Remember when the Rabbit R1 launched in 2024 and everyone lost their minds? The hype was unreal — a pocket-sized AI assistant that could control your apps, book your flights, order your food, all without a traditional interface. Then the reviews came out and... oof. People called it a toy, a prototype, a solution in search of a problem. The stock price tanked. The memes were brutal.
But here's the thing: I'm a sucker for gadgets that get better over time. So when I heard about the major software updates that dropped over the past year — including the new "Rabbit OS 2.0" and the expanded app integrations — I decided to give it another shot. I bought one used on eBay for $80 (down from the original $199) and used it as my primary device for a month.
Spoiler: it's still not perfect. But it's way better than you think.
What Actually Changed With the Updates
The biggest complaint about the original R1 was that it couldn't do what it promised. The "Large Action Model" that was supposed to control apps was buggy, slow, and limited to like six apps. You'd ask it to order an Uber and it would open the app but not actually complete the action. Frustrating doesn't even begin to cover it.
OS 2.0, which rolled out in March 2025, fundamentally changed how the device works. Instead of trying to control apps through clunky automation, it now uses a combination of APIs and screen-reading to interact with apps. It's not perfect, but it works way more often than it fails.
I tested it on 20 common tasks: booking a restaurant reservation, setting a reminder, playing a specific song, sending a text, checking the weather, etc. The success rate was about 75%, up from maybe 30% at launch. That's a massive improvement.
The Hardware Is Actually Nice
I know this is controversial, but I like the way the R1 looks. It's this weird orange square with a rotating camera and a tiny screen. It feels solid in the hand — like a well-made piece of tech jewelry. The scroll wheel on the side is satisfying to use, and the haptic feedback is surprisingly good for a device this small.
The battery life is the real surprise: I got about 4-5 hours of active use, which translates to a full day of casual use. The original battery life was terrible (like 2 hours), but updates improved the power management significantly.
Is it as polished as an iPhone? No. But it has character. It feels like someone actually cared about the design.
Where It Still Falls Short
I'm not going to pretend this device is ready for everyone. There are real problems.
The voice recognition is good but not great. In a quiet room, it understands me 95% of the time. On a busy street or in a cafe, that drops to maybe 70%. I found myself repeating commands more than I'd like.