That didn't take long. Just when I, and almost every other Pebble Time backer, wondered why Pebble's new Kickstarter success was plastic and didn't resemble the all-metal Pebble Steel, my five-day-old question was answered at MWC 2015.
Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky gave me a sneak peek at the Pebble Time Steel, carrying four prototypes of the decidedly classier-looking smartwatch in a Pelican briefcase. It was top-secret, but also exactly like you'd expect, down to the guessable name.
This non-surprise is completely okay for a lot of Kickstarter backers who will want to (and can, I'm told) seamlessly switch up their pledge to the metal version and still maintain their spot in line. It's actually a whole lot better than announcing it a few months to a year from now.
Pebble Time Steel isn't all looks. It has 10-day battery life, which Pebble boasts is longer than any other current smartwatch. Does that make it the smartwatch to beat? I wore it to find out.
Design
Migicovsky calls Pebble Time an evolution of the original Pebble and it is, but the Pebble Time Steel looks more like the plastic Pebble Time wrapped in a high-end stainless-steel case.
It sports the same curved case design and a bit too much inner bezel surrounding a color e-paper display. This is, without a doubt, the premium version of last week's Kickstarter record-breaker.
Backing up its more adult-looking design are four buttons machined from stainless steel in order to feel more solid than the plastic buttons on the Pebble Time.
Also along the frame of this smartwatch is a built-in microphone for quick voice replies and notes. This hole doesn't axe the waterproof feature, as it's nearly as effective at 3 ATM.
It's also a bit heavier and a hair thicker than the plastic edition at 7.6mm and 7.5mm, but all within reason. In fact, the trade-off is that it has much a better battery fit into the case.
Pebble Time Steel comes in three styles that are different from the trio being offered by the standard Pebble Time. Some might even say they're more classy.
New color finishes include silver, black and gold and by backing the Kickstarter version of the Time Steel, you get both a leather and metal band.
Release date and price
There's only one major downside to switching up a Kickstarter pre-order from Pebble Time to Pebble Time Steel. It's going to mean a slight wait.
Pebble Time Steel's release date is July, not May like its plastic counterpart. Yes, two months isn't a long time to wait, but backers were hyped enough to invest money into a May-bound smartwatch. Switching it up and waiting 60 extra days isn't going to be easy for everyone.
The all-metal version is also a little more expensive with a retail price of $250 (about £163, AU$322) instead of $199 (about £130, AU$256).
Kickstarter tiers for early backers of the new Steel should be even lower and, remember, it comes with both leather and metal band on Kickstarter (the retail version will not).
Display
Pebble Time Steel wears sophisticated-looking muted colors, but not its new e-paper screen. It's in color now, replacing the original Steel's monochrome screen.
The color e-paper display wasn't a surprise either since it's also available on the Pebble Time, but my demo did throw me for a second with a simple-looking watch face with almost no color.
Pressing down on the machined stainless steel buttons, however, revealed a host of fun and colorful animations. Everything from sun with a smiley face to envelope icon buzzed about the tiny screen.
The best use of color was within Pebble's music app. Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon was represented with the album cover's full rainbow, drawing from Pebble's new 64-color palette.
The display also pushes 30 frames per second, so while it can't compete with the brighter and richer AMOLED and P-OLED displays made by Samsung and LG, it can still support games and it aces readability in sunlight.
Battery life
Pebble Time Steel is the fancy upgrade with a color screen that doesn't make sacrifices where it count, namely the already-impressive battery life.
That may be the most surprising thing about this new smartwatch. It lasts 10 hours on a single charge, according to Pebble, up from the seven days of past Pebbles.
This moves the needle from 7:1 battery life to 10:1 battery life when comparing it to most Android Wear watches. It solves one of the biggest issues with wearable tech.
While I've yet to do a battery life test on my own, I can say that I've achieved the company's claimed seven days from the Pebble and Pebble Steel, so they've been accurate in the past.
Pebble Time Steel does its best impression of Apple Watch in a lot of ways, except here, thankfully. The forthcoming iPhone maker's watch is said to require "daily charging."
Smartstraps
Pebble Time Steel is an upgrade, but like the Pebble Time it doesn't come with sensors like a heart-rate monitor or a chip for GPS tracking. Those extras (and more) are coming, though.
Pebble announced its Smartstraps initiative today to open up its watches to the same hacker community that created so many smartwatch apps over the last two years. It hopes they'll do the same for hardware.
What does this mean? Later this year, Pebble Time Steel and Pebble Time owners will be able to swap out their normal bands for ones that have all sorts of new powers. Everything from measuring fitness in new ways to giving you an extra battery life for up to four weeks on a single charge.
Pebble did say it'll make some of its own Smartstraps, but it'll rely on its dedicated community for most of the watch-strap tinkering. Whether or not the developer community will rally behind crafting their own hardware in the same numbers remains to be seen.
That being said, I like the idea of the strap accessories in general. I don't always need a HRM or GPS, and I'd rather not have those sensors add to the heft of a smartwatch, especially one I wear out at night like the Pebble Time Steel.
Early verdict
Pebble Time Steel was the next-generation Pebble smartwatch I was looking for when the startup company announced its Pebble Time. It turned up after five days of plastic teasing.
The differences between the two are mostly cosmetic, with a polished stainless steel case, machined buttons and metal and leather bands that classy up the e-paper display.
It looked good on and I felt like it would be comfortable to wear for extended periods of time. That's perfect because there's little reason to take off the Pebble Time Steel; its battery life has been extended to 10 days. We'll have to see how Apple responded with its Apple Watch on Monday.
from www.techradar.com
