Pebble Time v Apple Watch: The iPhone compatible smartwatch fight

Back Pebble or grab the Watch? Read our comparison to find out
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The Pebble Time Steel launched on Kickstarter just a week before the 9 March Apple Watch event, yet the rivalry between these two smartwatches is set to extend way beyond just timing.

Was it an accident that Pebble's press imagery bore an uncanny resemblance to Apple's own Watch? No chance: it's a clear sign that these two devices are going head to head in 2015 – the year that smartwatches will go mainstream.

Read all about it: Apple Watch review

Until the Pebble Time and Pebble Time Steel, the Apple Watch's main rivals appeared to be high-end fitness trackers. But now the original cross-platform smartwatch is back with a classier design, re-worked OS, 7-10 day battery life and customisable smart straps.

We've been hands on with both smartwatches, here's how they stack up...

Pebble Time v Apple Watch: Design

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Neither of these smartwatches bears much resemblance to any classic wristwatch – a look mimicked by a number of high profile devices such as the Huawei Watch or LG Watch Urbane. With square faced designs, both shun last year's decree that smartwatches should be round in face – yet still pack substantial class.

Newly updated: The best smartwatch for you

Both new Pebble smartwatches feel well made and should withstand a fair amount of wear and tear. The Pebble Time is very light, slim at 9.5mm and looks a little geeky, whereas the Time Steel is slightly bigger, 1mm thicker but feels much more polished. With a stainless steel strap it feels expensive plus the new curved design hugs your wrist and will make it easier to slip under shirt sleeves. Our only concern is those huge bezels which dwarf the screen a little - it looks better with black bezels and a black background but it's still noticeable.

Even sleeker still is the Apple Watch, especially with some of the immensely well-designed (and hugely expensive) straps available. The look completely depends on which model and strap you go for but all include a single crystal sapphire face and Apple's Digital Crown on the right hand edge. The Time Steel's four navigation buttons are textured but Apple's smartwatch is the more perfectly finished of the two.

Google rival: Android Wear v Apple Watch

Both the Pebble and Apple Watch are on the more compact side with two sizes for Apple - 38mm and 42mm. There are no size options for Pebble, but the Time Steel is larger and thicker.

Both are also high on customisation - the Apple Watch has 38 different combinations of bodies and straps including the real gold Watch Edition.

There are three colours to choose from (black, silver and gold finish) when buying a Pebble - and the choice between the Time and Time Steel. Plus the Pebble smartwatches have a quick release mechanism so you can change the colour of your strap in 5-10 seconds.

For now, the Apple Watch wins on design but it's worth noting that both Pebbles look better in person than they do in the press pics.

Pebble Time v Apple Watch: Screen and battery life

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The two Apple Watch screen sizes are 1.5-inch and 1.65-inch versus the 1.26-inch display on the Pebble Time. And the differences don't stop there.

While the Pebble Time uses a low power, colour e-paper display with a 30fps refresh rate, the Apple Watch, of course, comes with an expensive, touch sensitive AMOLED display made by LG. The Pebble makes do with buttons which it says are more reliable on the go than a touchscreen.

The displays couldn't be more different - the Apple Watch's is bright with rich colours and a 290ppi resolution which is pretty sharp for a screen this small.

The Pebble, on the other hand, makes do with 64 colours, which don't exactly pop out from the screen, but are a nice enhancement over the old monochrome e-paper Pebble watches. Watchfaces, music player widgets and Timeline items will all get a boost.

Plus the Time should be easier to read in direct sunlight - you don't want to be whacking up the brightness on the Apple Watch too much outdoors. Why? Because while the Apple Watch screen might sound mighty appealing, it will sap your battery to the point you need to charge every night. Conversely, that e-paper display means that the Pebble will last up to seven days for the Time and up to ten days for the Time Steel.

When it comes down to it, we think Pebble made a smart move. The watch does the job and the long battery life is a genuine benefit. However, the Apple Watch is a much nicer experience, and looks better on the wrist. Which is more important is a direct personal choice.

Pebble Time v Apple Watch: Interface

Apps take centre stage on the Apple Watch and while early offerings have largely been lacklustre, we're expecting plenty of exciting nuggets of wearable tech software from developers in the next few months.

Before we get on to those, Jony Ive and co have designed a whole new Watch OS. Like your phone, there's a homescreen which is used to launch apps. You can customise what you see on the homescreen and the colours of certain details of the interface and download live wallpapers. The Digital Crown is used as a home button and can be twisted to scroll or zoom around the OS doing away with some, if not all, of the tapping and swiping we now associate with Android Wear.

It's not as user-friendly and intuitive as we tend to think Apple products should be, and it's very much about you, the user, going to find information via apps – rather than have it presented to you, as with Android Wear. Of course, we don't mean notifications – rather travel info, disruption, weather, location aware information and more.

