12 ms·

Pebble Round 2

481 points by jackwilsdon 9mo ago

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaDPMZKXcBU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaDPMZKXcBU https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/02/pebble-reboots-its-thinnest-smartwatch-with-the-pebble-round-2/ https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/02/pebble-reboots-its-thinnes...

rationalist 9mo ago
I just placed my pre-order. I never bought the original Pebble Round because it didn't look that good in my opinion, but this one looks great! I like that there is no huge bezel anymore, and that the battery life is now an estimated 2 weeks instead of 3 days. It looks more classy and less like a smartwatch.
erohead 9mo ago
Proud of this one! Feel free to ask any questions you might have. (Pebble founder)
- illright 9mo ago
  Is the Round 2 also going to have screws to potentially replace the battery, like Time 2 does? Also, while watching the announcement video, I noticed that the pixels are quite a bit more visible on the Round 2 on the same watchface, when compared to Time 2 — on the Time 2, the image is a lot more crisp. Is that a matter of adapting the watchfaces to the bigger screen?
  - erohead 9mo ago
    > Screws Nope! No screws on this one. > Is that a matter of adapting the watchfaces to the bigger screen? Yes, exactly.
    - illright 9mo ago
      Dang, I really liked that there were screws on the Time 2. Does that at least mean waterproofing will be better? :p For instance, would it be a good idea to swim with the Round 2 on?
      - erohead 9mo ago
        Still doing our water resistance testing on Round 2, but that is the target (30m water resistance)!
        RadiozRadioz 9mo ago
        What is the breakdown of customers who care about advanced water resistance versus screws/repairability? I imagine most want some water resistance (e.g. 1m), but people may be torn on 30m if it means they lose out on screws. I'm in that category. It would be really cool to see data
        ansgri 9mo ago
        30m (3 bar) basically means splash-proof, not even your stated 1m (activity while submerged, I suppose). Like, 30m is IPX4-5, 50m is IPX6 (very rough equivalence), so 30m is the barest minimum expected from a watch.
        apparent 9mo ago
        I wouldn't care so much about WR for a round Pebble, which I'd wear on nicer occasions. I would care more about WR for a watch that I'd wear at the beach or pool, as a way of getting notifications when not carrying my phone. But screws might add thickness/weight to the watch, compared to glue.
    - tills13 9mo ago
      Why no screws when you specifically called out that there ARE screws on the Time and Duo 2s for the sake of longevity of hardware even if the company goes away? Are you saying there's no access into the watch or that it's more like a traditional circular watch where you can twist off the back?
- donkey_brains 9mo ago
  This is awesome, congrats Eric. Almost makes me wish I hadn’t switched from Android -> iOS last year before the Pebble announcements started coming out. Any idea if we might see more compatibility with iOS in the near future as Apple is forced to open up the ecosystem a little due to EU regulations? I know they had to allow reading iMessages on 3rd party smartwatches recently which sounds promising for Pebble. Apologies if you already blogged about this and I missed it!
  - rationalist 9mo ago
    It's not too late to switch back! I'm running GrapheneOS on a Pixel, but supposedly GrapheneOS is working with an OEM to have a GrapheneOS-native phone if you want to wait a little longer.
  - erohead 9mo ago
    still works fine with iOS, will work even better in EU next year when Apple is forced to comply with the DMA.
- gen3 9mo ago
  On the repebble compare chart the round is marked as having both a speaker and mic, that’s incorrect right?
  - rationalist 9mo ago
    I'm guessing he updated the chart? The chart at https://repebble.com/watch https://repebble.com/watch shows mic-only.
- michielr 9mo ago
  Haven't watched the video yet, but I don't see the vibrating motor/linear actuator mentioned. I'm assuming this is still included? I'll be switching my Pebble Time 2 order over, these look fantastic.
  - rationalist 9mo ago
    The chart at https://repebble.com/watch https://repebble.com/watch shows it has a "Linear resonance actuator (vibrator)"
- alphager 9mo ago
  Is the situation with Rebble solved?
  - bl4kers 9mo ago
    Rebble apologized, withdrew claims, and left the door open for future collaboration. They are restructuring/reorganizing. Core Devices pushed out modularity updates to be less dependent on Rebble's app store and started their own. That's the latest public information.
    - StopDisinfo910 9mo ago
      Understand, no, it didn't. Rebble forced their hands and the community is as good as dead.
- Willamin 9mo ago
  Is a normal (non-rose) gold (or even a brass) color something we could look forward go in the future? Was the decision to not sell that color based on expected demand for the color or did it not work for some other reason?
  - erohead 9mo ago
    No plans to offer more SKUs, sorry. Already have enough to manage.
    - apparent 9mo ago
      How did you decide which colors/sizes to offer this time around? Seems like a reasonable mix, but I also wondered if regular gold could have broader appeal. Perhaps it wouldn't help though, since you'd have to make different SKUs based on band width, assuming women would get the narrower one and men would get the wider one?
- treffer 9mo ago
  I pre-ordered because I loved the Pebble Round - especially the size and look. My intended use case is for formal dress codes and special events (weddings, new years, ...) wheretny fennix 51mm does not fit in (literally and figuratively). That said: I can't find full dimensions for the new round 2. I can guesstimate that it should be 10-20% smaller in diameter and less than 2/3 the thickness. Would you mind sharing full dimensions or even update the post? And congratulations! I really like this. I hope there will be enough of a market to support this project long term.
  - apparent 9mo ago
    Yes, the slimness and ability to dress up are certainly huge selling points. It does look about 1/4 thinner than the PT2, which is presumably much thinner/smaller than your fennix. Honestly, even with a PT2 on order, I would consider getting one of these for the occasions (1x/wk?) where I am wearing a dress shirt or otherwise want to look a little more dressed up. It honestly would probably also be a nice conversation starter because you can set it up with a traditional watchface, but then when you get a notification it would obviously not be a traditional watch. And it's so much thinner than Google/Samsung and other round smartwatches, it wouldn't be confused with those.
  - illright 9mo ago
    You can see the dimensions in the full spec table on the preorder page https://repebble.com/watch https://repebble.com/watch
    - treffer 9mo ago
      Oh great, I missed that end of the page. The "Round 2 details" links back to the blog and it is hard to see the FAQ on mobile (needs manual scrolling to the end). Google search and Perplexity failed when I tried, too. Google search has caught up now (haven't retried Perplexity) A 41.5mm diameter sounds good. That's a whopping 10mm/20% smaller than my current watch. Should be really neat given the thickness.
- 15155 9mo ago
  What is the e-paper display part number / manufacturer?
  - erohead 9mo ago
    sharp, same display that's in Garmin MIP watches (like Forerunner 255) but tbh looks much better in Round 2!
- girvo 9mo ago
  As someone who had the original Pebble Steel, and then moved to the Pebble Round (20mm) until it literally stopped working, I'm super happy you've done this, and incredibly happy that you let me change my pre-order from my Time 2 to the Round 2. Can't wait!
- cyberax 8mo ago
  I like everything about Pebble Round 2, except that it's round. I _HATE_ round watches with a passion, it's just form over function for electronic watches. Coincidentally, that's also why I still have an iWatch even though my phone is Android. There are _no_ good rectangular Android watches. Are you planning something like this but with a rectangular screen? I have Time 2 on pre-order, but I'd love to buy a water-resistant watch.
  - nosrepa 8mo ago
    The time 2 is water resistant.
    - cyberax 8mo ago
      The Round 2 is supposed to be diveable up to 30 meters. The Time 2 is merely resistant, so you can't dive or swim with it.
      - gdown 8mo ago
        While the original announcement just said ipx8, the chart at https://repebble.com/watch https://repebble.com/watch says the target for both watches will be 30 meters (search for "30m"). (note: even though the duo is rated for 20m, they've said specifically not to dive with them: https://ericmigi.com/blog/pebble-2-duo-is-in-mass-production https://ericmigi.com/blog/pebble-2-duo-is-in-mass-production)
- doctorpangloss 8mo ago
  this is supposed to be the part where i say something about the smart watch. i own a $20 Casio F91 that should cost $3 at retail, which is to say, i'm not really your intended audience. is performative positivity an obligation for interesting questions? is it the only framework to figure out products? do you see? is positivity the only valid emotion for a product launch? how do you balance your experience with the rewards of taking risks?
- hollow-moe 8mo ago
  How does the sleep tracking works on the Round? Is it reliable? I'm currently using a Mi Band 7 and it works great with gadgetbridge and it has a heart-rate monitor.
  - erohead 8mo ago
    Sleep tracking works well on all Pebbles!
- stinkys 8mo ago
  Hi erohead, the Round 2 looks beaut! But why on Earth doesn't it have a heart rate monitor?
  - erohead 8mo ago
    Would make it thicker, I wanted it to be very thin.
    - modeless 8mo ago
      Thank you for resisting the heart rate monitor. I'm so happy to have a thin option with no protruding sensors.
  - johnflan 8mo ago
    Thats the primary reason I'm interested in it.
- MarcelOlsz 8mo ago
  Dude you are an inspiration. So amped on the Pebble 01 I sent a multi-paragraph screed to your team lol.
- laweijfmvo 8mo ago
  What kind of “sleep tracking” can you really offer with no heart rate monitor?
  - jmcphers 8mo ago
