Pebble Round 2

Pebble is back with the Round 2, a $199 slim, circular smartwatch that keeps it simple: steps, sleep, texts, and a 10–14 day battery. No heart-rate sensor, no gym hero mode—just a 1.3" color e‑paper screen and the classic Pebble vibe. Fans swooned over the throwback charm and the idea of a watch that doesn’t beg for a charger nightly. Critics fired back with: “in 2026, no heart-rate?” Cue the battery-life vs. features cage match. The bezel beef returned, too—some cheered the cleaner look, others still saw “bezel city,” even as the display’s bigger and sharper than the 2015 model.

Nostalgia stans called it the anti-smartwatch smartwatch—“a Casio with notifications” in the best way—while fitness folks waved it off as a cute accessory, not a tracker. Tinkerers loved that it runs open-source Pebble OS, already dreaming up mods and hacks. Meanwhile, the dupe police showed up early with link-correcting energy, sparking meta-drama about whether we’re discussing the watch or policing threads. Memes flew: “Finally, a wearable that outlasts my New Year’s resolutions,” versus “Great, 2015 called—wants its specs back.” Love it or roast it, Round 2 has people talking—and arguing—exactly how Pebble likes it.