Two new PebbleOS watches
543 comments
·March 18, 2025apparent
nebulous1
$100 profit on a $150 watch would be crazy. Rest of the post seems made up too. I don't know where these numbers are coming from. I'm genuinely confused.
beambot
MSRP of 3x COGS is a pretty common rule of thumb for hardware. Have to leave room for distribution, software, R&D, returns, SG&A, etc. End of the day, it's probably still only 30-40% gross margin -- less than half of a good SaaS company. Hardware is (indeed!) hard.
scyzoryk_xyz
Having worked in a tiny start-up-turned-company doing hardware for medical training, my biggest takeaway was that it is very slow but that it can also be very stable.
Like, yeah our margins were/are super high, and so were/are the distributors’, but once everything was spun up and running it was also very stable and predictable.
We were located on the outskirts of a 3rd tier Eastern European city and yet we were plugged right into the same global parts supply chain and capable of doing the same global distribution you could elsewhere. If you’re on to something, it’s a good time to be doing hardware. But you’re correct - 2/3 of the entire company was distribution/sales and R&D.
cenamus
But then how could you call that 100 profit in any way? If you made at most like 30-50?
roboror
Not crazy at all in consumer electronics, that's margin on the parts only. R&D, admin, software, etc. costs need to be recovered from that money.
apparent
I was using a blended average of the $150 and $225 watches. Also, it sounds like some of the components for the $150 watch were literally left over from Pebble days, which means they could have gotten an amazing deal on them.
whs
I ordered my Pebble Time during February 2015 Kickstarter for $169. Today the Core Time 2 is $225 which is the exact same price adjusted for inflation.
The DHL shipping though I remembered it was $25 and it is still $25 today
Andrex
When you put it like that... goddamn inflation has been awful.
GlennFarrant
That "price rise" indicates an inflation rate of 2.9%. The average inflation rate for the last 50 years is more like 3.5%. So it totally depends on your perspective. If you've only lived through low-inflation times, then yeah 2.9% seems high.
I'm in my 50's and my reaction to the same information was "yeah, seems about right".
diggan
> Assuming $100 average profit, that's a $2M for 20k watches. Given the work opportunities that the founder and other employees have, that's not a lot of money for them to make in a year, and it comes with significant risk. Basically
Reading through the terms on the shop page, it seems they're preparing to (maybe) raise the prices at any time, and they'll ask you to pay more before shipping, if they end up raising the prices after you buy it.
utopcell
that said, the site offers full refunds up until shipping (which is going to be a while from now).
apparent
Whoa didn't see this! What's the language you're referring to? I only saw the part about how either side can cancel without penalty and didn't read a threat of higher pricing into that bit.
diggan
> If tariffs change dramatically, we will pass these costs along to you and require further payment, even for US orders.
Under the "What if the tariff situation changes?" section on https://store.repebble.com/
I was excited and about to purchase one until I saw this "We might not ship the device unless you pay us more" thing. I get that the economy is very up in the air right now in the US, but sucks that seemingly ordinary businesses are losing international business because of it.
noname120
I'm highly skeptical that they will sell 20k units at that price point.
pimeys
I know that the diabetic community are extremely interested on these watches. 30 days of battery life, already working support for Android APS and xDrip with these watches. What is there not to like. Put one of these to your child's wrist and they can get alerts on the glucose level easily.
drdec
I don't understand how the watches help with glucose levels. The specs mention step, sleep and heart rate tracking.
What am I missing?
(Vested interest as a diabetic myself.)
hda111
Glucose levels were my first thought as well.
lou1306
I would definitely get the color Pebble over many competing devices. I do not need fancy sport features, steps+sleep+heart rate covers all my needs, and 30-day battery life honestly sounds like a dream.
NoahKAndrews
That's a great price point, and there's a lot of pebble fans
bl4kers
There are 3,500 left (18% remaining)
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cm-t
Do NOT forget the (optionnal) monthly subscription fees :)
its-kostya
Eric, thank you. Lurking in the forum answering questions evokes people to share their opinion for satisfaction and dissatisfaction and often neglectes to evoke praise (proportionally). I am guilty of this too.
So please have some well deserved praise for your work on this. We have gotten an open source wearable OS, purpose built hardware, R&D, a community, more pressure on Apple to be less of a gatekeeper, and something we can own in a crazy short timeframe. I hope you see this despite it being buried. Thank you, you glorious nerd.
chasemp
Hear, hear
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starkparker
The "having a baby"/"having a baby bok choi party" attempt to sell me on the larger screen did not work, but it did make me laugh.
