The Pebble Time 2 doesn’t take itself too seriously, which is exactly why it's one of the most enjoyable smartwatches I’ve ever tested. Supported by an open-source community of developers and wearable tech enthusiasts, this $225 device is pretty much the antithesis of an Apple Watch. And that's a good thing.
I just got my hands on the Pebble Time 2, and after a quick and easy setup — it works with both Android and iOS devices — I became immersed in Pebble's vast library of (mostly) free watch faces, apps, and even games.
Stay tuned for a full review, but in the meantime, here are the five most important things you should know about the Pebble Time 2 smartwatch.
1. Retro design + e-paper display
The Pebble Time 2 features a rectangular-shaped stainless steel and plastic case that very much reminds me of my favorite digital watches from the late 1980s and early 1990s, including the legendary Casio F-91W shown above.
Rather than a power-hungry AMOLED screen, the Pebble Time 2 has a 1.5-inch, 64-color e-paper touchscreen that's always-on and surprisingly easy to read in direct sunlight. That said, in some lighting conditions, it can appear a tad dull or faded.
The case has three physical buttons on the right side and a single "back" button on the left side. They all have ample gnarling, and overall, the Pebble Time 2 feels well-made. Gorilla Glass protects the display; however, because the glass is raised beyond the bezel, I worry about scratches in the long term.
2. Open-source, highly customizable OS
The Pebble Time 2 is ridiculously customizable. For example, users can assign pretty much any action to a long press on the button of their choice. And even though PebbleOS lacks the flashy animations and overall pizzazz of more mainstream smartwatch operating systems like the latest watchOS and Wear OS, it's still quite easy to navigate and personalize.
There are presently more than 10,000 watch faces, apps, and games to choose from in the Pebble store, many of which are free. My first order of action upon completing the setup was to install a Super Mario-like watch face, where the character jumps every time the minute changes.
As a bonus, apps and watch faces take a negligible amount of time to download and install.
3. Insane battery
Since the Pebble Time 2 lacks power-hungry components like a bright AMOLED screen, GPS, or cellular antenna, battery life is seriously impressive. According to Pebble, users can expect up to 30 days per charge. Just think: that's 30x better battery performance than the Apple Watch Series 12, one of the best full-featured smartwatches in 2026.
4. Entry-level fitness tracking
The Pebble Time 2 is not designed to be a fitness or health tracker, but it does offer some basic holistic tech and features on par with a very entry-level tracker. These include a continuous heart rate sensor, an accelerometer for logging daily step counts and workouts, and insights into sleep duration and light vs. deep sleep.
5. Free games galore
While fitness features may be light, I'm seriously blown away by the number of free, genuinely fun games you can play on the Pebble Time 2. So far, "Turbo Drift," a game that reminds me of the 1980s Sega classic "Out Run," has been my go-to. Some others I'm looking forward to trying, based on positive reviews, include "Pixel Miner," "Strike Force," and "Rock Crusher."
As noted in the intro, I'm in the process of fully testing the Pebble Time 2, so stay tuned for my full review. For now, what are your thoughts on the new Pebble Time 2 smartwatch, and what should I test? Also, are you excited to see the return of the Pebble brand, and do you plan on buying one for yourself? Let me know in the comments below.
Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Alternatively, you can read our content on the Tom's Guide app available now for iOS and Android.
More from Tom's Guide
