In context: The Vapor X isn't quite as good as an entry-level Apple Watch, but it does support most of the features that you'd expect from a $199 smartwatch. Unfortunately, that's a limited time price – Misfit will likely have a harder time selling it once the offer ends, and people will have to choose between a $279 Wear OS watch and an older generation Apple Watch.
It's no secret that the Apple Watch dominates the smartwatch market, with one in every two people buying the device over the alternatives. Still, the latest crop of Wear OS watches looks promising, with Fossil's recently released 5th gen smartwatch offering a great overall package to rival Apple's.
Fossil-owned Misfit unveiled today the Vapor X, which bears several similarities with Fossil's wearable unsurprisingly. On the inside, there's the Snapdragon 3100 chipset running the latest version of Wear OS and 4 GB of flash storage. Misfit has opted for only 512 MB of RAM, which is known to be insufficient for a good experience – Fossil's latest watch has double that for a similar price.
The previous Vapor 2 had two size options, but the Vapor X comes in a universal, 42 mm size that accommodates a 1.19 inch AMOLED display. It's made from a matte-finished aluminum alloy, weighing only 43 grams and 12 mm thick. Misfit redesigned the sport straps for added comfort, too.
Just like Fossil's smartwatch, it has multiple battery modes so you can make it last longer than a day depending on what features you need the most. More importantly, it comes with a magnetic charger that Misfit claims can give you an 80 percent charge in less than an hour.
Other notable features include support for Google Pay, and a preinstalled app called Noonlight that can be used to request assistance from emergency services. The Vapor X will cost $199 for a limited time, after which you'll have to shell out $279 - likely a side effect of Trump's 10 percent tariff that will affect most wearables imported in the U.S.