Remember when smartwatches felt like smart tools? When they didn’t nag you, track your every step, or try to act like a phone strapped to your wrist? That was Pebble. And guess what, it’s back.
What Pebble Was All About
Pebble wasn’t just a watch. It was a rebellion. Back in 2012, Eric Migicovsky had this simple idea: what if a smartwatch just showed your notifications, told the time, and lasted more than a day on a charge?
So he launched Pebble on Kickstarter. It looked like a cross between a Casio and a Game Boy, black-and-white e-paper display, no touchscreen, just buttons, and a battery that ran for a full week. It didn’t do everything. That was the point. While the rest of the tech world sprinted toward overcomplication, Pebble stuck to doing a few things well.
Why You Might Love It (Even Now)
Most smartwatches today are obsessed with being everything: fitness tracker, payment device, health monitor, voice assistant, you name it. The Pebble never cared about all that. It was a focused, purpose-built gadget that felt more like a companion than another needy screen.
The experience was straightforward: your notifications, your time, a quirky watchface, and maybe some steps counted. That’s it. And honestly, that simplicity feels kind of radical now.
It didn’t need to be for everyone, just for people who wanted something quietly smart.
Pebble Is Back (And It’s Not Messing Around)
Here’s the surprise: after Pebble was absorbed into Fitbit, then Fitbit into Google, everyone figured that was the end of the road. But in a bit of a twist, Google recently open-sourced the Pebble OS. And Migicovsky jumped back in, launching a new company, Core Devices, to bring it back.
No big investor push. No mass-market pressure. Just a gadget built by someone who missed it.
And this time, it’s not just nostalgia. Core Devices is shipping out a new Pebble, called the Core 2 Duo, with the same minimalist spirit and the original OS under the hood. It’s hackable. It’s friendly. It’s weirdly exciting.
Preorders are already in, and if you got one, units are expected to ship through July and August. A small batch of 200 beta units is already going out to early testers who opted in.
The App Got a Makeover (And It’s Helping Old Pebbles Too)
Maybe the coolest part? The new Pebble app, coming to both Android and iOS, isn’t just for the new Core 2 Duo. It also works with legacy Pebble models: Pebble Time, Time Steel, Time Round, and Pebble 2.
If you’ve had one tucked away in a drawer since Fitbit dropped support in 2018, this app might bring it back to life. No more sideloading janky workarounds.
That means there’s already a thriving ecosystem of old watchfaces and apps ready to go, no blank-slate relaunch required. It’s like picking up right where you left off.
What’s Actually New with the Watch
The Core 2 Duo keeps things classic. It’s got:
- A black-and-white e-paper display
- Physical buttons (no touchscreen)
- Square plastic body
- A week-long battery life
Don’t expect mobile payments, phone calls, or advanced fitness features. It’s not trying to be a fitness coach or a tiny AI butler. It’s just a really good watch that happens to be smart.
There’s also a Core 2 Time in the works, same foundation, but with a touchscreen and sleep tracking. That one’s coming later this year.
And yep, Migicovsky says the new models will support old watchfaces and apps. He’s also hoping the dev community gets back in the mix, building fresh stuff with some help from AI-powered coding tools.
Bottom Line
You don’t have to care about nostalgia to care about Pebble. It’s not a comeback story just for old fans, it’s about doing tech differently. The new Pebble isn’t designed by a focus group or meant to chase trends. It’s a product someone wanted to exist and that’s rare now.
So whether you’re pulling your Pebble Time out of retirement or trying it for the first time, this return is a quiet win for anyone tired of bloated, hyper-connected gadgets.
Because sometimes, less is smarter.
