The $225 Pebble Time 2 is a refreshingly enjoyable smartwatch

The new $225 Pebble Time 2 smartwatch appears like a toy, and we imply that in the most effective sense of the phrase. The refreshed model of the indie smartwatch model, rebooted by its unique founder, feels informal, enjoyable, and playful, — not like a mini-computer in your wrist. Its quirky watch faces and easy apps and video games give it a type of hacker power, whereas its bodily buttons, e-paper display screen, and lengthy battery life present its retro vibes.

The very first thing you’ll discover in regards to the new Pebble Time 2 is that the gadget appears nothing like an Apple Watch. Where the Apple Watch has an OLED touchscreen show, the Pebble opts for a shade e-paper display screen. Where the Apple Watch is available in a variety of band varieties, from sporty straps to high-end metals and leather-based, the Pebble Time 2 has a silicone watch band, making it really feel extra like a Swatch rival than a flowery smartwatch. And as an alternative of selecting between totally different aluminum finishes, as with the Apple Watch, the Pebble Time 2 offers a choice of colors: blue, purple, silver, or black wrapped round its chrome steel body of silver or black.

The watch’s 64-color e-paper display screen is at all times on however could be backlit (through an RGB LED) with a flick of your wrist or through faucets. Like virtually every little thing on the watch, you’ll be able to customise this, too. (I set mine to mild up with a single faucet as an alternative of two.)

This show is extra muted in contrast with an Apple Watch’s Retina show, but it surely’s straightforward to see in shiny daylight, and the trade-off right here means the battery can final a very long time: about 21 days on a cost, relying on use, with a charger included within the field.

But the place Pebble actually differentiates itself from different smartwatches is its software program and, particularly, its group. The group is actually the rationale the watch nonetheless exists in any respect — after the corporate behind the unique Pebble shut down.

Pebble’s comeback

Pebble had first begun as a Kickstarter venture earlier than in the end making its method to Google, by the use of a Fitbit acquisition. Before its exit, the corporate offered 2 million watches, producing $230 million in gross sales. Even so, its founder, Eric Migicovsky (who has since co-founded the messaging app Beeper), overtly shared that Pebble’s financials weren’t able to sustain the business, which pressured the sale.

Fitbit stored the watch’s servers and app retailer alive till mid-2018. After that, the job was taken over by Pebble’s own user community, an uncommon present of name loyalty that successfully stored the product on life assist at no cost.

Then, in 2025, Migicovsky, with the assistance of some ex-Pebblers and Fitbit people at Google, satisfied the tech big to open source the unique Pebble working system. This made it potential for him to take one other crack at constructing Pebble watches beneath his new firm, Core Devices.

Core Devices has since shipped a limited-edition Pebble 2 Duo watch and has now offered greater than 25,000 of its Pebble Time 2 watches throughout 93 international locations. Its third gadget, the Pebble Round 2, is predicted to start delivery in September.

While Migicovsky hopes the do-over will give him an opportunity to right the errors of the previous, what hasn’t been left behind is Pebble’s spirit.

Watch faces! So many watch faces!

Still very a lot sustained by its hacker group, the gadget already ships with over 2,120 watch faces and apps constructed by Pebble builders, together with over 500 new ones from a spring developer contest. This is the place issues begin to get enjoyable. Since the very first thing many individuals do is customise their watch face, this massive, whimsical choice showcases the group’s playful vibes.

Using the Pebble companion cell app, you’ll be able to select from easy analog or digital shows, or you’ll be able to choose from these that includes foolish characters, like cartoon canines, cats, or axolotls; varied backgrounds and scenes; pixelated retro shows; big, brightly coloured numbers; textual content proven styled in artistic fonts, like these from comedian books or sci-fi; and extra.

You can set the display screen to be a favourite meme, like Nyan Cat, or to a watch face with characters from traditional video video games like Mario, Kirby, Pokémon, and extra. (Don’t ask in regards to the licensing — simply get pleasure from it whereas it lasts.)

