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Android Central
Android Central
Technology
Michael L Hicks

Pebble Round 2 offers stylish, stripped-down alternative to Time 2

Photo of the Pebble Round 2 worn on a wrist surrounded by bracelets.

What you need to know

  • The Pebble Round 2 revamps the original Pebble Time Round design with a larger screen and two weeks of battery life.
  • It has an open-source OS, 1.3-inch e-paper touch display, stainless steel bezel, and a few basic tracking sensors.
  • It's much thinner than the upcoming Time 2, but lacks a HR sensor, speaker, and extra capacity.
  • It costs $199 and launches in May 2025; Time 2 preorders can be switched over to the Round 2.

Pebble's resurrection is in full swing. After launching the Pebble 2 Duo last year and announcing the Time 2 for this March, Repebble founder Eric Migicovsky announced the Pebble Round 2 this week, with plans to show off the watch at CES 2026.

The announcement post and reveal video below provide details about this new device, which they began designing in March 2025 and will launch in May 2026, two months after the Time 2.

The Round 2 ditches the 2015 Round Time's massive bezel for a 1.3-inch, 260 x 260, 64-color e-paper touch display that's "optically bonded" to the glass for an increased viewing angle. It's about the same DPI as the 1.5-inch, square-shaped Pebble Time 2, though that uses fewer pixels (200x228).

Migicovsky says they could make the Pebble Round 2 "so easily with such a small team" because it uses the "same electrical circuit design as Pebble Time 2," while the hardware is "basically the same" as the 2015 Time Round.

Essentially, Repebble is recreating the classic experience with a few new perks, such as 10–14 days of battery life instead of just 2–3. The new model measures 8.1mm, slightly thicker than the 7.5mm Time Round — or about on par with the Garmin Venu X1 (7.9mm) — making it much skinnier than your typical Android smartwatch.

(Image credit: Pebble)
(Image credit: Pebble)
(Image credit: Pebble)

One simple way Pebble pulled this skinny frame off is by removing certain common smartwatch features available in the Time 2: A HR sensor and a speaker for reading out notifications or AI replies. Pebbles aren't designed for workouts or Bluetooth calling, but the Time 2 can support a few extra features that the Round 2 can't.

Otherwise, both smartwatches use the same open-source Pebble OS, which works with both Android and iOS. This includes the Pebble Appstore, where developers have already made apps for sleep tracking, music, weather, games, messaging, and other tools.

The Pebble Round 2 will sport 3ATM water resistance, a vibrating motor, a 3-axis accelerometer for step tracking, a magnetometer (compass), dual mics, and four buttons. It won't have GPS tracking or NFC payments.

The Pebble Round 2 can be preordered now for $199, and anyone who preordered a Time 2 can switch to the Round 2 if they prefer its design — and don't mind downgrading from 30 days of battery life to 14. The Round 2 comes in matte black, brushed silver, and polished rose gold, and ships with a silicone band and charging dongle.

What comes next

The Pebble Round 2 and Index 1 smart ring (Image credit: Pebble)

Last year, Migicovsky posted on X that he was returning from Hong Kong "carrying 6 devices that I've made in the last year, including EVT samples of 3 new products that we haven't announced yet."

The three confirmed devices at the time were the sold-out Pebble 2 Duo watch, the Time 2, and the Index 1 smart ring announced in December 2025, designed with a built-in mic for on-the-go voice memos. The Pebble Round 2 is the first new device, but we don't know yet what the other two might be.

The Small Android Phone team's potential camera array designs back in 2023. (Image credit: The Small Android Phone Project)

Back in 2023, Migicovsky announced plans for a "Small Android Phone," a project for making a "5.4”-ish 1080p OLED display," a "uniquely recognizable and very iconic" camera array, and "premium" performance, according to team comments at the time.

We haven't heard anything since; the smallandroidphone.com URL still exists, but with 2022 specs listed that would be out of date now. Still, we'd be intrigued to see Pebble enter the Android smartphone race, if this phone is one of Migicovsky's unannounced devices.

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