Misfit Shine 2 review: Among the better fitness trackers you can get

Misfit Shine 2 is priced at Rs 7,495, which sounds a lot for a fitness tracker without a heart-rate sensor. But Shine 2 claims to cover all the bases just like several other more expensive fitness bands, and you can even take this for a swim. So how does the Shine 2 hold up as a fitness band? Here’s our review.

Misfit Shine 2

Misfit Shine 2 follows the design of the earlier version, which works in its favour. The coin-shaped fitness band has 12 LED lights on top of it, there’s an action clip that comes along the band, and then the plastic strap which can be adjusted accordingly. I got the carbon black version for review. I like wearables that are sleek and classy and the Misfit Shine 2 easily fills that brief. I didn’t find myself constantly adjusting the band for a better fit, which is another plus.

The coin-shaped fitness band has 12 LED lights on top of it, there’s an action clip that comes along the band, and then the plastic strap.

Shine 2’s minimalistic design is something that works in its favour. Sadly, I got this device at a time when I can’t go for a swim in Delhi, so this was one feature I could not test. So I guess my hunt for a device that can tap swimming data accurately continues. Also the constant smog in the city post Diwali meant I wasn’t as frequent with activities like cycling or running.

Shine 2 doesn’t require any charging and comes with a battery that will last six months. This is another positive in my book because I can’t be bothered with charging another device on a daily basis or lugging another charger in my bag.

So what’s good?

Misfit Shine 2 is among the better fitness trackers you will get in the market. From tracking steps to sleep and even activities, I found the device to be mostly accurate. The Misfit app will show you Steps taken, Calories burnt, etc and you are given a daily set of points based on how active you have been. I had set my daily target at 1000 points, and based on the tracker I was doing an average of around 500-600 points on weekdays, where my general activity levels are the lowest. As you keep increasing your step count, you can tap on the device to see how many of the LED lights are red. More steps meant more of lights will turn red.

Misfit Shine 2 follows the design of the earlier version, and it’s a design that works in its favour.

What really impressed me about the Shine 2 was its accuracy when it came to tracking sleep. The device is light and sleek, hence I didn’t find it irritating to sleep with this on my wrist. This is another subtle, yet crucial, feature that Misfit gets right. I find it impossible to sleep with a bulky fitness tracker or watch, but the Shine 2 gave no such problems.

For activities, I used the Misfit Shine 2 to track cycling or when I was out walking. Shine 2 app lists out the recommended positions for where to wear the device depending on the activity. For cycling, it is best to place it in the shoe, and it works more accurately when you’re following their advice.

You have to tap thrice on the display for it to start recording the activity, and then you can just get on with it. Once you are done, just remember to sync the device, and it will ask you ‘You are in the middle of an activity. End and Snyc.’ Just go with yes, and the data will appear in your feed.

Misfit Shine 2: How the app reflects your daily activity data.

The feed will show the time spent on the activity, distance covered and calories burnt. I must admit it is a bit disheartening to see how that cycle session didn’t really help me lose too many calories, but I suppose that’s the point of these things. Reminding us that whatever we do, it is definitely not enough.

So what’s not good?

Misfit Shine 2 has a disadvantage where you can’t see the exact number of steps taken by looking at the display, even with the red dots lighting up. The problem is you have to then believe the number on that app, and on some days I felt the step count was slightly on the higher side as were the calories burnt.

I wear the band on my left hand and on days where I did nothing, but just some heavy duty typing or whisking something for a long time in the kitchen, the step count would go up which is not so good.

Sleep data on the Misfit app.

Also one of my activity sessions failed to show up in the feed, which I thought was odd, because the app did flash the alert saying it was being recorded. I feel the app could reflect a lot more details on one’s activity session like cycling, running etc or show all of these in a separate tab altogether.

Misfit Shine 2 has 12 LED lights.

Verdict

Honestly, I don’t believe fitness trackers help with their step count or calories burnt. A balanced diet, physical activity like running or a daily power walk or a swim (not just going up and down the office steps) and proper sleep are still the best ways to keep fit. Most people in daily jobs are doing none of this and no fitness tracker can really get to do these either.

But a device like Misfit Shine 2 is something I would consider investing in; for me this one is sleek, light, priced reasonably and can track all the sports I like to do on most days. And as a sleep tracker this is pretty accurate. If you’re someone who is trying to get a lot more active, and have just begun your journey, the Shine 2 is a device that can help you keep track of it as you go along.