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Android Wear-powered Misfit Vapor no longer has a built-in GPS

Pickings for quality Android Wear watches are few and far between these days, and this is especially true if you want something with a relatively small/slim body. The Misfit Vapor is an upcoming Android Wear smartwatch that was first shown off at CES this January, but it looks like one of its hallmark features is now being axed..

The Misfit Vapor costs just $199, and for that price, the watch offers a 1.39-inch AMOLED display, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor, heart-rate sensor, 4GB storage, and what was expected to be built-in GPS.

On an Instagram post that Misfit published (via Android Police), a user asked about whether or not the Vapor will have standalone GPS or if it’ll need to be connected to a phone in order to properly map runs, walks, etc. Misfit responded by saying:

The Vapor will now offer connected GPS – you can view your distance, steps, and calories burned on your wrist when you go for a run. Additionally, you can track your route, view step-by-step directions on a map, and collect data when your phone is paired and near you.

In other words, the Misfit Vapor does not feature built-in GPS.

Misfit has updated its website to now say that the Vapor supports “Connected GPS Location Services”, but this doesn’t sound the same as what was described in a press release the company published in March:

Originally announced in January, Misfit Vapor is a design-forward touchscreen smartwatch that gives you everything you need to keep going right on your wrist, including built-in music and GPS

It’s currently unknown as to why Misfit decided to eliminate GPS from its upcoming watch, and while the Vapor does still offer a nice feature-set for its $199 price, this is bound to make many potential buyers now look elsewhere for their next smartwatch.


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Avatar for Joe Maring Joe Maring

Joe has been a writer and occasional video producer for 9to5Google since July 2017. Follow him on Twitter @JoeMaring1 and send all emails to joe@9to5mac.com.


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