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Pebble is back as a smartwatch brand and software platform, but not as its original company. In March 2025, Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky announced two watches through Core Devices: the Core 2 Duo, now called the Pebble 2 Duo, and the Core Time 2, now called the Pebble Time 2. Their pitch is familiar to Pebble fans: an always-on e-paper screen, physical buttons, simple phone notifications and a battery designed to last far longer than a typical modern smartwatch. They are niche companion watches, not replacements for an Apple Watch, Garmin or full-featured Wear OS device.
Availability has changed since the announcement: Core Devices’ store lists the Pebble 2 Duo as sold out, while the Pebble Time 2 remains in the lineup. Check the official store for current stock and ordering details.
What launched—and what are the watches called now?
The two watches were announced on March 18, 2025. Their original Core names were used for the launch, but the company later regained the Pebble trademark and renamed them. The names refer to the same two products, not four separate watches.
| Launch name | Current name | Positioning |
|---|---|---|
| Core 2 Duo | Pebble 2 Duo | Smaller, lower-cost black-and-white model |
| Core Time 2 | Pebble Time 2 | Larger, more premium model with a color e-paper screen and metal case |
The announcement set launch prices at $149 for the Core 2 Duo/Pebble 2 Duo and $225 for the Core Time 2/Pebble Time 2. Those are historical launch prices, not a promise about current store pricing, shipping, taxes or import costs. The original announcement described delivery estimates of July 2025 for the Duo and December 2025 for the Time 2; subsequent production updates reported delays, so those estimates are no longer a reliable guide to delivery. TechCrunch’s launch report covers the announcement and initial plans.
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The name Pebble Time 2 can also cause confusion: the original Pebble-era company announced a different Time 2 before it shut down, but that earlier watch did not reach release. The current Pebble Time 2 is a new product from Core Devices.
How the Pebble 2 Duo and Pebble Time 2 compare
| Feature | Pebble 2 Duo (formerly Core 2 Duo) | Pebble Time 2 (formerly Core Time 2) |
|---|---|---|
| Display | Black-and-white e-paper | Approximately 1.5-inch, 64-color e-paper display, per announced specifications |
| Case and controls | Compact design using existing Pebble 2 body components; physical buttons | Metal case, touchscreen and physical controls |
| Health and motion features | Heart-rate monitoring, step and sleep tracking, six-axis motion sensing | Heart-rate monitoring, step and sleep tracking |
| Other hardware | Speaker, vibration motor, Bluetooth phone connection | Speaker, vibration motor, Bluetooth phone connection |
| Battery figure | About 30 days was the intended estimate; an early software update cited an average closer to 17 days | About 30 days was the announced target; actual runtime depends on use and software |
| Strap | Standard 22 mm quick-release | Standard 22 mm quick-release |
| Launch price | $149 | $225 |
| Current stock signal | Official store lists it as sold out | Listed in the current product lineup; check the store for order and delivery status |
| Key trade-off | Older TPU button components may degrade in heat, UV exposure or contact with certain oils and sunscreen | Higher price and small-batch production uncertainty |
Specifications and the renaming were reported by TechCrunch’s August 2025 update. The 22 mm strap specification and details about inherited components and button materials come from Migicovsky’s FAQ.
Pebble 2 Duo: a familiar, simpler design
The Duo is the more direct throwback: a small black-and-white e-paper watch with physical buttons and the basics—notifications, timekeeping, watch faces, alarms and utilities—alongside heart-rate, step and sleep tracking. It uses leftover Pebble 2 body, display, frame and button components from a previous supplier. Reusing those parts helped Core Devices bring the watch back without designing every element from scratch, but it also means the buttons carry a known materials caveat: the company says the TPU can deteriorate with heat, UV exposure or contact with some oils and sunscreen.
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Pebble Time 2: the more ambitious model
The Time 2 adds a larger color e-paper display, a metal case and touchscreen input while retaining physical controls. Core Devices described the design as more repairable than older Pebble models, including a screwed back cover and replaceable-battery design in pre-production details. That is a design direction, not a guarantee that replacement parts or repair service will remain available indefinitely.
The two watches also use different chips. The Pebble 2 Duo uses Nordic’s nRF52840; the Time 2 uses a SiFli SF32LB52x-family platform, selected to provide the resources needed for the larger display. The company explains the choice in its chip-selection update.
Why Pebble is returning
The appeal is a combination that has become uncommon in mainstream smartwatches: an always-on, low-power display; buttons that work without precise gestures; a restrained set of functions; and a platform that supports custom watch faces and apps. E-paper favors readability and battery efficiency over the brightness, color range and fluid animation of OLED. Pebble’s design is for people who want a glanceable watch and useful notifications without turning their wrist into another phone screen.
