6 ms·

After wearing the Pebble Time 2 for two weeks, I'll never buy another smartwatch

66 points by jethronethro 3mo ago

bad_username 3mo ago
Between the Apple Watch kind of watches on one side, and Pebble kind of watches on another side, there's the whole Garmin ecosystem, a mention of which is notably absent from the article. They are a nice technological middle ground (though maybe not always a price middle ground), especially the classic models with non-OLED transflective screens. Granted, they are more sports/fitness oriented, but that's hardly a drawback honestly.
- ctkhn 3mo ago
  Yeah I love my forerunner 945. Got it used in 2020 and when it died in 2023 Garmin replaced it for $150 including tax and shipping. Couple friends have got the new fancier touchscreen models but I like the simplicity of my watch. I blocked most texts from coming through as a buzz except immediate family or 2FA but it would be nice if Apple's focus modes worked better with it automatically. Been wondering if Pebble would be a good move to get even further away from proprietary software though as someone who runs or hits the gym monday through saturday
  - francisofascii 3mo ago
    I have the Forrunner 955, and also love it. It has actual push buttons all the features I need in one watch with the running, biking, swim, golf, and hiking modes.
- Auguste 3mo ago
  Yeah, my Garmin Instinct Solar 3 gets a 4-week battery life. I never looked back at my Pebble Time.
  - darrmit 3mo ago
    I came here to say this. I had abandoned smartwatches entirely and gone back to mechanical watches because smartwatches just did too much and the small utility I got from them (i.e. health) came with the tradeoff that they had to be charged every couple of days. I ended up trying the Garmin Instinct and it has been exactly what I was looking for. I turn off all notifications and just use it for the data it gives me and for the fitness tracking.
    - Auguste 3mo ago
      That's exactly how I use it. Apart from the calendar and calls, I keep all notifications off. For me, this is the perfect smartwatch. Colour displays and touch screens don't interest me.
  - mc32 3mo ago
    Unfortunately I think in the general consciousness people treat Garmins as “legacy” devices even as their systems are in some ways superior to the flashy upstarts and newcomers.
  - Ingon 3mo ago
    4-week battery life, if you don't go outside. Solar charges the watch relatively slow (e.g. it takes 3 hours of just sitting under the sun to charge a day), but if you get out frequently it just pushes the battery day just a little further. Funny experience, when I charged it the first time and got outside in the sun, it showed infinity days battery remaining :D I also appreciate that most of the data is available right there on the watch (although sometime buried). And I even used the torch a couple of times!
    - Auguste 3mo ago
      The torch is super underrated. I use it regularly, like when getting out of bed in the middle of the night. The best torch is the one you always have on you.
- rpozarickij 3mo ago
  Before owning a Garmin watch (Epix Pro Gen 2 in my case) I had no idea just how useful always having a flashlight* with you is. I'd put this feature near all the health/digital features in terms of usefulness. I have it set to red light mode by default and double-pressing the light button gives me instant and unobtrusive night vision. I have also turned on the Red Shift mode for the display which makes the watch itself much more pleasant to use. * not all Garmin watches have it AFAIK
- jebarker 3mo ago
  I’ve found Coros to be great too. I’ve used my Vertix to track GPS for 48 hours continuously during a race. It’s been beaten up against rocks, soaking wet and filthy for extended periods and still works 100%. Just yesterday it saved me from a minor emergency when I got lost on a new trail and needed to backtrack. After years of use it still has weeks of battery life for tracking daily workouts. I don’t use any of the smartwatch features like notifications though and wear a mechanical watch as my daily driver.
- jerlam 3mo ago
  Garmin and Pebble also are the watches with custom watch faces. You can change them to serious or silly or incomprehensible. Whenever I look at my Apple Watch, it's a reminder that Apple owns it and requires it to look a certain way.
rocketvole 3mo ago
Electronic devices that only need to do a handful of basic things like smartwatches and ereaders theoretically have less software complexity, which makes writing good software for them theoretically easier. in the age of ai, the threshold of "complex" has changed drastically- giving rise to even more open source adoption. Open source versions of these sw/hw tools seem to be a natural step forward.
- Honali 3mo ago
  I agree with the direction, though I am not sure "fewer features" always means easier software
Honali 3mo ago
The appeal here is not nostalgia so much as restraint. Pebble treats the watch as a peripheral
comonoid 3mo ago
Pebble is too feature overloaded, I prefer a ring.
- wollowollo 3mo ago
