Up against the might of Android Wear and the Apple Watch, the Pebble and Samsung Gear series are the underdogs when it comes to
the battle for the smartwatch market.
Each has their own advantages though: the
Pebble has been selling in the hundreds of thousands for nearly two years,
while the Samsung Gear range and its Tizen OS offer comprehensive smartphone
connectivity and a pile of on-board features.
We've pitted both these platforms
against each other to see which one comes out on top.
Samsung Gear v Pebble: Apps and OS
The Pebble range run a mini-OS of their own,
controlled through an app on a connected Android or iOS device. It lets you
change watch faces and install Pebble apps – everything from games to remote
controls to news apps are available. There are somewhere in the region of
3,000-4,000 Pebble apps to choose from. It's not a particularly sophisticated
OS, but then that might be just what you're looking for. Check out our guide to the best Pebble apps.
Like Pebble OS, the Tizen software that Samsung
puts on its Gear line (with the exception of the Android Wear-powered Gear
Live) is a miniature platform in its own right. There aren't as many dedicated
apps for it, however, and you're going to need a Samsung Galaxy phone running
Android 4.3 or above to use it. But, with over 1,000 Tizen smartwatch apps already available and some pretty big partners already playing ball (Endomondo, Nike, PayPal, Deezer, Facebook and lmore) it's certainly not a limited platform. Tizen adopts a touchscreen interface rather than
the physical buttons of the Pebble and Pebble Steel.
Samsung Gear v Pebble: Health
The Pebble watches don't have the same slew of
sensors as something like the Apple Watch, but there have been recent changes
to make the devices more effective for fitness tracking. It's now possible to
monitor steps, activity and sleep using your Pebble, as long as you have the right
app installed. Health and fitness is more of an afterthought when it comes to
the Pebble but the functionality is there.
Samsung, meanwhile, has made a lot of the fitness
tracking capabilities built into the Gear series – these devices are essentially
fitness tracker/smartwatch hybrids. The integrated pedometer and heart rate
monitor in all models in the Gear range communicate with Samsung's S Health app
or the third-party app of your choice. The Gear S includes its own GPS sensor
too, so it's ideal as a running companion.
Samsung Gear v Pebble: Notifications
Almost two years down the line, the Pebble series
has a smooth and intuitive notifications system that lets you check what's
happening on your phone (though on iOS you can't turn individual app
notifications on or off). It's not the most sophisticated system – and options
to respond to alerts are limited – but it does the job effectively.
On the Samsung side, the Gear Manager app on your
smartphone lets you control which app notifications appear on your phone and
which don't. Interacting with and dismissing these pop-up alerts is fairly
painless and Samsung has done a decent job of syncing notifications between
watch and phone, so you can jump straight from a new message alert into the
email client on your smartphone.
Samsung Gear v Pebble: Price
Pebble knows the fight for supremacy of the wrist
is going to be a tough one and has been busy cutting prices across the board.
The original Pebble can be picked up for £99 / $99 while the premium Pebble
Steel can be had for £179 / $199. Even taking the monochrome,
non-touchscreen display into account those are competitive prices.
Samsung starts its prices where the Pebble
finishes: the Gear 2 Neo comes in at £169 / $199, putting it just about on a
par with the Pebble Steel. The flagship Gear 2 (with its premium appearance and
camera) can be yours for £250 / $299, while the SIM-supporting Gear S is set to be even more expensive at £329 (although the price is yet to be officially confirmed).
Samsung Gear v Pebble: Verdict
You can do more with Samsung Gear, like make and
receive phone calls and take photos, and the full-colour touchscreen display
comes across as more stylish and modern than the one sported by the Pebble. The
Pebble watches, on the other hand, are cheaper and offer more apps – and they
work with almost any smartphone running Android or iOS.
If you've already invested in some Samsung
gadgetry then it makes sense to use the smartwatch platform that's going to
offer the best compatibility. For everyone else, the Pebble or the Pebble Steel
makes most sense right now. It doesn't have quite as many bells and whistles,
but when it comes to a smartwatch, simple is often best.
The battery life
benefits too: a Pebble will last 5-7 days on a single charge compared with 2-3
days for the Gear 2 Neo.
David is a freelance tech writer who has been writing about technology, gadgets and gizmos for more than 20 years.
You can find his work on The Guardian, Wired, Gizmodo, PopSci, TechRadar, T3 and many other major publications on the web and in print.
He spends all day, (almost) every day testing out, explaining, and reviewing smartphones, laptops, smart home kit, wearables, and other essential devices.
From iOS to Wear OS, from Samsung to Sony, he's got an intimate knowledge of almost everything going on in the world of technology right now. When it comes to wearables, there aren't many smartwatches, fitness trackers and VR headsets that he hasn't tried and tested – which means he has a wealth of experience to draw on when it comes to talking about something new or the market in general.
