Misfit Phase review

Compatibility and app

• Works with Android, iOS and Windows 10
• Easy to sync and well laid out data
• Doesn't coach you on how to improve

Like any activity tracker or smartwatch, the Misfit Phase’s captured data comes into its own when relayed on the free accompanying Misfit app.

Compatible with iPhones and Android handsets running iOS 7.1 or Android 4.3 and later, it’ll also play nice with your Windows 10 device. BlackBerry owners, however, might want to look for a different wearable.

Unlike some smart accessories - we’re looking at the Huawei Fit and Withings Activité here - there was no trouble syncing with the Phase. Simply open the app and the watch’s Bluetooth connection kicks in, relaying all recently recorded data in a matter of seconds.

Your data is well laid out too. You can deep dive on a day’s activity, seeing when you were most active, how long each active session lasted, the distances you covered and the calories you burned. You can also reset your goals if you find you’re hitting your targets too easily or struggling to get near them.

Despite a number of graphs and graphics showing how you’ve performed on a daily, weekly and monthly basis, disappointingly, the Phase does little to show you how to improve. Short of just walk more or be more active, there’s no guidance on how to improve your fitness, bring down that 5K time or increase your calorie burn.

The same can be said for its sleep tracking. While you’ll get a lovely graph of the hours you slept and areas of light and deep sleep, if you had a bad night’s sleep you’ll feel it, you won’t need to check the app.

Further coaching and tips are needed to make this a must-use for anything more than general goal-based motivation.

Fortunately, the Misfit app has cross-compatibility in its favor. Its data can be synced up with a number of third-party apps, including Apple’s Health app, to transform this data into something deeper. If you’re a Nest owner, you can even sync it with your thermostat so you always wake up at the right temperature.

Battery life

• Up to 6 months of life
• Battery is cheap to replace

Whatever sort of wearable you’re after, be it an Apple Watch rival or item of smart clothing, battery life is key. Fortunately, the Misfit Phase doesn’t just look like a traditional watch, it has a comparable battery life too.

Thanks in large part to having shunned a battery-sapping touchscreen display, it’ll last up to 6 months at a time.

There’s no fiddly dock for recharging, either. Instead, the Phase is powered by a traditional CR2430 coin cell battery. When it eventually runs flat, just nip down to your local shop and pick up a replacement for the price of a coffee. You can switch out the battery yourself using the boxed tool that removes the rear of the watch.

Given we’ve only been using the Phase for a week, we can’t fully vouch for these six-month battery life claims.

Based on our experience of past Misfit trackers and rival hybrid watches such as the Withings Activité Pop, however, we’d anticipate 6 months to be at the very upper end of expectations. Still, four or five months between battery changes is nothing to be sniffed at.

The other benefit of such longevity is you can enjoy a lazy weekend or just abandon the watch in your gym bag for a couple of days, knowing that when you pick it up again it will still be powered up and ready to go.