Misfit Shine 2 review

App & ecosystem

Misfit’s penchant for design doesn’t stop with the device itself; the app is just as pretty, while also being simple to navigate. The main screen gives a graphic representation of your daily goal, presented in a circle like the Shine 2 itself.

A simple tap will switch between your activity and your sleep, while a swipe to the right will bring up the data from previous days. You can also swipe up to reveal a timeline of your activity – here you’ll see any exercise, goals hit or food eaten.

Talking of food, the Misfit app will play nicely with MyFitnessPal, allowing you to log your food on the latter and see it appear within the Misfit ecosystem. Likewise, the activity logged by your Shine 2 will offset your calories within MyFitnessPal.

You can pair with a few other apps like MapMyFitness and Runkeeper, but the list is nowhere near as extensive as Jawbone or even Fitbit – Strava, for instance, is conspicuous by its absence. That said, this is probably a reflection of the Shine 2’s positioning – it’s not really aimed at hardcore fitness types, so the lack of compatibility isn’t a huge surprise.

You can add to the functionality of the Shine 2 by downloading the Misfit Link app. This allows you to control other devices using your Shine 2 – essentially you can assign a triple-tap function to the device, which then controls other devices and services.

If you regularly misplace your phone you can setup the Shine 2 so that a triple-tap will make your phone ring. Or if you don’t want to muck about with your headphone controls while you’re running, you can assign triple-tap on the Shine 2 to skip to the next track. Both handy features if you remember to use them.

Conclusion

The Misfit Shine 2 is an interesting fitness tracker with a keen fashion sense and impressive accuracy. Like its siblings, the Shine 2 could be held more securely when worn, but hopefully when Misfit unveils its range of Shine 2 accessories you’ll be able to find a more secure way to wear it. Just keep an eye on it if you’re using the bundled wristband or clip!

At £80 the Shine 2 is a reasonably-priced entry to fitness tracking, while its waterproof nature will make it particularly attractive to regular swimmers. The six-month battery life makes it a very convenient option, too.

However, fitness trackers have moved on and there are other, better-featured and equally pleasing-to-look-at options out there, like the Fitbit Alta, which also sits far more comfortably and unobtrusively on the wrist. Misfit isn’t standing still either, though, and it’s latest tracker – the Ray (full review coming soon) – is designed specifically for wrist-based use, and will be a direct competitor to the Fitbit Alta.

So where does that leave the Shine 2? It all depends what you’re after. As a fitness tracker it covers the basics, while adding waterproof durability and six-month battery life, but there are far more feature rich devices out there for similar money. If you’re looking for a tracker that can mix and match with any outfit or event, then the Shine 2 makes a very strong case for itself, and you could probably add another star to the score. Buy Now from Amazon