    I own the Pebble 2 Duo and the answer is "almost none". It basically just tells you how long you were still/not moving much in the evening, as you'd expect. It's a pretty good proxy for what time you went to bed and got up, and that's about it. It can't actually tell if you're asleep. There are also (currently) no sleep metrics on app itself; you can only see them on the watch, which doesn't show much besides the sleep duration and an abstract representation showing where you might have woken up in the night.
    - rationalist 8mo ago
      It's been a long time since I used my Pebble Time Steel, but I remember the alarm feature to wake you up when you were in a light phase of sleep worked very well. I didn't do any sleep tracking personally, but the watch seemed to be able to tell. From an old Kickstarter: "Pebble Health tracks when you fall asleep, wake up, and how much deep sleep you’re getting (that’s the really good stuff). Smart Alarms determine your optimal wake-up time based on your sleep cycle, so you’re less groggy and more energized to tackle the day."
  - erohead 8mo ago
    Generally most sleep tracking products use actigraphy (measurements of your movement) to track sleep. Pebble partnered with researchers at Stanford back in the day to produce an algorithm for our operating system, which worked quite well and is now open source! You can read the code and see how the sleep tracking algorithm works here - https://github.com/coredevices/PebbleOS/blob/main/src%2Ffw%2Fservices%2Fnormal%2Factivity%2Fdocs%2Findex.md https://github.com/coredevices/PebbleOS/blob/main/src%2Ffw%2...
- utopcell 8mo ago
  @erohead: do the new Pebbles still support the strap interface? With the screen now being 1.5" and the resolution being much higher than the original ones, they would make great little retro gaming consoles with the control buttons on the strap. Similar to a funkey-s console.
  - erohead 8mo ago
    Unfortunately no - it basically had zero usage
- rollcat 8mo ago
  The specs link directly to the Pebble Appstore, which showcases a bunch of really cool watchfaces that are... all for the square screen. I think it would be wonderful to land the user on a showcase of faces specifically adapted for the round screen.
summermusic 9mo ago
I had pre-ordered a Time 2, but I switched to the Round 2 because it's cheaper and I don't really care about the features it is missing (heart rate monitor and speaker) or the shape of the face. It's awesome that they let you switch without losing your place in line, very customer-focused of them.
- apparent 9mo ago
  I thought about it but didn't because the battery life difference is pretty big (10-14 vs 30), and according to his comment below, apparently the battery is not replaceable. I assume it would actually be replaceable if one were sufficiently motivated, but the fact that it's not meant to be replaceable is not so great. Honestly if the PT2 weren't replaceable I wouldn't mind so much, since starting of with 30 days of battery means it can degrade a lot before it hits a threshold I care about (1 week, roughly). But if the PR2 starts off around 10 days, it doesn't have far to fall before it hits that threshold. Perhaps the biggest reason I didn't swap my order, though, is that I don't want to wait several more months to get my Pebble!
  - blacksmith_tb 9mo ago
    Yes, your calculus is exactly like mine - there are things to like about the Round (personally I just find round watches more aesthetically pleasing, we've had a couple hundred years of mostly round cases...), but I want longer battery and a shorter wait to get my watch.
gumby271 9mo ago
Damn that's a nice looking watch! Really feels like they got to build what they wanted to 10 years ago but the tech wasn't there. Can't wait to build some sleek round watch faces once I get mine (unless there's an emulator already?)
lawn 9mo ago
It sure looks nice but I'm keeping my Time 2 order as it's got a much better battery life. Still, I'm sure this will appeal to many people.
ilvez 9mo ago
I'm also going for Time 2 because heartrate monitor. Round 2 looks so nice, gratz on design! That Mario watchface is so fun on it.
modeless 9mo ago
I still consider the original Pebble Time Round to be the best smartwatch ever made, even 10 years on. Until now. This is everything I ever wanted in a watch. I can't wait to get mine! I may have to spend some time doing remakes of my favorite watch faces for the new screen resolution.
ImPostingOnHN 9mo ago
> No more bezel Maybe I'm looking at the wrong image, but I see a silver bezel going all around the watch screen. I thought "no bezel" on a screen means the screen goes all the way to the edges of the device. Still want one tho.
- apparent 9mo ago
  I think pretty much all watches have some sort of raised dial/edge in order to protect the glass. This one is not as small as some, but compared to the original round pebble, this is much, much smaller.
  - jerlam 9mo ago
    Except, of course, the most popular smartwatch (Apple Watch) which extends the glass above the case, giving it zero protection against impacts from the front.
    - walletdrainer 9mo ago
      FWIW the same is true of the Rolex Daytona and Patek Philippe Nautilus. There’s probably an actual reason for why this is done. On a mechanical watch I’d often prefer for the crystal to be damaged rather than the case, though I’m not sure that the same logic works for Apple Watches.
      - aidenn0 8mo ago
        Does one ever polish a crystal? Having it raised would make that much easier (also if one does, tell me who can do it to mine, my crystal is scratched to the point where I can't read my watch if the main lighting is behind me).
        jerlam 8mo ago
        Having a soft but easily polishable crystal made of acrylic was a feature of old military watches. The softer crystal was more easily scratched, but fixable; and less prone to shattering, which would completely break the watch.
hasperdi 9mo ago
May the build quality and customer support be better this time around vs. last time.
aprilnya 9mo ago
For a while I’ve wanted a smartwatch that’s not too smart, and is more focused on looks… I think this might be the watch I finally keep
urbandw311er 9mo ago
Anybody know how much the price goes up, typically, after the preorder phase?
sho_hn 9mo ago
I'm sorry for the sour grapes, but the recent ring announcement - disposable, single-charge electronics - soured me on the entire brand in a "never meet your heroes" sort of way. Somehow it makes the idea of wearing one of the watches a negative statement piece.
- rationalist 9mo ago
  The miniscule ring? That size/time doesn't bother me. Now if it was something the size of a phone, that would bother me. I'm expecting that by the time I use up the first version ring's battery, a better version (maybe rechargeable) will be released.
  - tills13 9mo ago
    The problem isn't the form factor, it's that it's guaranteed e-waste. Once it runs out of battery, that's it. I think the pebble guy said that it should last a few months with regular usage but like... What a waste of materials.
    - sho_hn 9mo ago
      Yeah, it's the principle that gets me. "By the time it run out of power, there will be a new version" does nothing to make it better, either. That's like Planned Obsolescence 2.0. I just don't think we should make stuff like this, and I definitely don't want to signal support for it on my wrist.
      - pluralmonad 8mo ago
        The older I get the more my mind shifts toward consume less, away from consume differently. The commenter above you is right that the math is complex and not a straightforward assessment. So the simple fix is to abstain.
    - apparent 9mo ago
      I'm curious how you feel about AirPods, for example. They also do not have replaceable batteries, and after a few years of regular use they become increasingly unusable for their intended purpose. I have a different memory than you regarding the expected lifespan of the ring, which I think was 1-2 years with normal usage. I don't plan to get one, but it certainly hasn't soured me on the brand. There's pretty clear tradeoffs involved with putting replaceable or rechargeable batteries in such a small device. Some people were very upset that iPhones didn't have replaceable batteries like Blackberries. But it would seem that pretty much everyone got over that. With even tinier devices like AirPods and smart rings, it would seem like even less of an e-waste issue. I say this as someone who has no plans to get one of these things, FWIW.
solarkraft 9mo ago
This almost feels like planned obsolescence, with my Pebble Time Steel just recently starting to give up =) I'm joking, the thing has held up amazingly well under all the stress I have put it through for a remarkably long time. It's just pretty well timed, in a way. I've been holding out for a refresh that can compete with the look of the Time Steel, basically the design of the original Time 2. I might go with this one, but that would mean having to abandon the square watchface I've grown fond of. Maybe there are some nice round ones. The two weeks of battery life and activity tracking are greatly appreciated! > Touchscreen (but you don’t have to use it!) What a ride. I hate touchscreens with a burning passion. I hope it can be disabled.
- jolmg 8mo ago
  What's to hate about them?
faldor20 9mo ago
I'm a staunch believer that watches should be small enough to never annoy, always show the time, and never have to be charged but I think this finally does all those things well enough that it's a legitimate option. What is that warranty though? 30 days is pretty rough for a new and untested product. It's definitely enough to make me hold off for a year just in case.
- kridsdale1 9mo ago
  My case full of mechanical watches need to be “charged” every 30-50 hours. At least they do indeed tell time.
- apparent 9mo ago
  I hear you, but the first new Pebble is getting good reviews. It's been out for months and I've not heard anything bad about it. While the upcoming models are a bit less derivative of past watches, they are still pretty well-grounded in prior Pebbles. The software is the same as the P2D, and the hardware is pretty similar to the prior rect/round Pebbles. I believe things could go wrong, but I'm not sure what sort of latent errors would make sense to worry about. The battery life dropping precipitously? (Why would it do this?) Sensors breaking within a couple months? (Again, what would lead to this?). I'm curious to know what you are concerned about. I agree that a year of track record would be great, but IMO a Pebble will be such a big upgrade over pretty much anything else out there (AWs etc. that need charging all the damn time), that I'd rather not wait a year for the additional data to come in.
