Pebble is bringing back its round watch, but this time with a makeover

pebble It has brought back its smartwatch lineup Last year and new models are already coming quickly. The $199 Pebble Round 2, which will be released in May, is actually a long-awaited sequel to the Pebble Round 2 series Original Pebble round watch I’ve loved it for a decade. With a round watch face, interchangeable straps, and a touchscreen, in 2016 I would have been scared about this. It’s available for pre-order now Pebble website.

In 2026, this is still an interesting proposition. The return of Pebble as an independent hardware company caught my attention this time around not just because it has a retro appeal now, but because these watches offer long battery life. The Round 2 doesn’t have a month-long battery life like other Pebbles, but the promised two weeks of charging still far outpaces Apple and Google’s watches. The round display is an always-on color e-paper, with a higher resolution than the older round clock (1.3 inches, 260 x 260 pixels). The steel watch is 8mm thick, and has a look that still catches my eye compared to the Pixel watches.

Classic Pebble apps should work in the second round, but it’s the promise of AI connectivity that could open up some new ideas. The Round 2 has two microphones for voice response to messages, and as with other Pebbles, it can communicate with AI agents – not something that’s part of the watch natively but can be hacked to make it happen. It also works with the Pebble one-button smart ring Index 01And that’s coming soon too.

I’ll be seeing all the Pebble watches and the ring at CES soon, so I’ll have more impressions then.