You've probably heard people say that it's impossible to go back and correct the mistakes of the past. These people should raise their middle finger in protest (they are miserable, after all) and then point them to the story of Pebble's unlikely revival. Return of the smartwatch pioneer was a surprise of 2025and now the company has revived one of its last great triumphs. The company announces Pebble's second round, and company founder Eric Migicovski is trying to right what once went wrong.
Pebble Round 2 is the successor Pebble timedebuted in 2015, can only be described as upset reviews. It was a truly thin smartwatch with a gorgeous round display, but that came at a cost in battery life and durability. More complex components also increased the cost, pushing it up to a then-unreasonable $249. It was these shortcomings that the company sought to address in the second round, as well as some issues that weren't deal breakers at the time, but certainly weren't ideal.
For example, the massive bezel around the display is now a thing of the past: the 1.3-inch Round 2 e-paper color touchscreen now extends to the edge of the body. Viewing angles have also been significantly improved, allowing you to check the time without moving your wrist. The display was also coupled with a glass crystal, which reduced reflectivity and glare, which was another drawback of the original model.
What's more, the battery life now lasts more than two weeks on a single charge, giving it the Pebble-style durability that users demand. And it maintains that thinness—just 8.1mm—which is much sleeker than bulkier smartwatches from other manufacturers. Additionally, there are two microphones for interacting with AI agents and dictating messages, as well as tracking steps and sleep.
Migicovski explained that this is not just about fixing some of the more obvious problems of the first model. How is he wrote Back in 2022, Pebble's failure was due to its attempt to broaden its appeal beyond the users who embraced it so warmly in the first place. Hence, instead of bulky features like a built-in optical heart rate sensor, the focus is on utility. Not to mention the desire to once again bring some much-needed quirks to the hardware and give users the ability to tinker with their devices by allowing them to create their own watch faces.
Hopefully we'll have a chance to check out the Pebble Round 2 in person in the next few days, but in the meantime it's available to pre-order starting today. It will cost you $199 and will begin shipping in May. And if you've already paid for Pebble Time 2 and want to change your mind, you can change your order, no questions asked.
