Pebble is in an unenviable position.
Another wearable pioneer, Fitbit (FIT), can make the case for wearing its products along with a smartwatch, such as the Apple (AAPL) Watch or Samsung (SSNLF) Gear, by arguing it has superior fitness tracking capability. Pebble doesn’t have it so easy.
Pebble’s smartwatches are direct competitors with the Apple Watch and a slew of others running Android Wear.
The company has to make the case to choose a new Pebble Time instead of an Apple Watch, and that is easier said than done.
With the smartwatch market now gaining steam, companies like Apple have put small armies of engineers on their teams. Their marketing budgets are astronomical. In comparison, privately-held Pebble is still leaning heavily on Kickstarter to fund its new products.
The new Pebble Time Steel has everything that has made Pebble so popular among early smartwatch adopters, including long battery life and the ability to play nice with both iPhones and Android smartphones. Plus, it adds new features such as a color display, a microphone and the new Timeline UI.
The question is, will that be enough to make this Pebble Time smartwatch a real alternative to the market-leading Apple Watch and the growing Android Wear competition? Read our Pebble Time Steel review to find out.
Pebble Time Steel Review: Like the Pebble Time, Only Classier
The Pebble Time was Pebble’s next-generation smartwatch, meant to take on the Apple Watch and a wave of Android Wear smartwatches.
The power-sipping e-paper display remains, but now it supports 64 colors. The display is always on — you can glance at it to see the time without having to raise your wrist to wake the watch. It also looks great outdoors, where the fancy OLED on the Apple Watch becomes a reflective mess.
The Pebble Time Steel doesn’t care if you pair it with an iPhone or an Android smartphone (although the message dictation feature currently only works with Android). If you buy a different smartphone, there are no worries that you’ll have to replace this smartwatch, too.
The new Pebble Time and Pebble Time Steel continue with what is probably this device’s most compelling feature: exemplary battery life.
While I have to re-charge my Apple Watch every night, I got seven days out of the Pebble Steel –and that was with numerous installs, frequent use of the back light and many hours of using it as a remote to control the music playing on my iPhone.
Pebble says the Pebble Time Steel is good for up to 10 days between charges, three better then the Pebble Time.
Basically, everything owners like about the original Pebble, and all the features of the Pebble Time are here. But with a stainless steel case in the choice of three different finishes (including a gold color option) and better battery life, the Pebble Time Steel is a “classy” upgrade to the Pebble Time.
Pebble Time Steel Review: Smartwatch “Lite”
Color, excellent battery life, the Pebble appstore, platform agnostic, and fitness tracking all make this latest Pebble Steel sound like an excellent smartwatch. But, there are catches.
That color display is limited to 64 colors, they’re washed-out-looking with the backlight on, and the 181 ppi display isn’t just low resolution, at 1.25 inches it’s pretty small and surrounded by a large black bezel.
Compared to an Apple Watch or recent Android Wear smartwatch, it looks undersized, pixelated and dull.
Lacking the kind of CPUs and onboard storage used in other smartwatches, Pebble apps are limited in capability and while there are some that offer useful functionality –like Evernote or Misfit– many are really just custom watch faces.
The built-in mic can’t be used to make phone calls.
There’s no heart rate sensor — something that most smartwatches now include — and when I compared the Pebble Time Steel’s activity tracking chops to my Fitbit, there was a significant disparity in steps counted between the two. The Fitbit has been pretty accurate in the past…
Pebble introduced a new user interface in Timeline, but it’s still button-driven, and someone with large fingers can easily find themselves pushing two at once. It freshens the platform and I like Timeline, but it’s not a compelling advantage over Android Wear or Apple’s watchOS.
In short. when it comes to anything beyond light duty smartwatch functionality, the Pebble Time Steel isn’t on the same playing field as the Apple Watch and Android Wear smartwatches.
Pebble Time Steel Review: Specs
- 1.25-inch 64-color, e-paper display with 144 x 168 pixel resolution (backlit, always on)
- Gorilla Glass cover
- Accelerometer, ambient light sensor, gyroscope, compass
- Vibration alert
- New Pebble Time UI
- Case made of marine-grade stainless steel
- Bluetooth 4.0+
- Lithium-ion battery rated at up to 10 days between charges (proprietary cable included)
- Compatible with iOS 8.0 and up Android 4.0 and up
- Water resistant up to 164 feet, dustproof, shockproof
- 0.41-inches thick, weighs 4.1oz
- Compatible with standard replacement watch bands
- Available in Gun Metal, Stainless Steel or Gold finish
- MSRP $249.99
Pebble Time Steel Review: Conclusion
Pebble was an early favorite among smartwatch adopters, and for good reason.
The company made design choices (such as an e-paper display), not bulking up with onboard muscle and staying platform neutral (at least when it comes to iOS and Android) that resonated with many consumers.
The new Pebble Time Steel sticks with that basic formula to hold on to Pebble’s key advantages like week-long (or better) battery life. And, it attempts to take on the flash of the Apple Watch with a premium stainless steel case, a color display, and new capabilities like a microphone for voice responses.
Even with the premium finish, the Pebble Time Steel is priced at $249 (considerably less than the cheapest Apple Watch offering), while the plastic case Pebble Time offers all the same features for just $199.
I don’t think it comes close to holding its own against premium smartwatch offerings such as the Apple Watch or Samsung Gear 2. However, many consumers don’t need or don’t use all the features these devices offer.
For anyone who wants smartwatch basics — notifications on their wrist — while having a display that’s always on, no fussing with daily recharging and not being tied to a specific smartphone platform, the Pebble Time remains a compelling choice.
If you want more features, you’ll need to look beyond Pebble.
The real issue is whether the Pebble Time Steel is worth paying the extra $50 over the regular Pebble Time. People who are willing to fork out the extra for the more polished appearance could also easily take the next step and shell out for an even shinier Apple Watch.
As of this writing, Brad Moon did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.