__MatrixMan__
I might tolerate the larger screen if I got an invite to that baby bok choi party. Delicious.
erohead
I'll be hanging out here - happy to answer any questions you have!
voxadam
The Nordic nRF52840[1] SoC on which these are based support not only Bluetooth 5.4 but also Thread, Zigbee, and 802.15.4. These three standards are becoming commonplace in the home automation space. Has any thought been given to how the new Pebble devices could utilize these protocols?
erohead
Nope, but the OS is open source so you could try getting it to work yourself: https://github.com/pebble-dev/pebble-firmware
sevg
Is it actually open source though? The repository description may be outdated then, but it currently says this:
> This is the latest version of the internal repository from Pebble Technology providing the software to run on Pebble watches. Proprietary source code has been removed from this repository and it will not compile as-is. This is for information only.
__turbobrew__
> Proprietary source code has been removed from this repository and it will not compile as-is. This is for information only
How are you supposed to do that?
Avamander
Pretty sure those different radio stacks do not run very well in parallel or if they do, they'd likely start to starve the rest in terms of resources needed.
The nRF52840 is not the most performant, I would've really liked if they had chosen a SoC, like the nRF5340, with more RAM or cores for this reason amongst others.
TickleSteve
There are similar devices (i.e. SiLabs) that allow multi-protocol use with the radio (I would expect Nordic to have a similar feature set), tho yes, you're right the resource issue would be a major limitation.
Robelius
6 months from announcing rePebble (Jan '25) to shipping your first units (July '25) seems like a quick turnaround for a compact consumer electronics device. Curious to know if these first units are closer to a white label of existing hardware or more of a JDM model.
Side note - I got the first pebble through the kickstarter pre-orders in my first year out of high school. Seeing something so novel was definitely a contributor to me switch from CS to Mech E and working in the consumer electronics space now. Thanks for making cool and interesting things :)
erohead
Aww really glad to hear it!
It is fast - but we've done this before (many times) and know what we're doing. I've been blogging about the experience too https://ericmigi.com/blog/february-shenzhen-trip-update
zevon
No questions but a comment: I rarely get emotionally attached to devices, especially since I have to handle a lot of fancy hardware for work and it gets old quickly. However, there are a few pieces of technology like my Walkman or my Thinkpad X61t that I really liked and was sad to have to let go when their time had come. The Pebble is another one of those devices for me and I'm quite happy that I won't have to it let go for a lot longer that I thought thanks to your new project. Thanks. :-)
bigstrat2003
What are the dimensions (length and width) of both models? I'm trying to decide if the Time would be too big for my taste, and I'm having a hard time trying to picture what the increased screen diagonal size translates to.
nycdotnet
Excited for this release! Have you heard from Intel yet? “Core 2 Duo” was the name of one of their processors in the early days of multicore on a single package.
Edit: preordered!
sixothree
Today, I very literally received a vintage laptop with a Core 2 Duo sticker on it.
thesuitonym
This comment aged me 100 years.
seanp2k2
Yeah, that lawsuit is probably going to bankrupt them here.
kevin_thibedeau
Also a weird way to make your product unsearchable.
user_7832
Not sure if you’ll see this but I’l love to understand - why the slightly weird (to me) differentiation between the two models’ sensors? One has heart rate (which might be considered almost fundamental for smart watches today), the other has magnetic/barometric sensors (which are very nice to have when out and moving)… but neither has both? Is the core 2 duo a “geeky” watch and the other one a “premium” product? I assume the latter also doesn’t support JTAG fiddling around, is that a philosophical choice or more of an engineering time/resource constraint? Thanks in any case, these devices are definitely quite tempting!
user_7832
(I’m here from 1 day after my comment) Btw I partially found an answer to the first question from the AMA on Reddit - the sensors on the duo were a kind of thanks to the person who helped design it.
happosai
Gadgetbridge support (or open docs of the BLE interface for dyi) planned? https://gadgetbridge.org/
kubatyszko
I remember that my Pebble 2 (HR) over time (pun intended) would develop play around the rubber button area especially on the right side. Eventually the rubber covering the buttons would break off. This was common to the point people were making 3d-printed replacement parts. See https://help.rebble.io/pebble-2-buttons/ What's the expected longevity of the buttons this time around, and will you have replacement parts available ?
jerlam
The post says:
More reliable buttons (up to 30% longer lifetime in testing)
kubatyszko
doh, should have read the full post ;)
Reason077
> "30 day battery life"
I've done the math and according to my calculations that's approximately 30X more battery life than an Apple Watch. Impressive!
xahrepap
About 60 for me. I have to charge mine while working to get it to last a day :/
mulderc
I have had an Apple Watch since the original and never had it that bad. I think something is wrong with your watch.
jeffgreco
That's common for me after three or four years.
dangus
Just a tip with Apple watches: get the battery service at least once during the lifespan of your watch. It's $99 and Apple gives you a brand new watch.
