With a caveat that is may be 4.5 stars if you aren't a Windows Phone user.
I've worn my Band 2 continuously for about a week now, put it through its paces, and I think I've had enough experience with it to review a device that, by design, stays strapped to you 23.5 hours every day.
First hardware, the weakest link in the device.
The Band 2's hardware is a significant upgrade over that of the Band 1, and I believe that it's about as good a physical design as present technology permits. The display is curved and the bulky battery is in the thick nub of the clasp. The material of the band is a well designed polymer that is comfortable and doesn't catch hair or cause you to sweat under the device. The choice of making the clasp bulky (a design which juts the clasp out over the top of your wrist when you wear the Band in the recommended under-the-wrist manner) is the best of the bad options. Battery technology is what is is, and you have to incorporate 36 hours' worth of power somehow. This configuration is an improvement over placing the batteries next to the display and thus ruling out a curved design.
Another downside of the clasp is that it becomes the most visible feature of the Band. The polished metal is very pretty when new, but it has already collected a couple of scratches. In a few months it will be unsightly.
The clasp can be easily adjusted to a fine degree, and the device largely achieves the goal of fading into the background once you get used to wearing it. I find it does not mess up my typing or any other activity, though it pinches a little when I drive. A quick loosening of the band before getting in the car solves this. You generally want to keep the band tight enough to maintain firm contact - most inaccuracies in the data collected come about because of inconsistent contact between sensors and skin. The clasp bump occasionally pokes uncomfortably, but that's probably just a quirk of my knobbly wrists.
The display is bright, sharp, gorgeous and perfectly responsive. Being made of Gorilla Glass 3 means it is extremely resistant to both shattering and scratching. I haven't felt the need to use a screen protector (though I wouldn't risk wearing it in a rock climbing gym, no need to push your luck).
Battery life has been adequate for my routine, which is to only have it on the charger while I am in the shower and reading the paper in the morning. Otherwise I'm wearing it all day and night. I'm not a runner, but I suspect that if you use the run tracking feature in GPS mode (for best accuracy) then you'd have to leave it off for the 90 minutes for a full recharge that night or the next morning.
The sensors themselves monitor everything. Heart rate, temperature, galvanic skin response, UV light, even O2 burn rates (once it has some experience with your biometrics). It has built-in GPS, step counter, all the whizz-bangs to collect a vast array of performance data from your body. I have great faith in the accuracy of the real-time calorie burn counter. The level of data collection here is definitely superior to other fitness bands, and the presentation of the information is fantastic. Full marks.
One disappointment to the design is the lack of waterproofing. This is because of some of the most advanced sensors, which can't work while shielded to that degree. The Band is rated to IPV6, which means that bring caught in the rain with it is fine, but take it off for showers, swimming and maybe cleaning the dishes. Given the wealth of sensors on the device I might have chosen to leave off a couple of the more esoteric ones and make the thing waterproof so I could log swimming workouts and just not have to worry about water in general.
With the hardware out of the way, the rest of the Band experience as a fitness tracker is great. The Health app software integrates with Runkeeper and MyFitnessPal, which means that tracking your calorie inputs and exercise patterns is seamless and easy. The Health is app is terrific, giving you a dashboard of all your activity/health stats as well as being the platform for loading new Band apps and tweaking most the device's own settings. The real data mine is the web-based Health dashboard, which is an impressively powerful tool for digging into your activity over time. A number of third party apps enhance the functionality, with lots more (for example, an Uber app that lets you order up a ride from your wrist) on the way.
There are dedicated apps for running, cycling and golf. I don't really do any of those things much, but they seem to work very well. For other types of workout just hit the generic "workout" button and the Band tracks your activity and your body's response very accurately.
The sleep tracking function deserves a mention. The Band tracks all of your sleep metrics, including how long it took you to fall asleep, how many times you woke up and what periods of your sleep were light or heavy (REM). All of this is displayed in a rich and well-designed format. It calculates the quality and efficiency of your sleep for you. All of this info is fascinating to me.
Having the fitness tracker has made a huge difference to my diet and exercise patterns in a short time. There's nothing like having real-time, empirical data on your calorie burn and food log on your wrist to keep you on track.
The other element of the Band is the smartwatch. If you have a Windows Phone you can access Cortana on your wrist with a keypress. Otherwise you'll just be able to use notifications. Notifications are extremely valuable to me as an office worker with a ton of incoming messages. I can see whether an email or text is urgent and decide whether to pull out my phone. This saves me hundreds of instances of pulling out and unlocking my phone per day. It also reduces range anxiety from my cell phone - no longer do I trek back and forth across the house because I keep leaving my phone in another room.
Keep in mind that these really are just notifications. You'll see the header and a few lines of text, which is usually enough to tell you whether you need to go to your phone or computer immediately. There is a keyboard feature, but it is functionally useless. You will craft your replies on another device, unless you have a WP and are in a spot quiet enough to wrestle with Cortana's voice recognition. If you do have a WP then Cortana is good for making short, simple messages in reply. Having Cortana on your wrist is also handy for alarm setting, translations, alerts, calendar adjustments, setting reminders, making notes on where you parked or which locker you used, etc. etc.
Having a calendar snapshot is nice for when you're rushing around offices forgetting where you're supposed to be at any given moment. Glance at your wrist and be reminded.
In summary, if you are looking for a powerful and comprehensive fitness band to help with your fitness routine, this is the best one available. For $250 though, that might not be enough to make it a compelling purchase over a recent model Fitbit. But if you're also an office worker who wants to improve their workflow and efficiency, or just like to have a notification device on your wrist, then it is clearly worth the price tag and moderate bulk. Bonus value to Windows Phone users.
