Why I preordered a Pebble in 2025?

This is the question I asked myself moments before I placing a preordered for the Pebble Core Time 2. Rewritten text: I placed the order, anyway. It comes with free cancellation. I'll decide later if I want a Pebble in my life in 2025. This blog post is capturing my thought process.

Its USD250 (includes shipping to Australia) and will arrive hopefully at my doorsteps before Christmas 2025.

I preordered for the white colour, so it should look like this (pretty cool and retro at the same time):

I have fond memories of my Pebble Steal which at the time I sold because I upgraded to the Apple Watch. There are things that the Pebble Steal did back than that the Apple Watch still cannot do today, namely the battery life and the screen that is not constantly seeking your attention. The battery life issue isn't that much of a concern to me now since I am so used to charging my smart watches.

However, an e-ink display on a watch is so wonderfully beautiful 😍.

I am not simply reminiscing about the good old days. I actually have a Pebble that I still use today. It is the Pebble Time Round:

From memory, it still is the only Pebble that had a traditional round face, and that is precisely the reason I still rock one today. Watches are supposed to have round faces, at least give users a choice (looking at you.. Apple - your way or the highway...😠)

This is also the thinnest watch in my collection. Despite its battery life being only 2-3 days, it still outlasts the battery of an Apple Watch (excluding the Ultra range).

From personal experience of using a Pebble in 2025, I have found that it is a delight to wear. Many people have asked me what watch I am wearing, and it always brings a smile to my face explaining the Pebble story. The only difference now is that I can actually give them a link to preorder.

Apple being Apple, my Pebble Time only works with my Android phone, which is more than OK.

The following is what the Pebble founder had to say about iOS:

The following is a list of things that I use my Pebble for:

• Step counting (it can track sleep but I do not wear it in bed)
• Notify me when a call is coming (all other notifications from all other apps are off)
• My watch face shows the time, the date and the weather.

That is it. That is all it does. There are many apps that I can install, but I do not need it.

The best thing about a Pebble

Pebble has a unique advantage with its e-ink display. It took me some time to realize its benefits, despite my love for e-ink displays. The reason is simple: reading on an e-ink display is much better than reading on an iPad. The experience of reading a book on a Kobo/Kindle is vastly superior to reading a book on an iPad. PERIOD. It does one thing and one thing so well. This watch is the same.

Whenever I have a Pebble watch on my wrist, things are a lot calmer. There are notifications (mind you, my notification on my Apple Watch and Android Watch are also trimmed down significantly) but the Pebble is a device that is just not a constant attention seeker. It just simply lives in the background.

As a tech nerd, I like to enjoy unique experiences. That is why I carry two phones. For a while I was only using Apple products, but it comes with a significant opportunity cost. That being, as a tech enthusiast, I cannot use other products.

Living outside of Apple's walled gardens is occasionally frustrating, but it is never boring and always fun, not to mention quirky as well.

The second best thing about Pebble is its open source operating system, PebbleOS. It is a fun operating system. For example, when charging, the screen will show a takeaway coffee mug. I like that.

Did I cancel my preorder?

No, I have not.

Since my order won't arrive until Christmas, I have ample time to reconsider my decision. I preordered the expensive option, but there is also a cheaper $150 Pebble available, expected to be delivered in July 2025. This means there will be six months for real people to provide feedback, thoughts, and reviews. This feedback might influence me to cancel my order or increase my excitement about wearing a modern Pebble on my wrist.

For now, I will not be denying myself this experience. Life is all about experiences and the last time I consulted the experts, we all only live once. So live a little. Try something different.