MagicBand 2 Photos & Unboxing

The MagicBand 2 is now shipping, and ours just arrived for our next trip to Walt Disney World; we thought we’d show them to you in this post. We’ll start out with some thoughts on them, and also add a visual side by side comparison to the OG MagicBands. Oh, and in true internet form, we’ll share an unboxing video. (I don’t know why unboxing videos are a “thing” but some people seem to like them, so whatever…)

Let’s start with a brief overview: MagicBand 2 is the successor to the original MagicBand, and the primary differences here are the new one being slightly larger yet lighter, and having a removable “puck” style that allow it to be placed in keychains and other (presumably upcoming) accessories. Fret not, as it’s almost physically impossible for the puck to fall out–you need a screwdriver. I’m actually surprised that they didn’t go the FitBit route and allow them to pop out a bit easier.

Additionally, there’s significantly less packaging. Our last MagicBands came in a thick box featuring the Incredibles, which itself was inside of another box for shipment. The shipping box doubles as the packaging here, with Cinderella Castle pictured on the inside. I’m sure this amounts to cost-savings for Disney, but it’s also more eco-friendly, so win-win.

My assumption is that cost-savings were the impetus behind switching to the removable puck style. Even as production costs have dropped significantly, they are still around $5 per MagicBand and almost all of that can be attributed to the HF RFID and RF tech inside the MagicBand.

With that tech now in the puck, Disney can sell tech-less MagicBands at a higher margin, and potentially send guests future MagicBands sans pucks. It’s hard to envision the raw material for the thermoplastic polyurethane band costing more than a few cents (the old packaging probably cost more than the plastic in the bands).

If you’re wondering, the MagicBand 2 started shipping right around the beginning of 2017, with some slight overlap between the old and new bands. By this point, if you’re booking a Walt Disney World vacation now or in the future, you should almost certainly receive the MagicBand 2.

That is, unless they get recalled for exploding on flights. (Hopefully Disney didn’t use the same suppliers as Samsung…) We’re guessing that’s pretty unlikely, though, so you should receive your own set of MagicBand 2s the next time you travel to Walt Disney World…

Finally, to my knowledge, unlike the stupid new refillable mugs, the MagicBand 2 is officially* microwave safe! At least, I assume so.

There’s no warning telling me otherwise, so that means I can do it and I’m not responsible for the consequences because no one warned me otherwise. I’m pretty hyped to microwave this bad boy!

That’s really about all there is to know about the MagicBand 2 (at least to my knowledge–if you have questions, ask), so here’s the unboxing:

Our MagicBands 2.0 arrived!

A video posted by Sarah Bricker (@sarahbricker) on

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Your Thoughts

What do you think of the MagicBand 2? Do you prefer the lighter new design? Wish it were smaller or had a sleeker profile? Wish you could just ditch the MagicBand completely and have the whole system integrated into your smartphone? Share any questions or additional thoughts you have in the comments!

52 Responses to “MagicBand 2 Photos & Unboxing”
  1. Allie September 12, 2019
  2. Ali Lang September 26, 2018
  3. Rebecca Coursey May 17, 2018
    • Tom Bricker May 17, 2018
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  7. Jody February 2, 2017
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