Pebble smartwatches are making a return this year, and creator Eric Migicovsky this week showed off the finalized design for the upcoming Pebble Time 2.
Migicovsky previewed early designs for the revamped smartwatch back in March when he announced the return of PebbleOS, but the final version has a more refined look. The device features a 1.5-inch rectangular watch face with a set of three buttons on the right side and a single button on the left side.
The watch will be made of 316 stainless steel, with black and silver design options and four colorways. The Pebble Time 2 will have a 64 color ePaper touch screen rather than an OLED display like the Apple Watch, which will allow for an estimated battery life of 30 days.
Other features include a multicolor LED backlight, a compass sensor, dual microphones, heart rate monitoring, step tracking, sleep tracking, a speaker, and waterproofing. The watch is priced at $225, and it's expected in December.
Pebble went bankrupt in 2016 and was sold to Fitbit, which led to the cancelation of planned Time 2 and Core 2 wearables. Migicovsky is now aiming to bring those devices back.
Earlier this year, Migicovsky complained that Apple's restrictions on third-party smartwatches will limit how the Pebble works with an iPhone. He said that it is "nearly impossible" for third-party wearable developers to create an experience that mirrors the Apple Watch experience.
Migicovsky suggested that "Pebble-curious" iPhone users complain loudly to Apple or switch to Android, as Android users will have access to more Pebble functionality than iPhone users.