  I'm scared of having a lithium battery on my finger like that.
poetril 3mo ago
I've tried a handful of smartwatches, and own a Pebble 2 Duo. While I'm interested in picking up a newer Pebble device (hopefully with a bit nicer build quality), I've found my sweetspot to be a Garmin. I bought a Forerunner 165, have never needed to pair it to my phone so I can be happy in the data privacy department. Additionally the battery life is fantastic and it gives me all the data I need for my health and fitness goals.
- Pfhortune 3mo ago
  I wanted to love my Garmin watches so much. I've tried a couple of Forerunners and an Instinct 2S. The hardware is great, but the software UX is so poor... I had to memorize an archaic maze of presses/long-presses to get to various features. Just putting the watch into DnD mode required flipping through a ring of shortcuts hidden behind a long press menu. My Pebble can do this with a shortcut I assigned to a back-button long-press. Pebble's shallow-menu + shortcuts system is brilliant. I ponder what Garmin is like in an alternate dimension where _they_ bought Pebble and used their UX chops for their own devices...
  - saltcured 3mo ago
    An annoyance with Garmin is that they use something as trivial as customizable shortcuts as a price discriminator. They have it in their UI already, but remove it from the affordable budget models. On the other side, I think they are a little trapped in their legacy UX. A lot of people have Garmin watches long term, and will probably scream bloody murder if everything changes. I don't mind so much. I have one of those budget models without a touch screen, and I find the UI vastly easier to use than my prior Casio hiking watches at least...
HelloUsername 3mo ago
Now do the same review on an iOS device. "There is NO way for a 3rd party smartwatch to compete with Apple Watch. Apple restricts 3rd parties in major ways. For example, 3rd party watches on iOS cannot send replies to notifications."
- stavros 3mo ago
  Why would they need to do the review on a device that doesn't work well? That says something about your choice of broken phone, it doesn't say anything about the watch.
- Shalomboy 3mo ago
  Why would Android Authority review any smartwatch on an iOS Device? It seems outside of their interests.
  - HelloUsername 3mo ago
    Oh, I see much more than just Android on their website..
kingnothing 3mo ago
After wearing an analog watch for two years, I'll never buy another smart watch. I do not need to be so connected to my phone that my wrist vibrates when someone texts me. The little reminders to stand up are ignored. The guilt at the end of a day when I didn't get enough steps in is gone. And I have a newfound appreciation for the pure craftsmanship that goes into making this tiny analog device on my wrist that is powered by tiny springs and gears and somehow crafted well enough to be accurate within seconds per day. It's also the one piece of jewelry that is socially acceptable for every single man to wear and can be a fun expression of self given the sheer variety of watches in the world.
- dzogchen 3mo ago
  Cannot relate. I do not have notifications enabled on my Pebble. I don't have any guilt over not having enough steps at the end of the day. But I am walking more thanks to my smartwatch. I can start a timer in seconds when I am meditating, when I am cooking, when I am starting the watching machine. Also I have made a little app that shows me the weights and reps and sets I need to do for my powerlifting programme. I don't have to bring my phone to the gym. Lastly, I made a little app that shows me one thing I need to be doing for my morning routine or the next TODO on my todo list. A god send for someone suffering from ADHD.
  - jhbadger 3mo ago
    While there are things like heart rate monitors that can't be replicated on a phone, I've never understood why people bring up step tracking or timers as traits of a smartwatch. My phone tracks my steps and can be used to set a timer just as easily (probably easier as it is has a much larger screen).
- alexpotato 3mo ago
  I think there is a bit of a spectrum e.g. - I don't want EVERY SINGLE notification from my phone to go to my watch - I also don't want zero notifications b/c it's very useful to get notifications from my kids, important calendar reminders, my boss sends me a slack etc Also, the watch allows me to still be "connected" for important events but not distracted by my phone. (I should add that Apple watches give you a LOT of control over the notifications from your phone to your watch. Not sure if that's true with other watches)
fxj 3mo ago
I think the battery life of a smart watch cannopt be underestimated. I have all the old pebbles which I love darely but then I got a Amazfit Bip and I stayed with it until today. One month (!) of battery time with a HR sensor and notifications is all I need so why ever change. I dont know why apple, samsung and google are not getting it. But I would not even touch one of their products with a 2 feet long pole. Just my experience and 2 ct. And one thing: Pebble2 is really really nice, but 200 euro? The Amazfit Bip is (was) 40 euros. Why the price difference?
