I have literally and figuratively been on a rollercoaster ride with my Pebble Time. The former is true because it accompanied me on the "Giant Dipper" coaster at the beach in Santa Cruz, but the latter is a bit more complicated than that. You see, I went from being very enthusiastic about the Time to being somewhat underwhelmed by it, and then coming to love it after having it on my wrist for a while. So, in a way, my thoughts and feelings regarding the Time fluctuated and kind of went on a rollercoaster ride, soaring up at the beginning, plummetting, and finally evening out. Fancy writing aside, my point is that after using it for a while, I really like this watch, despite it's quirks and several shortcomings. Is the Pebble Time for you, though? Let's find out in the much-delayed Pebble Pariahs' review!
Design
I like to start these reviews with design impressions, as it's the first thing you really experience with a Pebble. While some may not care for the Time's dual bezels, reminiscent of old televisions, we think they give the watch a fun personality. Still, we feel that this is hardly a stunning watch, and it very much lacks the elegance of the Pebble Steel. However, design is subjective, so we'll leave it to you to decide whether or not you care for the this watch's style.
If you take a look around the face of this watch, you'll find an outer metal bezel that scratches very easily. Consequently, if you didn't like the TV look before, you'll probably dislike the scratched bezel look even more. We recommend getting a skin to protect it or at least cover up existing scratches.
Within that outer bezel sits a Gorilla Glass 3 display cover. On the bright side, it should be much more resistant to scratching than the plastic cover of the original Pebble. Unfortunately, it is also unbelievably prone to getting grimy and covered in fingerprints. If this glass ever had some sort of an oleophobic coating, it has long worn off. To be clear, this may not be an issue for all Pebble Times, but it was something I encountered with this one. As a result, I feel that it is probably worth mentioning.
Moving on, if you look at the sides of the watch, you'll find lugs on top and bottom that support standard 22-millimeter bands. Coming from the Pebble Steel, which required a third-party adapter to use standard bands, this is definitely a relief. On the left and right, you'll find Pebble's signature navigation buttons. They're much less noticeable than on earlier models, but they're unfortunately not terribly satisfying. Though this could also have to do with age, I generally found the Time's buttons to be mushy and lacking in feedback. That being said, I was never too bothered by them, and they were perfectly usable. Also, below the down button on the right side of the watch, there is a single microphone for voice replies. While this no longer works due to Pebble's servers shutting down, Rebble offers a subscription service that brings this functionality back among other things.
Lastly, on the back of the watch, you'll find the magnetic charging port. It is a bit finicky, but it does get the job done. Also, one important thing to note about the back of this watch is that it is slightly curved to better cover your wrist. This makes the watch very comfortable, and it's thin and light enough to kind of disappear on your wrist after putting it on. Overall, this is a watch that I can happily wear for hours at a time.
So far, the Time's design has been somewhat of a mixed bag. Despite this, we still feel like it's a pretty nice watch, and it does feel great on the wrist. It may not be the most classy, but it is functional!
The Display
I think we've put off one of the Time's most notable features for long enough: the color screen. It features a 144x168 color e-paper display, and it is small enough at 1.25 inches to still look decently sharp. Just like the screens on earlier Pebbles, this type of display is most visible in sunlight instead of the other way around, and it also consumes significantly less power than the more traditional types of screens found in most smartwatches.
However, this is a color screen, so we need to discuss it's color-displaying abilities! In short, it can display 64 different colors, and they look pretty nice, too. They are somewhat muted, but they still help give watch faces and the UI some extra flair. Even though I wouldn't really call the color display an essential feature for Pebbles, it is certainly good to have.
If I have one complaint about the screen, it has to be its viewing angles. It's located fairly deep into the watch, which makes it difficult (if not impossible) to view at several angles. Worse yet, previous models had their displays closer to the watch's crystal, and therefore did not suffer from this problem. While I don't feel like this in itself will make or break the Pebble Time, it just adds to the list of design quirks that this watch has. However, we Pebble Pariahs still feel that the color screen is nice enough to overlook this.
The Innards
So, what makes the Pebble Time tick? Well, at its heart is an ARM Cortex-M4 clocked at 100 MHz paired with around 16 megabytes of internal storage. These specifications are not particularly impressive by today's standards, but they do work to this watch's advantage since they do not require too much power. Thanks to Pebble's speedy and lightweight software, the Time is still plenty performant, and the impressive endurance is just icing on the cake.
Software
That slick software is none other than Pebble OS 4. Pebble OS has been known for its fun and cheerful animations, and OS 4 introduces some new ones that make it feel even more polished and refined. This version also includes some handy new apps, although these vary depending on whether or not you are using an iPhone or an Android device.
Of the bundled apps, the most notable one to many will likely be the Pebble Health suite. With step and sleep tracking, it offers a couple of handy fitness features. These aren't terribly accurate, but they do give you some feedback on your activity and sleep. One nice bonus of Pebble Health as opposed to some third-party solutions is that you can also sync your health data with Google Fit or Apple Health depending on your phone's platform.
