Apple Watch Vs Pebble Steel: Smartwatch Rivalry Heats Up

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The much touted Apple Watch, officially unveiled earlier this week in a glitzy ceremony. Of course, being coming from Apple, expectations are pretty high. But the Apple Watch isn't the only smartwatch we've been waiting for.

 

In fact a couple of intelligent watches made their debut this month, including the Samsung Gear S, Motorola Moto 360, LG G Watch R and Asus Zenwatch. It is worth noting that all these smart watches are supported by Google's Android Wear platform.

 

Recommended: Apple Boasts 'Record Number Of Preorders' For iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus

Apple Watch Vs Pebble Steel: Smartwatch Rivalry Heats Up

At the same time, there's the Pebble Steel, which might not come with a touch screen of the Apple Watch, and its battery lasts for a longer duration.

Just for the reminder there's still a lot more to be known about the Apple Watch - including its internal hardware and how it performs, in general.

So here's a quick comparison between the Apple Watch and Pebble Steel. Dive in!

Apple Watch Vs Pebble Steel: Operating system and Compatibility

Apple Watch is running the iOS mobile system while Pebble's proprietary OS is used on the Pebble Steel. Apple has been vocal about the OS used on the Watch. The home screen, like in iOS, shows all the apps. The UI is also very neat and simple in nature. This is the OS made specifically for the Apple watch. There's widget like features like the new glance mode and more.

There's no mention of a dedicated app store at Apple's event, but the company did release a selection of native as well as third-party apps and the Watchkit platform to make the Apple Watch a powerful tool. The Apple Watch can be paired with a limited number of iOS devices, including the Apple iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C and iPhone 5. Believe it or not, the watch is not compatible with Google's Android OS.

Pebble Steel, on the other hand, offers more mature platform. The intelligent watch is compatible with iOS and Android platforms. There's a plenty of apps, both native and third-party, such as Facebook, among others.

Apple Watch Vs Pebble Steel: Display and Design

In terms of design, Apple Watch looks much more premium and sophisticated. The Digital Crown dial that can be used to navigate the Apple Watch without having to navigate the screen is the center of attraction.

The watch will be offered in two screen sizes: 38mm (1.49-inches) and 42mm (1.65-inches). Apple watch uses a top grade Retina Display with Sapphire glass and Force Touch. The tough Sapphire glass should give the Apple Watch better protection from scratches. Moreover, the Apple watch comes in three different models, six finishes and six wristbands. Apple Watch is also being touted as a fashion accessory.

The Pebble Steel, meanwhile, has a square watch face. It has a 1.26-inch e-paper screen with a resolution of 168 x 144-pixels. The Pebble Steel comes with a waterproof chassis, though, the Pebble Steel is not as attractive as the Apple Watch.

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Apple Watch Vs Pebble Steel: Processor, Battery and Charging

The latest Apple Watch is powered by a custom S1 processor under the hood. Although how the fitted processor would help the device to excel is largely unknown at this moment. Also, there's no mention of storage space and built-in RAM.

At the event, Apple didn't say a single word about battery life for its intelligent watch. So that could mean that Apple Watch may not come with a large battery. One of the biggest highlights of the Apple Watch is that it will use wireless charging, so good bye to messy wires.
The Pebble Steel, on the other hand, offers a battery backup between 5 and 7 day, which sounds so good.

Apple Watch Vs Pebble Steel: Health

The Pebble Steel hardly stands tall in front of the Apple Watch in respect to health and fitness. Of course, it does offer an accelerometer and gyroscope, but there aren't many third-party apps available that focuses on health.Neither the device has a built-in heart rate monitor.

Apple Watch, on the other hand, could become a great health and fitness oriented device. Apple Healthkit will give a chance to third-party developers to make high quality fitness apps. The Apple Watch does come with a heart rate monitor and workout apps.

Apple Watch Vs Pebble Steel: The Mobile Wallet

Apple Play is something one should be excited for. The Apple Watch has a built-in NFC chipset that means you can pay for stuff using the intelligent watch. The Pebble Steel doesn't have access to such feature.

Apple Watch Vs Pebble Steel: Early Verdict

At $250 or Rs. 15,000, the Pebble Steel is a great buy, given its long battery life. Plus, the watch has a solid third-party app support. Apple Watch will go on sale sometime early next year, starting at $350 or Rs. 21,000, and the 18-carat edition could cost a whopping $1,200 or Rs. 70,000. In addition, we really don't know about the battery life, so it's really difficult to give a verdict just on the basis of an estimated price tag and few features on board. So far the Pebble Steel seems to be an attractive option, in our opinion.

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