Misfit Shine 2 Review – Is The Hype Justified?

So you’ve made up your mind to improve your personal health and well-being. But how do you keep tabs on your progress? These days it’s fairly easy with the advent of fitness trackers and sleep monitoring systems. One such example is the Misfit Shine 2 — a wearable device that’s gained a lot of attention as of late. In this Misfit Shine 2 review, we’ll dive into the details of this successful gadget to see how well it actually performs.

Misfit Shine 2

Overall Rating

Quality

Ease of Use

Effectiveness

Price

Summary: The Misfit Shine 2 is an attractive wearable device designed to track physical activity as well as monitor sleep patterns with the intention of improving your overall health and well-being. The device boasts many useful, albeit basic features that are easy to incorporate into daily life. Despite a few flaws, this gadget is worth considering if you just want the essentials.

PROS

  • Automatically monitors sleep and daily activities
  • Issues useful alerts for movement reminders
  • Comfortable to wear on wrist or with provided clip
  • Modern design; available in three stylish finishes
  • Waterproof construction
  • User-friendly app
  • No charging required
  • Reasonably priced compared to many similar devices

CONS

  • Issues with the dial popping out of the strap
  • Vibration isn’t noticeable enough
  • Not always responsive to taps
  • Delayed call and text alerts
  • Doesn’t track some vitals (heart rate and respiratory rate) or sleep metrics (REM stage)

Introduction

Becoming familiar with your sleeping patterns can have a big impact on your overall health. While sleep studies were once the only way to collect this information, sleep trackers now offer a far less intrusive alternative. Once you understand how sleep tracker technology is designed to help, you can make adjustments that result in improved mental and physical well-being without ever needing to step into a sleep lab! (source)

Moreover, wearable trackers that strap around your wrist like the Misfit Shine 2 can also track many activities apart from sleep, offering an even more complete health picture. So let’s turn our focus to this best selling device…

Key Features

The Misfit Shine 2 keeps track of how well you sleep every night – data which can then be compared with the physical activity you accomplish during the day. Once you notice a pattern emerging, you can then use this valuable information to make positive changes in your life, resulting in better concentration, increased alertness, and other health benefits.

What Does It Do?

Tracks daily activities – Number of steps taken, walking/running distances, amount of calories burned.

Monitors quality of sleep – Time it takes to fall asleep, periods of light vs. deep sleep, duration of sleep, time it takes to wake.

Performs additional functions – Listen to music, take photos, set alarms.

What Makes It Stand Out?

Automatic tracking – A 3-axis accelerometer and magnetometer work together to track your physical activity as well as periods of rest. Automatic calculations are then immediately accessible.

Smart connectivity – The Misfit Shine 2 links wirelessly to iPhones and Android smartphones via the Misfit app. The device can also sync with your favorite health apps to paint a more well-rounded picture of your overall health and fitness, including MyFitnessPal and LoseIt! This gives you the chance to consider your diet, meal plans, exercise routines, and any other aspects of your day that could make or break your fitness goals. Misfit Link also allows you to listen to music during a workout or take a selfie during downtime.

Unique lighting display – Instead of traditional digits, the Misfit Shine 2 uses animated and colorful LED lighting and vibrations to check your progress or time.

Useful alerts – The device allows you to set alarms to wake you gently in the morning or remind you to physically move throughout the day.

Water-resistant – Doing laps at the pool poses no problem and it can even track activity as far down as 50 meters. Taking showers after workouts and doing dishes are also fair game.

Stylish design – Available in three attractive finishes, the wristband blends in well with casual attire. Other accessories like the provided clip offer additional ways to wear the device.

Detailed Misfit Shine 2 Review

Quality – 3/5

Made from aircraft-grade aluminum, the Misfit Shine 2 is durable enough to withstand the odd bump or drop due to rigorous activities. That said, the dial has been known to pop out on occasion and can be easy to lose depending on how far it sails into the air! While the most recent version has addressed the problem, it’s still somewhat of an issue so you have to be careful handling it.

The actual tracker does a decent job at monitoring your activities but the dial can be a bit unresponsive at times, which can be frustrating. The waterproof design is true to form and the wearable band is both stylish and comfortable.

All in all, the quality of the Misfit Shine 2 is fairly good, especially considering the reasonable price.

Ease of Use – 3.5/5

The Misfit Shine 2 is easy to use by tapping commands on the dial to trigger different functions but the response time can sometimes be a bit slow. Reminder notifications and alarms can be delivered through vibrations, which are slightly on the weak side and thus easy to miss.

Containing a battery with a 6-month shelf-life, it’s nice not having to worry about charging the Misfit every couple of days. Hardware aside, the Misfit app is quite user-friendly and allows you to conveniently access your personal progress without disrupting the flow of your day.

