Pebble Reboots Its Thinnest Smartwatch Round 2

Pebble is revisiting its razor-thin wearable with the Pebble Round 2, a $199 smartwatch that accents comfort, simplicity, and longevity.

The new model revives the company’s iconic round design, this time with a higher-contrast color e-paper display and a thinner case—as well as weeks of battery life on a charge rather than hours.

As with Pebble’s ethos, Round 2 strips out extraneous bells and whistles to focus on key functions people really need—always-on timekeeping, notifications, voice input, and lightweight health tracking.

That trade-off is intentional. By not packing in power-hungry sensors like continuous heart rate and onboard GPS, Pebble says you should still be able to get 10–14 days of Round 2 on your wrist before needing a charge, all while staying comfortably thin.

Design and display prioritize thinness and readability

At 8.1 mm thin, the Round 2 keeps the line’s claim to being one of the thinnest smartwatches on sale right now, while a hunk like Apple’s latest timepiece falls into a range of roughly 10–13 mm thick. Pebble’s industrial design has grown up, trimming away the bezels that hid an odd-shaped cover glass and reduced the screen real estate of previous models.

The new 1.3-inch color e-paper panel operates at 260 x 260 and a relatively tight 283 dpi—a roughly one-hundred-percent leap in pixel count over the first Pebble Round—so text and complications look sharper.

There’s even a backlight, so it’s readable in the dark, and e-paper’s natural reflectivity makes for easy reading in direct sunlight. With its minuscule power demands relative to OLED, you’re also looking at the multi-day battery life Pebble has become known for.

Controls and hardware include touch and buttons

Round 2 adds touch technology to three physical side buttons for eyes-off control of actions such as silencing calls, pausing music, scrolling, and navigating menus. Pebble stands behind dedicated buttons, which it says build muscle memory you can rely on when not looking at your wrist in a meeting or on the move.

Dual microphones enable voice input and reply messages. Responses are supported out of the box on Android; Pebble says they won’t be coming to iOS in Canada/EU due to platform-related policy changes. Voice replies will work on Android at launch, and the company says there will be an update for voice compatibility with iOS later on. The watch itself is housed in a steel frame and features an accelerometer and magnetometer for activity tracking and orientation. It comes with a silicone quick-release band and a magnetic charging dongle, though leather bands are available to buy.

Slimline health tracking focuses on essentials

While Apple, Samsung, and Garmin have embraced wrist-based biometrics, Pebble takes a different tack. With Round 2, it’s steps, sleep, and activity trends as opposed to training metrics. The result is a smartwatch that looks like a traditional timepiece and doesn’t require charging each night. For most prospective buyers—especially those whose concerns about comfort and longevity trump their need for deep fitness analytics—that’s a winning formula.

It’s also a pragmatic move. Analysts at IDC and research firm Counterpoint have cited sustained demand for longer battery life and lower cost in wearables. Pebble’s strategy is based on the fact that not everyone wants a miniature sports laboratory wrapped around their wrist; some simply want a good companion that goes for a week or two without worry.

Apps, open OS, and AI plans for Pebble Round 2

Round 2 is powered by an open-source Pebble OS, a platform that has engendered a strong developer community as well as many watch faces and utility apps. The watch, Pebble says, is capable of accessing thousands of apps and faces from the Pebble Appstore (although developers will need to migrate their applications and designs for the circular screen using the new SDK). That openness is a differentiator in an age of increasingly locked-down ecosystems.

AI is on the roadmap as well. An AI-based smart ring with on-the-fly audio capture and transcription is a recent offering from Pebble. The company hopes to launch comparable help on the watches, and Round 2 already supports third-party AI assistants via compatible apps that can connect to models like Claude.

Styles and bands with multiple finishes and sizes

Round 2 is available in three finishes with matching band sizes: matte black with a 20 mm band, silver with either a 14 mm or 20 mm band, and polished rose gold with a 14 mm band.

All of them use quick-release fittings, making it easy to swap straps to suit different outfits or workouts.

Price and availability for Pebble Round 2 smartwatch

The Pebble Round 2 costs $199 and can be preordered on the company’s site, with deliveries expected in “the next few months.” People who preordered the Pebble Time 2 have the option to move their reservation to Round 2, providing a straightforward way to get in on the thinner design.

Bottom line: a different take on the modern smartwatch

While obsessing over thinness, readability, and multi-week endurance, Pebble isn’t looking to out-spec the fitness giants; it’s crafting a different sort of smartwatch.

If you’re getting tired of a watch that needs to be constantly charged and are hungry for a slimmer, more purposeful device, Round 2 seems like an intelligent character reboot with just enough well-placed modern touches.