With that battery service the watch should last you about 6-10 years judging by the current status of my Series 4.
Yes, a watch should be able to last a lot longer than that, but I think if you're buying Apple products you already have the expectation of a maximum 10 year lifespan just from software alone with just about the entire product lineup.
aiisjustanif
> Apple gives you a brand new watch.
That seems very wasteful
fretn
What if the glass is scratched, will they still replace the watch for $99 ?
saagarjha
Series 4 isn't getting updates anymore, though.
ricardonunez
You may have an app draining your battery. Was having the same issue with my watch, I deleted a few apps and all of the sudden my watch was better. I can’t tell you what app was because it was just luck. I was creating space on my phone when it happened.
naruhodo
It most likely has a lot to do with the display tech.
I got 8 days out of the PineTime, which was LED (I assume). You couldn't see anything if the display wasn't turned on.
I just bought a BangleJS (quite a bit cheaper than the Core 2 Duo, but no speaker and only one button) and the estimated battery life is a month. It uses a colour LCD, making the display visible whenever there is light. For example, daylight makes the display bright. It has a light source that gets turned on by the button.
The Core 2 Duo has an e-paper display that only draws power when the display changes.
Saris
My Garmin Venu 2 with an OLED display gets at least a week with a couple days of GPS usage for walks too.
I don't understand how anyone is willing to buy a watch that barely lasts a day.
mikepurvis
I did a one week test drive of Apple Watch a year and a half ago and I could barely get a day out of it. That alone was a deal breaker for me.
kstrauser
I get about 2 days from my Ultra 1.
mikepurvis
The battery on the Ultras is about double the regular series watch batteries, so that tracks. My point was that I was going to struggle with having a device that I couldn't rely on to make it through a full day including the evening— having to take it off for a charging session in the afternoon would be too disruptive for the overall package to be worth it to me.
hombre_fatal
Sure, but the Ultra is double the price of the normal Apple Watch. ($800)
xandrius
Although similar battery to my miband 4. Cost me $20 a while back, still amazing.
apparent
This blog post [1] makes it seem like the cheaper model has a barometer and compass, but the more expensive one does not. Anyone know if that is true?
1: https://ericmigi.com/blog/introducing-two-new-pebbleos-watch...
margalabargala
Everything appears to point that way, yes.
This thread is full of people complaining how these aren't like their preferred watches, in terms of design, face shape, no GPS, etc.
I think this is a much more valid criticism in that their expensive flagship watch is not like their cheaper watch.
delecti
> This thread is full of people complaining how these aren't like their preferred watches
Which is funny to me because that's explicitly the point.
> These watches are not made for everyone. We want to be upfront with you about what to expect.
It's probably the most frustrating part of smartwatches. Everyone has a different list of mandatory features, and few seem to accept that their list isn't universal. Unlike phones where just about all of them have just about all the features, the smartwatch market is a wild west. It makes finding the right one for you a lot of work, and it's understandably disappointing when a watch checks all but one or two of your "must have"s.
margalabargala
The thing that really frustrates me right now about this is that between the two watches, basically all of my boxes are ticked, but some of those boxes are mutually exclusive between the watches.
When a product has two price points, like this, it's usually expected that the more expensive one is strictly "better" than the cheaper one in some ways. That isn't the case here, and it makes everything more difficult. Most of us are conditioned to look at the more expensive version, and say "are these extra features worth $X extra" and decide that way. With these watches, I have to try to think about whether I would use a compass or heart rate monitor more.
MostlyStable
>unlike phones where just about all of them have just about all the features
I knew my preferences were niche, but I didn't think they were that niche. There hasn't been a phone with even half my ideal feature list (that works in the US) in probably close to a decade, and even if I abandon my more niche "nice to haves", there are essentially no new phones, and that's even before I add in that I'd really like it to be relatively repairable. And yes, there _used_ to be phones that had my entire feature list, so it's not a completely crazy list. It's just that phone makers have converged a pretty standard feature list with not too many companies coloring outside the lines. If you want that particular feature list, then sure, everyone has "all the features", but there is a whole universe of additional features that phones could (and some did) have, that they no longer do.
ajolly
The issue I'm seeing is many people were expecting the watch that was advertised in the old Kickstarter.
The "pebble 2" from the Kickstarter -> "core 2 time" The "pebble 2 time" is nowhere to be found.
