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Finally, after a short wait the Microsoft Band Second Generation is available outside the US and the first customers are getting it on their wrists. Let’s have a closer look at how the new version compares to the previous one. I will look at how it correlates to smartwatches and sport bands. Yes, that’s the first question that comes to mind – is it a watch or a band?

Hardware

First let’s have a look at what we have here. If you had the first generation band you will notice a huge difference. I agree with the many people reporting that the first band felt like a beta version. Budget plastic frame, a very cumbersome strap, a screen similar to old-fashion mobiles prior to mobile revolution, pealing off the strap covering material and the charger not connecting. Now all problems are gone like by a touch of magic wand. The whole body of the band is enclosed in a matte medical-grade steel, smooth and curved, with a batch of sensors nicely fitted on the bottom and finished with a curved amoled screen on the front which is now covered by Gorilla Glass 3.




It is higher resolution, higher touch sensitivity and beautiful colours. The strap is made of Thermal plastic elastomer silicone vulcanite, which despite the name is very durable and soft, very very nice in touch. On the other end you will find a big bulge that contains battery and a clasp which has tiny UV sensor. The charger connector has been moved to the clasp (this was one of many complains of the first band). Now the connector doesn’t touch your skin so it won’t get covered with dirt. Like the old watch there are only two buttons, one larger and one smaller, both now made out of metal. The larger one switches the screen on, the smaller one is a start button if you go for a run, cycle, workout, or anything else there is to track.

The overall design and craftship of the Microsoft Band 2 is absolutely impressive. It is comfortable to wear every day not only as my step counter but also as a great decorative piece of tech.

Sensors

The list of sensors packed inside this small device is exciting at least to say.

Microsoft lists inside:

• Optical heart rate sensor
• 3-axis accelerometer/gyro
• Gyrometer
• GPS
• Ambient light sensor
• Skin temperature sensor
• UV sensor
• Capacitive sensor
• Galvanic skin response
• Microphone
• Barometer

In this category Microsoft Band 2 is outshining all the competition on the market.

Set up 

After you turn your band on for the first time, it will ask you to download the Microsoft Health app which is a companion app for your device. The app will prompt you to connect with your band, ask to turn your Bluetooth on and pair both devices. Done in one minute, simple and fast. You can set up your profile which will include your body measurements (software will need these to estimate your steps, distances and health tips).

Software

When all is set up you can enjoy your new gadget. You will find the familiar Windows screen with the time and many tiles to the right. There nothing has really changed too much. Tapping on the time will take you to your step count, distance walked, calories burnt, floors climbed (new feature) and your continuous heartbeat.

All the tiles are easily manageable from your companion app. You can switch off those you won’t use, move them around, change colours/wallpaper that shows under your time screen and add a few more. You have a choice of sporty tiles such as: Run, Cycle, Guided Workouts, Golf, Exercise, Sleep, UV but also notification tiles: Messaging, Mail, Calls, Calendar, Weather, Facebook, Twitter, Facebook messenger and few more like Cortana, Alarms, Starbucks, Finance.



You won’t find Skype (Microsoft product after all). There isn’t many “smart” options either, no eBay, no amazon, no YouTube like you would find in many Android powered smartwaches. It’s hard to discuss all the functions of Band. I found tracking my run and cycling sessions the most useful for me features, where I can also see on the map where I run, how fast along all the way, what was elevation, distance, calories burnt, splits, heartbeat and recovery time.


This all data is well-presented and in great detail on the companion app. GPS is built in so I do not need to take my mobile with me to run at all, where the Apple Watch users have to. I like to use “sleep tracking“ to see how long I slept and how efficient it was, plus I can set up smart alarm and the band will choose the best moment to wake me up so I am fresh and ready to go. Gym fans can download ready made workout sessions designed for a different goals such as losing weight or developing a six-pack. You will have all instructions on your wrist, how often to repeat exercises, when have a break etc. It’s really helpful if you do not know much about exercise regimes.  When I do not run I still have my watch on my wrist and I can see the time and all notifications at glance.




There is the option to see the time only when you twist your wrist, which is saving battery.  A very strong vibrations gets my attention and screen automatically turns on showing me what’s new, so I can very quickly see there is anything that needs my action without touching anything at all. On really busy day at work it’s a really big advantage. I can even send a quick replay to a text messages using a tiny touch keyboard, which is unbelievably good in predicting what I wanted to type. Microsoft fans holding  Windows Phone or Windows 10 mobile can enjoy Cortana integration. Just hold the action button for a second to bring Cortana and ask her to send a text message or play next song.

Battery life

Microsoft Band 2 falls between sports trackers and smartwatches in the “battery life” category. It can work on one charge for a 1.5 day which is longer than most of watches available right now (compare it to the Apple Watch which theoretically runs 18h only). It is not as long as the best sport bands that can last even up to a week. Is it a problem? Not for me. It is enough to charge the band while showering or having a lunch break. It can reach 80% charge in half an hour.

Not so good

Unfortunately this version of software brings all the old problems from the old band. Notifications are not reliable, especially from the third party apps, emails are showing up twice, in email tile and in the action centre. Do not try to look for skype as there is none, not even newly introduced integrated skype messages. There is no music controls either which is really surprising. Most of the people I know including myself runs with music so it is a big disadvantage. You can use Cortana, but you can ask to play a next track only (band doesn’t keep any music or play it, so you can use this feature when you take your mobile with you only). More extreme runners and bikers will find out that there is no access to statistics in companion app on the go if there is no network.

Bottom line

There is nothing in software that Microsoft couldn’t fix in one swift update and upgrade the band to an almost perfect companion. But is it worth to buy?  With price tag of £199 in the UK and overwhelming list of sensors it’s one of the best options on the market. Microsoft Band fits nicely between sport trackers and smartwatches. It brings all the sport options you can think off (maybe except swimming).

Great addition are hundreds of workouts that can guide you through the most complicated exercises and prompt you to achieve more. From the other hand you will get few more functions that usually are not present on sport trackers and are coming from smartwatches such as: Cortana, Notifications, Calendar and Reminders. If you find tiny apps for shopping online or reading news on your wrist unnecessary, you won’t miss any full flagged smart functions.

This article is written by our best editor Mr.Thomas Eljon. You can catch him on Twitter by username: @eljoneljon