- Permit 3mo ago
  > I dont know why apple, samsung and google are not getting it. I know nothing about smart watches other than the fact that the Pebble company failed and that I see Fitbit/Apple Watch everywhere. I’m not convinced that Apple/Google don’t get it.
- jermberj 3mo ago
  Echoing a sibling: yes, apple seems to "get it" just fine. > In 2021, analysts estimated there were 100 million units in use.[1] [1] https://web.archive.org/web/20210212163703/https://www.techradar.com/news/apple-watches-are-used-by-over-100-million-people-but-thats-just-the-beginning https://web.archive.org/web/20210212163703/https://www.techr...
gchamonlive 3mo ago
Garmin for daily use, galaxy watch for social events. I have zero notifications and sensors running in the galaxy watch, just use it with the Google wallet for a very convenient credit card.
jvanderbot 3mo ago
I immediately went down the preorder track, but found that I had an existing pre-order for May (purchased Jan), which I never got a single update about. On one hand, super glad they caught that, but otoh, why not let me know it was delayed so severely?
wojciii 3mo ago
I'm still trying to figure out what exact user case having a digital watch solves. I mean .. I have a phone which shows time, plays music and can tell me who called / sent me a signal message. I have issues with having to charge my phone so having another device that I will have to charge will not make my life any better.
- dbvn 3mo ago
  really the only value is for runners/cyclists/swimmers. Being able to run without a bulky device is sooo much better.
  - wojciii 3mo ago
    I used to run a lot and used a GPS watch to plot my runs .. initially, but this got boring fast. I don't want to compare myself with other runners. I just want a distraction free half an hour and thus no phone or watch. :)
    - deleted 3mo ago
      [deleted]
    - dbvn 3mo ago
      I don't care about comparison. I just need to know how far I ran or it doesn't count lol
  - griffoa 3mo ago
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- saltcured 3mo ago
  You say "digital" rather than "smart". Digital or analog, a basic watch has that single advantage of being mounted on the wrist. It is always there, supporting a quick glance when you don't have time, free hands, or social context to pull a phone out. Once you add vibration, now you open a class of discreet alerts. Even an offline watch can give you a silent alarm function, which is great to reduce disturbance to your sleepmate. And some people value the smart notification alerts when awake too. The phone may be in a bag or coat pocket where vibration isn't obvious. Then there are all the wearable sensor platform things, which divide the population into very different use case priorities. I.e. all the accelerometer and heart-rate tracking for sports, fitness, and lifestyle modification. Or for outdoorsy people, the wearable GPS, digital compass, and barometric altimeter. This is my reason for having a Garmin watch. I find zero value in a "smart watch" that lacks these sensors. And I don't care for the other connected-watch features, so I actually have the bluetooth link disabled almost all the time. I go back and forth on the fitness tracking. It is bundled in the watch, so I use those sensors sometimes. But, I didn't actually care for them at all when shopping. There just isn't enough market for a good GPS+compass+altimeter watch without fitness sensors, so they don't make it. Compared to any phone app I've tried, my watch records much cleaner tracks for hiking, both in terms of all the tight turns and accurate elevation data. It also presents the real-time data in a much more convenient, wearable format. When navigating a planned route, it can also vibrate and show me a course hint as I approach a faint trail junction in the wilderness.
InsideOutSanta 3mo ago
I'm still wearing my Pebble Steel. It has a highly visible screen, great battery life, and it's easy to write whatever apps or games I want for it and deploy them immediately, without any signing BS.
davsti4 3mo ago
My $10 Casio is infinitely a more reliable timepiece. It doesn't need charging so it can be taken off-grid for months at a time, easy to read the digits when half asleep and your eyes aren't working, has a built-in little light if needed, and if for some strange reason I need to replace it, it'll cost me $10. When I need something more akin to a piece of jewelry, I reach for my Citizen eco-drive ($99), or my Seiko automatic ($150), both of which don't need recharging. ;) Maybe this pebble will finally fit into a cost-conscious, and reliable model that existing timepieces already fill, but I'm not convinced through the quality of this article.
sorokod 3mo ago
Smart watches to watches are like smart TVs to TVs.
cm-t 3mo ago