  - nosrepa 8mo ago
    As an anecdotal story of one, I know someone who has the currently out new pebble and they're already looking to replace the buttons.
    - apparent 8mo ago
      Yikes, that sounds awful. I know that was an issue on the old Pebbles, and the ones that are out have some old hardware. The Pebbles that aren't out yet don't share any parts, so presumably this won't happen to them.
com2kid 9mo ago
I have no idea how the 2 major smart watches (android wear, apple watch) have such horrible battery life. Microsoft Band had a 3 day battery life that would've been 5 days if we weren't forced to use a trash accelerometer that drained our battery by a crazy amount. That aside, Android wear being a complete OS is a waste of power. There aren't any useful apps for it that take advantage of the watch running a full OS. I'm also miffed that OS updates have dropped by pixel watch's battery life from 3 days down to 1 and a half. Good on Pebble for taking a reasonable approach to watch OS design. I presume apple decided they are minting money with a 2-ish day battery life so why bother improving things, but it is sad that most companies don't care about doing the right thing anymore.
- hsbauauvhabzb 9mo ago
  > works at Microsoft > it is sad that most companies don't care about doing the right thing anymore Throw rocks once you’ve stopped the windows 11 spam machine.
  - com2kid 9mo ago
    I haven't worked at Microsoft since 2015. Currently running Linux on my home PC because I can't stand windows 11.
- ossusermivami 9mo ago
  garmin is arguably one major smart watch vendor and has a great battery life
  - mmmlinux 8mo ago
    Garmin is more fitness tracker than smartwatch.
    - weavie 8mo ago
      As someone who has only ever had a Garmin, what am I missing from other smartwatches?
RestartKernel 9mo ago
Looks great, but a mere 30 day warranty for manufacturing defects is kind of insane. I'm glad they're planning to fully support notifications on iOS in the EU due to the DMA, but that warranty wouldn't even be legal if they sell directly within the EU.
- lm28469 8mo ago
  > Looks great, but a mere 30 day warranty for manufacturing defects is kind of insane. It's illegal in advanced societies, but americans call these things "communism" (the rest of the world uses "regulations")
  - apparent 8mo ago
    Apple is forced to offer longer warranties in some non-US countries. In these countries, the price of the product is simply higher, to account for this. So basically consumers are forced to pay for an extended warranty in those countries, whereas if they bought them in the US (as some do on vacation), they get them cheaper but without the extended warranty. I would agree that a product that supposedly has a 30 day battery life (PT2) should have a warranty that lasts longer than 30 days. This is especially true if the software optimizations haven't been completed at the time the watches ship. Otherwise it's just impossible to reliably assess whether the product is actually defective during the return window.
    - leoedin 8mo ago
      > In these countries, the price of the product is simply higher, to account for this Maybe on the individual level, but the aggregate effect is that manufacturers are incentivised to save money by increasing reliability. Which is a good thing for everyone.
      - apparent 8mo ago
        I mean, it's good for the people in America and other shorter-warranty countries, who get to free-ride on any enhanced reliability that this results in. But honestly I've had Macs that still work 15 years after I bought them, and iPhones that work for easily 6 or 7. That's not because AU or EU require a somewhat longer warranty, I don't think.
thedangler 8mo ago
Bring back Pebble Steal. I lost my original and got the pebble time 2 but its just not the same.
- cognisent 8mo ago
  You can get a Pebble Steal next time you see someone wearing one in public...
- rationalist 8mo ago
  eBay has them (used).
mrinterweb 8mo ago
Pebble seems to be the only watch company that I feel understands what a smartwatch should be. It feels like everyone else is trying to make a phone replacement. Pebbles are more of an extension to your phone. Sure it can do some things without the phone, but it isn't trying to make calls, access mobile data with its own sim, use GPS. Those kinds of watches feel like they are designed for athletes who want to leave their phone at home. I'm not that guy. My phone comes with me everywhere, so why would I want phone-light on my wrist when my phone in my pocket can do it better? Pebble also gets battery life. Pebble's 2 weeks compared to 1 day on my pixel watch 3. Want to use that cool sleep tracking feature on your smartwatch? Guess what? Its on the charger.
- Pfhortune 8mo ago
  Exactly this. Pebbles feel like they were built from the ground up to be a watch, whereas the Apple Watch and Android Wear feel like they started from a phone and stripped things away until it became a watch. Separately, it baffles me that Garmin, despite them having also built a watch OS from the ground up, never understood watch/limited-button UX. Their Instinct and Forerunner watches have all sorts of wonky, hidden and arcane interactions with buttons (long press this to X, press this here to Y). Pebble proves that a simple, shallow, and linear menu system works great!
  - utopcell 8mo ago
    Pebbles were originally built to be bicyclist accessories but they pivoted to smart watches when they realized that the market opportunity was larger.
    - deleted 8mo ago
      [deleted]
    - jolmg 8mo ago
      You might be talking about Garmin now-smartwatch devices. The first Forerunners look like something you'd strap on a bike's handlebars. They weren't referred to as smartwatches, but as "personal trainers" and didn't seem to display the time-of-day to classify as a watch. Pebbles and the predecessor InPulse seem to always have been smartwatches, though the need seems to have started by wanting to avoid taking out one's phone while on the bike. Garmin pivoted, but I don't think Pebble did.
Jiro 8mo ago
So there is no way to get weather on this? That's conspicuously absent from the features.
- sumitgt 8mo ago
  There's a ton of apps and watchfaces on the Pebble that show the weather
  - Jiro 8mo ago
    There's a ton of apps and watchfaces on the existing Pebble appstore that showed the weather back when the earlier Pebbles were new. I don't think any of them still work, because they depend on being able to access services that were around back then. These new Pebbles conspicuously don't list the ability to show the weather.
    - nosrepa 8mo ago
      There are current and recently updated apps for pebbles that show the weather. I practically see an update to one a few times a week when I skim the releases channel in the rebble discord.
    - pbmonster 8mo ago
      I'm currently wearing a 2 Duo that shows the weather and outside temperature on the watch face.
- pavon 8mo ago
  Yeah, I'm curious about that as well. This is what I think the history is: * The official weather app on the old Pebble used a weather server they ran, and stopped working when that service shutdown. * The old faces did not use that service, but instead each one wrote their own code to fetch weather information from a variety of sources, most of which have since shutdown or changed in incompatible ways, however some faces have been maintained to continue working. * Rebble created a replacement weather server compatible with the old Pebble one, and patched the weather app, and several watch faces to use it. This service requires a subscription. * The few weather faces in the Repebble appstore that I spot-checked all appear to be using weather sources that are still active. I know that this appstore is curated by Repebble and presumably they verified that these faces still have working weather feeds. * During the Rebble/Repebble drama Eric mentioned "We’re planning to include weather for free in our app and make the data available to all watchfaces so you don’t need to configure each one separately."[1], but I don't know if that is planned to be ready when the Time2 or Round2 launch, or some time later. [1]https://ericmigi.com/blog/pebble-rebble-and-a-path-forward https://ericmigi.com/blog/pebble-rebble-and-a-path-forward
barefootford 8mo ago
Sorta wish they would ship the last watches before announcing more that are months away. I’m pretty sure I preordered 9 months ago and still have nothing to show for it.
- modeless 8mo ago
  They're announcing now so that you can switch your preorder if you want. I got my Pebble 2 Duo a while ago and have been wearing it ever since.
  - barefootford 8mo ago
    Also ordered a pebble 2 duo, and haven't been wearing it ever since.
- apparent 8mo ago
  I think CES might have had something to do with this.
rvz 8mo ago
> Dual microphones for speech input (eg interacting with AI agents) and replying to. But no heart rate monitor.
- RobotCaleb 8mo ago
  Use the microphones
IshKebab 8mo ago
How are they reusing the mechanical design from the original Pebble Round when they sold it to Google?
- apparent 8mo ago
  Technically sold to Fitbit, which sold to Google, but I think it was all open-sourced. What aspect are you wondering about? I can't tell what mechanical design aspects would remain proprietary.
- deleted 8mo ago
  [deleted]
- modeless 8mo ago
  I don't think they're reusing any of the CAD. Just the design concept. All of the parts are different.
lilactown 8mo ago
Would buy this in a heartbeat (pun intended) if it came with a heart rate monitor. I had the first Pebble Time Round and it's my favorite smart watch I've ever owned, but these days the things I want from a watch are to tell the time and collect biometrics. Taking a step back in biometrics feels like a bummer. I also totally buy that it would increase the foot print in a way that would feel way less slim.
- stavros 8mo ago
  Get the Pebble Time 2 instead?
- mrmincent 8mo ago
  Yeah it would’ve been an instant buy for me if it did HR monitoring, even if it meant a thicker base. Now it’ll probably just be a fairly quick buy as my Apple Watch s7 can hardly last a day.
  - apparent 8mo ago
