Battery Life +/- thicker strapped Band 2?

[EJDJr]

Weird observation I noticed regarding diminished battery expectancy:
I had to replace my first Band 2 about 5 weeks ago that wouldn't power on, even when connected to a charger (not a torn band - assuming it got shorted by a faulty USB port on a hotel lamp). I replaced it in a MS store (which i must say was amazingly easy especially considering that it was purchased at a Best Buy) and they gave me a new one on the spot. I've read the articles online about some of the newer lots seeming to have thicker bands and I definitely believe it. If i held my previous one by the display with the clasp up it would flop down and touch the heart rate sensor. This newer one, the band maintains its circular shape no matter what angle i hold it at, almost no movement downward by either the connector side or the battery side. Since getting this new I've noticed the battery life was nowhere near my first one. There were a couple of updates in June and I've been using W10M so i thought it was just an issue with software/bugs. I realized today that the battery hump may actually be smaller then it was on my original Band 2.
For reference, I would take my band 2 off the charger around 10 PM, use sleep tracking and have it syncing all the next day and would put it to charge around 8pm at about 10% left. So easily 24 hours. This would be with 2 hours of exercise or jogging tracking as well as many text replies with band keyboard. My replacement (with the thicker/stiffer band) gets taken off the charger at same time and is dead by 2 or 3 PM, before any jogging or exercise tracking is done. MS Support via phone said they won't replace it for battery performance, essentially have to wait for it to crap out, may try going to my store this weekend.
Do any of you have newer/older bands and weird battery issues now/since other updates and what OS are you running?

 

[marchius]

After there was software update with introduced heart rate zones (and this option turned on in the band), my battery was worse quite a lot while in any of sport activity mode. Turned of heart rate zones, and battery now is better and same as before this update. May be same issue for you?

 

[notrichyet]

I got my second replacement delivered today, same issue for the one I sent back, the band had split in the exact same place.

I spotted a few commenting that the later Band 2's had a different strap and I would definitely agree - this 3rd one I have now has a different feel and you can see the mold lines on the edges of the strap too.

The previous two Bands, you could feel the indentation on the strap where it was almost guaranteed to split at...which it did both times...that is gone completely on this new one, I cannot feel anything beneath the strap in these positions to the sides of the screen, in fact I actually wonder if they have also re-shaped the internal metal case to remove the edges which were previously working through the rubber material.

Time will tell if it really has helped solve the problem, I still have warranty until January 2017, so there is plenty of time yet for it to fail again!

 

[EJDJr]

I spotted a few commenting that the later Band 2's had a different strap and I would definitely agree - this 3rd one I have now has a different feel and you can see the mold lines on the edges of the strap too.

The previous two Bands, you could feel the indentation on the strap where it was almost guaranteed to split at...which it did both times...that is gone completely on this new one, I cannot feel anything beneath the strap in these positions to the sides of the screen, in fact I actually wonder if they have also re-shaped the internal metal case to remove the edges which were previously working through the rubber material.

Time will tell if it really has helped solve the problem, I still have warranty until January 2017, so there is plenty of time yet for it to fail again!

Comparing your newest one (with your previous 2) does it appear that the battery hump is smaller, ie protrudes from your wrist less?

 

[EJDJr]

After there was software update with introduced heart rate zones (and this option turned on in the band), my battery was worse quite a lot while in any of sport activity mode. Turned of heart rate zones, and battery now is better and same as before this update. May be same issue for you?

The newest 14-16 hour battery life excludes any activity tracking, i put it to charge twice a day. Once it dies around2 then i use it for my jogs/workouts and then I charge it again until bedtime. I would love a straight answer from MS on if the newer version with thicker bands actually have smaller batteries or if one of the recent firmware/os updates have decreased battery life...and that they're working on a fix.

 

[Polychrome]

I've noticed the same thing. My battery life is significantly smaller, but the places where the band used to crack feel hard and won't budge. I'm scared that if I ask about the battery life they'll replace it with another cracking one! XD (So I'll take my chances!)

One thing I will note is that the battery life does not seem to be affected by ANY setting, which makes me wonder if it's some kind of battery calibration issue.

 

[drg]

i've noticed worse battery since the last update or two. I used to be able to have sleep mode on and track activities adn get through the day real easy but now I have to always top it up once or twice a day. Also I think I have the calibration issue as I know it has power but it comes upw ith the message low power, then it turns off and I can't turn it back on unless I plug into a charger and then it says it's already at 20% so there's something definitely wrong there.. I'm hoping it's FW and it get's fixed.