{"id":383863,"date":"2026-01-02T16:49:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T16:49:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/383863\/"},"modified":"2026-01-02T16:49:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T16:49:13","slug":"pebble-brings-its-round-faced-smartwatch-back-from-the-dead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/383863\/","title":{"rendered":"Pebble brings its round-faced smartwatch back from the dead"},"content":{"rendered":"

You\u2019ve probably heard people say it\u2019s impossible to go back and correct some error from the past. To those people, you should raise a middle finger in defiance (they are miserable, after all), and then point them to the tale of Pebble\u2019s unlikely revival. The smartwatch pioneer\u2019s return was a surprise of 2025<\/a>, and now the company has resurrected one of its last great triumphs. It\u2019s announcing the Pebble Round 2, and company founder Eric Migicovsky is looking to put right what once went wrong.<\/p>\n

The Pebble Round 2 is the successor to the Pebble Time Round<\/a>, which debuted in 2015 to what can only be described as frustrated reviews. It was a truly thin smartwatch, with a glorious round display, but that came at the cost of battery life and durability. The fancier components also added to the cost which pushed it to an unreasonable-for-the-time $249. It\u2019s these flaws which the company has sought to address with the Round 2, as well as some of the issues that weren\u2019t deal breakers at the time, but certainly weren\u2019t ideal.<\/p>\n

For instance, the massive bezel around the display is now a thing of the past, with the Round 2\u2019s 1.3-inch color e-paper touchscreen now stretching to the edge of its case. The viewing angles have also been dramatically improved, enabling you to check the time without having to move your wrist. The display has also been bonded to the glass crystal, reducing reflectivity and glare which was another downside for the original model.<\/p>\n

Better still, the battery life is now more than two weeks on a single charge, giving it the sort of Pebble-esque longevity its users demand. And it\u2019s retained that thinness \u2014 measuring in at just 8.1mm \u2014 which is far more elegant than the chunkier smartwatches from other manufacturers. Plus, there\u2019s dual microphones for interacting with AI agents and dictating messages, as well as step and sleep tracking.<\/p>\n

Migicovsky explained that the focus here isn\u2019t just to correct some of the more glaring issues from the first model. As he wrote<\/a> back in 2022, Pebble\u2019s failure was down to its attempt to broaden its appeal beyond the users who had so warmly adopted it in the first place. Consequently, rather than include bulky features like a a built-in optical heart-rate sensor, the focus is on utility. Not to mention a desire to reintroduce some much-needed whimsy into hardware, and empowering users to tinker with their devices, enabling them to craft their own watch faces.<\/p>\n

Hopefully, we\u2019ll get some time in person with the Pebble Round 2 in the next few days, but in the meantime, it\u2019s up for pre-order from today. It\u2019ll set you back $199, and will begin shipping in May. And if you\u2019ve already put down cash for a Pebble Time 2, and want to change your mind, you can switch your order over, no questions asked.<\/p>\n

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