Editors' Note: Pebble has shut down and is no longer manufacturing or selling smartwatches. Existing devices should continue to work as they have, but functionality or service may be reduced in the future. As such, we can no longer recommend this product. Our original review is below.
Without ever setting up shop at this year's CES, Pebble stole the show with its boardroom-ready refresh: the Pebble Steel ($199 direct). Since the original Pebble's launch, we've seen flashy new entrants like the Samsung Galaxy Gear and Sony Smartwatch 2($558.50 at Amazon)—brimming with features, but ultimately flawed as full-time wrist mates. The first Pebble succeeded by finding a nexus of features and simplicity that helped manage the digital deluge of everyday life. But the inaugural effort was not without its flaws; namely a chintzy plastic design that made it feel more tech-toy than versatile daily driver. The Pebble Steel addresses those complaints in a big way with its solid steel design, glass screen, and much tighter build quality. Everything else, from the display to the processor, remains the same. It's a superficial update, but coupled with the new app store and growing selection of apps, the Pebble Steel shows just how far the former Kickstarter darling has come. It's the top smartwatch out there right now and earns our Editors' Choice award.
Design and Features
Turns out the Pebble cleans up quite nicely. The Pebble Steel takes the smartwatch from Galaxy Blah to Apple-esque levels of refinement, with a solid steel case (in either brushed or matte finishes), Gorilla Glass screen, and both metal and leather wristbands. Our review unit came with a brushed steel finish and a supple, black leather band—I'm not much of a watch guy, but this thing looks sharp.
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The Steel is noticeably heavier than the original (1.97 ounces with leather wristband vs 1.34 ounces), but it's physically smaller in every dimension (1.81 by 1.34 by 0.41 inches vs 2.05 by 1.42 by 0.45 inches). The 144-by-168-pixel e-paper display is identical, but the glass screen makes a big difference—clarity and contrast are noticeably better on the Steel. The metal case wraps around the screen, leaving a lip at the edges that already started accumulating some dust during the course of this review. Below the display is a new RGB LED that glows when charging, but can also be used by developers.
All four buttons are now metal and the three on the right side are packed closer together. Whereas the original Pebble's buttons felt mushy and indistinct, the Pebble Steel's buttons have good travel and feedback. The magnetic charging contacts on the left side have been redesigned with a more subtle, two-point design, but that means cables for the original Pebble will not work. The Steel carries the same 5ATM waterproof rating, meaning it can be submerged up to 165 feet and has been tested in both fresh and salt water, so you can shower or swim with the watch.
Performance and Pebble Apps
When we first reviewed the Pebble, it was all about wireless notifications and fun watch faces. The software has since matured a great deal with the introduction of third-party apps, and with its revamped app store, Pebble is as much a software platform as it is a physical accessory. We've already covered the nuts and bolts of setup and notifications in our original review, so we'll focus on what's new to Pebble here. The firmware has been updated across all Pebble watches, and it feels a step faster and more responsive than the last time we used a Pebble. Notifications and menu navigation are instantaneous, though you'll still deal with a few loading screens and some wonky app interactions. The software is still technically in beta, but I didn't notice any significant bugs or hiccups.
We tested on iOS and with the recently updated Android app. The new Android app (version 2.3 Beta) works with devices running Android 4.3 or later and brings global support for all Android notifications without the need for a third-party workaround. It also supports actionable, Android-Wear-compatible notifications. That's a big step up from the old system, where notifications were limited to a small set of apps like Gmail or Twitter unless you downloaded a separate app to push your remaining notifications. The old workaround was fine in most cases, but having it all under one roof makes it both simpler and more reliable.
The Android Wear compatibility doesn't mean the Pebble will run Android Wear apps, rather it means that developers will not need to write separate code for Pebble notifications, since the Pebble app can interact with notifications built for Android Wear. Those notifications are now actionable straight from the watch as well, meaning you can do things like delete emails or reply to texts with canned responses. You could do things like this in the past, but you'd need to download a third-party app and watch face for the Pebble; in our initial tests, that experience wasn't completely reliable or straightforward.
The new Android update is significant, but still has some inherent disadvantages versus Android Wear powered smartwatches. There's no voice support, so actionable notifications are hobbled in many respects—you can't compose a personalized response, for example. Many Android Wear apps are still both visually more impressive and more functional, too.
Otherwise, when you fire up the main app, you'll see a graphical dashboard that shows the apps and watch faces currently loaded onto your Pebble and the apps tied to your Pebble account. You can load up to eight apps or watch faces onto the Pebble Steel at a time, while the rest are easily swappable from the app locker.
There are hundreds of apps and countless watch faces available for the Pebble. And it's not just a ragtag group of half-baked apps anymore; Pebble scored some big name partnerships, such as apps from Yelp and ESPN. The Yelp app has a nifty "discovery mode" which pops up a nearby suggestion with a flick of the wrist. You can read snippets of reviews and find contact and location information, but it doesn't indicate what type of food a restaurant specializes in. This very well could be by design—Pebble apps aren't meant to replace their iOS or Android counterparts, but rather complement them with quick and easily accessible information. ESPN's app puts the latest matchups, scores, and even TV listings on your wrist. Some other notable names include Foursquare, GoPro, and Pandora.
The updated Pebble app is now more responsive and less buggy than the last time we checked it out. You'll still deal with some delays and sluggishness, but I rarely wondered if the app had crashed or was simply loading content. And if you had to use a workaround for your other notifications, the experience is now far smoother and easier to manage. This is still a beta release, but it doesn't feel as hacked together anymore, giving the entire experience a more legitimate, mainstream-friendly appeal.
There's a big carousel up top that highlights notable releases, while the remaining apps are broken down into categories like games or fitness. There are no reviews of individual apps, but you can "love" an app and see how many "loves" it's received.
Conclusions
The Pebble Steel is notable for what it is and what it is not. It's a complete redesign that tastefully marries high-tech with high-end looks. It's not a me-too product that tries to pack in needless features just for the sake of features. Pebble runs on the strength of its simplicity and its growing ecosystem of apps—it's a winning strategy, and not unlike Apple's. With the Pebble Steel and the Pebble app store, the company now has a mature product to go along with a quickly maturing platform. Whether the style upgrades are worth the $100 premium over the original is really just a matter of personal taste.
The Pebble Steel is as mature as smartwatches come; it couples sophisticated design with a burgeoning Pebble app store, and cements its place atop the competition.
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