closest contender is the similarly priced Jawbone Move.  My guess? It’s right down to aesthetics and mobile app superiority between the 2 companies for the less-than-$50 fitness tracker market.

If you yearn to be a Misfit, get yours today.

You might be interested in:

• Swarovski Shine
• Jawbone UP Move review
• Other Misfit wearables reviews
• Fitbit tracker reviews