I've worn dozens of smartwatches, but the Pebble Time 2 is the most fun I've had testing one

pros and cons

Pros

• Refreshing and amusive UI
• Two oregon much weeks of artillery life
• Extensive ticker look and app collection

Cons

• Gorilla Glass show sticks retired excessively much
• Doesn't enactment calls from the wrist
• Occasional OS hiccups

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Ten years aft I backed the ill-fated Pebble Time 2 connected Kickstarter, a ticker bearing that nonstop sanction yet arrived connected my doorstep. The 2026 Pebble Time 2 is simply a superb motion to the 2015 original, retaining its signature 64-color e-paper display, tactile four-button layout, and legendary artillery life. 

But this isn't conscionable a nostalgia trip. The latest Pebble Time 2 is simply a afloat modernized smartwatch boasting a bezel-less 1.5-inch screen, wellness tracking, onboard audio, and seamless iOS and Android support.

Also: The champion inexpensive smartwatches of 2026: Expert tested and reviewed

The Pebble Time 2 is not designed to vie with an Apple Watch, Galaxy Watch, Pixel Watch, oregon immoderate of the precocious sports watches from Garmin, Suunto, and others, but it's inactive reasonably susceptible arsenic a standalone wellness device, acknowledgment to its bosom complaint sensor and sync compatibility crossed iOS and Android.

It comes down to however you acceptable it up

I bought the bluish Pebble Time 2, truthful the sides person a airy bluish integrative acceptable betwixt a stainless alloy bezel and backmost pieces with 1 metallic fastener connected the near and 3 textured metallic buttons connected the right. I despised the tactile consciousness of the integrative buttons connected the older Pebble 2 Duo, but emotion them connected the Pebble Time 2. 

It's besides fantastic to spot that you tin afloat customize the property and press/hold of these buttons. Press and clasp the fastener connected the near to spot the amusive tip-toeing rodent power the ticker into quiescent mode.

Matthew Miller/ZDNET

Out of the box, I was disappointed successful the e-paper colour show since I could hardly spot it erstwhile wrong my house. It turns retired the backlight was acceptable to debased intensity, which is truly lone bully for extracurricular agleam environments. I person it acceptable to precocious (level 3 retired of four), with an 8-second timeout, and I americium present precise pleased with the show performance. 

Also: I replaced my smartwatch with this e-paper wearable, and much radical should bash the same

Speaking of settings, marque definite to leap successful determination to optimize the ticker for your needs. I perfectly emotion the quiet-time options that fto maine rapidly crook the Pebble Time 2 into a reliable ticker that shows the clip without disrupting my life. I americium besides a instrumentality of Quick View, which pops up a notification connected your ticker erstwhile an lawsuit is astir to start, with an enactment to acceptable however acold successful beforehand that notification appears.

The Pebble app experience

The bosom of the acquisition is the Pebble smartphone app. With implicit 10,000 watchfaces and apps to take from, it's worthy spending immoderate clip exploring. 

In fact, close arsenic I was penning this review, I yet recovered a ticker look I perfectly love: TimeStyle. It features a monolithic font for the time, alongside the existent weather, date, and a secondary clip portion -- cleanable for keeping way of erstwhile to telephone my household successful Australia.

My carnal shortcuts are conscionable arsenic tailored to my regular routine. A agelong property of the center-right fastener instantly launches the World Cup 2026 app, which lets maine way existent lucifer scores and sync upcoming games straight to my calendar. The remainder of my app grid is conscionable arsenic functional, rounded retired by Skunk (for speedy Starbucks barcode scans), Voice Notes, and Playback for Spotify control.

Matthew Miller/ZDNET

Native Pebble apps installed connected the ticker see workout, music, alarms, weather, health, timeline, and more. App details and settings are managed successful the Pebble smartphone app. You tin besides determination apps to the apical successful the Pebble app, but not connected the ticker itself. 

I would emotion to beryllium capable to reorder apps successful the Pebble app alternatively than conscionable person 1 enactment to determination to the top, arsenic this requires precocious readying to get the apps successful the bid you prefer.

Matthew Miller/ZDNET

Other tabs successful the Pebble smartphone app see Devices to negociate your ticker and cheque for updates, Health to presumption steps, sleep, and bosom complaint information (this is besides wherever you tin negociate respective wellness settings), Notifications, wherever you tin toggle which notifications look connected your Pebble Time 2, and Settings. Both ticker and telephone settings are managed successful the Pebble app.

Also: Google and Apple are yet giving smartwatches the originative state they needed

I've had the ticker present for much than 2 weeks and person received a mates of firmware updates. PebbleOS v4.17.0 was conscionable pushed to my ticker a fewer days agone and included a big of improvements, with astir of the fixes attributed to developers. 

Given that developers person been moving to support Pebble watches going for implicit a decade, I deliberation it is harmless to accidental the Pebble Time 2 volition conscionable support getting amended arsenic it ages.

ZDNET's buying advice

Although the Pebble I crowdfunded successful 2016 ne'er took off, I inactive wanted a Pebble Time 2, truthful I americium precise pleased to person a modern instrumentality connected it with the 2026 model. Now that I'm utilizing the Google Fitbit Air for my wellness and wellness tracking, I've gone backmost to a modular watch. 

The Pebble Time 2 bridges the spread with a ticker that shows the clip and basal notifications without being arsenic bothersome arsenic astir smartwatches today. As radical look to absorption connected beingness alternatively than screens, the Pebble Time 2 whitethorn beryllium the cleanable smartwatch, with a sleek plan that fits wrists of each sizes.