Is There No Pebble 2 Alternative?

[consultant]

I've always found myself explaining to people about how great the Pebble 2 is which many people never really knew about because it's not one of the more expensive and prestigious brands like an Apple Watch. Don't get me wrong, I'm a Tech Junkie and can afford whatever watch I want, but I'm also not one looking to pay a higher price just to wear something to impress people - I want good functionality, practicality and value. Nothing could match my Pebble 2. When I told people I only need to charge it once every 5-7 days, they are flabbergasted. Heart Rate Monitor? Check. HUGE selection of custom 3rd party apps. Check. Design your own custom watch face with dynamic stats (like temp, phone signal strength, etc.)? Check. Waterproof to the point you can swim with it on? Check.
All that, under $150? Check.

Now, my eyes have grown old and I can barely read the text messages that come through as it is a pretty small face. I don't NEED color - I prefer long battery life. So what's out there (I'm an Android Phone User) that people would say is the closest replacement that has a bigger screen? Maybe I just keep wearing my Pebble and wear trifocals all the time - no thanks.

My MUST haves are:

- Long battery life (no more than 2 charges per week are necessary)
- Waterproof (can swim in it)
- Heart Rate Monitor
- Large screen, but I'm not an NFL player so not too gigantic

Nice to haves but not MUSTS:

- SOME degree of customization (some 3rd party apps, custom watch screen design, etc.)
- Built in GPS (I really don't need this - I'm not a runner and my phone is always with me, so would rather avoid paying extra for it, but if I have to have it to get other stuff I must have then so be it.)

All I really need the watch to do is: tell me the date and time, show my text messages and notifications (with setting to increase default text size), track my fitness activities, and don't bug me about charging it every 1-2 days.

 

[chanchan05]

The latest Huawei Watch (I think it's the Pro? Pro2?) claims 1 week battery life.
You could also wait until Feb 20 because Samsung is announcing 3 new smart watches.

 

[codesplice]

There unfortunately aren't any Wear OS watches which will satisfy your requirements - particularly the battery life one.

The Huawei Watch GT that just launched in the US uses Huawei's own software instead of Wear OS, and I believe that is the one that @chanchan05 mentioned. They advertise a 14-day battery life, has a 5 ATM water resistance rating, includes an optical heart rate sensor, and has a 1.39" screen so it seems to tick your boxes. It starts at $199.

 

[psionandy]

Possibly one of the Amazfit watches like Amazfit bip or the Stratos?

https://www.cnet.com/reviews/amazfit-bip-review/


(I miss my Pebble Time )

 

[Deleted User]

You may want to have a look at the watch I've got - the Garmin Forerunner 235. Not kidding, the battery on this lasts over a week. In fact if I don't use the GPS much, it lasts much longer than that. Mine's now on 24%, and it was charged last weekend! And I've been running 3 times.

Looking at your list of requirements, it satisfies all of them. I've never tried swimming with it, but I believe it is waterproof (you need to check that). It has a good size display, can be Bluetooth paired with a phone and show text notifications etc.
It's got everything you need in terms of fitness features, because this watch is primarily for that purpose, but it's a great general watch. Even tells the time I wear mine constantly - literally night and day, because it also tracks sleep. You may not be interested in that though.
Can be customised in terms of watch faces and apps running on it. Although I don't really bother with all that.
The best part is, because it's not a bleeding edge model, it can be bought for a reasonable price. You get a lot of watch for your money here.

https://buy.garmin.com/en-GB/GB/p/529988