That's basicly what I think since i own a Pebble Time Steel. On Ubuntu Touch, using this great app: https://open-store.io/app/rockwork.mzanetti https://open-store.io/app/rockwork.mzanetti For those who do not want notifications, of course you can disable it (all/per app). On my side i need agenda notification, and that brillant. Never miss a planned event, so i'm not going back to analog watch. Since the watch has memory, event if you are disconnect with the phone, you have most of them synched on your hand. The only issue I had with Pebble Time Steel was the battery, even after changing it, was up for maximum a week. Now with a almost a month + a keychain charger type C adapter, i can't but stuck with an empty battery. Looking forward to use "find my phone" feature on Ubuntu Touch (I think it's already here on Android)
woile 3mo ago
I have been using a "withings" smartwatch for the last 8 years. The battery now last 3 weeks instead of a month. It has all the features I need spite of being an oldy: heartbeat, steps, calories, countdown, sport mode, etc. The newer ones even have gps and more. But the thing is: it looks analog, the smart is almost hidden away, that's how I like the tech, because the watch looks really cool. It can receive messages, but I never enabled that feature. I've taken it deep under water, clashed against climbing walls, kettle-bells and it has a few scratches on it. I'm not a pro at anything so I don't need the garmin precision. I only had to change the wrist thingy once. I don't want another screen in my life. I recommend it as an alternative to all these "wrist-phones"
- uxcolumbo 3mo ago
  What do you do when the battery eventually dies. For example the Withings Scanwatch Horizon is quite expensive but it seems it doesn't have a user replaceable battery. So what do you do when the battery can't hold a charge anymore?
XorNot 3mo ago
After just not wearing a watch because I have a smart phone in my pocket all the time I'm out which has, amongst other functions, a lock on it and I can actually interact with one handed...I will continue simply not wearing an utterly redundant piece of technology.
ge96 3mo ago
I wish I could get into wearing watches, PineTime Pro is in development could be fun to work on that.
comrade1234 3mo ago
Does anyone use their oxygen sensor on their wrist device? I have a garmin vivosmart 5 with an oxygen sensor but turned it off because its reading seems to wholly be related to how tight I have the band. With the o2 sensor off my battery lasts a couple of weeks. With it on only a couple of days. I have a good fingertip sensor for this that I bought during Covid.
- jerlam 3mo ago
  I don't use it on my Garmin, because as you said it dramatically lowers battery life, and often shows up as life-threateningly low. It also doesn't do anything with the data, meaning I only see if it I go into the app and click on the Pulse Ox tile. I leave it enabled on my Apple Watch though, the battery life is already bad and any irregularities would be shown on the vitals app.
vladgur 3mo ago
I bought a lightly used Apple Ultra Watch 2 6 months ago and it solved all my issues with my previous Apple Watch - specifically battery life. I can use it as a sleep tracker and only need to charge it once every 2 days unless I take extensive hikes or use a lot of camera remote control. The latter is magical btw especially for solo travelers - ability to set a scene on the iPhone camera while being in it by glancing on your watch is science fiction!
- altcognito 3mo ago
  > only need to charge it once every 2 days The bar for Pebble/Garmin users is multiples of weeks. I typically charge my Garmin every 2-3 weeks, depending on how much activity I've been engaging it. If the battery is at 10%, that means I usually have a day or two to remember to slap it on a charger.
orwin 3mo ago
My favorite "smart" watch at the moment is the casio G-shock (because i do not need any health monitor device). Battery life: at least 2 years, count your footstep (butyou don't have to care), have sunrise and sunset, tides, notifications when activated (the app is a bit shitty and it like some configuration though), can stay in the water for a long time (down to 50m deep). To me, smartwatches have two useful feature: notifications and health monitoring. I don't need the second feature, so any "smart"watch with the first one is enough. Casio needs to improve their app though. it shouldn't be that mid in 2026.
ghusto 3mo ago
And as usual, Apple has it crippled in order to make sure it can't complete with whatever they're trying to sell you instead: https://ericmigi.com/blog/apple-restricts-pebble-from-being-awesome-with-iphones/ https://ericmigi.com/blog/apple-restricts-pebble-from-being-...
griffoa 3mo ago
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RickJWagner 3mo ago
My favorite gadget watch is my Soundbrenner, with powerful vibrating metronome. I don’t actually use it for practice much ( I use a phone metronome for that ), but if I’m going to be idle for a while I’ll dial up a nice brisk tempo. Just like that, I’m instantly doing no-instrument practice, mapping out songs in my head.
petterroea 3mo ago
This is what I feel about the Withings ScanWatch 2. It's an "analog watch" that can also do fitness tracking and show notifications if I want. I owned a pixel watch 1. It was too much.

