PSA: Microsoft Band 2 Battery Issue Reports Starting to Mount

There’s no perfect product. Ever.

The days of solidly built products put together with worker pride, that last forever and run flawlessly off the assembly line, are a thing of the past. Sadly. Most of what is available for purchase these days is considered throw-aways. Warranties are just CYA documents instead of customer relationships.

And, such is the case with Microsoft’s latest Band version. Band v1 had all sorts of manufacturing woes from shoddy casing to a screen that accumulated scratches like a pig in a cactus patch.

Band v2, so far, has been much better. Due to the design, the casing seems more durable and the screen is relatively scratch-free. But, Band v2 is starting to suffer from a different problem.

The battery in Band v2 seems to be a bit subpar. Reports are rolling in (and increasing) where either the Band will just stop charging (Band goes dead) or it will never charge to 100%. I’ve yet to have this happen to me, but has started to worry me. Some have reported the Band going completely dead during a workout. And, of course, Band replacement can sometimes take almost 2 weeks, putting a real kick in workout tracking. I’m half-tempted to buy a second Band v2 just in case.

One positive to this is that since the problem is being widely reported, Microsoft is reportedly just replacing the Band – even if a customer didn’t purchase the Complete Care package. This is an indication not just that the number of reports about bad batteries are mounting, but also that it’s a known flaw that may affect every Band owner eventually. If you're experiencing this problem, talk to Microsoft Band support or visit a local Microsoft Store.