Pebble Time Round Review: Beauty Has Its Price
With the release of its original smartwatch in 2013, Pebble was one of the first companies to create such a gizmo that people actually liked. Since then, Pebble has released three other watches, including the Pebble Time, which offered an improved interface and (for the first time) a color display.
But until now, none of Pebble’s watches had the classic circular look of a regular wristwatch. The company’s new Pebble Time Round changes that. It also offers a color e-ink display, a waterproof body, and an incredibly thin frame.
But at $250, the Pebble Time Round is pretty pricey for what it does — and, more importantly, doesn’t — offer.
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Round and super-thin
The Pebble Time Round is not only, um, round, it’s also incredibly thin. I’ve been wearing one for the better part of a week, and I’m still surprised by how slight the watch is.
In fact, Pebble says the Time Round is the thinnest and lightest smartwatch around. It’s no exaggeration to say that you’ll forget you’re even wearing the thing — not something you can say about most other smartwatches.
In fact, the Time Round’s profile might be too low: Every time I tried to press its buttons, I wound up pulling out my arm hair. That might just be me, though; other people who tried it out were able to use it without issue.
My personal arm hair problem aside, there was one other thing I found off-putting about the particular Time Round I was testing: While some versions of the watch add hashes or other details to the bezel to make it look more inviting, mine was just a bunch of empty space.
As a result, the watch looked and felt to me more like a toy than a smartwatch. If you’re thinking of buying the thing, I’d recommend you get a version that adds details to the bezel; it’ll be much more attractive.
Pebble also offers the Time Round with a variety of straps ranging from basic black leather (which is what mine came with) to rose-gold mesh and silver link.
A color display
Like its predecessor, the Pebble Time, the Time Round comes with a color e-paper display. That screen is nowhere near as clear or colorful as those found on the Apple Watch, Motorola Moto 360, or Samsung Gear S2, but that’s by design.
By using an e-paper screen, Pebble is able to keep the Time Round’s screen on all day without completely killing its battery. To help conserve their batteries, the Apple Watch and Gear S2 both turn off their displays until you want to use them (by, say, moving your wrist to check the time). The Moto 360 and other Android Wear watches can have their displays set to always on or to turn off until you use them.
Unfortunately, the Pebble Time’s e-paper screen can be difficult to see in low-light situations. To address this, the company has added a backlight to the display that turns on when you twist your wrist to check the time or press one of the watch’s buttons.
Personally, I’m not a fan of e-paper displays: I prefer sharp screens with bright colors, but that’s a matter of preference. In practice, the Pebble’s screen is relatively clear and gets the job done. But it’s certainly not the best looking display around.
Pebble Timeline OS
Like the Pebble Time, the Pebble Time Round uses the company’s new Timeline OS. That software basically organizes things in terms of past and future events and notifications. So if you have something coming up, you can press the bottom button on the Pebble’s right side. Want to look at past events? Press the top button.
Between those is a select button. Pressing that will take you to the watch’s menu, from which you can access apps like the music player, alarms, and notifications. There’s also a back button on the left side.
Altogether, it’s a solid, easy-to-navigate interface. But after using the Gear S2, which lets you navigate through menus using its rotating bezel and touch screen, the Pebble’s reliance on so many buttons feels outdated.
Then again, the Gear S2 is also thicker and heavier than the Pebble Time Round. Adding a rotating bezel or touchscreen would inevitably increase the Time Round’s bulk, killing its biggest selling point.
Android and iOS
The problem with most smartwatches is that they only work with specific types of smartphones: The Apple Watch only works with iPhones, while Samsung’s Gear S2 only works with Android phones (saving some features for Samsung’s own handsets).
Google’s Android Wear, meanwhile, is compatible with Android and iOS, but iOS users don’t get much in the way of functionality compared to their Android counterparts.
The Pebble Time Round, however, is compatible with both Android and iOS, meaning you don’t have to have a particular type of phone to get the most out of the watch. That could be a big selling point for people who are currently using an iPhone but are thinking about switching to Android, or vice versa.
Battery life
One of the main reasons Pebble became so popular in the first place was because its watches could last up to a week on a single charge. That’s incredibly impressive when you consider that most other smartwatches last less than half that long.
That’s not the case with the Pebble Time Round, though. Due to its thin size and color display, the Time Round lasts just two days on a charge. Granted, that’s still longer than some Android Wear watches and the Apple Watch, but Samsung’s Gear S2 lasts just as long despite and it has a colorful AMOLED screen.
In that sense, the Time Round will be a big letdown for Pebble fans.
The bottom line
The Pebble Time Round is a relatively attractive smartwatch that works with both the iPhone and Android handsets, but it’s really hurt by its disappointing battery life.
The fact that the Time Round starts at $250 — when you can buy an Android Wear watch for as little as $150, or the more impressive Samsung Gear S2 for $300 — only adds to the watch’s woes.
For dedicated Pebble fans looking for a sleeker more watch-like smartwatch, the Time Round could be a fine choice. Everyone else may want to look to Pebble’s other offerings, or simply opt for one of the dozens of other smartwatches out there.
Email Daniel at dhowley@yahoo-inc.com; follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley or on Google+.
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