Anyone considering buying a fitness tracker will certainly have their eye caught by the Misfit Flash. An update to the existing Misfit Shine, it offers all the same functionality but at half the price.

 

We put the Misfit Flash through its paces to find out in our in-depth review.

 

Design

 

Plastic prevails over metal on this fitness tracker, not a bad thing overall, it doesn’t provide that premium feel the other fitness trackers do but equally is durable. Misfit has released the Flash with a series of bright and bold colours, which makes choosing your ideal band a little more personable. They seem to be aimed at the younger audience, as few of the choices naturally pair with the discerning gent’s office attire.

 

The surface on the Flash is a clever button with LEDs – outlining progress against goals and tell the time! Nice touch to effectively use the Flash. The button design is fully waterproof, so not only will it survive the shower it can also be used in the pool, which headlines an impressive line-up of features that outstrip many of its rivals. Any other trackers you can use to track your swim?

 

Activity tracking

 

In terms of activity tracking, the Misfit Flash certainly does more than your average fitness band.

 

First up is steps and sleep tracking, which is the standard fare of any activity tracker in 2014. We found both to be extremely accurate, tracking inline with other wearable devices. Sleep tracking is automatically detected, so there’s no need to remember to switch on a sleep-tracking mode, as with competitors. Again, accurate readings overall.

 

However, unlike other basic trackers, you can specify when you’re about to start exercising. The Misfit Flash will track running, swimming, walking, cycling and even tennis and basketball.

 

The reason it’s adept at tracking so many sports is because the Misfit Flash can be positioned on more than one point on the body. If you’re swimming or walking, it wants to be on the wrist; but for cycling you should put it on your shoe for best results.

 

 

App

 

There’s no question the Misfit Flash is an incredibly adept tracker, and its versatility puts it head and shoulders above its competitors.

 

The iOS app is feature rich, and looks good with activity categorised day-by-day, which is easy to swipe through and examine. A simple graphic shows your steps, calories and miles walked, with two graphs showing goal progress and the points you were most active in the day. You can also pull up and any periods of activity are marked, such as your run, cycle or swim. Unfortunately, there’s zero information about your performance to look at, such as strokes, pace or distance to review – just a points score.

 

The app is the social aspects, where you can see how friends that use Misfit wearables are performing, which can be an extra little motivator.

 

It’s also compatible with Apple Health, but for now the only information that the iPhone’s fitness tracking app pulls in is step data.

 

Battery life

 

 

Battery life is an area that the Misfit Flash excels, and like its older brother the Misfit Shine, it uses a watch battery that keeps it powered for six months or longer.

 

Overall

 

The Misfit Flash’s excellent array of features at a great price shows why you shouldn’t need to pay over £50 for a basic activity tracker. Misfit just made activity tracking accessible for everyone, and we’re sure it’s going to be a hit this year. Elysium magazine is certainly a fan and will be using the device for sometime to come.

 

For more information visit misfit.com