    The PT2 is thicker than the PR2 and has the HR monitor (it also costs $25 more). If you have an AW, then you're already used to the rectangular form factor of the PT2.
- PMunch 8mo ago
  Same! I've already signed up for the Time 2 and super stoked for it, then I saw the announcement for the Round 2 and I was about to switch over until I noticed it didn't have a heart rate sensor. I know its sleek and elegant, but that slight bulk would be worth it in my opinion. And who knows, with the extra thickness they might've been able to squeeze in more battery to get it to the 30 days battery life cited for the Time 2. Also unfortunate that it's missing the RGB backlight of the Time 2. I can think of a few good use cases for it, but if it's only on the Time 2 that means fewer apps would use it.
dent9 8mo ago
I'm an og Pebble fan, I owned every one of the originals, but I'm PISSED because last year they ran a Kickstarter for the recently released Pebble Time 2 and Pebble 2 Duo; I spent $300+ to get both even though I'm not really that thrilled about them I just wanted to support the project. Now after those two have started shipping and I just got the 2 Duo they announce THIS which is way better! Wtf why didn't they tell us in the beginning that they were planning the Round 2? I would have just held off and only ordered that instead. Feels like I got scammed
- MarcelOlsz 8mo ago
  Why is it way better? I like the 2 Duo and I'm sad it's sold out. Would happily buy it off you if you'd like to email me.
- apparent 8mo ago
  Huh? There was no Kickstarter, just pre-orders. And when they announced the Round they said that anyone who preordered a PT2 can flip their pre-order and keep their place in line. My guess is that part of the reason they decided to make the round is that they got so much interest in Pebbles in general, and so many requests for the Round specifically. I don't think they would have wanted to take the risk from the beginning without knowing the demand.
- cush 8mo ago
  You can switch your order. They anticipated that some folks would want the Round instead and said that entire reason they announced this before the Time 2 is shipped is so you can change your order to Round if you want to https://youtu.be/NaDPMZKXcBU?t=393 https://youtu.be/NaDPMZKXcBU?t=393
paxcoder 8mo ago
[dead]
stared 8mo ago
When it comes to such watches, I am always puzzled why there cannot be a USB-C port for charging. Is it a technical limitation of some sorts? (E.g. cannot be made water resistant?) Because right now it is my biggest pain - one more cable that one needs to carry all the time, and if it is lost, you cannot borrow from a friend.
- utopcell 8mo ago
  Even if they can't have usb-c because of space limitation or water resistance, why not simply offer a tiny adapter from their proprietary pogo pin connector to female usb-c? That would be way more portable.
  - spiffytech 8mo ago
    That's what Pebble is doing.
    - utopcell 8mo ago
      Correct. Why isn't everybody doing this?
- 0x38B 8mo ago
  I lost the cable for my original Pebble and 3D printed a clip on housing with wires bent to contact the pens on the watch. It worked for charging. I haven’t worn it again because I don’t have a band and my battery needs replacing. I loved my original Pebble. I remember how great the quick shortcuts to control my music were without having to look down from driving.
hshdhdhj4444 8mo ago
> Dual microphones for speech input (eg interacting with AI agents) and replying to messages (currently Android only… > …iOS in EU soon Just a reminder for all the Apple fanbois whining over how EU users miss out on Apple features (undoubtedly because Apple is behaving like a whiny 10 year old throwing a tantrum, but whatever), in reality, the EU rules allows companies like Pebble to offer functionality on iOS that they cannot elsewhere.
utopcell 8mo ago
Pebble Round 2 looks great. I would definitely had purchased it if it was released instead of the Pebble Time 2, 10 years ago, when it was still relevant.
cbsks 8mo ago
What’s the maximum range to your phone to get notifications? I’ve been trying to cut back on my reflex to look at my phone every few minutes. It’d be great if I could keep my phone on a charging stand and be able to walk around my house and still get notifications.
- ramses0 8mo ago
  Exactly the killer use-case for pebble! It's "blue-toothy" range, so it'll mostly work in adjacent rooms but might have difficulty going diagonally upstairs v. downstairs, or ranging too far outside. IIRC, pebble had a "vibrate on BT-loss", which could remind you to go retrieve the phone when ranging outside to rake leaves (or forgetting your phone in a restaurant or something).
- apparent 8mo ago
  I think Eric posted about this, and it was an impressive distance. Obviously YMMV based on the size of your house and how thick the walls are, but my old Pebble worked in much of my house and I would expect that as BT has gotten better (on both the phone and watch) in the last decade, the new versions will have even more range.
  - 4ggr0 8mo ago
    also probably depends on the building you live in. not trying to start a flame-war, but i can imagine that you get quite some range in the US, if you live in one of those cardboard-inner-walls houses. in the 30cm thick solid wall apartment i live in my pebble looses connection the next room over, i almost need line-of-sight for it to work. working at my desk, get up, walk 5 meters to the bathroom, watch looses connection. maybe my smartphone has a weak bluetooth receiver, compared to other models, who knows...
    - apparent 8mo ago
      Is this an old Pebble or a new one?
utopcell 8mo ago
Nothing wrong with a bit of nostalgia, though we should be aware that a 14-day battery life is no longer a competitive advantage. [Gemini 3 Pro Query] "Which smartwatches have at least 1 week of battery life?" - Garmin Instinct 3: Provides up to 18 days (45mm) or even 40 days (50mm) of battery life. It features a robust design and a bright AMOLED display. - Garmin fenix 8: A premium multisport watch that lasts up to 29 days in smartwatch mode, featuring advanced mapping and a built-in LED flashlight. - Amazfit T-Rex 3: A rugged, budget-friendly alternative with an impressive 27-day battery life and military-grade durability. - Garmin Forerunner 165: Offers 11 days of battery life with a focus on running metrics and accurate GPS tracking. - Garmin Venu 3S: A stylish lifestyle watch with a vibrant display that lasts up to 10 days. - Amazfit Bip 6: A highly affordable option that delivers a solid 14 days of typical use.
- zoklet-enjoyer 8mo ago
  Unless you're going on a back country camping trip, I don't really see what difference it makes if the battery life is 3 days or 30. I have a Garmin Vivoactive 4. It's a generation or 2 old. The battery lasts 2 to 4 days, depending on the features I'm using. I take it off and charge it each day while I shower.
  - utopcell 8mo ago
    The main advantage of Pebble watches was their battery life. If 3 days works for you then there are more sophisticated solutions out there, including the "Garmin Vivoactive 4" which looks great. I'm personally happy with the 3 days I'm getting out of my Pixel Watch 4. For folks that consider 14 days to be a plus, I'm simply mentioning that, 10 years later, it's no longer a differentiator.
    - apparent 8mo ago
      The other big differentiator is the fact that you can do anything on the watch with just buttons. Some Garmins let you easily control music without using the touchscreen, but I think it's just the 5-button ones. This is great for when you want to give the watch input signals without looking at the screen and hitting specific tap targets, or when your hands are wet/gloved/etc.
novoreorx 8mo ago
Just pre ordered one. It reminds me of my first and favorite smartwatch - Withings Activité. Sadly, that one broke after 2 or 3 years, and since then I haven't found a smartwatch I'm willing to wear daily. My Apple Watch is now strictly used for workouts only. They share a lot of similarities: - Round dial - Analog hands (though Round 2 simulates this with e-ink) - Long battery life (Round 2 is ~2 weeks. I remember Withings lasting months on a coin battery) - Thin and light - No speaker, so no noise These are the features I appreciate. I love gadgets, but for smartwatches, I want them to maintain a classic watch appearance. I don't want to worry about charging it every day, and I don't want too many features and notifications to distract me. As for the "smart" part, I want the tech to focus on sensors, i.e. recording movement and sleep. The rest goes for aesthetics, like changing interesting watch faces now and then. That's really it. Most products on the market are no what I want because what the tech brings on them are interference and inconvenience.
- SSLy 8mo ago
  I assume Withings' ScanWatches are not fine for you?
  - novoreorx 8mo ago
    From a basic feature perspective? Sure, they work. But the original Activité is incomparable by design, it’s the only one I really loved. Once my original broke and I realized they weren't making that specific design anymore, I just lost interest in buying from the brand. The new models just don't have the same appeal.
afavour 8mo ago
I’m an OG Pebble user converted to Apple Watch… couldn’t resist placing an order for the Round 2 because it looks amazing but I worry I’ve grown too accustomed to the feature set of the Apple Watch (deep OS integration, contactless payment). Maybe it’ll be my “dress” watch. All else aside I hope this might inspire Apple to try with their watch design. The first watch felt lazy and it’s basically unchanged since then.
- serbuvlad 8mo ago
  Somewhat unrelated but as a Pixel Watch user (since I'm in that ecosystem), I envy the Apple Watch just for the square display. It is just the fundamentally correct design for text imo (which is a large part of what is going to appear). One of my main uses for my Pixel Watch is reading notifications, and even for a 2-3 line text message I have to scroll to read it because it gets cut out by the roundness.
FloatArtifact 8mo ago
I wish I didn't have to use an account to start using my Pebble watch.
bronlund 8mo ago
I am not falling for Eric's pump'n'dump schemes once again.
Bobaso 8mo ago
Design looks similar to my Amazfit balance 2, which I recommend
rkj 8mo ago
I loved my Pebble back in the day, but honestly Garmin overtook it by a long shot. Very similar philosophy