Effectiveness – 3/5

The device uses an accelerometer and magnetometer to record your physical movement and track your sleep so that you can easily interpret the calculated results when you want. But the meters might not be as accurate as you’d expect. For example, when looking at a metric like distance walked, the Shine 2 often registers a significantly lower amount than some GPS apps.

Moreover, the device might record movements that you never intended. For example, just by sitting in a rocking chair and keeping yourself in motion might cause the Shine 2 to register these subtle movements as actual “movements” and deliver inaccurate data as a result. Then again, this is also true of many other wearable trackers and thus shouldn’t carry too much weight.

Objections aside, the Misfit Shine 2 still does a pretty decent job at monitoring your sleep and daily activities, albeit at a more basic level (no heart rate, respiratory rate or REM tracking features included).

Price – 4.5/5

This fitness tracker and sleep monitor could easily be considered a valuable asset to anyone committed to staying healthy if precise calculations aren’t of huge importance. And while the cost may seem steep to some, it’s definitely cheaper than most of its competitors.

Ultimately, you have to consider what your expectations are with this device compared to your goals. If you plan to stay on top of your fitness and want hard and fast accuracy, the Misfit Shine 2 might not fit the bill. But if you want something that sends you reminders, track basic activities and not monopolize a great deal of your time to check on progress, then it might be worthwhile.

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How Does It Compare?

As you research a fitness and sleep tracker to buy, you may find yourself comparing different products to find one that best fits your personal needs. Some possible alternatives include:

Beddit 3

Unlike the Misfit Shine 2, the Beddit 3 is a non-portable sleep monitoring system designed to stay in your sleep room.

Simple to setup and use, the Beddit 3 immediately starts interfacing with your smartphone once you’re in bed, offering a broad range of sleep data including heart rate, breathing rate, and snoring.

Along with the Withings Aura, the Beddit 3 is the best sleep tracker money can currently buy.

Read Our Detailed Beddit Review >>

Beddit 3 Sleep Tracker Review

Withings Aura

Arguably the most complete sleep monitoring system, the Withings Aura provides LED lighting that can mimic the sunset and sunrise to help regulate melatonin production.

It also offers comprehensive sleep tracking data for analysis, including the time it takes to fall asleep and duration of each sleep cycle.

Especially unique is its ability to monitor the sleep environment, which measures and adjusts light, sound, and temperature to create ideal sleeping conditions.

Read Our Detailed Withings Aura Review >>

Up3 by Jawbone

Like the Misfit Shine 2, Up3 by Jawbone is another example of a wearable sleep tracker designed for portability.

A key difference is the lack of a tappable dial to access different options, modes and notifications. All these functions are accessible by tapping the bracelet instead.

Comfortable and stylish, the Jawbone Up3 is a good option if you’re just looking for the basics.

Read Our Detailed Up3 by Jawbone Review >>

EarlySense Live

Unlike other sleep trackers on this list, the EarlySense Live primarily functions as a health alert system to notify family members of health-related concerns, including respiratory and heart rate problems.

Up to 14 days of sleep data can be exported and shared via email to physicians or family members.

Well constructed and reliable, this device is worth considering for those with sleep-related issues.

Read More About the Best Sleep and Fitness Trackers >>

Which Sleep and Fitness Tracker Works Best for You?

Choosing the right sleep monitor and fitness tracker depends on your needs. If you’re solely interested in monitoring your sleep patterns, an in-home sleep tracking system like the Beddit 3 or Withings Aura are the primary devices to focus on (with the Aura having the slight edge). Keep in mind, however, that in-home sleep trackers like these are generally more expensive than their wearable counterparts.

The Jawbone Up3 and Misfit Shine 2 are wearable trackers best for those looking to track physical activity as well as sleep. While the Shine 2 doesn’t track heart rate or REM sleep like the Up3, it’s still the better option in most other ways.

The EarlySense Live may be a good fit for anyone with sleep-related medical concerns as it allows you to pass along information relatively easily to doctors and caregivers.

Conclusion

The Misfit Shine 2 may be the preferred choice if you’re a fairly active individual who enjoys keeping track of your basic fitness goals and sleep cycles. While not comprehensive in any one area, it’s still a decent investment for those looking for general information to help meet your health ambitions.

Now Over to You!

What are your thoughts about the Misfit Shine 2? Leave your comments below!

Sleepy Bliss
Sleepy Bliss

Sleepy Bliss seeks to provide in-depth, objective, free information and resources to improve readers' sleep and, ultimately, well-being and overall health. From tips and guides for a better rest, to reviews of the latest sleep-related aids and accessories, you'll find it all here.

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