(The pebble 2 time was supposed to be the same underlying hardware, but a much classier case, slightly different form factor). They look much more like a normal watch, versus the pebble style feels like a geek toy.
I still get compliments on my pebble time round to this day!
I've been wearing my
macNchz
It's kind of weird segmentation, but, given neither has GPS, I wonder how many people who'd seriously consider buying one of these really care about having a compass & barometer. Are those often important features to someone who doesn't care about GPS?
tecleandor
Having a compass and a barometer could be a "happy accident" of already having an all in one sensor that does all that things.
The compass could be easily related to an accelerometer used for detecting watch position (a function commonly used in smartwatches to power on the screen on certain positions that suggest you're looking at it) or detecting "steps".
Not so sure about where could you also get the barometric pressure sensor...
dTal
The barometer is "nice to have". The compass is non-negotiable. It is extremely useful once you get used to remembering that you have one. Example: you have arrived at a train station in a new city. You have planned your route - you need to catch a bus from a stop on the west side of the station. You alight on the platform and there are multiple exits - you are completely disoriented. Turn left or right?
hn8726
You can track elevation with barometer which is nice for casual hiking in the mountains
apparent
It would be nice to track elevation change/stairs climbed during hiking, even if you don't care about GPS. I'll probably hang onto my old Garmin for exercise though, so this is sorta moot for me. Mostly it was just surprising to see that the pricier one was not a superset of the cheaper one.
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pbmonster
In theory, you could pull GPS data from a connected smartphone, right?
Most smartphones don't come with a barometer, and the compass actually needs to be fixed to the display to make sense.
ZeWaka
Barometers can help predict incoming weather fronts - something I use on my phone while backpacking.
apparent
Is there anything else lacking? I ordered the color one without much thought and only saw the barometer/compass bit afterward.
marsknight
I almost bought one and I'd love to.
But then I've read in the Q&A about the tariffs and how that would affect the price at time of shipment.
This is too much uncertainty for me.
I've got no incentive to buy from the US right now, as a European.
I wish you the best of luck, as you definitely put a lot of love into it
mrzool
Same here. Based in the EU, I was ready to buy one on day one, but when I saw the prices listed only in USD I had to stop right there. Just the shipping alone would be $25, plus the uncertainty of duty fees. I hope to see an EU store soon — with prices in EUR, low-cost shipping, and all fees already factored in.
erohead
International shipments will not be sent from the USA; they'll be shipped directly from Asia. The comment is in reference to your own countries - they may charge tariffs.
mrzool
Thanks for clarifying! It would be helpful to mention that in the FAQ — knowing that the US has no involvement when ordering from the EU would be reassuring.
zyxin
I will be visiting China later this year, any chance I can get one while I'm there via something like TaoBao to save on tax and shipping?
zhyder
I'm super happy about the revival (I backed the first Pebble Kickstarter) and the bullet list of key features you're targeting would make my dream watch, but I hope you take this as constructive criticism that you're way off right now on this one:
- Simple and beautiful design
It's ugly, and the gap with the industrial design of today's watches is wider. I suggest contracting with a good industrial design firm to redesign the case: the case material, screen and internal electronics can remain the same.
apparent
I had the same reaction. The Core Time 2 gives Vader vibes. My hope is that the third color will be metallic and will look better. I prefer the rounded edges of the Pebble Time Steel 2. [1]
ponorin
it's unique, and it's not even that bad. you shouldn't compare this to the apple watches of the world when the screen itself could display 64 colours at best (monochrome at worst). the design language should line in perfectly with those from the pebble os. it's supposed to be quirky, not liking the looks of it just means you're not the target audience.
Shawnj2
It's not the worst but the original Pebble Time Steel looks better IMO. I understand why they used a simpler case design (They don't have the resources to make anything like the PTS) but I still like the PTS design more. Maybe someone will come out with a custom case or something idk
lifeformed
I think it looks great. I don't want a sleek expensive looking piece of jewelry,I want something fun.
rpmisms
It looks good. Don't confuse sleek with attractive.
all2
I very much disagree. This design gives me old school Casio vibes, and I really, really like it. My father has worn an old model from Casio for decades, and I have a lot of nostalgia around it.
hombre_fatal
The shape of the Time 2 reminds me of the Casio calculator watch, which I love.
Frankly I'd like it if they leaned even harder into hard edges, like octagons over curved bevels.
xrd
I know battery life is impacted but I really want exactly this with GPS.
I want to be able to track my runs.
I love the banglejs because it is hackable but the GPS was very difficult to use. But it is such a fun device to hack on.
lrvick
The firmware is open. You could add a GPS backpack and firmware support if you wanted.