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This is a founder-led successor effort, not the original Pebble company reopening. The original business shut down in 2016 after selling more than two million devices, and Fitbit acquired parts of its business and technology. Migicovsky is now leading the revival through Core Devices, a deliberately small operation rather than a return to Pebble’s former scale. Wired’s account of the revival discusses that limited, niche positioning; Migicovsky has also written about the original company’s success and failure.
What PebbleOS being open source changes
Google released PebbleOS’s source code in 2025 after inheriting Pebble-related technology through its acquisition of Fitbit. That gave Core Devices and independent developers a foundation to build on rather than requiring them to recreate the watch operating system from scratch. Core Devices later said Pebble watch software and the new mobile app were fully open source. The company describes that change in its open-source update.
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- More room for community work: Developers can inspect, build and modify the software, and contribute changes.
- A hedge against a single company’s decisions: Open code can help a community preserve and adapt software even if the commercial operation changes.
- Not an all-purpose guarantee: Open source does not make the hardware freely reproducible, ensure every app is maintained, promise that every historical feature works, or guarantee repairs, parts and cloud services indefinitely.
The watches use the new Pebble mobile app for setup and phone-connected functions. Core Devices provides an app download and setup page. Its store advertises approximately 15,000 watch faces and apps; that is the company’s platform figure, not an independently audited count. The new watches are designed to support many existing Pebble apps and faces, but compatibility can vary with the individual app, phone platform and current software.
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What they do—and what they do not replace
These are Bluetooth companion watches, not standalone cellular devices. Many connected functions depend on a paired phone. Their strengths are timekeeping, customizable faces, notifications, alarms, timers and basic activity or sleep tracking. Music and phone-control integrations may also be available depending on the app, phone and software support.
They are not designed to match a modern Apple Watch, Garmin or Wear OS watch feature for feature. Buyers should not assume cellular calls, independent emergency connectivity, advanced navigation, serious training analysis or a uniformly polished third-party app catalog. Legacy apps and integrations should be treated as options to check, not as a promise that everything from the original Pebble era will work unchanged.
Battery life: a target, not a guarantee
Core Devices announced a battery target of about 30 days, enabled by the low-power display and limited feature set. That figure is best understood as an upper-end estimate, not a runtime every owner should expect. An early Pebble 2 Duo software update cited battery life closer to 17 days on average at that stage, with improvements still a goal; the company’s update is available at its software and roadmap post.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesRuntime can change with notification volume, heart-rate sampling, Bluetooth behavior, backlight use, watch-face design, speaker and vibration use, software version, temperature and battery age. The long-life promise is a central reason to consider a Pebble, but an individual result will depend on the way the watch is configured and used.
Who should consider a Pebble—and who should not?
A good fit
- Former Pebble owners who miss the buttons, e-paper screen and customizable watch-face culture.
- Minimalist smartwatch users who want notifications and basic utilities without a bright, app-heavy interface.
- People tired of daily charging who are comfortable with an advertised battery target rather than a guaranteed month.
- Developers and tinkerers interested in an open-source wearable platform and a legacy app ecosystem.
Look elsewhere if
- You need advanced GPS, training metrics or a serious sports-watch feature set; a Garmin-oriented device is a better category to investigate.
- You want cellular calling, independent emergency connectivity or a full phone companion; these Pebbles rely on Bluetooth phone pairing.
- You expect a large, bright OLED screen, a large modern app catalog or major-platform support polish.
- You need predictable large-retailer stock, rapid support at big-company scale, or certainty about long-term parts availability.
Which model makes more sense?
The Pebble 2 Duo was the lower-cost route into the revived Pebble experience, but its official store listing is sold out and its inherited TPU buttons warrant particular attention. The Pebble Time 2 is the more compelling enthusiast option if you value a larger color screen, metal construction and a newer design. It costs more, and buyers must accept the uncertainty that comes with small-batch hardware production. Neither is an objective upgrade over an Apple Watch or Garmin: each serves a different set of priorities.
Availability and buying checks
Core Devices’ store lists the Pebble 2 Duo as sold out and says the model will not be manufactured again. The Pebble Time 2 remains in the lineup, but product listing is not the same as immediate stock or dispatch. Because production and shipping schedules changed after the original announcement, check the official store for the latest ordering status, current price and delivery information before making a decision. International shipping, duties, taxes, returns and warranty terms should likewise be confirmed with the seller for your location.
There is also a newer Pebble Round 2 listed at repebble.com/watch. Its availability and delivery status can change, so it should not be assumed to be an immediately available substitute for the Time 2.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
