While Misfit is embarking toward exciting new territory with the Vapor, its very first fully touchscreen Android Wear-powered smartwatch, it hasn’t left behind the minimalist fitness trackers that have made it relatively well known over the last several years. To prove it, the now Fossil-owned company has just launched the Flare — an “entry-level fitness and sleep monitor” that will run for just $60.
At first glance, the newest member of Misfit’s family of wearables may be its most alien-looking yet. It features a conventional aluminum frame with a touch-sensitive crystal surface where you’d typically find a watch face, but in its place is a single pulsating LED. The frequency at which the light flashes informs you how far you’ve progressed toward your daily fitness goal, which is recorded on your iOS or Android device.
The Flare can track steps, calories burned, and distance covered, and is intended to work comfortably all day and night. To that end, it’s water resistant at up to 50 meters depth, and, like some of Misfit’s other devices, never needs charging. The tracker’s battery lasts four months, and replacements can be had for $6.
Through Misfit’s smartphone app, you can tag different activity types, from tennis to yoga, and even swimming if you opt for a $10 in-app upgrade. Wear the device to bed, and in the morning the Flare will offer insights on the quality and duration of your sleep.
Finally, the tracker is also compatible with Misfit’s Link app that can interface with connected home devices or trigger certain commands on your smartphone. You can use Link to advance a slideshow presentation, play music or take a selfie with your phone, control Logitech’s Harmony smart home hub and Misfit’s own Bolt lightbulbs, and much more.
The Flare is available now and ready to ship from Misfit’s website. It joins the $100 Ray, which we deemed the best fitness tracker you can buy if you’re looking for the most battery life, and the Flash, our favorite $25 option.
