Greater than two years earlier than the discharge of the primary Apple Watch, Pebble’s smartwatches had been already beloved by shoppers. In 2012, Pebble Know-how launched a Kickstarter marketing campaign that will change into a posterchild for the platform. It raised extra $10 million in funding, which was greater than another Kickstarter marketing campaign at that time. And Pebble Know-how really delivered, with watches transport in January of 2013. Sadly, the corporate filed for insolvency in 2016 and Fitbit ended up with many of the belongings. However as we speak we’ve got thrilling information: Pebble watches are again and accessible for pre-order, in all however title.
The historical past
Our personal Alasdair Allan coated a few of this a month in the past, as particulars had been simply beginning to emerge. His article supplies loads of details about the historical past of Pebble Know-how, the acquisitions following its demise, and the state of its mental property. Give {that a} learn to search out out all of the fascinating particulars, however the primary gist is that this:
Fitbit bought most of Pebble Know-how’s belongings following its insolvency in late 2016. That included most mental property and plenty of of Pebble Know-how’s staff. However notably, it didn’t embrace Pebble {hardware}. Then, in 2021, Google bought Fitbit and its IP — together with that inherited from Pebble Know-how. Lastly, lower than two months in the past, in January 2025, Google introduced that they might make PebbleOS open-source.
Shortly thereafter, Pebble Know-how founder Eric Migicovsky acknowledged his intention to deliver again Pebble watches in some kind. That brings you updated with the occasions on the time Allan’s article was printed. However there was important info lacking at that time: what the {hardware} would seem like, when it will be accessible, and the way a lot it will value.
Now we’ve got solutions to all three questions they usually’re going to make Pebble fanatics very, very completely happy.
The brand new “Core” smartwatches
There might be two smartwatches accessible beneath the brand new “Core” model title: the Core 2 Duo (much like the Pebble 2) and the Core Time 2 (much like the Pebble Time 2). Each are accessible for pre-order proper now at repebble.com, for $149 and $225, respectively. The Core 2 Duo will begin transport in July and the Core Time 2 will begin transport in December.
Each retain the options that made their Pebble predecessors so standard, however with upgrades to match the progress of know-how within the years since. Pebble smartwatches had an enthusiastic fanbase as a result of they had been the whole lot that the Apple Watch and its Android mimics weren’t. They had been easy, sturdy, and had unimaginable battery life. They gave prospects the options that mattered, with out the resource-intensive bloat of options that didn’t.
The brand new Core smartwatches will run PebbleOS, together with the entire 10,000+ appropriate apps and watch faces. They’ll have ePaper shows and might be simply as hackable as their Pebble forebearers. And so they’ll even have a number of the similar {hardware}, which has been in storage for the final six years.
New options
However there are some actually fascinating new upgrades, too. In comparison with the Pebble 2, the Core 2 Duo could have a lot better battery life (30 days as an alternative of seven), a speaker, a greater vibration motor, extra sturdy buttons, a barometer, and a compass. The prolonged battery life is usually because of the brand new Nordic nRF52840 BLE chip, which is rather more environment friendly than what was accessible when the Pebble 2 was developed.
The Core Time 2 could have comparable upgrades, plus just a few fascinating extras. Most notably, it should have a bigger 64-color 1.5” ePaper show with contact functionality. It should even have microphone along with the speaker, which could have numerous potential for functions like AI voice help. It received’t have the identical physique because the Pebble Time 2, nevertheless it appears comparable with its minimalist steel body.
A faithful neighborhood of Pebble customers has saved their previous smartwatches going for years, however now a complete new crop of consumers will have the ability to take pleasure in these cherished designs. And in case you’ve managed to maintain your Pebble smartwatch alive all this time and it’s beginning to present its age, now could be the proper time to safe a substitute.
