Pebble, the corporate behind the unique Pebble smartwatch, shut down in 2016 after being acquired by Fitbit. It has been seven years since its demise, however the smartwatch and Eric Migicovsky, Pebble’s founder, proceed to get pleasure from a loyal fan following.
Whereas the enduring machine is unlikely to ever return to the market, the crew behind the wearable might make a comeback with the Small Android Telephone challenge.
Pebble’s founder and a number of other early staff of the corporate have teamed as much as construct a compact sub-6-inch Android telephone. Here is all the pieces we all know concerning the community-backed challenge and the way it might mark the return of Pebble itself.
What Is the Small Android Telephone challenge?
Android smartphones with a compact footprint are a rarity. There are hardly any telephones with a show smaller than six inches. And in the event that they exist, they’re budget-oriented and pack low-end specs that make them troublesome to make use of. The Asus Zenfone 9 from 2022 is the one outlier to this in current occasions, packing flagship specs with a 5.9-inch show.
Eric Migicovsky and members of the unique Pebble crew need to change this. As The Verge reported final yr, Eric ran a petition in Might 2022 to assemble help from the Android neighborhood to indicate producers there’s curiosity in small telephones.
Presumably, the petition was inadequate to persuade Android OEMs, so Eric and the crew are engaged on the Small Android Telephone challenge to show their (and a whole bunch of different peoples’) desires right into a actuality.
What Will the Pebble Crew’s Small Android Telephone Look Like?
Alex De Stasio, a former industrial design engineer at GoPro, shared his design concepts and extra insights concerning the telephone on a name with The Verge. He is specializing in the digital camera bump’s design since it will probably assist the telephone stand out and make it look iconic.
Beneath are some design sketches that the Small Android Telephone shared from a design name on February 17, 2023. Once more, the telephone’s design just isn’t but ultimate, however the crew is engaged on it.
As for specs, the telephone will clearly have a sub-6-inch show. Ben Bryant, one of many crew leaders, confirmed the telephone will possible have a 50MP digital camera able to taking “good photographs.” For digital camera software program, the challenge might take assist from some Chinese language builders with prior expertise, although in the end, they could go the in-house route.
The supplies from which the telephone will probably be made haven’t been finalized but. Given the useful resource constraints, the group is unlikely to make use of premium or uncommon supplies.
For the chipset, the crew is wanting on the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, Qualcomm’s flagship chip from 2022, or a mid-range Snapdragon SoC. Software program help may very well be on the poorer aspect, with the group trying to present a minimum of two years of updates.
The Small Android Telephone group has not but selected the telephone’s ultimate identify, which is internally codenamed “Marvin.” Bryant shared some potential names, although, together with “Pico,” “Pip,” and “Atlas.”
How A lot Will the Small Android Telephone Value?
Whereas the value tag just isn’t but ultimate, the Small Android Telephone crew is focusing on $850 because the potential value. Whereas increased than comparable telephones available on the market, the group must pay a premium for manufacturing as a consequence of its small order measurement. The crew additionally desires to get the machine constructed by a Tier 1 producer, which is able to come at a premium.
The Small Android Telephone crew requires round $50-$60 million to construct the telephone. Because it did with the unique Pebble, the group will once more depend on the neighborhood to attain this goal, although they won’t essentially use the identical platform once more. That is as a result of charges concerned, which might eat up a good portion of the raised quantity.
Solely Time Will Inform if the Small Android Telephone Undertaking Succeeds or Not
To boost the quantity required, the Small Android Undertaking will want a minimum of 50,000 backers. That is simpler stated than finished.
And even after the crowdfunding marketing campaign is over, the crew will want round six to 9 months to acquire all of the elements, assemble the telephone, and get it shipped. Once more, this course of entails many different variables and elements, which might simply derail the timeline. Is Pebble set for a comeback? Solely time will inform.