Pebble Round 2

481 points by jackwilsdon 9mo ago

rationalist 9mo ago

I just placed my pre-order. I never bought the original Pebble Round because it didn't look that good in my opinion, but this one looks great! I like that there is no huge bezel anymore, and that the battery life is now an estimated 2 weeks instead of 3 days. It looks more classy and less like a smartwatch.

erohead 9mo ago

Proud of this one! Feel free to ask any questions you might have. (Pebble founder)

illright 9mo ago
Is the Round 2 also going to have screws to potentially replace the battery, like Time 2 does? Also, while watching the announcement video, I noticed that the pixels are quite a bit more visible on the Round 2 on the same watchface, when compared to Time 2 — on the Time 2, the image is a lot more crisp. Is that a matter of adapting the watchfaces to the bigger screen?
- erohead 9mo ago
  > Screws Nope! No screws on this one. > Is that a matter of adapting the watchfaces to the bigger screen? Yes, exactly.
  - illright 9mo ago
    Dang, I really liked that there were screws on the Time 2. Does that at least mean waterproofing will be better? :p For instance, would it be a good idea to swim with the Round 2 on?
    - erohead 9mo ago
      Still doing our water resistance testing on Round 2, but that is the target (30m water resistance)!
      - RadiozRadioz 9mo ago
        What is the breakdown of customers who care about advanced water resistance versus screws/repairability? I imagine most want some water resistance (e.g. 1m), but people may be torn on 30m if it means they lose out on screws. I'm in that category. It would be really cool to see data
        ansgri 9mo ago
        30m (3 bar) basically means splash-proof, not even your stated 1m (activity while submerged, I suppose). Like, 30m is IPX4-5, 50m is IPX6 (very rough equivalence), so 30m is the barest minimum expected from a watch.
        apparent 9mo ago
        I wouldn't care so much about WR for a round Pebble, which I'd wear on nicer occasions. I would care more about WR for a watch that I'd wear at the beach or pool, as a way of getting notifications when not carrying my phone. But screws might add thickness/weight to the watch, compared to glue.
  - tills13 9mo ago
    Why no screws when you specifically called out that there ARE screws on the Time and Duo 2s for the sake of longevity of hardware even if the company goes away? Are you saying there's no access into the watch or that it's more like a traditional circular watch where you can twist off the back?
donkey_brains 9mo ago
This is awesome, congrats Eric. Almost makes me wish I hadn’t switched from Android -> iOS last year before the Pebble announcements started coming out. Any idea if we might see more compatibility with iOS in the near future as Apple is forced to open up the ecosystem a little due to EU regulations? I know they had to allow reading iMessages on 3rd party smartwatches recently which sounds promising for Pebble. Apologies if you already blogged about this and I missed it!
- rationalist 9mo ago
  It's not too late to switch back! I'm running GrapheneOS on a Pixel, but supposedly GrapheneOS is working with an OEM to have a GrapheneOS-native phone if you want to wait a little longer.
- erohead 9mo ago
  still works fine with iOS, will work even better in EU next year when Apple is forced to comply with the DMA.
gen3 9mo ago
On the repebble compare chart the round is marked as having both a speaker and mic, that’s incorrect right?
- rationalist 9mo ago
  I'm guessing he updated the chart? The chart at https://repebble.com/watch https://repebble.com/watch shows mic-only.
michielr 9mo ago
Haven't watched the video yet, but I don't see the vibrating motor/linear actuator mentioned. I'm assuming this is still included? I'll be switching my Pebble Time 2 order over, these look fantastic.
- rationalist 9mo ago
  The chart at https://repebble.com/watch https://repebble.com/watch shows it has a "Linear resonance actuator (vibrator)"
alphager 9mo ago
Is the situation with Rebble solved?
- bl4kers 9mo ago
  Rebble apologized, withdrew claims, and left the door open for future collaboration. They are restructuring/reorganizing. Core Devices pushed out modularity updates to be less dependent on Rebble's app store and started their own. That's the latest public information.
  - StopDisinfo910 9mo ago
    Understand, no, it didn't. Rebble forced their hands and the community is as good as dead.
Willamin 9mo ago
Is a normal (non-rose) gold (or even a brass) color something we could look forward go in the future? Was the decision to not sell that color based on expected demand for the color or did it not work for some other reason?
- erohead 9mo ago
  No plans to offer more SKUs, sorry. Already have enough to manage.
  - apparent 9mo ago
    How did you decide which colors/sizes to offer this time around? Seems like a reasonable mix, but I also wondered if regular gold could have broader appeal. Perhaps it wouldn't help though, since you'd have to make different SKUs based on band width, assuming women would get the narrower one and men would get the wider one?
treffer 9mo ago
I pre-ordered because I loved the Pebble Round - especially the size and look. My intended use case is for formal dress codes and special events (weddings, new years, ...) wheretny fennix 51mm does not fit in (literally and figuratively). That said: I can't find full dimensions for the new round 2. I can guesstimate that it should be 10-20% smaller in diameter and less than 2/3 the thickness. Would you mind sharing full dimensions or even update the post? And congratulations! I really like this. I hope there will be enough of a market to support this project long term.
- apparent 9mo ago
  Yes, the slimness and ability to dress up are certainly huge selling points. It does look about 1/4 thinner than the PT2, which is presumably much thinner/smaller than your fennix. Honestly, even with a PT2 on order, I would consider getting one of these for the occasions (1x/wk?) where I am wearing a dress shirt or otherwise want to look a little more dressed up. It honestly would probably also be a nice conversation starter because you can set it up with a traditional watchface, but then when you get a notification it would obviously not be a traditional watch. And it's so much thinner than Google/Samsung and other round smartwatches, it wouldn't be confused with those.
- illright 9mo ago
  You can see the dimensions in the full spec table on the preorder page https://repebble.com/watch https://repebble.com/watch
  - treffer 9mo ago
    Oh great, I missed that end of the page. The "Round 2 details" links back to the blog and it is hard to see the FAQ on mobile (needs manual scrolling to the end). Google search and Perplexity failed when I tried, too. Google search has caught up now (haven't retried Perplexity) A 41.5mm diameter sounds good. That's a whopping 10mm/20% smaller than my current watch. Should be really neat given the thickness.
15155 9mo ago
What is the e-paper display part number / manufacturer?
- erohead 9mo ago
  sharp, same display that's in Garmin MIP watches (like Forerunner 255) but tbh looks much better in Round 2!
girvo 9mo ago
As someone who had the original Pebble Steel, and then moved to the Pebble Round (20mm) until it literally stopped working, I'm super happy you've done this, and incredibly happy that you let me change my pre-order from my Time 2 to the Round 2. Can't wait!
cyberax 8mo ago
I like everything about Pebble Round 2, except that it's round. I _HATE_ round watches with a passion, it's just form over function for electronic watches. Coincidentally, that's also why I still have an iWatch even though my phone is Android. There are _no_ good rectangular Android watches. Are you planning something like this but with a rectangular screen? I have Time 2 on pre-order, but I'd love to buy a water-resistant watch.
- nosrepa 8mo ago
  The time 2 is water resistant.
  - cyberax 8mo ago
    The Round 2 is supposed to be diveable up to 30 meters. The Time 2 is merely resistant, so you can't dive or swim with it.
    - gdown 8mo ago
      While the original announcement just said ipx8, the chart at https://repebble.com/watch https://repebble.com/watch says the target for both watches will be 30 meters (search for "30m"). (note: even though the duo is rated for 20m, they've said specifically not to dive with them: https://ericmigi.com/blog/pebble-2-duo-is-in-mass-production https://ericmigi.com/blog/pebble-2-duo-is-in-mass-production)
doctorpangloss 8mo ago
this is supposed to be the part where i say something about the smart watch. i own a $20 Casio F91 that should cost $3 at retail, which is to say, i'm not really your intended audience. is performative positivity an obligation for interesting questions? is it the only framework to figure out products? do you see? is positivity the only valid emotion for a product launch? how do you balance your experience with the rewards of taking risks?
hollow-moe 8mo ago
How does the sleep tracking works on the Round? Is it reliable? I'm currently using a Mi Band 7 and it works great with gadgetbridge and it has a heart-rate monitor.
- erohead 8mo ago
  Sleep tracking works well on all Pebbles!
stinkys 8mo ago
Hi erohead, the Round 2 looks beaut! But why on Earth doesn't it have a heart rate monitor?
- erohead 8mo ago
  Would make it thicker, I wanted it to be very thin.
  - modeless 8mo ago
    Thank you for resisting the heart rate monitor. I'm so happy to have a thin option with no protruding sensors.
- johnflan 8mo ago
  Thats the primary reason I'm interested in it.
MarcelOlsz 8mo ago
Dude you are an inspiration. So amped on the Pebble 01 I sent a multi-paragraph screed to your team lol.
laweijfmvo 8mo ago
What kind of “sleep tracking” can you really offer with no heart rate monitor?
- jmcphers 8mo ago
  I own the Pebble 2 Duo and the answer is "almost none". It basically just tells you how long you were still/not moving much in the evening, as you'd expect. It's a pretty good proxy for what time you went to bed and got up, and that's about it. It can't actually tell if you're asleep. There are also (currently) no sleep metrics on app itself; you can only see them on the watch, which doesn't show much besides the sleep duration and an abstract representation showing where you might have woken up in the night.
  - rationalist 8mo ago
    It's been a long time since I used my Pebble Time Steel, but I remember the alarm feature to wake you up when you were in a light phase of sleep worked very well. I didn't do any sleep tracking personally, but the watch seemed to be able to tell. From an old Kickstarter: "Pebble Health tracks when you fall asleep, wake up, and how much deep sleep you’re getting (that’s the really good stuff). Smart Alarms determine your optimal wake-up time based on your sleep cycle, so you’re less groggy and more energized to tackle the day."
- erohead 8mo ago
  Generally most sleep tracking products use actigraphy (measurements of your movement) to track sleep. Pebble partnered with researchers at Stanford back in the day to produce an algorithm for our operating system, which worked quite well and is now open source! You can read the code and see how the sleep tracking algorithm works here - https://github.com/coredevices/PebbleOS/blob/main/src%2Ffw%2Fservices%2Fnormal%2Factivity%2Fdocs%2Findex.md https://github.com/coredevices/PebbleOS/blob/main/src%2Ffw%2...
utopcell 8mo ago
@erohead: do the new Pebbles still support the strap interface? With the screen now being 1.5" and the resolution being much higher than the original ones, they would make great little retro gaming consoles with the control buttons on the strap. Similar to a funkey-s console.
- erohead 8mo ago
  Unfortunately no - it basically had zero usage
rollcat 8mo ago
The specs link directly to the Pebble Appstore, which showcases a bunch of really cool watchfaces that are... all for the square screen. I think it would be wonderful to land the user on a showcase of faces specifically adapted for the round screen.