66 points by jethronethro 3mo ago

Between the Apple Watch kind of watches on one side, and Pebble kind of watches on another side, there's the whole Garmin ecosystem, a mention of which is notably absent from the article. They are a nice technological middle ground (though maybe not always a price middle ground), especially the classic models with non-OLED transflective screens. Granted, they are more sports/fitness oriented, but that's hardly a drawback honestly.

ctkhn 3mo ago
Yeah I love my forerunner 945. Got it used in 2020 and when it died in 2023 Garmin replaced it for $150 including tax and shipping. Couple friends have got the new fancier touchscreen models but I like the simplicity of my watch. I blocked most texts from coming through as a buzz except immediate family or 2FA but it would be nice if Apple's focus modes worked better with it automatically. Been wondering if Pebble would be a good move to get even further away from proprietary software though as someone who runs or hits the gym monday through saturday
- francisofascii 3mo ago
  I have the Forrunner 955, and also love it. It has actual push buttons all the features I need in one watch with the running, biking, swim, golf, and hiking modes.
Auguste 3mo ago
Yeah, my Garmin Instinct Solar 3 gets a 4-week battery life. I never looked back at my Pebble Time.
- darrmit 3mo ago
  I came here to say this. I had abandoned smartwatches entirely and gone back to mechanical watches because smartwatches just did too much and the small utility I got from them (i.e. health) came with the tradeoff that they had to be charged every couple of days. I ended up trying the Garmin Instinct and it has been exactly what I was looking for. I turn off all notifications and just use it for the data it gives me and for the fitness tracking.
  - Auguste 3mo ago
    That's exactly how I use it. Apart from the calendar and calls, I keep all notifications off. For me, this is the perfect smartwatch. Colour displays and touch screens don't interest me.
- mc32 3mo ago
  Unfortunately I think in the general consciousness people treat Garmins as “legacy” devices even as their systems are in some ways superior to the flashy upstarts and newcomers.
- Ingon 3mo ago
  4-week battery life, if you don't go outside. Solar charges the watch relatively slow (e.g. it takes 3 hours of just sitting under the sun to charge a day), but if you get out frequently it just pushes the battery day just a little further. Funny experience, when I charged it the first time and got outside in the sun, it showed infinity days battery remaining :D I also appreciate that most of the data is available right there on the watch (although sometime buried). And I even used the torch a couple of times!
  - Auguste 3mo ago
    The torch is super underrated. I use it regularly, like when getting out of bed in the middle of the night. The best torch is the one you always have on you.
rpozarickij 3mo ago
Before owning a Garmin watch (Epix Pro Gen 2 in my case) I had no idea just how useful always having a flashlight* with you is. I'd put this feature near all the health/digital features in terms of usefulness. I have it set to red light mode by default and double-pressing the light button gives me instant and unobtrusive night vision. I have also turned on the Red Shift mode for the display which makes the watch itself much more pleasant to use. * not all Garmin watches have it AFAIK
jebarker 3mo ago
I’ve found Coros to be great too. I’ve used my Vertix to track GPS for 48 hours continuously during a race. It’s been beaten up against rocks, soaking wet and filthy for extended periods and still works 100%. Just yesterday it saved me from a minor emergency when I got lost on a new trail and needed to backtrack. After years of use it still has weeks of battery life for tracking daily workouts. I don’t use any of the smartwatch features like notifications though and wear a mechanical watch as my daily driver.
jerlam 3mo ago
Garmin and Pebble also are the watches with custom watch faces. You can change them to serious or silly or incomprehensible. Whenever I look at my Apple Watch, it's a reminder that Apple owns it and requires it to look a certain way.

rocketvole 3mo ago

Electronic devices that only need to do a handful of basic things like smartwatches and ereaders theoretically have less software complexity, which makes writing good software for them theoretically easier. in the age of ai, the threshold of "complex" has changed drastically- giving rise to even more open source adoption. Open source versions of these sw/hw tools seem to be a natural step forward.

