Pebble reboots its thinnest smartwatch with the Pebble Round 2

Shortly after reviving the Pebble smartwatch lineup and launching a low-cost AI Bright Ring, Pebble is preparing to introduce another device: the Pebble Round 2. As the name suggests, the latest model is a refreshed version of Pebble’s round-faced smartwatch, featuring a circular display that gives it a more refined appearance. Like other Pebble devices, the Round 2 remains relatively affordable, priced at $199.

Pebble keeps costs down by limiting functionality. The Pebble Round 2 offers basic health and activity tracking, such as step counting and sleep monitoring. Still, it lacks a heart rate sensor and advanced fitness features, so it is not designed to compete directly with sports- or fitness-focused smartwatches.

That trade-off allows for significantly longer battery life. Pebble estimates that Round 2 will last 10-14 days on a single charge.

Like the recently released Pebble Time 2, the Pebble Round 2 is a reboot of an earlier product. In 2015, Pebble introduced its first circular smartwatch, the Pebble Time Round, which the company described as the thinnest smartwatch on the market at the time.

The new version preserves that slim profile, measuring 8.1 mm thick, compared with 7.5 mm on the original model.

“[The Pebble Time Round] was, by far, one of my favorite Pebbles, but it wasn’t perfect,” Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky said in an interview with TechCrunch. “It had a few things we could improve, most notably being the gigantic bezel around the edge.”

To achieve a rounded design in 2015, Pebble used an octagonal glass piece with rounded edges, hidden beneath a large bezel, which limited usable screen space. Advances in display technology now enable Round 2 to feature a larger screen that displays more text while maintaining a cleaner, more modern look.

The Pebble Round 2 features a 1.3-inch colour e-paper touchscreen display with a 260 x 260-pixel resolution at 283 DPI—roughly double the pixel count of the original Pebble Time Round. The display also features a backlight for nighttime visibility. The watch runs the open-source Pebble OS.

Dual microphones enable voice input and message replies. This functionality is currently limited to Android due to Apple’s platform restrictions, though iOS support is expected to arrive in the European Union soon.

Physical side buttons allow users to silence calls, control music playback, navigate menus, go back, and scroll. Migicovsky said the buttons allow use without looking at the screen.

“Say, for example, someone’s calling, and you’re in a meeting, and you just don’t want to answer the call,” he said. “You don’t even want to look at your watch. You always know that the bottom button cancels the call.”

The Pebble Round 2 also includes a stainless steel frame, an accelerometer, a magnetometer, a silicone watch band, and a Pebble charging dongle. Leather bands will be sold separately.

There are three colour options, each supporting different band sizes. The matte black model supports a 20 mm quick-release band. The silver version supports 14 mm or 20 mm bands, while the polished rose gold model supports only 14 mm.

The smartwatch can run thousands of apps and watch faces available through the Pebble Appstore. However, developers will need to update their apps to support the rounded display using Pebble’s software development kit. Available apps include AI assistants and other productivity tools.

Pebble is also continuing to develop AI features across its products. The company recently released an AI-enabled bright ring that records audio and transcribes conversations, and Migicovsky said similar capabilities will eventually be available on Pebble smartwatches.

The Pebble Round 2 will be available for preorder starting January 2 on Pebble’s website and is expected to ship in May. Customers who previously preordered the Pebble Time 2 will have the option to switch their order to the Pebble Round 2.