14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has reportedly started shipping new Band 2 units made from a new more durable material that’s specifically supposed to resist rips and tears that have been impacting the device since the October 2015 launch.
The Redmond-based software giant hasn’t confirmed this report, but WinSuperSite writes that several customers are already seeing new lots of the Band 2 sold via Best Buy and Microsoft’s own retail stores that are believed to feature a new rubber band that’s a little bit more durable.
As we’ve already reported earlier this year, many Band 2 units were suffering from cracking rubber and Microsoft quickly exchanged all defective models as it was probably aware of the problem internally. Although no public acknowledgment has ever been offered, it looks like the company actually worked on this behind the closed doors and the new Band 2 units specifically come to address this.
New models part of lots 16xx
The aforementioned source notes that only models that are part of the 16xx lots seem to be featuring this fortified rubber band, so when buying a new device you can easily check it out to see if your device is part of this redesigned batch or not.
The lot number is written on the box and is most likely related to the production date, so 16xx represents the year and the week when it was manufactured. This means that the new Band 2 units have been redesigned for 2016, so the first units sold after the October 2015 launch have the biggest chances to suffer from the rips and tears we’ve told you about.
For the moment, there’s absolutely no confirmation in this regard, so we’ve reached out to Microsoft to ask for more information.
More details, however, are expected to become available soon as more customers try out their Bands to see if they’re indeed more durable or not. On the other hand, those whose Bands are suffering from the same cracking rubber are recommended to pay a visit to the closest Microsoft store and ask for a replacement.