Pebble Round 2 revives the circular smartwatch after a ten-year gap, with a minimal bezel and a 1.3-inch color e-paper display.
In 2015, the Pebble Time Round was introduced as a circular version of the original Pebble smartwatch. A decade later, the revived Pebble smartwatch range has its own take on the disc-shaped timepiece.
The big change for the Pebble Round 2 is with the display, which now uses a 1.3-inch color e-paper screen that doesn't have the pronounced bezel of the original. This time, the display takes up most of the face, with a much thinner bezel around the outside.
The screen is also improved over the original, with its resolution of 260 by 260 pixels resulting in a pixel density of 283 pixels per inch, double the original. The screen is also touch-enabled, with it also having four small side buttons for more traditional control and a backlight.
The change in Bluetooth chip also extends the battery life to two weeks between charges. Using a stainless steel frame, it is also still extremely thin for a smartwatch at 8.1mm.
Onboard sensors include an accelerometer and magnetometer, while a linear resonance actuator provides haptic feedback.
It can be used to track sleep and step counts, though Pebble says it's not designed to be a fitness or sports watch in its own right. This may be one reason that could keep fitness-oriented Apple Watch users from making the switch.
The smartwatch runs on PebbleOS, and will work with an open-source mobile app for iOS and Android. It's also capable of working with a number of apps and watch faces available on the Pebble Appstore.
Dual microphones can be used for speech input, which Pebble proposes could be used to interact with AI agents. The voice system can also be used to reply to messages, though this will be Android-only at first with iOS support in the EU expected "soon."
The voice functionality follows after another similar introduction by Pebble in December. The Pebble Index 01 was a ring for recording voice notes, which can be saved to a nearby smartphone.
Available in matte black, brushed silver, and polished rose gold options, the Pebble Round 2 is available to preorder from rePebble.com for $199, and will start shipping in May.
