Is the Misfit Ray a case
of style over substance? That was my first thought as I strapped it to
my wrist, but it turns out this basic-looking bracelet is anything but.
That’s because Misfit has crammed almost exactly the same tech found in the Shine 2 into its compact cylindrical body. There’s no heart rate tracking, and you’ll need your phone in a pocket to map your runs with GPS, but it’s tough to complain for £80.
You do get step tracking, silent vibration alarms, sleep monitoring and movement reminders, though - plus they’ve even thrown in some basic phone notifications for good measure.
The tiny multi color LED can’t tell you whether you’re getting a crucial work email or simply another annoying spam text message, but is pretty handy as a subtle reminder to check your phone when you’ve got a second.
You’ll squeeze 6 months of juice from the three tiny watch cell batteries Misfit bundles in the box - impressive stuff considering the Ray handles (limited) phone notifications too. The app gives you a heads-up when it’s time to buy more batteries, which is a nice touch.
Step tracking clocks in a little lower than other trackers, but the Ray stays consistent. Anyway, the smartphone app is so bare-bones that it shouldn’t make much difference - you’re not going to be strapping this on to run a marathon.
It’ll pick out light and moderate exercise from your regular daily walking, and you can tag each one as a run, swim, cycle, football match, or game of tennis. The list isn’t all that comprehensive, and you can’t tell it you’re about to start an activity; if you’re into your bikram yoga, all that sweat might not be registered.
There’s some simple social stuff here, but you’re not going to get detailed insights into your fitness and nutrition. At least you don’t have to count calories, with Misfit’s points system keeping things simple.
Anyway, let’s be honest - the Ray is all about looking good, not getting all hot and sweaty.
The anodized aluminium tube shape won’t clash with a watch (if you wear one) and blends in with any other jewellery you might have on. It’ll survive underwater down to 50m, so you don’t have to leave it on the side when you hit the pool, and the basic sports band is a lot more secure than other cheapo trackers we’ve tried.
Misfit knocked it out of the park with the Shine 2, and the Ray is just a new look version for anyone that already wears a watch. Don’t mind your wrist looking like the high-tech version of a festival addict? Strap on the Ray and start counting those steps.
That’s because Misfit has crammed almost exactly the same tech found in the Shine 2 into its compact cylindrical body. There’s no heart rate tracking, and you’ll need your phone in a pocket to map your runs with GPS, but it’s tough to complain for £80.
You do get step tracking, silent vibration alarms, sleep monitoring and movement reminders, though - plus they’ve even thrown in some basic phone notifications for good measure.
The tiny multi color LED can’t tell you whether you’re getting a crucial work email or simply another annoying spam text message, but is pretty handy as a subtle reminder to check your phone when you’ve got a second.
You’ll squeeze 6 months of juice from the three tiny watch cell batteries Misfit bundles in the box - impressive stuff considering the Ray handles (limited) phone notifications too. The app gives you a heads-up when it’s time to buy more batteries, which is a nice touch.
Step tracking clocks in a little lower than other trackers, but the Ray stays consistent. Anyway, the smartphone app is so bare-bones that it shouldn’t make much difference - you’re not going to be strapping this on to run a marathon.
It’ll pick out light and moderate exercise from your regular daily walking, and you can tag each one as a run, swim, cycle, football match, or game of tennis. The list isn’t all that comprehensive, and you can’t tell it you’re about to start an activity; if you’re into your bikram yoga, all that sweat might not be registered.
There’s some simple social stuff here, but you’re not going to get detailed insights into your fitness and nutrition. At least you don’t have to count calories, with Misfit’s points system keeping things simple.
Anyway, let’s be honest - the Ray is all about looking good, not getting all hot and sweaty.
The anodized aluminium tube shape won’t clash with a watch (if you wear one) and blends in with any other jewellery you might have on. It’ll survive underwater down to 50m, so you don’t have to leave it on the side when you hit the pool, and the basic sports band is a lot more secure than other cheapo trackers we’ve tried.
Misfit knocked it out of the park with the Shine 2, and the Ray is just a new look version for anyone that already wears a watch. Don’t mind your wrist looking like the high-tech version of a festival addict? Strap on the Ray and start counting those steps.
STUFF SAYS: ★★★★✩
You'll
either think it's a style icon or a fashion faux pas - but whatever you
decide, the Ray is a simple fitness tracker that gets the job done
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