First Generation Microsoft Band Wearable Falls To $79, Vastly Undercutting Its Successor

The second generation Microsoft Band is an impressive fitness wearable, packing in 11 sensors and a curved, AMOLED touch screen display. However, it is priced at $249, which puts it $50 above the debut price of its predecessor.

That brings us back to the original Band. Just last month, Microsoft had the wearable on sale for a low, low price of $99. At the level, we figured that stocks would deplete relatively quickly and fitness gurus would be forced to pony up for the more expensive second generation Band. That’s obviously not the case, as retail partner Best Buy still has plenty available, and has dropped the price by another $20, taking the original Band down to just $79.99.

Microsoft Band

Don’t get us wrong, the second generation Band does look snazzier, it’s a lot more comfortable to wear and it includes an additional sensor: a barometer. But is all of that worth $170 more than its predecessor? You be the judge, but I’d personally suck up wearing a chunkier device along with the less advanced 1.4-inch TFT display and pocket the rest of the money.

We have no idea how long Best Buy plans on keeping pricing this low; Microsoft’s previous low price of $99 has already shot back up to $129.99

Brandon Hill

Brandon Hill

Brandon received his first PC, an IBM Aptiva 310, in 1994 and hasn’t looked back since. He cut his teeth on computer building/repair working at a mom and pop computer shop as a plucky teen in the mid 90s and went on to join AnandTech as the Senior News Editor in 1999. Brandon would later help to form DailyTech where he served as Editor-in-Chief from 2008 until 2014. Brandon is a tech geek at heart, and family members always know where to turn when they need free tech support. When he isn’t writing about the tech hardware or studying up on the latest in mobile gadgets, you’ll find him browsing forums that cater to his long-running passion: automobiles.

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