Honali 3mo ago
I agree with the direction, though I am not sure "fewer features" always means easier software

Honali 3mo ago

The appeal here is not nostalgia so much as restraint. Pebble treats the watch as a peripheral

comonoid 3mo ago

Pebble is too feature overloaded, I prefer a ring.

wollowollo 3mo ago
I'm scared of having a lithium battery on my finger like that.

poetril 3mo ago

I've tried a handful of smartwatches, and own a Pebble 2 Duo. While I'm interested in picking up a newer Pebble device (hopefully with a bit nicer build quality), I've found my sweetspot to be a Garmin. I bought a Forerunner 165, have never needed to pair it to my phone so I can be happy in the data privacy department. Additionally the battery life is fantastic and it gives me all the data I need for my health and fitness goals.

Pfhortune 3mo ago
I wanted to love my Garmin watches so much. I've tried a couple of Forerunners and an Instinct 2S. The hardware is great, but the software UX is so poor... I had to memorize an archaic maze of presses/long-presses to get to various features. Just putting the watch into DnD mode required flipping through a ring of shortcuts hidden behind a long press menu. My Pebble can do this with a shortcut I assigned to a back-button long-press. Pebble's shallow-menu + shortcuts system is brilliant. I ponder what Garmin is like in an alternate dimension where _they_ bought Pebble and used their UX chops for their own devices...
- saltcured 3mo ago
  An annoyance with Garmin is that they use something as trivial as customizable shortcuts as a price discriminator. They have it in their UI already, but remove it from the affordable budget models. On the other side, I think they are a little trapped in their legacy UX. A lot of people have Garmin watches long term, and will probably scream bloody murder if everything changes. I don't mind so much. I have one of those budget models without a touch screen, and I find the UI vastly easier to use than my prior Casio hiking watches at least...

HelloUsername 3mo ago

Now do the same review on an iOS device. "There is NO way for a 3rd party smartwatch to compete with Apple Watch. Apple restricts 3rd parties in major ways. For example, 3rd party watches on iOS cannot send replies to notifications."

stavros 3mo ago
Why would they need to do the review on a device that doesn't work well? That says something about your choice of broken phone, it doesn't say anything about the watch.
Shalomboy 3mo ago
Why would Android Authority review any smartwatch on an iOS Device? It seems outside of their interests.
- HelloUsername 3mo ago
  Oh, I see much more than just Android on their website..

kingnothing 3mo ago

After wearing an analog watch for two years, I'll never buy another smart watch. I do not need to be so connected to my phone that my wrist vibrates when someone texts me. The little reminders to stand up are ignored. The guilt at the end of a day when I didn't get enough steps in is gone. And I have a newfound appreciation for the pure craftsmanship that goes into making this tiny analog device on my wrist that is powered by tiny springs and gears and somehow crafted well enough to be accurate within seconds per day. It's also the one piece of jewelry that is socially acceptable for every single man to wear and can be a fun expression of self given the sheer variety of watches in the world.

dzogchen 3mo ago
Cannot relate. I do not have notifications enabled on my Pebble. I don't have any guilt over not having enough steps at the end of the day. But I am walking more thanks to my smartwatch. I can start a timer in seconds when I am meditating, when I am cooking, when I am starting the watching machine. Also I have made a little app that shows me the weights and reps and sets I need to do for my powerlifting programme. I don't have to bring my phone to the gym. Lastly, I made a little app that shows me one thing I need to be doing for my morning routine or the next TODO on my todo list. A god send for someone suffering from ADHD.
- jhbadger 3mo ago
  While there are things like heart rate monitors that can't be replicated on a phone, I've never understood why people bring up step tracking or timers as traits of a smartwatch. My phone tracks my steps and can be used to set a timer just as easily (probably easier as it is has a much larger screen).
alexpotato 3mo ago
I think there is a bit of a spectrum e.g. - I don't want EVERY SINGLE notification from my phone to go to my watch - I also don't want zero notifications b/c it's very useful to get notifications from my kids, important calendar reminders, my boss sends me a slack etc Also, the watch allows me to still be "connected" for important events but not distracted by my phone. (I should add that Apple watches give you a LOT of control over the notifications from your phone to your watch. Not sure if that's true with other watches)

fxj 3mo ago

I think the battery life of a smart watch cannopt be underestimated. I have all the old pebbles which I love darely but then I got a Amazfit Bip and I stayed with it until today. One month (!) of battery time with a HR sensor and notifications is all I need so why ever change. I dont know why apple, samsung and google are not getting it. But I would not even touch one of their products with a 2 feet long pole. Just my experience and 2 ct. And one thing: Pebble2 is really really nice, but 200 euro? The Amazfit Bip is (was) 40 euros. Why the price difference?