4k93n2
the option to pair with an external gps would be better all round, apart from having a separate thing to carry. i have a garmin glo 2 that i pair to my android when doing openstreetmap stuff, and its something that you would barely notice in your pocket or clipped onto a backpack
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promiseofbeans
I'm curious that the $150 ones has a barometer and compass, while the $225 one doesn't in favour of a heart rate monitor.
Given that they're specifically saying you shouldn't use it as a sports watch, what use is an HRM, especially when compared to the utility of a compass and barometer/altimeter?
seltzered_
Possibly SoC differences or space limitations.
If I recall correctly, the original Pebble had a Compass (which may not have even been used until a OS overhaul later on) but the Pebble 2 SE didn't. (https://www.reddit.com/r/pebble/comments/4kz7ch/why_pebble_i...)
hombre_fatal
I think HRM is more useful than compass/barometer since HR is the only thing your phone can't do.
The https://www.whoop.com/, for example, doesn't even have GPS. All of its value comes from its HRM.
Barometer is especially niche and not something very trustworthy outside of devices made for it. To the average person, compass is only useful for showing orientation on a map.
Spunkie
Yeah I just noticed that when going to preorder.
It muddies what would otherwise an easy upsell/upgrade.
samstave
[dead]
solarkraft
Core 2 Duo is a pretty funny name.
Are you going to sell replacement parts this time? I was immensely disappointed to see the initial watches being pretty repairable in theory, but no parts being sold. It was marketed as a tinkerer‘s device after all.
I’m wearing my Pebble Time Steel right now - and quite like it. Haven’t found anything better. It could use some better activity tracking, but the worst thing about it right now is that it doesn’t really have an iOS app (AltStore is pretty flaky). Any news on that front?
For some reason there just hasn’t been a real spiritual successor, so the revival is greatly appreciated.
kwanbix
I came to say Core 2 Duo is a terrible name :/
jnsie
Same. It neither describes the product nor makes it easier to search for online. For that matter, it doesn't exactly roll of the tongue either...
jetrink
> nor makes it easier to search for online.
Searching for 'pebble core 2 duo' already comes up with a page of results only related to the watch[1] (including this very comment thread, ironically[2].) Search engines are very good these days.
xattt
They knew what they were doing.
ethagknight
for what its worth, from the website copy:
>>I think you might recognize this one It’s almost exactly a Pebble 2, upgraded with modern chips and new tricks. Duo is short for ‘Do-over’.
lolinder
There's a whole second blog post about Apple support being discussed here:
thekoma
> Core 2 Duo is a pretty funny name.
I remember there was also an Intel processor with the same name.
starttoaster
I'm guessing that is why they said it was a funny name.
KeplerBoy
There's no way it's actually shipping with that name, right?
mrpippy
I'm sure Intel's law firms are drafting a cease & desist as we speak. I'd bet $10 the name changes.
mattlondon
No such thing as bad publicity as they say.
They'll be cheeky, the big dinosaur corporate will come out swinging and look bad like they always do, and they'll get a load of press in the tech websites which is their target market.
apparent
When you apply for a trademark you have to say what type of products/services it involves.
Intel did make a smartwatch for a while, but I don't think it had a Core Due chipset!
johnmaguire
Yeah, maybe... but what harm would it really do? The Core 2 line was killed off over 10 years ago in 2012.
skvmb
I'm gonna name everything I make "Metallica"
apparent
> it doesn’t really have an iOS app (AltStore is pretty flaky). Any news on that front?
I thought the Pebble app still worked, using Rebble. My understanding is that they are building a new app for the new watches, if that's what you were asking about.
zevon
The only way to install the old iOS Pebble app is by sideloading via something like AltStore (or doing it manually every week). Maybe you can also still re-install it if you had it installed when it was available in the App Store but I'm not sure if that still works.
ghilston
I have an original backer watch and bought one when they launched. Both stopped working within maybe 6 months and support at the time suggested I just buy another...
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tonymet
I had an OG pebble, it was a gift from a conference. An amazing product, more Apple than Apple in terms of making clear tradeoffs to provide real utility & design quality.
Reading this press release I thought -- they perfectly read the minds of the target customer. Retaining the spirit of the product and exceeding expectations with polished improvements.
Great job guys! I'm in
I'm pleased the pricing is so low. I did some math and if they're making 10k of these (not clear if that's each or all together), there's not a ton of money to be made.
Assuming $100 average profit, that's a $2M for 20k watches. Given the work opportunities that the founder and other employees have, that's not a lot of money for them to make in a year, and it comes with significant risk. Basically seems like this is a passion project, for which I am very grateful!