Pebble’s first smart ring is nothing like Oura or Samsung

Back in January, we reported on the news that the Pebble brand was set to return with wearables. Now we know that this is going to take the form of a new smart ring as well as the classic smartwatch form factor.

The Pebble Index 01 has been announced as a different kind of smart ring altogether.

While the Oura Ring 4 and the Samsung Galaxy Ring and other rivals are focused on ultra-portable health insights, the Pebble Index 01 is more concerned with your memory.

A different approach

Pebble has always done things differently from its rivals and that’s certainly the case with the Index 01.

It’s essentially a finger-mounted dictaphone, complete with a button and a microphone. You press the button, whisper your thoughts into your finger, and said memo is then sent to your smartphone, either as a note or a reminder.

It’ll also work with Pebble and other smartwatches (via the Pebble app), where your thoughts will appear. You can also ask questions like ‘What’s the weather today?’, and the answer will appear on your watch.

Indeed, the Pebble Index 01 is more than just a dumb memory tool. It can send messages for you, and even answer basic web queries. Configurable button presses let you control your music playback or smart home actions, too.

There’s sufficient memory on the ring for up to 5 minutes of audio recording, which can then synced up later, so you don’t need to take your phone out on that run with you if that’s where you do your ruminating.

What’s the catch?

Intriguingly, the Pebble Index 01 never needs to be charged, which sounds great – initially at least. I’m more than a little dubious about the small print here, though…

Apparently, the battery lasts for “years”, which sounds a little vague.

Scanning down to the FAQs, and it seems the ring’s battery will last just two years of regular usage (10-20 times per day to record 3-6 second thoughts). What’s more, when it finally runs out of juice, you can “send your ring back to us for recycling”.

There’s no mention of any kind of subsidised replacement service, which has me even more concerned.

Elsewhere, the Pebble Index 01 requires no internet connection, and you don’t need to sign up for a subscription. That’s quite a refreshing modern smart device, regardless of how it turns out.

It’s said to be a lot smaller than your average smart ring, as well as being durable (it’s predominantly made of stainless steel 316) and water resistant to 1m.

The Pebble Index 01 will be available in polished silver, polished gold, and matte black, across eight US ring sizes. There’s an early bird pre-order price of $75 (about £56), while final pricing will be $99 (roughly £74).

Worldwide shipments are set to commence from March 2026.