Pebble Round 2 shows signs of life, promises MiP display in ultra-thin case

The Pebble Round 2 has had a mixed year. The stylish, round smartwatch was officially unveiled in early January and was supposed to ship in May. After that failed to happen, production was supposed to start in July, with all roughly 14,000 smartwatches preordered up to that point due to ship by the end of September.
Since then, the manufacturer, Core Devices, has provided customers with no updates at all – until now. In a blog post dated September 30, Core Devices writes that the first 200 units have already been produced. Another 1,000 units are set to follow in October, with all remaining orders being processed gradually from early November onward. All preordered Pebble Round 2 units are expected to be assembled by the end of December. Given the delays over the past few months, however, this estimate should be treated with caution.

Anyone who orders the Pebble Round 2 today for $199 plus shipping, VAT and customs duties should also expect delivery in December. Core Devices attributes the delay to problems manufacturing the stainless steel case – in some production runs, 85 percent of all cases produced reportedly had defects. All other components, however, are said to be production-ready and awaiting final assembly once enough cases are available.
The Pebble Round 2 is available in silver, gold or black, with either 14 mm or 20 mm straps. More than 1,400 watch faces and apps optimized for the smartwatch's larger 1.3-inch MiP display are already available. While the Pebble Round 2 doesn't offer a heart rate sensor or advanced fitness features, the watch aims to impress with a particularly thin 8.1-millimeter case, an open-source operating system and battery life of up to 14 days.








