Why You Can Trust CNET Looking for an Android-friendly smartwatch? Check out Misfit's 30%-off sale
The company's Wear OS watches are significantly discounted for a limited time. (They do work with iPhones, too.)
The brand-new Wear OS-powered Misfit Vapor X drops below $200 with promo code BDAYSALE.
Still not sold on the merits of owning a smartwatch? Everyone fusses over things like heart-rate monitoring and GPS run tracking -- useful features, to be sure -- but those aren't the true benefits. The true benefits are deceptively simple: Telling time and receiving notifications from your phone. Once you get accustomed to having those features on your wrist, you'll see the light.
OK, but which smartwatch? Recently I've made the case for some decent off-brand models priced as low as $30, but maybe that's not your style. Maybe you want something a little more capable, like with the option to make mobile payments and reply to (rather than just read) text messages.
Try Misfit. For a limited time, the company is offering 30% off all products with promo code BDAYSALE. (Pro tip: Start at cash-back service Rakuten and save an additional 5%.) Note that CNET may get a share of revenue from the sale of the products featured on this page.
The top choice here is the brand-new Misfit Vapor X, the company's third attempt at fancy Wear OS watches. It's normally $279.99, but the code brings it down to $195.99. Last year's Misfit Vapor 2 , currently $199, would drop to $139.30, while the original Vapor hits $111.30 with the code.
CNET hasn't reviewed any of these models, alas, but from what I've gleaned elsewhere, the first two Vapors were functional but flawed. The Vapor X, on the other hand, appears to be a solid entry: lightweight, stylish and feature-rich.
Although it runs on Google's Wear OS, it's compatible with iPhones, too -- though certain features will be limited. iPhone owners will almost certainly be happier with the Apple Watch Series 3 (currently $189 at Amazon).
I'd say the Vapor X is for folks who want the full smartwatch experience (including health and fitness features and all that), but prefer something more stylish -- more watchlike -- than, say, a Fitbit Versa 2 .
Whatever you decide, 30% off is no small amount of discount. The sale runs until Oct. 24.
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