From PC Mag: The Pebble Round 2 isn’t meant for everybody. It doesn’t have the fitness-tracking features of a Garmin wearable or even those of flagship smartwatches from Apple, Google, or Samsung. Instead, it’s meant to follow the same core philosophy behind the Pebble Time 2 as a playful device that’s fun to use, with long battery life, and an always-on e-paper screen visible without a glow in any lighting conditions.
With preorders now underway, you can snag the Pebble Round 2 for an attractive $199, and it’s expected to ship in May. It’s a stylish alternative to the square Time 2, with the same thin frame and light, stainless steel design as its predecessor, the Pebble Time Round from 2015. It comes in three colors (gold, silver, and black) and two wristband sizes (14 and 20mm).
The original Pebble smartwatches were among the first to popularize the category before the company was acquired by Fitbit, which was subsequently acquired by Google. They were known for simple designs, with a pleasant e-paper screen and long battery life. Years later, Pebble co-founder Eric Migicovsky was still on the hunt for other wearables that filled the same niche of simplicity plus longevity, so he resurrected the brand after Google open-sourced the Pebble software.
The Pebble Round 2 is now the third product being offered by the company, alongside the Time 2 and a smart ring for recording your thoughts called the Index 01. The Round 2 eliminates the large bezels of its decade-old predecessor, and increases the expected battery life from three days to 10 to 14 days. It has access to the same Pebble store as the Time 2, complete with new and old watch faces and simple apps.
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