summermusic 9mo ago

I had pre-ordered a Time 2, but I switched to the Round 2 because it's cheaper and I don't really care about the features it is missing (heart rate monitor and speaker) or the shape of the face. It's awesome that they let you switch without losing your place in line, very customer-focused of them.

apparent 9mo ago
I thought about it but didn't because the battery life difference is pretty big (10-14 vs 30), and according to his comment below, apparently the battery is not replaceable. I assume it would actually be replaceable if one were sufficiently motivated, but the fact that it's not meant to be replaceable is not so great. Honestly if the PT2 weren't replaceable I wouldn't mind so much, since starting of with 30 days of battery means it can degrade a lot before it hits a threshold I care about (1 week, roughly). But if the PR2 starts off around 10 days, it doesn't have far to fall before it hits that threshold. Perhaps the biggest reason I didn't swap my order, though, is that I don't want to wait several more months to get my Pebble!
- blacksmith_tb 9mo ago
  Yes, your calculus is exactly like mine - there are things to like about the Round (personally I just find round watches more aesthetically pleasing, we've had a couple hundred years of mostly round cases...), but I want longer battery and a shorter wait to get my watch.

gumby271 9mo ago

Damn that's a nice looking watch! Really feels like they got to build what they wanted to 10 years ago but the tech wasn't there. Can't wait to build some sleek round watch faces once I get mine (unless there's an emulator already?)

lawn 9mo ago

It sure looks nice but I'm keeping my Time 2 order as it's got a much better battery life. Still, I'm sure this will appeal to many people.

ilvez 9mo ago

I'm also going for Time 2 because heartrate monitor. Round 2 looks so nice, gratz on design! That Mario watchface is so fun on it.

modeless 9mo ago

I still consider the original Pebble Time Round to be the best smartwatch ever made, even 10 years on. Until now. This is everything I ever wanted in a watch. I can't wait to get mine! I may have to spend some time doing remakes of my favorite watch faces for the new screen resolution.

ImPostingOnHN 9mo ago

> No more bezel Maybe I'm looking at the wrong image, but I see a silver bezel going all around the watch screen. I thought "no bezel" on a screen means the screen goes all the way to the edges of the device. Still want one tho.

apparent 9mo ago
I think pretty much all watches have some sort of raised dial/edge in order to protect the glass. This one is not as small as some, but compared to the original round pebble, this is much, much smaller.
- jerlam 9mo ago
  Except, of course, the most popular smartwatch (Apple Watch) which extends the glass above the case, giving it zero protection against impacts from the front.
  - walletdrainer 9mo ago
    FWIW the same is true of the Rolex Daytona and Patek Philippe Nautilus. There’s probably an actual reason for why this is done. On a mechanical watch I’d often prefer for the crystal to be damaged rather than the case, though I’m not sure that the same logic works for Apple Watches.
    - aidenn0 8mo ago
      Does one ever polish a crystal? Having it raised would make that much easier (also if one does, tell me who can do it to mine, my crystal is scratched to the point where I can't read my watch if the main lighting is behind me).
      - jerlam 8mo ago
        Having a soft but easily polishable crystal made of acrylic was a feature of old military watches. The softer crystal was more easily scratched, but fixable; and less prone to shattering, which would completely break the watch.

hasperdi 9mo ago

May the build quality and customer support be better this time around vs. last time.

aprilnya 9mo ago

For a while I’ve wanted a smartwatch that’s not too smart, and is more focused on looks… I think this might be the watch I finally keep

urbandw311er 9mo ago

Anybody know how much the price goes up, typically, after the preorder phase?

sho_hn 9mo ago

I'm sorry for the sour grapes, but the recent ring announcement - disposable, single-charge electronics - soured me on the entire brand in a "never meet your heroes" sort of way. Somehow it makes the idea of wearing one of the watches a negative statement piece.

rationalist 9mo ago
The miniscule ring? That size/time doesn't bother me. Now if it was something the size of a phone, that would bother me. I'm expecting that by the time I use up the first version ring's battery, a better version (maybe rechargeable) will be released.
- tills13 9mo ago
  The problem isn't the form factor, it's that it's guaranteed e-waste. Once it runs out of battery, that's it. I think the pebble guy said that it should last a few months with regular usage but like... What a waste of materials.
  - sho_hn 9mo ago
    Yeah, it's the principle that gets me. "By the time it run out of power, there will be a new version" does nothing to make it better, either. That's like Planned Obsolescence 2.0. I just don't think we should make stuff like this, and I definitely don't want to signal support for it on my wrist.
    - pluralmonad 8mo ago
      The older I get the more my mind shifts toward consume less, away from consume differently. The commenter above you is right that the math is complex and not a straightforward assessment. So the simple fix is to abstain.
  - apparent 9mo ago
    I'm curious how you feel about AirPods, for example. They also do not have replaceable batteries, and after a few years of regular use they become increasingly unusable for their intended purpose. I have a different memory than you regarding the expected lifespan of the ring, which I think was 1-2 years with normal usage. I don't plan to get one, but it certainly hasn't soured me on the brand. There's pretty clear tradeoffs involved with putting replaceable or rechargeable batteries in such a small device. Some people were very upset that iPhones didn't have replaceable batteries like Blackberries. But it would seem that pretty much everyone got over that. With even tinier devices like AirPods and smart rings, it would seem like even less of an e-waste issue. I say this as someone who has no plans to get one of these things, FWIW.

solarkraft 9mo ago

This almost feels like planned obsolescence, with my Pebble Time Steel just recently starting to give up =) I'm joking, the thing has held up amazingly well under all the stress I have put it through for a remarkably long time. It's just pretty well timed, in a way. I've been holding out for a refresh that can compete with the look of the Time Steel, basically the design of the original Time 2. I might go with this one, but that would mean having to abandon the square watchface I've grown fond of. Maybe there are some nice round ones. The two weeks of battery life and activity tracking are greatly appreciated! > Touchscreen (but you don’t have to use it!) What a ride. I hate touchscreens with a burning passion. I hope it can be disabled.

jolmg 8mo ago
What's to hate about them?

faldor20 9mo ago

I'm a staunch believer that watches should be small enough to never annoy, always show the time, and never have to be charged but I think this finally does all those things well enough that it's a legitimate option. What is that warranty though? 30 days is pretty rough for a new and untested product. It's definitely enough to make me hold off for a year just in case.

kridsdale1 9mo ago
My case full of mechanical watches need to be “charged” every 30-50 hours. At least they do indeed tell time.
apparent 9mo ago
I hear you, but the first new Pebble is getting good reviews. It's been out for months and I've not heard anything bad about it. While the upcoming models are a bit less derivative of past watches, they are still pretty well-grounded in prior Pebbles. The software is the same as the P2D, and the hardware is pretty similar to the prior rect/round Pebbles. I believe things could go wrong, but I'm not sure what sort of latent errors would make sense to worry about. The battery life dropping precipitously? (Why would it do this?) Sensors breaking within a couple months? (Again, what would lead to this?). I'm curious to know what you are concerned about. I agree that a year of track record would be great, but IMO a Pebble will be such a big upgrade over pretty much anything else out there (AWs etc. that need charging all the damn time), that I'd rather not wait a year for the additional data to come in.
- nosrepa 8mo ago
  As an anecdotal story of one, I know someone who has the currently out new pebble and they're already looking to replace the buttons.
  - apparent 8mo ago
    Yikes, that sounds awful. I know that was an issue on the old Pebbles, and the ones that are out have some old hardware. The Pebbles that aren't out yet don't share any parts, so presumably this won't happen to them.

