Do you want an ultra-affordable timepiece with brilliant battery life?
Probably, as the budget-friendly wearable is only available in “limited quantities” and this entire Pebble-reviving venture is apparently “personally funded” by Eric Migicovsky, the company’s original founder, which means quantities might be really limited.
Your 150 bucks will buy you a nostalgia-inducing design with a “lightweight” polycarbonate (aka cheap plastic) frame, white and black color options, four handy side buttons, and a not-too-large (but not-too-small either) 1.26-inch black-and-white e-paper display with “always on” functionality.
Among other things, that’s because the Core 2 Duo and Core Time 2 are also designed to be “hackable”, supporting “most of” the existing 10,000+ PebbleOS watchfaces and apps right off the bat while allowing anyone (with a little bit of technical knowledge) to boost that number with relative ease.
How about a touchscreen, a splash of color, and a more premium build?
Yes, the Pebble Core Time 2 adds all of that neat stuff to the Core 2 Duo’s features and capabilities, which explains why the price point goes up to $225 and the shipment target to December.
With a metal frame and buttons, the Core Time 2 looks just a bit more “modern” than the rudimentary Core 2 Duo, also adding a speaker to the features of that cancelled Pebble Time 2 from 2017 apart from a bigger battery and a better screen.
While the Core 2 Duo can only keep an eye on a wearer’s step count and sleep duration, this costlier and more advanced Core Time 2 model will also monitor your heart rate. There are no words on any other health tracking tools, which is certainly a little disappointing for a $225 smartwatch in (late) 2025, and with the “first prototypes” not finished yet, I wouldn’t be shocked if the launch schedule suffered a few changes in the coming months.
Don’t be afraid of any potential delays, as you’re (obviously) free to cancel your pre-order for a full refund at any time if you’re not satisfied with the Core 2 Duo or Core Time 2’s development or you simply change your mind.
