Misfit searches for relevance with the Vapor 2 smart watch, ready for GPS



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Founded by one of Apple's best-known former CEOs, Misfit arrived on the scene years ago with a simplified vision of apparel technologies: affordable business trackers of the size of A coin housed in plastic bracelets. Following its acquisition by Fossil, the brand is now seeking to position itself in a market run by Apple Watch, a mission that explains the official announcement made today of the Vapor 2 – a $ 250 Wear OS smartwatch optimized by the previous generation Snapdragon Wear 2100 from Qualcomm.

The Vapor 2, the first Snapdragon Wear 3100-based smartwatch launched just after the $ 2,995 Montblanc Summit, has the relatively basic look you would expect for a price equivalent to a quarter of the price. Now available in 41mm and 46mm versions, it includes a 1.2 or 1.4 inch AMOLED 328PPI AMOLED touch screen, with minimalist iconography. This time, a stand-alone GPS is included, rather than requiring a smartphone to track the position, and NFC is integrated for Google Pay payments. Misfit also says that he has redesigned heart rate monitoring.

Since Vapor 2 uses Qualcomm's Snapdragon Wear 2100, you will not get the promised speed or battery enhancements from the newer 3100, but you'll have access to the latest version of Google Wear Wear. This means that Google Assistant will be ready, with the latest health monitoring features and activity-assisted heart rate monitor. Misfit promises autonomy "throughout the day" with a battery of 300mAh (41mm) or 330mAh (46mm).

The Vapor 2 feature set puts it roughly in the same category as the entry-level Apple Series 3, though it is not quite up to par. Equipped with 4GB of storage, it has its own music player with support for Bluetooth headphones, sends Android or iOS notifications with haptic feedback and recharges with a magnetic washer. It also promises a water resistance of 30 meters, enough to swim in shallow waters.

All this comes at a price $ 50 higher than the original Vapor. Misfit says that it will be available soon at a starting price of $ 250, which will be the same regardless of the size you prefer. Versions with stainless steel bands will be sold at a low price of $ 20. With a base price of 29 to 59 dollars lower than the Apple Watch Series 3, Misfit could carve out a place as a "sufficient" alternative.

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