When comparing Sony Smartwatch 2 vs Microsoft Band 2, the Slant community recommends Sony Smartwatch 2 for most people. In the question“What are the best smartwatches?” Sony Smartwatch 2 is ranked 2nd while Microsoft Band 2 is ranked 14th. The most important reason people chose Sony Smartwatch 2 is:
Although the Sony Smartwatch 2 only comes with watchband in the box the Smartwatch 2 can be used with Sony' options or any 24mm watchband.
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Pros
Pro Interchangeable Watchbands
Although the Sony Smartwatch 2 only comes with watchband in the box the Smartwatch 2 can be used with Sony' options or any 24mm watchband.
Pro IP57 Waterproof
The Sony Smartwatch 2 can withstand 30 minutes of being being under 1 meter of water
Pro Minimalistic Design
The design is consistent with the style of the Sony Xperia range, being very minimalistic and clean.
Pro Fits well on virtually any wrist
The Microsoft Band 2 comes in 3 sizes to ensure it fits: Small (145-165mm or 5.7-6.5"), Medium (160-190mm or 6.3-7.5"), or Large (185-215mm or 7.3-8.5").
Pro Natural feeling display
The display is slightly curved, making it more natural to wear and use. You also won't be hitting it off walls and doors as often as other watches because it doesn't stick out as far from your wrist as other fitness trackers.
The OLED display doesn't light up black pixels, meaning the background blends in perfectly with the bezels making for a more pleasing look as well as saving battery life when displaying mostly black colors.
Pro Custom guided workouts
The fitness tracker allows you to ditch the notebook before heading to the gym.
Pro Smartphone connected
The Microsoft Band 2 connects to your Android, Windows Phone, or iPhone to provide notifications on your wrist. Swiping left from the main screen shows notifications that have been synced from the watch. It doesn't show context for these notifications however - just the number of missed notifications and their respective icons.
Cons
Con Unimpressive Display
The Smartwatch 2 uses a 1.6-inch 220 x 176 pixel LCD. This results in a disappointing 176 PPI.
Con Sluggish Software
The interactions with the software are not of the quality you would come to expect after using a modern smartphone, in particular the scrolling is laggy and the tap detection is buggy.
Con Band 2 is discontinued - no Band 3 on the horizon
Most likely due to the very high incidence of returns (due to charging issues and the straps cracking in half), the Band fitness tracker brand seems to be entirely discontinued.
Con Poor HR sensor + Poor data visualization
The fitness tracker's HR sensor is very inaccurate during HIIT/weight lifting movements, it takes forever to even lock-on, and once locked-on it doesn't stay locked-on. All of this contributes to very poor HR accuracy. To top it off, the app/web site does not display high-frequency data, it will plot a single HR point for every 1 minute of activity which makes it very, very useless.
Con Bulky clasp
Under the clasp is a sensor that determines whether it's being worn or not (so it can save power when not in use), which adds bulk.
Con Poor battery life
Without using the GPS, battery life can be stretched to a day and a half, but if you do use the GPS that time will be reduced to just a day. Either way, you will want to charge it every night.