com2kid 9mo ago

I have no idea how the 2 major smart watches (android wear, apple watch) have such horrible battery life. Microsoft Band had a 3 day battery life that would've been 5 days if we weren't forced to use a trash accelerometer that drained our battery by a crazy amount. That aside, Android wear being a complete OS is a waste of power. There aren't any useful apps for it that take advantage of the watch running a full OS. I'm also miffed that OS updates have dropped by pixel watch's battery life from 3 days down to 1 and a half. Good on Pebble for taking a reasonable approach to watch OS design. I presume apple decided they are minting money with a 2-ish day battery life so why bother improving things, but it is sad that most companies don't care about doing the right thing anymore.

hsbauauvhabzb 9mo ago
> works at Microsoft > it is sad that most companies don't care about doing the right thing anymore Throw rocks once you’ve stopped the windows 11 spam machine.
- com2kid 9mo ago
  I haven't worked at Microsoft since 2015. Currently running Linux on my home PC because I can't stand windows 11.
ossusermivami 9mo ago
garmin is arguably one major smart watch vendor and has a great battery life
- mmmlinux 8mo ago
  Garmin is more fitness tracker than smartwatch.
  - weavie 8mo ago
    As someone who has only ever had a Garmin, what am I missing from other smartwatches?

RestartKernel 9mo ago

Looks great, but a mere 30 day warranty for manufacturing defects is kind of insane. I'm glad they're planning to fully support notifications on iOS in the EU due to the DMA, but that warranty wouldn't even be legal if they sell directly within the EU.

lm28469 8mo ago
> Looks great, but a mere 30 day warranty for manufacturing defects is kind of insane. It's illegal in advanced societies, but americans call these things "communism" (the rest of the world uses "regulations")
- apparent 8mo ago
  Apple is forced to offer longer warranties in some non-US countries. In these countries, the price of the product is simply higher, to account for this. So basically consumers are forced to pay for an extended warranty in those countries, whereas if they bought them in the US (as some do on vacation), they get them cheaper but without the extended warranty. I would agree that a product that supposedly has a 30 day battery life (PT2) should have a warranty that lasts longer than 30 days. This is especially true if the software optimizations haven't been completed at the time the watches ship. Otherwise it's just impossible to reliably assess whether the product is actually defective during the return window.
  - leoedin 8mo ago
    > In these countries, the price of the product is simply higher, to account for this Maybe on the individual level, but the aggregate effect is that manufacturers are incentivised to save money by increasing reliability. Which is a good thing for everyone.
    - apparent 8mo ago
      I mean, it's good for the people in America and other shorter-warranty countries, who get to free-ride on any enhanced reliability that this results in. But honestly I've had Macs that still work 15 years after I bought them, and iPhones that work for easily 6 or 7. That's not because AU or EU require a somewhat longer warranty, I don't think.

thedangler 8mo ago

Bring back Pebble Steal. I lost my original and got the pebble time 2 but its just not the same.

cognisent 8mo ago
You can get a Pebble Steal next time you see someone wearing one in public...
rationalist 8mo ago
eBay has them (used).

mrinterweb 8mo ago

Pebble seems to be the only watch company that I feel understands what a smartwatch should be. It feels like everyone else is trying to make a phone replacement. Pebbles are more of an extension to your phone. Sure it can do some things without the phone, but it isn't trying to make calls, access mobile data with its own sim, use GPS. Those kinds of watches feel like they are designed for athletes who want to leave their phone at home. I'm not that guy. My phone comes with me everywhere, so why would I want phone-light on my wrist when my phone in my pocket can do it better? Pebble also gets battery life. Pebble's 2 weeks compared to 1 day on my pixel watch 3. Want to use that cool sleep tracking feature on your smartwatch? Guess what? Its on the charger.

Pfhortune 8mo ago
Exactly this. Pebbles feel like they were built from the ground up to be a watch, whereas the Apple Watch and Android Wear feel like they started from a phone and stripped things away until it became a watch. Separately, it baffles me that Garmin, despite them having also built a watch OS from the ground up, never understood watch/limited-button UX. Their Instinct and Forerunner watches have all sorts of wonky, hidden and arcane interactions with buttons (long press this to X, press this here to Y). Pebble proves that a simple, shallow, and linear menu system works great!
- utopcell 8mo ago
  Pebbles were originally built to be bicyclist accessories but they pivoted to smart watches when they realized that the market opportunity was larger.
  - deleted 8mo ago
    [deleted]
  - jolmg 8mo ago
    You might be talking about Garmin now-smartwatch devices. The first Forerunners look like something you'd strap on a bike's handlebars. They weren't referred to as smartwatches, but as "personal trainers" and didn't seem to display the time-of-day to classify as a watch. Pebbles and the predecessor InPulse seem to always have been smartwatches, though the need seems to have started by wanting to avoid taking out one's phone while on the bike. Garmin pivoted, but I don't think Pebble did.

Jiro 8mo ago

So there is no way to get weather on this? That's conspicuously absent from the features.

sumitgt 8mo ago
There's a ton of apps and watchfaces on the Pebble that show the weather
- Jiro 8mo ago
  There's a ton of apps and watchfaces on the existing Pebble appstore that showed the weather back when the earlier Pebbles were new. I don't think any of them still work, because they depend on being able to access services that were around back then. These new Pebbles conspicuously don't list the ability to show the weather.
  - nosrepa 8mo ago
    There are current and recently updated apps for pebbles that show the weather. I practically see an update to one a few times a week when I skim the releases channel in the rebble discord.
  - pbmonster 8mo ago
    I'm currently wearing a 2 Duo that shows the weather and outside temperature on the watch face.
pavon 8mo ago
Yeah, I'm curious about that as well. This is what I think the history is: * The official weather app on the old Pebble used a weather server they ran, and stopped working when that service shutdown. * The old faces did not use that service, but instead each one wrote their own code to fetch weather information from a variety of sources, most of which have since shutdown or changed in incompatible ways, however some faces have been maintained to continue working. * Rebble created a replacement weather server compatible with the old Pebble one, and patched the weather app, and several watch faces to use it. This service requires a subscription. * The few weather faces in the Repebble appstore that I spot-checked all appear to be using weather sources that are still active. I know that this appstore is curated by Repebble and presumably they verified that these faces still have working weather feeds. * During the Rebble/Repebble drama Eric mentioned "We’re planning to include weather for free in our app and make the data available to all watchfaces so you don’t need to configure each one separately."[1], but I don't know if that is planned to be ready when the Time2 or Round2 launch, or some time later. [1]https://ericmigi.com/blog/pebble-rebble-and-a-path-forward https://ericmigi.com/blog/pebble-rebble-and-a-path-forward

barefootford 8mo ago

Sorta wish they would ship the last watches before announcing more that are months away. I’m pretty sure I preordered 9 months ago and still have nothing to show for it.

modeless 8mo ago
They're announcing now so that you can switch your preorder if you want. I got my Pebble 2 Duo a while ago and have been wearing it ever since.
- barefootford 8mo ago
  Also ordered a pebble 2 duo, and haven't been wearing it ever since.
apparent 8mo ago
I think CES might have had something to do with this.

rvz 8mo ago

> Dual microphones for speech input (eg interacting with AI agents) and replying to. But no heart rate monitor.