Apps and video games

Despite a a lot smaller consumer base than the Apple Watch, the Pebble app retailer is stuffed with artistic and infrequently area of interest functions throughout classes like well being and health, video games, instruments and utilities, remotes, and others. There are many helpful instruments right here — timers, Spotify controls, climate apps, to-do lists, calculators, navigation aids, inventory trackers, a Strava exercise tracker, medicine reminders, well being apps, calendars, and plenty of enjoyable, usually retro-inspired, video games.

What’s unimaginable in regards to the choice is that many of those had been created by people who merely needed an app for a selected objective, so that they constructed it themselves. That could possibly be an app for monitoring an area prepare schedule, or their tennis rating, their Claude AI utilization, when to use extra sunscreen, or a thousand different issues that will by no means make sense for an indie developer to construct as a enterprise.

There are additionally newer AI-powered apps for many who need entry to a chatbot or agent on their wrist.

There are many playful apps, too, just like the PebGoBrrrr app that tells time by vibrating the watch, or one the place you’ll be able to whack a mole for enjoyable. (I don’t know, why not?). Among the most popular apps is the self-described “pointless” Pixel Miner sport, the place your little character mines for treasure. Another fashionable creation affords a FitCat virtual pet and exercise tracker.

There’s even an app you can use to make different apps.

If there’s any criticism to be made right here, it’s that there’s virtually an excessive amount of to discover. The Pebble app retailer may gain advantage from extra search and discovery instruments, much like Apple’s App Store — subcategories, lists, editorial choices, or personalised suggestions. You might spend hours, weeks, or months looking the app retailer and nonetheless discover new issues.

All the fundamentals, too

However, even if you happen to used the Pebble Time 2 with out putting in additional apps, the watch continues to be very practical. It mirrors the notifications despatched to your cellphone, which you’ll be able to individually toggle on and off within the Pebble companion app. Plus, you’ll be able to management your music enjoying in your cellphone, set alarms and timers, and extra. While the app doesn’t market itself as a health tracker, it does provide some fundamental capabilities, like monitoring steps, sleep, and coronary heart price.

The watch additionally affords a traditional Pebble function generally known as the timeline, accessed by the down button on the fitting facet. This permits you to scroll by way of your day, together with previous and upcoming calendar occasions, reminders, climate, and pins added by different apps. It’s an at-a-glance take a look at what you have got developing subsequent, which is useful.

The Pebble Time 2’s buttons are intuitive to make use of. The watch comes with four buttons, greater than you’ll discover on the Apple Watch, however they make sense. The prime button is the up button, the underside one is down, and the center is choose. The button on the left facet of the watch is again. What’s extra, you’ll be able to customize any button to launch a favorite app with a faucet or lengthy press. (By default, an extended press on the again button launches Quiet Time, which silences your notifications.)

Further specs are available on Migicovsky‘s blog. Note that the watch has some water resistance — 30 m / 3 ATM — which means it can handle everyday water exposure like rain or handwashing, but don’t go swimming or diving with it.

Being much less linked: A perk or an issue?

Where the watch falls brief is principally in areas the corporate can’t management, like its compatibility with iOS. Apple’s guidelines limit the watch from having the ability to do many issues, like taking actions on notifications, responding to texts, or making various iOS apps work with the watch. That means even fundamental options, like your every day alarms, gained’t sync over mechanically to the Pebble — you’ll need to set them up instantly on the watch.

But there’s a silver lining to this. Because Pebble is extra restricted, it doesn’t change into one other factor you must take note of and have interaction with. You can keep linked with out feeling an obligation to right away reply or take some type of motion. Though it took some adjustment, I’ll admit, after some time I discovered it simpler to easily look on the watch and look away with out feeling the tug to do one thing.

What’s price watching right here is the place this goes subsequent. The firm ships new firmware each few weeks and updates its companion cell app. It’s been including new APIs and different enhancements after launch and nonetheless plans so as to add options sooner or later, like enabling the second mic for noise cancellation.