Vapor is Misfit's first touchscreen smartwatch
It delivers plenty of style for $199.
While the wearable market isn't as hot as it used to be, Misfit is still holding strong with its lineup of fitness trackers, including the recently launched hybrid Phase watch. And now, it finally has a touchscreen smartwatch, the newly announced Vapor. It looks like a traditional round watch -- something plenty of other companies are aiming for -- but it's a bit more refined than than other smartwatches I've worn. Vapor packs in all of the health tracking features you've come to expect from Misfit, with the addition of built-in GPS and heart-rate tracking. Best of all: It will sell for a reasonable $199.
The Vapor has a 1.4-inch AMOLED screen, which looked pretty bright in the well-lit hotel room where my demo took place. It's unclear how it will hold up in direct sunlight, though. It's powered by a Snapdragon 2100 processor and packs in 4GB of storage, which could be useful for storing music, allowing you to exercise without your phone. The Vapor is also water resistant up to 50 meters, though I can't imagine it's the sort of thing you'd want to wear while swimming.
Honestly, it's hard to get excited for smartwatches these days. But the Vapor's combination of value and features could make it one worth keeping an eye on, especially if you're looking for something that looks better than typical wearable. Misfit is also developing a custom interface for the Vapor, which features a radial home screen that you navigate by swiping along the edges of the display.
At $199, the Vapor will go head to head with plenty of Android Wear smartwatches. And while we don't know its release date yet, it will likely have to contend with Android Wear 2.0 devices later this year. But if anything, Misfit has proven that a bit of style and polish can make for a successful wearable.
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