RobotCaleb 8mo ago
Use the microphones

IshKebab 8mo ago

How are they reusing the mechanical design from the original Pebble Round when they sold it to Google?

apparent 8mo ago
Technically sold to Fitbit, which sold to Google, but I think it was all open-sourced. What aspect are you wondering about? I can't tell what mechanical design aspects would remain proprietary.
deleted 8mo ago
[deleted]
modeless 8mo ago
I don't think they're reusing any of the CAD. Just the design concept. All of the parts are different.

lilactown 8mo ago

Would buy this in a heartbeat (pun intended) if it came with a heart rate monitor. I had the first Pebble Time Round and it's my favorite smart watch I've ever owned, but these days the things I want from a watch are to tell the time and collect biometrics. Taking a step back in biometrics feels like a bummer. I also totally buy that it would increase the foot print in a way that would feel way less slim.

stavros 8mo ago
Get the Pebble Time 2 instead?
mrmincent 8mo ago
Yeah it would’ve been an instant buy for me if it did HR monitoring, even if it meant a thicker base. Now it’ll probably just be a fairly quick buy as my Apple Watch s7 can hardly last a day.
- apparent 8mo ago
  The PT2 is thicker than the PR2 and has the HR monitor (it also costs $25 more). If you have an AW, then you're already used to the rectangular form factor of the PT2.
PMunch 8mo ago
Same! I've already signed up for the Time 2 and super stoked for it, then I saw the announcement for the Round 2 and I was about to switch over until I noticed it didn't have a heart rate sensor. I know its sleek and elegant, but that slight bulk would be worth it in my opinion. And who knows, with the extra thickness they might've been able to squeeze in more battery to get it to the 30 days battery life cited for the Time 2. Also unfortunate that it's missing the RGB backlight of the Time 2. I can think of a few good use cases for it, but if it's only on the Time 2 that means fewer apps would use it.

dent9 8mo ago

I'm an og Pebble fan, I owned every one of the originals, but I'm PISSED because last year they ran a Kickstarter for the recently released Pebble Time 2 and Pebble 2 Duo; I spent $300+ to get both even though I'm not really that thrilled about them I just wanted to support the project. Now after those two have started shipping and I just got the 2 Duo they announce THIS which is way better! Wtf why didn't they tell us in the beginning that they were planning the Round 2? I would have just held off and only ordered that instead. Feels like I got scammed

MarcelOlsz 8mo ago
Why is it way better? I like the 2 Duo and I'm sad it's sold out. Would happily buy it off you if you'd like to email me.
apparent 8mo ago
Huh? There was no Kickstarter, just pre-orders. And when they announced the Round they said that anyone who preordered a PT2 can flip their pre-order and keep their place in line. My guess is that part of the reason they decided to make the round is that they got so much interest in Pebbles in general, and so many requests for the Round specifically. I don't think they would have wanted to take the risk from the beginning without knowing the demand.
cush 8mo ago
You can switch your order. They anticipated that some folks would want the Round instead and said that entire reason they announced this before the Time 2 is shipped is so you can change your order to Round if you want to https://youtu.be/NaDPMZKXcBU?t=393 https://youtu.be/NaDPMZKXcBU?t=393

paxcoder 8mo ago

[dead]

stared 8mo ago

When it comes to such watches, I am always puzzled why there cannot be a USB-C port for charging. Is it a technical limitation of some sorts? (E.g. cannot be made water resistant?) Because right now it is my biggest pain - one more cable that one needs to carry all the time, and if it is lost, you cannot borrow from a friend.

utopcell 8mo ago
Even if they can't have usb-c because of space limitation or water resistance, why not simply offer a tiny adapter from their proprietary pogo pin connector to female usb-c? That would be way more portable.
- spiffytech 8mo ago
  That's what Pebble is doing.
  - utopcell 8mo ago
    Correct. Why isn't everybody doing this?
0x38B 8mo ago
I lost the cable for my original Pebble and 3D printed a clip on housing with wires bent to contact the pens on the watch. It worked for charging. I haven’t worn it again because I don’t have a band and my battery needs replacing. I loved my original Pebble. I remember how great the quick shortcuts to control my music were without having to look down from driving.

hshdhdhj4444 8mo ago

> Dual microphones for speech input (eg interacting with AI agents) and replying to messages (currently Android only… > …iOS in EU soon Just a reminder for all the Apple fanbois whining over how EU users miss out on Apple features (undoubtedly because Apple is behaving like a whiny 10 year old throwing a tantrum, but whatever), in reality, the EU rules allows companies like Pebble to offer functionality on iOS that they cannot elsewhere.

utopcell 8mo ago

Pebble Round 2 looks great. I would definitely had purchased it if it was released instead of the Pebble Time 2, 10 years ago, when it was still relevant.

cbsks 8mo ago

What’s the maximum range to your phone to get notifications? I’ve been trying to cut back on my reflex to look at my phone every few minutes. It’d be great if I could keep my phone on a charging stand and be able to walk around my house and still get notifications.

ramses0 8mo ago
Exactly the killer use-case for pebble! It's "blue-toothy" range, so it'll mostly work in adjacent rooms but might have difficulty going diagonally upstairs v. downstairs, or ranging too far outside. IIRC, pebble had a "vibrate on BT-loss", which could remind you to go retrieve the phone when ranging outside to rake leaves (or forgetting your phone in a restaurant or something).
apparent 8mo ago
I think Eric posted about this, and it was an impressive distance. Obviously YMMV based on the size of your house and how thick the walls are, but my old Pebble worked in much of my house and I would expect that as BT has gotten better (on both the phone and watch) in the last decade, the new versions will have even more range.
- 4ggr0 8mo ago
  also probably depends on the building you live in. not trying to start a flame-war, but i can imagine that you get quite some range in the US, if you live in one of those cardboard-inner-walls houses. in the 30cm thick solid wall apartment i live in my pebble looses connection the next room over, i almost need line-of-sight for it to work. working at my desk, get up, walk 5 meters to the bathroom, watch looses connection. maybe my smartphone has a weak bluetooth receiver, compared to other models, who knows...
  - apparent 8mo ago
    Is this an old Pebble or a new one?

utopcell 8mo ago

Nothing wrong with a bit of nostalgia, though we should be aware that a 14-day battery life is no longer a competitive advantage. [Gemini 3 Pro Query] "Which smartwatches have at least 1 week of battery life?" - Garmin Instinct 3: Provides up to 18 days (45mm) or even 40 days (50mm) of battery life. It features a robust design and a bright AMOLED display. - Garmin fenix 8: A premium multisport watch that lasts up to 29 days in smartwatch mode, featuring advanced mapping and a built-in LED flashlight. - Amazfit T-Rex 3: A rugged, budget-friendly alternative with an impressive 27-day battery life and military-grade durability. - Garmin Forerunner 165: Offers 11 days of battery life with a focus on running metrics and accurate GPS tracking. - Garmin Venu 3S: A stylish lifestyle watch with a vibrant display that lasts up to 10 days. - Amazfit Bip 6: A highly affordable option that delivers a solid 14 days of typical use.

zoklet-enjoyer 8mo ago
Unless you're going on a back country camping trip, I don't really see what difference it makes if the battery life is 3 days or 30. I have a Garmin Vivoactive 4. It's a generation or 2 old. The battery lasts 2 to 4 days, depending on the features I'm using. I take it off and charge it each day while I shower.
- utopcell 8mo ago
  The main advantage of Pebble watches was their battery life. If 3 days works for you then there are more sophisticated solutions out there, including the "Garmin Vivoactive 4" which looks great. I'm personally happy with the 3 days I'm getting out of my Pixel Watch 4. For folks that consider 14 days to be a plus, I'm simply mentioning that, 10 years later, it's no longer a differentiator.
  - apparent 8mo ago
    The other big differentiator is the fact that you can do anything on the watch with just buttons. Some Garmins let you easily control music without using the touchscreen, but I think it's just the 5-button ones. This is great for when you want to give the watch input signals without looking at the screen and hitting specific tap targets, or when your hands are wet/gloved/etc.

novoreorx 8mo ago

Just pre ordered one. It reminds me of my first and favorite smartwatch - Withings Activité. Sadly, that one broke after 2 or 3 years, and since then I haven't found a smartwatch I'm willing to wear daily. My Apple Watch is now strictly used for workouts only. They share a lot of similarities: - Round dial - Analog hands (though Round 2 simulates this with e-ink) - Long battery life (Round 2 is ~2 weeks. I remember Withings lasting months on a coin battery) - Thin and light - No speaker, so no noise These are the features I appreciate. I love gadgets, but for smartwatches, I want them to maintain a classic watch appearance. I don't want to worry about charging it every day, and I don't want too many features and notifications to distract me. As for the "smart" part, I want the tech to focus on sensors, i.e. recording movement and sleep. The rest goes for aesthetics, like changing interesting watch faces now and then. That's really it. Most products on the market are no what I want because what the tech brings on them are interference and inconvenience.

SSLy 8mo ago
I assume Withings' ScanWatches are not fine for you?
- novoreorx 8mo ago
  From a basic feature perspective? Sure, they work. But the original Activité is incomparable by design, it’s the only one I really loved. Once my original broke and I realized they weren't making that specific design anymore, I just lost interest in buying from the brand. The new models just don't have the same appeal.

afavour 8mo ago

I’m an OG Pebble user converted to Apple Watch… couldn’t resist placing an order for the Round 2 because it looks amazing but I worry I’ve grown too accustomed to the feature set of the Apple Watch (deep OS integration, contactless payment). Maybe it’ll be my “dress” watch. All else aside I hope this might inspire Apple to try with their watch design. The first watch felt lazy and it’s basically unchanged since then.

serbuvlad 8mo ago
Somewhat unrelated but as a Pixel Watch user (since I'm in that ecosystem), I envy the Apple Watch just for the square display. It is just the fundamentally correct design for text imo (which is a large part of what is going to appear). One of my main uses for my Pixel Watch is reading notifications, and even for a 2-3 line text message I have to scroll to read it because it gets cut out by the roundness.

FloatArtifact 8mo ago

I wish I didn't have to use an account to start using my Pebble watch.

bronlund 8mo ago

I am not falling for Eric's pump'n'dump schemes once again.

Bobaso 8mo ago

Design looks similar to my Amazfit balance 2, which I recommend

rkj 8mo ago

I loved my Pebble back in the day, but honestly Garmin overtook it by a long shot. Very similar philosophy