So, courtesy of top Chinese e-commerce website, GearBest, we got a review unit of one of the best smartband out there in the tech products space right now, the Xiaomi Mi Band 2 – and right here, right now, we tear the box apart to reveal the package contents and give tad bits of first impressions.
The Xiaomi Mi Band 2 have been around for a while now (launched in 2016) and it is the 2nd smartband to come out of Xiaomi’s coffers – the first being the Xiaomi Mi Band.
Without further ado, let’s see what the box looks like, and what it carries within.
Xiaomi Mi Band 2 Unboxing: Package appearance
The Mi Band 2 comes in a bright white box and for security purposes, it is further wrapped in a transparent seal that the buyer has to get rid of before gaining access to the box and its content. Sadly, I was so quick (and impatient) to get a picture of the seal before tearing it off. Don’t blame me. This was my first time with a smartband – the euphoria to see what it looked like was so overwhelming.
Facing you on the front of the white box is a preview of the Mi Band 2 (in Black colour). I should mention how I love the simplistic appearance of the frontal appearance; even the name of the band isn’t written on the front, you have to turn the box to the rear to see that.
Segueing to the flip side of the box, that is where you would find some basic specs of the and details about the manufacturer. I couldn’t pretty much decode much of what was written on the box because (as you can see), it’s all written in Chinese and unluckily for me, I always skipped Chinese classes in high school.
Naa, I’m kidding; there was no such class in my high school.
The left and right side of the box houses identical “mi” logo and that’s pretty much all you get on the outer side of the box. Now let’s get inside. Shall we?
Package contents
Removing the upper section of the box by gently raising it reveals the control and display panel of the Band 2 in a surrounding white dashboard that covers the remaining contents of the box – more like a lid. Now the sight is glorious! It’s actually safe to guess that Xiaomi put in as much time and effort into the device’s packaging as it did manufacturing the Mi Band 2 itself.
The front-facing side of tracker is made of glossy plastic and has a circular cut-out at the bottom. The cut-out isn’t a button but a very sensitive touch panel that triggers the display to come on at the slightest touch. We shall dive deeper into its functions later in the review of this smart accessory.
The Mi Band 2 tracker
The band’s tracker is shaped like a tablet, has no visible opening (in fact, no opening at all), and is IP67 certified. This confers it with waterproof, dust-proof, and corrosion proof capabilities.
The charging connectors are at the bottom while the heart rate sensor (or heart monitor) is on the rear.
Lifting the white dashboard reveals the silicone strap (I got the default black strap) in the larger section of the 2 compartments in the box. The other compartment is a sub-box but before I upon it up, let’s talk a little about the band.
The strap: smooth texture, thick, skin-friendly, fits all.
Actually, the strap is officially available from the manufacturer in only the Black colour options but thanks to many accessories manufacturers, you can get the band in different colours, styles, and design here on GearBest.
Some of these straps go for less than $2. And perhaps you decide to have a mature looking smartband (because trust me, a silicone strap doesn’t look mature enough – it’s a personal opinion), you can purchase leather, stainless steel and metal frame straps specifically designed for the band on GearBest too.
The strap is smoothly textured, skin friendly and will fit perfectly on anyone irrespective of individual wrist size.
The pin on the top part of the strap fits perfectly into any of the 9 holes/openings on the other side and this creates a tight-fitting on the wrist of the wearer – there’s no way the Mi Band 2 is falling off your wrist once it is properly hooked.
Putting together the piece: Interlocking the strap & tracker.
Inserting the bands tracker in the strap in best done from the rear; by pushing the panel in the band with a little bit of force.
When the tracker is inserted, it fits in accurately, and tightly; leaving no space for entry of dust or tiny particles.
Quick question: Despite the very tight-fitting of the tracker in the strap, will water find its way through into the strap???
I guess we’ll find out (in the full review)
At this point, I should reiterate that the Xiaomi Mi Band 2 is waterproof as it is IP67 certified. So irrespective if the Mi Band 2 tracker or strap come in contact with water, zilch damage will be done to the $28 smartband.
Back to the second compartment in the box, let’s see what we’ve got in there.
It’s got a charger … and it’s nice!
In there, the USB cable for charging the Xiaomi Mi Band 2 is the only occupant.
The cable is about 10cm long and there is a USB end to be inserted in an AC adapter or any USB port while the other end has a case (made out of plastic). The case holds the panel in place —firmly— during charge and at the bottom of the case are two metal pins where the Xiaomi Mi Band 2 connectors sit on during charge.
To charge the Mi Band 2, you have to ensure that the panel is fitted properly in the charging case such that and it is almost immersed halfway so that there is contact between the charging pins and connector on the Mi Band 2.
Unreadable instruction manual
The last item in the box is the instruction manual which, like the description on the back of the box, is in Chinese and is unreadable —by me. Again, this is where I wish I attended my ‘imaginary’ Chinese classes.??
Someone needs to write Xiaomi’s management to goddamn have the international market at heart when next they prepare an instruction manual for a product.
And that’s it, pretty much everything that’s in the box of the $28 Xiaomi Smartband – the Mi Band 2.
I plan using the Xiaomi Mi Band 2 extensively for a week before writing a detailed review. I owe it to readers here on Techyne to finding out if any gadget is worth it, or not. And the debt remains the same with the Xiaomi Mi Band 2.
If you like what you have seen so far, and can’t wait for our verdict on if the Mi Band 2 is worth buying for $28 or not, you can go ahead and purchase the accessory on GearBest through the link below.
Buy the Xiaomi Mi Band 2 on GearBest
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See you in a week guys.
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