Permit 3mo ago
> I dont know why apple, samsung and google are not getting it. I know nothing about smart watches other than the fact that the Pebble company failed and that I see Fitbit/Apple Watch everywhere. I’m not convinced that Apple/Google don’t get it.
jermberj 3mo ago
Echoing a sibling: yes, apple seems to "get it" just fine. > In 2021, analysts estimated there were 100 million units in use.[1] [1] https://web.archive.org/web/20210212163703/https://www.techradar.com/news/apple-watches-are-used-by-over-100-million-people-but-thats-just-the-beginning https://web.archive.org/web/20210212163703/https://www.techr...

gchamonlive 3mo ago

Garmin for daily use, galaxy watch for social events. I have zero notifications and sensors running in the galaxy watch, just use it with the Google wallet for a very convenient credit card.

jvanderbot 3mo ago

I immediately went down the preorder track, but found that I had an existing pre-order for May (purchased Jan), which I never got a single update about. On one hand, super glad they caught that, but otoh, why not let me know it was delayed so severely?

wojciii 3mo ago

I'm still trying to figure out what exact user case having a digital watch solves. I mean .. I have a phone which shows time, plays music and can tell me who called / sent me a signal message. I have issues with having to charge my phone so having another device that I will have to charge will not make my life any better.

dbvn 3mo ago
really the only value is for runners/cyclists/swimmers. Being able to run without a bulky device is sooo much better.
- wojciii 3mo ago
  I used to run a lot and used a GPS watch to plot my runs .. initially, but this got boring fast. I don't want to compare myself with other runners. I just want a distraction free half an hour and thus no phone or watch. :)
  - deleted 3mo ago
    [deleted]
  - dbvn 3mo ago
    I don't care about comparison. I just need to know how far I ran or it doesn't count lol
- griffoa 3mo ago
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saltcured 3mo ago
You say "digital" rather than "smart". Digital or analog, a basic watch has that single advantage of being mounted on the wrist. It is always there, supporting a quick glance when you don't have time, free hands, or social context to pull a phone out. Once you add vibration, now you open a class of discreet alerts. Even an offline watch can give you a silent alarm function, which is great to reduce disturbance to your sleepmate. And some people value the smart notification alerts when awake too. The phone may be in a bag or coat pocket where vibration isn't obvious. Then there are all the wearable sensor platform things, which divide the population into very different use case priorities. I.e. all the accelerometer and heart-rate tracking for sports, fitness, and lifestyle modification. Or for outdoorsy people, the wearable GPS, digital compass, and barometric altimeter. This is my reason for having a Garmin watch. I find zero value in a "smart watch" that lacks these sensors. And I don't care for the other connected-watch features, so I actually have the bluetooth link disabled almost all the time. I go back and forth on the fitness tracking. It is bundled in the watch, so I use those sensors sometimes. But, I didn't actually care for them at all when shopping. There just isn't enough market for a good GPS+compass+altimeter watch without fitness sensors, so they don't make it. Compared to any phone app I've tried, my watch records much cleaner tracks for hiking, both in terms of all the tight turns and accurate elevation data. It also presents the real-time data in a much more convenient, wearable format. When navigating a planned route, it can also vibrate and show me a course hint as I approach a faint trail junction in the wilderness.

InsideOutSanta 3mo ago

I'm still wearing my Pebble Steel. It has a highly visible screen, great battery life, and it's easy to write whatever apps or games I want for it and deploy them immediately, without any signing BS.

davsti4 3mo ago

My $10 Casio is infinitely a more reliable timepiece. It doesn't need charging so it can be taken off-grid for months at a time, easy to read the digits when half asleep and your eyes aren't working, has a built-in little light if needed, and if for some strange reason I need to replace it, it'll cost me $10. When I need something more akin to a piece of jewelry, I reach for my Citizen eco-drive ($99), or my Seiko automatic ($150), both of which don't need recharging. ;) Maybe this pebble will finally fit into a cost-conscious, and reliable model that existing timepieces already fill, but I'm not convinced through the quality of this article.

sorokod 3mo ago

Smart watches to watches are like smart TVs to TVs.

