Smartwatch brand Pebble announced the relaunch of the Pebble Time Round, the iconic round smartwatch from ten years ago. The new model is named Pebble Round 2 and has made many improvements to the original product in terms of design and functionality, making up for the compromises made in pursuit of thinness and lightness.
Pebble Round 2 uses a borderless 1.3-inch color e-paper screen, and the body is available in three colors: matte black, brushed silver and rose gold, continuing the slim and lightweight appearance positioning of the first generation. Thanks to advances in Bluetooth technology and hardware efficiency, the new watch has extended battery life to up to two weeks while remaining thin and light, greatly improving the daily use experience.
In terms of system, Pebble Round 2 is equipped with the open source PebbleOS operating system, which can be used with iOS and Android smartphones and supports basic sleep monitoring and activity tracking functions. Different from the product line that focuses on health and sports, this watch does not include fitness-level sensors such as heart rate monitoring, and is positioned more towards daily notifications, lightweight exercise recording and personalized watch face experience.
Pebble brand founder Eric Migicovsky restarted the Pebble brand again this year after Google released the source code of PebbleOS. After the original Pebble company went bankrupt in 2016, it was acquired by Fitbit, and Fitbit was subsequently acquired by Google, allowing PebbleOS to continue in an open source form and become the basis for this return.
Migicovsky has been critical of Apple's platform restrictions on third-party wearables, arguing that the restrictions make it almost impossible for third-party watches to provide a complete experience on the iPhone that is close to the Apple Watch. He has repeatedly said that Apple’s policies have hindered the development of an independent wearable ecosystem to a certain extent, and also caused brands like Pebble to face many constraints when creating deeply integrated experiences.
Currently, Pebble Round 2 is available for pre-order on the rePebble official website, priced at $199, and is expected to begin shipping to users in May this year. For users who miss the classic Pebble experience and want longer battery life and the freedom of an open source system, this replica and upgraded round smartwatch may become a new and sentimental choice.