Pebble Smartwatch VS. Samsung Galaxy Gear: Pioneering Smartwatch Maker Meets Samsung Competition In Canada, Galaxy Gear ‘Delivers More Features Than The Pebble’

Kickstarter darling Pebble smartwatch has met its match in Canada, as the Samsung Galaxy Gear is unveiled in the country October 4, the same day Samsung Galaxy Note 3 hits the Canadian consumer market.

“The Gear delivers more features than the Pebble,” the Vancouver Sun wrote. The price of the Samsung Galaxy Gear, however, is twice that of Pebble – offered at $150 a piece against the Samsung smartwatch’s $300 price tag.

According to the Canadian newspaper, ‘the Gear has some features that are missing on the Pebble, it look a bit heftier and with an expected price tag of around $300 it’s considerably pricier – about double the Pebble.”

The Pebble smartwatch works with Apple’s iPhone, for models iPhone 4 or higher and for Android phones that runs on at least the Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

Both the Galaxy gear and the Pebble smartwatch are an accessory and should not be confused for standalone computing devices. They both need to be connected to a smartphone via Bluetooth. Samsung Galaxy Gear has a 1.63 inch Super AMOLED display, while the Pebble has a 1.2-inch screen and its stainless steel body is sleeker than the plastic casing of the Pebble.

In a review by the Vancouver Sun, it noted that the Galaxy Gear seemed a lot easier to read than the Pebble and not surprisingly, because the South Korean tech giant has basically placed a tiny smartphone screen on the user’s wrist. The interface is also colored, while the Pebble’s is monochrome.

In terms of pixel density, the Pebble has a lower 176 ppi compared to the Samsung Galaxy Gear’s 278 pixels per inch.

The major difference between the two smartwatches is that the Galaxy Gear is a touchscreen while the Pebble only works with buttons on the side, similar to most digital watches. The watchband of the Gear is more solid and stable and basing the Vancouver Sun’s reviewer experience, where the watchband of his Pebble fell out after a couple of month’s use, the Gear’s band maybe sturdier and longer lasting.

Similar to smartphones, the eventual success of the smartwatch will be based on the apps available for it. At the time of release, the Samsung Galaxy Gear has 25 apps available, but Samsung has already partnered with a number of developers to get watch versions of popular apps prepared for Samsung Galaxy Gear. This is where Pebble succeeds, having more than 246 apps available on its unofficial app store, AllPebble.com

In terms of battery, due to the Samsung Galaxy Gear carrying more features, the wearable device lasts 24-hours or less while the Pebble can keep running for almost a week on a single charge. Both devices are water resistant, but not waterproof.

Relative to what consumers should opt for, Galaxy Gear will be a higher-up option for a wearable device, while the Pebble can be an entry-level piece you can test with while waiting how the world of wearable technology would evolve and improve over time.
https://www.vancouversun.com/technology/personal-tech/Samsung+Galaxy+Gear+Canada+Pebble+smartwatch/8998169/story.html