Pebble is expanding its rebooted smartwatch line with the Pebble Round 2, a new version of its circular watch that starts at $199 and focuses on simplicity, long battery life, and a slim design.
Like other recent Pebble devices, the Round 2 limits advanced features to keep costs down. It tracks basic health and activity metrics such as steps and sleep, but it does not include a heart rate sensor or more advanced fitness features. In exchange, Pebble says the watch can run for 10 to 14 days on a single charge.
The Round 2 is a modern take on 2015’s Pebble Time Round, which the company once called the thinnest smartwatch on the market. The new model remains slim at 8.1 mm thick, only slightly larger than the original’s 7.5 mm, while improving on its design and display.
“[The Pebble Time Round] was, by far, one of my favorite Pebbles, but it wasn’t perfect,” Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky told TechCrunch. “It had a few things we could improve, most notably being the gigantic bezel around the edge.” The first-round model used an octagonal piece of glass with its edges hidden by a large bezel, which reduced the usable screen area.
Advances in display technology have allowed Pebble to shrink the bezel and enlarge the viewable area. The Round 2 features a 1.3-inch color e-paper touchscreen with a 260 x 260 resolution at 283 DPI, offering twice the pixel count of the original Pebble Time Round. The display includes a backlight for nighttime viewing, and the watch runs the open source Pebble OS.
The watch is equipped with dual microphones for speech input and message replies. Voice replies are currently limited to Android devices due to Apple’s restrictions, though Pebble plans to enable support for iOS users in the EU in the coming days.
Physical buttons on the side handle core functions such as silencing incoming calls, controlling music playback, navigating menus, going back, and scrolling. Migicovsky argues that dedicated buttons make the watch easier to use without looking at the screen, whether declining a call in a meeting or pausing music when wearing wireless earbuds.
The Pebble Round 2 includes a stainless steel frame, accelerometer, magnetometer, silicone band, and a Pebble charging dongle. Leather bands will be sold separately.
The watch will be offered in three finishes, each with specific band options:
- Matte black with a 20 mm quick-release band
- Silver with support for either 14 mm or 20 mm bands
- Polished rose gold with a 14 mm band
The Round 2 can run thousands of apps and watch faces available through the Pebble Appstore. Developers will need to update their apps to support the circular display using Pebble’s SDK. Available software includes AI assistant integrations, such as those that work with Claude and other popular assistants.
Pebble is also developing more AI capabilities across its devices. The company recently released an AI-enabled smart ring that can record audio and transcribe conversations, and Migicovsky said similar features will come to Pebble watches in the future.
The Pebble Round 2 will be available for preorder on January 2 via Pebble’s website, with shipments expected to begin in May. Customers who previously ordered the Pebble Time 2 will have the option to switch their order to the Round 2.