Pebble has gone in a completely new direction. It's turned its interface into a Timeline - a list of alerts, calendar items and notifications that's constantly updated by apps pushing bits of information to it. You can look back 24 hours to see what you've missed or forward 48 hours to see what's coming up - and anyone can make data sources such as web apps, available on Timeline without building Pebble apps.

Again, there two approaches are chalk and cheese. The Apple Watch replaces many of the micro-interactions we use our smartphones for, saving you time, and developers will make it an incredibly powerful gadget.

However, Pebble's actively reorganises your life in a way your smartphone can't, but it will never be as functional. Personal preference will again rule here, but there's no doubt that Pebble wins out in beautiful simplicity, while the Apple Watch is a more exciting proposition, which will attract different users for different reasons.

Pebble Time v Apple Watch: Tracking

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If you're looking to buy a smartwatch that can help you with health or fitness goals, the Apple Watch is your best bet. At least for now.

It has a built-in heart rate sensor, dedicated Workout app and it hooks up to Apple Health on the iPhone where you can link food or exercise tracking with other services and wearables. One thing to mention - it doesn't actually have GPS so you won't be able to track runs accurately without also taking your iPhone out with you. This could be a dealbreaker for some with so many solid GPS watch options, some of which now handle smartphone notifications too.

Pebble is no fitness watch, it's primarily a companion device for your smartphone. And to keep the price low and the design slim and light, there's no fitness specific sensors at all - no GPS, no heart rate tracking - all it can really handle is basic step counting and distance via apps like Misfit.

But don't despair. Pebble has announced its open Smartstraps platform so that hardware devs and makers can build straps to connect to its accessory port on the inside of the watch. However, there's no ETA on when fitness ready Smartstraps might become available.

Pebble Time v Apple Watch: Apps

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It's too early to tell but it's safe to assume Apple will win this particular battle hands down. Pebble doesn't have the big name partnerships that Apple does and indie devs, and there's over 3,000 apps on the App Store already.

The list of apps is extensive, but the quality isn't yet there – as we highlighted in our Apple Watch review.

The question, of course, is do you want apps on your smartwatch at all? That's what Pebble CEO Eric Migicovsky is asking. Pebble has a store of 6,500+ 'apps', but the majority of those are watchfaces, a lot of the apps simply bundle together notification features.

Instead, Migicovsky wants the world to open up 'data sources' for the Pebble's new Timeline. We're not sure there's as much incentive for developers to get involved here. But we can see brands and services jumping on this as a way to push relevant, timely information into users' smartwatch streams - once you opt in or out to each one via the Pebble store, of course.

Again, the emphasis from Apple is new experiences for the wrist enabled by third party apps. Pebble is a simplification, and apps add to the noise.

Pebble Time v Apple Watch: Price

pebble-time-steel-review-strap-1425383423-QBoQ-column-width-inlineWe probably should have stuck this section at the top as price is a big factor when comparing Apple and Pebble smartwatches. Yet it almost goes without saying that the Apple Watch is vastly more expensive than the Pebble.

The Apple Watch Sport, which is made of cheaper materials and straps, starts at for a 38mm, and for the larger 42mm (which most men will want). Then increase that to in excess of for the main Apple Watch (not including changing up straps) and you have a seriously pricey proposition.

The Pebble Time went on sale in three colours (Black/Black, White/Silver and Red/Black) for just $159 via Kickstarter earlier this year and is now shipping to campaign backers.

The Time will sell for $199 later on in the year at getpebble.com and in stores, with pre-orders opening on 22 June.

The Time Steel was selling for $250 on Kickstarter, but will set you back $299 when it goes on general release.

There's no indication yet on how much smart straps might cost, probably because no-one has built any yet.

Pebble Time v Apple Watch: Early verdict

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While we have to withhold definitive verdicts until we get the Pebble Time on our wrists for a longer period of time, there's some obvious conclusions about each device that make them chalk and cheese for buyers.

The Apple Watch is more fun, looks better, and has the potential for experiences through apps that genuinely excite – but now it comes with serious compromises in terms of battery life and usability.

The Pebble feels more mature and grown up. It does less, and tries less hard, and with its battery life, it works for you. But you'll never feel proud to show it off to friends.

What's more important? That's for you to decide.


How we test



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Sophie was Wareable's associate editor. She joined the team from Stuff magazine where she was an in-house reviewer. For three and a half years, she tested every smartphone, tablet, and robot vacuum that mattered. 

A fan of thoughtful design, innovative apps, and that Spike Jonze film, she is currently wondering how many fitness tracker reviews it will take to get her fit. Current bet: 19.

Sophie has also written for a host of sites, including Metro, the Evening Standard, the Times, the Telegraph, Little White Lies, the Press Association and the Debrief.

She now works for Wired.


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