Image source: Pebble

Seven things we know about Pebble’s next smartwatch

Pebble is back and we now have a fairly decent idea of what is on the drawing-board. The new watches will be square, plastic, and black-and-white, sticking closely to the original design. There’s no touchscreen, only physical buttons, and there won’t be any new sensors or experimental features. Oh, and they will be coming in 2025!

A few days ago Eric Migicovsky, Pebble’s founder, announced he is reviving the old watch line. Instead of competing with high-end smartwatches, the focus is on what made Pebble great—long battery life, a simple interface, and a design built for usability rather than flashy extras. For anyone frustrated with daily charging and overloaded smartwatch software, this could be the watch they’ve been waiting for.

So what do we know about the upcoming Pebble watches? Migicovsky has given a few interviews including those published by CNET and Tomsguide. From his various statements, we now have a fairly good idea what the new Pebble watches will bring:

  1. They’ll be square and black-and-white, sticking closely to the original design. There won’t be any round models, at least not at the outset.
  2. They will be made of plastic, so no steel models.
  3. The display will be E paper. But with a likely increase to the screen size and reduction in the bezel size.
  4. No touchscreens – like before – just physical buttons for navigation.
  5. The watches won’t feature any new sensors and will rely on low-energy Bluetooth for connectivity, so no WiFi connectivity.
  6. If you were hoping for smart straps, they’re off the table— they won’t be returning.
  7. As far as a launch date, Migicovsky says “Definitely this year, absolutely.”

Is this a good idea?

The decision to use a plastic case makes sense. Pebble was never about premium materials; it was about being lightweight, practical, and durable. The black-and-white e-paper display follows the same logic—prioritizing battery efficiency and visibility in all lighting conditions.

A discussion has sprung up on Reddit, and some people see this as a smart move, while others feel it’s a letdown. A few were hoping for at least a low-power color screen, arguing that monochrome displays feel outdated in 2025. But for those who appreciate Pebble’s original philosophy, this choice is exactly what they wanted.

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There’s also some debate over the lack of a touchscreen. Relying entirely on physical buttons for navigation may feel slow or outdated. And while keeping things simple has its advantages, there’s a fine line between minimalism and feeling too stripped down. The software will need to be polished to avoid making the experience feel clunky.

Still, this watch isn’t trying to win over people who want a full-fledged smartwatch experience. It’s for those who want a timepiece that gets out of the way and just works.

An important appeal of the new Pebble will likely be its battery life. Their watches are known for lasting a long time on a single charge. That’s still one of the biggest reasons people love their old Pebbles.

This isn’t a smartwatch for everyone, and that’s the point. Pebble isn’t trying to compete with Apple, Samsung, or Garmin. It’s making a watch for people who don’t want constant notifications, flashy displays, or a battery that dies by the end of the day. Whether that will be enough to attract new users—or if this is mainly for long-time Pebble fans—remains to be seen.

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Ivan Jovin

Ivan has been a tech journalist for over 7 years now, covering all kinds of technology issues. He is the guy who gets to dive deep into the latest wearable tech news.

3 thoughts on “Seven things we know about Pebble’s next smartwatch

  • This is why the Pebble is still my every day wear. The long battery and the simple but effective interface.

    Reply
  • This will probably amount to the word: Irrelevant.
    Garmin watches already have a month long battery life most of the time.
    Many of the other vendors are following suit on that one.
    With more sensors, more day to day usability and a better ROI.

    I would love a fully functional smartwatch using e-ink displays to increase the battery life further though.

    Reply
    • Nope, Garmin has been seemingly the destination for Pebble users but hundreds come back (if you search Reddit or twitter you’ll find them) infuriated by the lack of notification actions, how unintuitive the UI is, how disorganised and monetized the watch face and app store is and how unintuitive the physical buttons functions are.

      Reply

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