Pebble’s feeling the heat, reduces Time and Time Round prices permanently

By Andy Boxall March 2, 2016

Pebble Time Round — Jessica Lee Star/Digital Trends

Pebble, once the darling of the wearable tech world, may be feeling the heat from growing competition. Why? It has reduced the price of the Time and the Time Round watches by $50, and it’s not just a limited time offer either — this is a permanent drop. The Pebble Time is now $150 through Pebble’s own online store, while the bezel-tastic Time Round is $200.

If the Pebble Time appeals, the $150 price tag is fixed to the white, black, and red versions. For the Pebble Time Round, $200 buys you either the 14mm or 20mm leather strap version, with a gold, black, or silver body. However, if you’re after a Pebble watch with a metal strap, you’re going to have to pay more. The Pebble Time Round with a mesh strap is $230, while the Pebble Time Steel is $300. Quite why the price reduction doesn’t apply to the Steel isn’t immediately obvious.

The price changes apply in countries outside the U.S. as well, with Pebble taking 30-percent off its entire range, meaning the Time Round starting at £180 and the Time Steel at £200 in the U.K., then 230 euros and 250 euros respectively elsewhere in Europe.

The price drop comes after many competing companies announced new wearables at CES and MWC, including challengers from Fitbit, Garmin, and Fossil. Fitbit’s Blaze watch is $200, and although the looks are challenging, the brand name has considerable draw. Fossil has pushed its way into the world of wearables with the Android Wear Q Founder, and the watch-like Q Grant, a less smart but very stylish alternative. Pebble may also be anticipating a new Apple Watch, and a price drop on the current model.

Pebble continues to support its smartwatches with updates, making them attractive to buyers. The last came at the beginning of February, tweaking many of the new features introduced with version 3.8 of Pebble’s firmware, including Pebble Health, a built-in fitness tracking mode.

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Senior Mobile Writer

Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…

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