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From the manufacturer
Find your right size:
- Size Small fits wrists 5.7"-6.5"
- Size Medium fits wrists 6.3"-7.5"
- Size Large fits wrists 7.3"-8.5"
Live healthier and achieve more
Microsoft Band helps you track your heart rate, exercise, calorie burn, and sleep quality, and keeps you connected with email, text, and calendar alerts. It features eleven sensors, including a GPS, UV monitor, barometer, and more. They monitor your data so you can reach your goals with insights from Microsoft Health.
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Live healthierHealthier living is easier with Microsoft Band. With a continuous optical heart rate monitor, your band tracks your heart rate, steps, stairs climbed, calorie burn, exercise, and sleep quality. Track your weight and compare it with your band data over time, and get actionable insights and useful fitness information in the Microsoft Health phone app and web dashboard. |
Get fitReach your fitness goals with custom tracking whether running, biking, golfing, or working out. Microsoft Band has you covered with GPS mapping and the data you want to track most for popular exercises. Guided Workouts designed by pros like Gold's Gym, Shape, and Men's Fitness provide more variety with exercise prompts right on your band. |
Be ProductiveStay connected at a glance with notifications that matter most to you right on your wrist. You can see email previews, calendar alerts, and easily check calls, text messages, and social updates. Stay organized with personal reminders you can set with your voice using Cortana. |
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Advanced TechnologyAchieve your health goals with Microsoft Band and Microsoft Health. The curved screen on your band makes it comfortable to wear while its eleven advanced sensors track your exercise, sleep, and daily activity. The bright color display is easy to see in sunlight. Technology from Microsoft Health gives you actionable insights based on your data. |
Microsoft HealthSet wellness goals and get actionable insights to help you live healthier. Microsoft Health combines your fitness data with the power of the cloud giving you actionable, personalized insights, empowering you to live healthier and achieve more. Analyze your data in full-color, easily- understandable charts and graphs in the convenient phone app or the robust web dashboard. |
Go outside and explore with the Explore TileTrack your heart rate, calorie burn, elevation change, and more during your hikes. GPS enables you to drop points of interest along your route, which you can see on your band’s display. Afterwards, see a map of your route in the Microsoft Health app. |
Connect with premier partners and popular apps
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Golf tracking with TaylorMadeFocus on your golf game with automatic shot tracking from Microsoft Band and TaylorMade. The built-in GPS detects which hole you’re playing and provides distance to the front, center and back of the green. |
Partners and appsPartnerships with premier fitness, sports, and lifestyle brands give you more ways to manage your health, meet your fitness goals, and be productive. |
Gold’s GymYou can download workouts designed by Gold’s Gym to your Microsoft Band. Find intermediate and advanced workouts that focus on full-body strength training and popular muscle groups like abs, shoulders, and biceps. |
Cross-platform compatibility
Have a Windows Phone, Android, or iPhone? No sweat. Microsoft Band is designed to be awesome no matter what phone you own.
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Reviews with images
it's great. It was actually bright sunny days that reduced ...
The Microsoft Band 2 looks unassuming until the display comes on and blows you away with that AMOLED.Under low light conditions, it's great. It was actually bright sunny days that reduced this technological miracle to a mere vibrating band. Out under bright sunlight, I had to peer hard or cover the display to see effectively. There are only 2 buttons. One calls up the screen while the other acts as the “start” or “action” button. Swiping to access menus is responsive and instantaneous.The clasp design is clever and allows slight adjustments while the band is worn, even with one hand. The device is made in such a way the tightening is not distributed throughout the entire band like a normal watch but only at 2 points. If I could sum up how I felt about the fit in one sentence, I’d say it was a relief to remove the band.GPS pick up is fast at less than a minute for most of the sessions I tracked and there's a lot of details that Microsoft Band does in the background to make sense of your fitness. You can check out the attached pictures.If you're particular about heart rate accuracy, especially during exercise, I wouldn't recommend the Band 2.I could also browse for a suitable workout and then have that workout downloaded to the band. This feature is unique to the Microsoft Band line of devices. I’ve yet to see another smart device that allows the user to download such a wide array of workouts and running programmes. The workouts are pretty comprehensive and and usually offer individualisation for people of differing fitness levels in terms of body workouts or gym and running programmes.The Microsoft Band 2 has a few improvements over the original band yet the premise is the same; an all encompassing smart activity tracker. I had fun exploring all the functions and am truly amazed with what Microsoft has managed to squeeze into the fitness device. After a week, I’ve grown to appreciate the little things such as individualised advice, great web dashboard and even the clasp that can be worn using one hand only!There are a few shortcomings though. The Microsoft Band 2 has limited smart notifications and GPS workouts can’t compare to those from dedicated GPS sports watch like the Forerunner 25 or Polar M400. Also full Cortana functions only work on Windows devices, and the AMOLED display, while gorgeous, falls flat under bright day light. Finally the fit still needs to be improved.Here's a summary of pros and cons for ease of comparison.ProsBetter fit compared to the original Microsoft BandEasy to use clasp; can operate with one hand24/7 activity tracker. Tracks steps, distance, calories burned, stairs climbed and heart rateVO2 max estimationGorgeous and sensitive displayVibration enabled for alarmsDownloadable workout and running programmesOn board GPS and 10 other sensorsUV sensorDetailed sleep metricsSmart notificationsIndividualised sleep, activity and workout advice.Customisable screen displayDetailed analysis, workout creator, comparison on Microsoft Health web dashboard.ConsDisplay hardly visible under bright sun light2 days battery life, less when GPS is activated during workoutsCan’t add friends on platformFit uncomfortableLimited 3rd party compatible apps
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