// ZDNET — HARDWARE & GADGET
After years with an Apple Watch, a Pebble Time 2 'downgrade' was exactly what I needed
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I've been into the concept of a smartwatch since the first Pebble released back in 2013. At the time, there was something very compelling about taking a smartphone's core functionalities like notifications, messages, and incoming call alerts, and slapping it all on my wrist.
While Pebble eventually faded away when its assets were purchased by Fitbit in 2016, which was then bought by Google in 2021, the Apple Watch arguably took up the smartwatch mantle in 2015.
Also: I've worn dozens of smartwatches, but the Pebble Time 2 is the most fun I've had testing one
Since then, I've been a dedicated Apple Watch user, going all the way back to the (somewhat lackluster) first-generation version. Whether it was fitness tracking, taking phone calls from my wrist, keeping tabs on my notifications, or even turning it into a portable calculator, the Apple Watch became a key part of my life.
But lately, I've felt something shift. Whether it's having a child or just getting older, I no longer want to be connected to everything all the time. Instead, I find myself actively looking for ways to avoid notifications that don't truly matter, so I can be more present in the real world.
This is where the Pebble Time 2 comes in. The higher-end Pebble revival is a simple, stripped-back approach to a smartwatch -- and as it turns out, the wearable I didn't even realize I was looking for.