Pebble’s round smartwatch is getting a reboot

It’s time to reboot another OG Pebble smartwatch — specifically, the round-faced Time Round, which is getting a follow-up more than a decade after its original launch. The new Pebble Round 2 improves upon its predecessor with longer battery life and a larger 1.3-inch touchscreen display, ditching the chunky bezel that surrounded the original Time Round’s 1-inch screen.

The Pebble Round 2 works with iOS and Android devices and is available to preorder for $199, with shipping expected in May. This is the latest Pebble smartwatch to be relaunched by original Pebble creator Eric Migicovsky’s new company, Core Devices, following the Pebble 2 Duo and Pebble Time 2 — previously called the Core 2 Duo and Core Time 2, until Migicovsky recovered the Pebble trademark from Google.

While Pebble’s original round-faced smartwatch only provided two days of battery life on a single charge, the Pebble Round 2 can go for up to two weeks. The 260 x 260 color e-paper display also provides twice as many pixels as the Time Round and now covers the entire watch face. Dual microphones are included that support speech input features like chatting with AI agents and replying to messages, though the latter is only available on Android for now, with iOS support coming to the EU “soon.”

The Pebble Round 2 features a stainless steel frame that’s available in black, silver, and rose gold color options. There are two quick-release band sizes available — 14mm for rose gold, 20mm for black, and both 14mm and 20mm for the silver variant. Core Devices says that it’s making several additional band accessory options for each size, including leather.

“You can do basic health and activity tracking (steps, sleep), but it’s not designed to be a fitness or sports watch,” Core Devices said in the announcement. The Pebble Round 2 includes an accelerometer and magnetometer, so this may appeal to anyone who needs a basic smartwatch and has nostalgia for the OG Pebble brand, but it won’t be replacing your Garmin any time soon.