Pebble’s new wearable wants you to reconsider what a ‘smart ring’ should do

Following its teaser yesterday, storied smart wearable maker Pebble has announced its latest device — and it isn’t what I expected. Today, the company is introducing the Pebble Index 01, its first-ever ring-style device. But an Oura competitor this is not: the Index 01 is tailor-made for some specific use cases, and it’s priced to move at a reduced pre-order cost of just $75.

Unlike typical smart rings, the Index 01 doesn’t track activity or sleep. The company describes it as a “memory device,” designed primarily to record voice notes in the Pebble companion app on your phone. Recordings are processed and stored locally by default and there’s no subscription required to use the ring, though “an optional cloud service” allows for online backups and better-quality speech-to-text.

The Index 01’s external hardware consists of a stainless steel ring with a silicone button. Pressing and holding the button activates voice recording, which continues for as long as the button is pressed. Once you release the button, your voice input is sent to the Pebble app. You’re able to use the Index 01 to make notes this way, but you can also use the ring’s mic to send voice commands to your phone to set reminders or create to-dos. Local LLMs running in the Pebble app determine what type of action your input should prompt. After each input, you’ll get a notification on your phone describing the action that was taken.

Pebble stresses that the Index 01 isn’t always recording, and that it’s not meant to manually record for long, continuous stretches of audio. Recording is only active while the ring’s button is held down, and the ring itself has enough storage for about five minutes of recordings. That storage is automatically cleared as recordings are transferred to your paired phone, meaning you shouldn’t often bump up against storage limitations.

The ring’s button can also be configured to do other things, like controlling music playback on your phone, or activating Home Assistant commands. Pebble also says it’s working to enable using the ring’s button as a remote camera shutter control for your phone.

Also unlike conventional smart rings: The Pebble Index 01 isn’t rechargeable. Instead, it’s got a non-user-replaceable battery that the company says should last for multiple years of typical use (that is, capturing several short voice recordings throughout each day). Once the battery is spent, you can send the ring back to Pebble for recycling.

The Index 01 isn’t a wholly new idea. Sandbar, a company started by ex-Meta workers, announced its voice-recording Stream Ring in November. The rechargeable Stream Ring is up for pre-order now, but that ring comes with a USB-C charging cradle and costs $249. Price is a major perk with Pebble’s take on formula, with the Index 01 going for $75 during the pre-order period before going up to $99 in general availability.

Pre-orders for the Pebble Index 01 start today. The ring is available in black, gold, and silver finishes, in whole sizes 6 through 13. Pebble says it’ll have 3D printer files available for users to try mockups in different sizes, in addition to a more conventional ring sizing kit. Rings are set to ship in March 2026.