cm-t 3mo ago

That's basicly what I think since i own a Pebble Time Steel. On Ubuntu Touch, using this great app: https://open-store.io/app/rockwork.mzanetti https://open-store.io/app/rockwork.mzanetti For those who do not want notifications, of course you can disable it (all/per app). On my side i need agenda notification, and that brillant. Never miss a planned event, so i'm not going back to analog watch. Since the watch has memory, event if you are disconnect with the phone, you have most of them synched on your hand. The only issue I had with Pebble Time Steel was the battery, even after changing it, was up for maximum a week. Now with a almost a month + a keychain charger type C adapter, i can't but stuck with an empty battery. Looking forward to use "find my phone" feature on Ubuntu Touch (I think it's already here on Android)

woile 3mo ago

I have been using a "withings" smartwatch for the last 8 years. The battery now last 3 weeks instead of a month. It has all the features I need spite of being an oldy: heartbeat, steps, calories, countdown, sport mode, etc. The newer ones even have gps and more. But the thing is: it looks analog, the smart is almost hidden away, that's how I like the tech, because the watch looks really cool. It can receive messages, but I never enabled that feature. I've taken it deep under water, clashed against climbing walls, kettle-bells and it has a few scratches on it. I'm not a pro at anything so I don't need the garmin precision. I only had to change the wrist thingy once. I don't want another screen in my life. I recommend it as an alternative to all these "wrist-phones"

uxcolumbo 3mo ago
What do you do when the battery eventually dies. For example the Withings Scanwatch Horizon is quite expensive but it seems it doesn't have a user replaceable battery. So what do you do when the battery can't hold a charge anymore?

XorNot 3mo ago

After just not wearing a watch because I have a smart phone in my pocket all the time I'm out which has, amongst other functions, a lock on it and I can actually interact with one handed...I will continue simply not wearing an utterly redundant piece of technology.

ge96 3mo ago

I wish I could get into wearing watches, PineTime Pro is in development could be fun to work on that.

comrade1234 3mo ago

Does anyone use their oxygen sensor on their wrist device? I have a garmin vivosmart 5 with an oxygen sensor but turned it off because its reading seems to wholly be related to how tight I have the band. With the o2 sensor off my battery lasts a couple of weeks. With it on only a couple of days. I have a good fingertip sensor for this that I bought during Covid.

jerlam 3mo ago
I don't use it on my Garmin, because as you said it dramatically lowers battery life, and often shows up as life-threateningly low. It also doesn't do anything with the data, meaning I only see if it I go into the app and click on the Pulse Ox tile. I leave it enabled on my Apple Watch though, the battery life is already bad and any irregularities would be shown on the vitals app.

vladgur 3mo ago

I bought a lightly used Apple Ultra Watch 2 6 months ago and it solved all my issues with my previous Apple Watch - specifically battery life. I can use it as a sleep tracker and only need to charge it once every 2 days unless I take extensive hikes or use a lot of camera remote control. The latter is magical btw especially for solo travelers - ability to set a scene on the iPhone camera while being in it by glancing on your watch is science fiction!

altcognito 3mo ago
> only need to charge it once every 2 days The bar for Pebble/Garmin users is multiples of weeks. I typically charge my Garmin every 2-3 weeks, depending on how much activity I've been engaging it. If the battery is at 10%, that means I usually have a day or two to remember to slap it on a charger.

orwin 3mo ago

My favorite "smart" watch at the moment is the casio G-shock (because i do not need any health monitor device). Battery life: at least 2 years, count your footstep (butyou don't have to care), have sunrise and sunset, tides, notifications when activated (the app is a bit shitty and it like some configuration though), can stay in the water for a long time (down to 50m deep). To me, smartwatches have two useful feature: notifications and health monitoring. I don't need the second feature, so any "smart"watch with the first one is enough. Casio needs to improve their app though. it shouldn't be that mid in 2026.

ghusto 3mo ago

And as usual, Apple has it crippled in order to make sure it can't complete with whatever they're trying to sell you instead: https://ericmigi.com/blog/apple-restricts-pebble-from-being-awesome-with-iphones/ https://ericmigi.com/blog/apple-restricts-pebble-from-being-...

griffoa 3mo ago

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RickJWagner 3mo ago

My favorite gadget watch is my Soundbrenner, with powerful vibrating metronome. I don’t actually use it for practice much ( I use a phone metronome for that ), but if I’m going to be idle for a while I’ll dial up a nice brisk tempo. Just like that, I’m instantly doing no-instrument practice, mapping out songs in my head.

petterroea 3mo ago

This is what I feel about the Withings ScanWatch 2. It's an "analog watch" that can also do fitness tracking and show notifications if I want. I owned a pixel watch 1. It was too much.