Anyway, it's important to realize that Pebble Health is nowhere near as packed with features as more modern smartwatch fitness tracking solutions. For one, you won't be able to track your heart rate, as the Time lacks the necessary sensors to do so. Also, you can't use Pebble Health for tracking workouts or anything like that, which is definitely disappointing. That being said, you probably shouldn't get any Pebble if you're too concerned about fitness tracking. The fact remains that this is a notification and calendar mirror first and foremost, although the extra health features are certainly welcome.
If you're familiar with Pebble software, you'll likely be right at home on OS 4. Even if you aren't, it's extremely easy to get the hang of. Software definitely remains one of the Time's best attributes, and its lightweight nature likely led to the Time's impressive endurance while I was testing it.
Testing and Endurance
From my testing, the Pebble Time had no problem staying connected to my Pixel 4a running Android 11. It quickly mirrored notifications I received on my phone to my wrist with a gentle and satisfying buzz. The vibration motor in the Time is noticeably better than previous models, so kudos to Pebble for making this quality-of-life improvement.
Otherwise, I found that this Pebble did a good job executing its core functions from day to day. There were some annoying bugs here and there, but they weren't major enough to significantly hinder the Time's usability. Overall, I didn't encounter too many problems during the two months I tested this watch.
Moving on, it's also worth noting that the Time has an increased water resistance rating of 30 ATM. This is much higher than the 5 ATM of previous models. While you probably won't want to go swimming with it, this is a nice upgrade.
Finally, there is endurance to address. This will significantly vary from watch to watch depending on usage and care, but even with its several-year-old battery, my Time easily lasted a few days on a charge when I turned it off at night. This is likely due to its aforementioned power-sipping hardware and software, though my battery seems to have aged fairly well, too. When I used it for sleep tracking and kept it on at night, I did find that I could only get 2-3 days of usage out of it. However, it is worth noting that it could probably last about a week on a charge with a new battery, and again, your mileage will almost certainly vary. Regardless, it was impressive that my Pebble Time easily outlasted my Fossil Gen 5, a smartwatch much newer than it!
An Acquired Taste
As I wrote earlier, I wasn't sure whether or not I liked the Pebble Time at first. I had expected it to be the perfect Pebble when compared to its predecessors. When I considered its smaller size, color screen, and more refined design, I couldn't really see what wasn't to like! However, you don't get something for nothing, and as I mentioned before, and I soon discovered that Time had some fairly major quirks that I had to live with. That being said, it didn't take long for me to understand that the Pebble Time is all about function over form, and when you consider its color e-paper display and snappy, updated software, it does become much easier to overlook the shortcomings that this watch has.
As time went on, I started to really appreciate the Time. I found that it was not a watch I was afraid to take wherever I go, whether it be around the house or on my wrist as I stood at the front of a boat speeding below the Golden Gate Bridge. No, it's not the most attractive watch, and yes, I do still have some complaints about the hardware. However, it's also a watch I'm not afraid to get scratched up, which definitely has some value in and of itself.
Now, after a whole summer of testing it, I can say that I like the Pebble Time very much. From a hardware standpoint alone, I would not say it's an amazing watch, but it does what it's designed to do very well. Add in the excellent Pebble software, the Time does become a really great watch. Unfortunately, I feel that to many, this will not be immediately apparent. As a result, I think that this watch definitely a bit of an acquired taste. It might take some getting used to, and it may not be perfect, but once it becomes familiar, I think you too will find that it is a rather good one.
Final Verdict
At last, we have reached the final part of this review! So, is the Pebble Time worth buying in 2021? For most people, probably not. After all, it lacks the health features and modern perks of newer watches that the masses expect, and you could probably get a capable fitness tracker for around the same price that even has some smart features. However, we're not writing this blog for most people! We're writing it for those who believe in Pebble's philosophy that a smartwatch should augment the experience of using your smartphone, not replace it, while also featuring lightweight and intuitive software.
If you are interested in getting a Pebble or already own another model, we can definitely recommend the Time to some. Usually costing $40-$50 USD on sites like eBay, it is definitely pricier than some earlier Pebble devices.
For those looking for a more elegant watch, we still think that the Pebble Steel or the more premium Time Steel and Time Round are better options. The normal, silver Steel usually goes for a little below the price of the Time, and the Time Steel and Time Round often command at least double the typical price of the Time, generally costing around $100.
On the other hand, if you're looking for a tool more than a premium wearable, the original Pebble goes for impressively low prices while also offering many of the same features that the Time does. However, it is worth mentioning that it cannot run Pebble OS 4, so if that newer software does interest you, the Pebble 2 could also be a decent alternative. Just keep in mind that it is often expensive and somewhat difficult to find here in the States.
With that in mind, we can definitely recommend the Time to those who want Pebble OS 4, a color screen, and/or its more refined design, but also don't want to spend more than $50. While we do recommend taking a look at other Pebble models before you decide on this one for certain, if you aren't too focused on your watch's appearance, we think you'll also come to really like the Pebble Time. It's not without its flaws, but considering the price that it usually goes for when compared to other models, we think it's definitely worth checking out if you can overlook them!
Written by John