Shortly after bringing back the Pebble smartwatch and launching a low-cost AI smart ring, Pebble is preparing another new product: the Pebble Round 2. As the name suggests, this latest device is another version of the Pebble smartwatch, but with a rounded screen, giving it a more unique look. But like other Pebble devices, the new watch is still an affordable purchase at $199.
Pebble keeps the costs of its smartwatches down by limiting what they can do. In the case of the new Pebble Round 2, the device offers basic health and activity tracking, such as steps and sleep, but does not include a heart rate monitor or other features that would make it a sports or fitness watch alternative.
The downside is longer battery life: the Pebble Round 2 should last 10 to 14 days before needing a charge.
like him Pebble Time 2 recently releasedThe Pebble Round 2 is the company’s reboot of an older smartwatch. In 2015, Pebble launched its first round watch with the Pebble Time Round, which the company called the thinnest smartwatch in the industry at the time.
The newer version maintains that slim look, being just 8.1mm thick, compared to the original’s 7.5mm.
“[The Pebble Time Round] “It was by far one of my favorite Pebbles, but it wasn’t perfect,” Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky said in an interview with TechCrunch. “It had a few things we could improve, the most notable being the gigantic bevel around the edge.”
To make the original rounded watch face, the team used a piece of octagonal glass with rounded edges that were hidden by a large bezel. But the result was a device that did not have a very large screen. Since then, technology has improved, of course, so the new device’s larger screen allows you to see more text. The updated design also looks better.
The touchscreen is now a 1.3″ color e-paper display (260 x 260 pixels at 283 DPI, or twice as many pixels as the original Pebble Time Round). The screen is also backlit so you can see it at night. Under the hood, the Round 2 runs the open source Pebble operating system.
Meanwhile, the watch’s dual microphones allow for voice input and message replying. (This is currently an Android-only feature, due to Apple restrictions. But iOS will be supported in the EU in the coming days.)
The side buttons let you do things like mute incoming calls, play and pause music, navigate, rewind, and scroll.
Migicovsky says one advantage of the buttons is that they allow you to use the watch without having to look down. “Say, for example, someone calls and you’re in a meeting and you just don’t want to answer the call,” he said. “You don’t even want to look at your watch. You always know that the bottom button cancels the call. Or if you’re listening to music and you have AirPods on and you don’t want to play with the AirPods or look at your phone, you always know that the middle button pauses the music.”
The watch also has a stainless steel frame, accelerometer and magnetometer, and includes a silicone strap and Pebble charging device. Leather straps will be available separately.
There are three watch color options to choose from, but each supports different strap sizes. The matte black has a 20mm quick release strap; silver supports a 14mm or 20mm band; and polished rose gold only supports 14mm band.
The Pebble Round 2 can run thousands of apps and watch faces available on the Pebble App Storealthough developers will need to update their apps to support the rounded screen using the provided SDK. Among the applications that can be accessed are artificial intelligence assistants, such as those that support claudio and other popular assistants.
Pebble is also working on artificial intelligence features for its devices. The company recently launched a AI smart ring which can record audio and transcribe conversations. When asked, Migicovsky said that similar functionality to what’s on the ring will also come to Pebble watches later.
The new Pebble Round 2 will be available for pre-order on January 2 from pebble website. Should ship in May. Customers who have previously ordered the Pebble Time 2 will also have the option to change to Pebble Round 2 if they wish.
