The next Apple Watch SE may use plastic material

While this will certainly reduce costs, it still begs the question – is this trade-off worth it?

History of Apple Watch SE

Apple introduced the Apple Watch SE in 2020, along with the Apple Watch Series 6. It starts at $279, has the same screen, aluminum case, and ceramic back as the Series 6. It does not have an Always-On Display , uses an old processor and also lacks support for electrocardiogram (ECG) reading. However, with the Apple Watch Series 6 starting at $399, this is still a pretty good price, especially compared to the old Apple Watch Series 3, which Apple still sells for $199.

In 2022, Apple refreshed the Apple Watch SE and launched it at a starting price of $249 – slightly cheaper than the previous model. With this model, Apple updated it to use the same chipset as the flagship Apple Watch Series 8, but also changed from a ceramic back to a new "nylon compositen" material, aka plastic. It still doesn't add support for ECG readings, nor does it add Always-On Display, but it's a refresh that certainly makes the Apple Watch more accessible to more people.

What's new with Apple Watch SE 3?

In last weekend's Power On newsletter, Mark Gurman reaffirmed his report from last month, saying that a move to hard plastic is "increasingly likely" . Gurman also added that it "allows for a better range of colors" .

Given the fact that the Apple Watch SE has been through a 2-year refresh cycle so far, this means we will see the third-generation Apple Watch SE next month – along with the new iPhone 16 series.

The next Apple Watch SE will likely have a newer processor, either the S9 chip from last year's Apple Watch Series 9 or the new S10 chip from the upcoming Apple Watch Series 10. Both options will deliver notable speed increases for Apple Watch SE users.

It's possible we'll see other upgrades with the Apple Watch SE, but so far there's no other news. It would be great if they could introduce ECG, as that technology truly saves lives, and it would be great if it was as accessible as possible.

Switching to plastic offers potential savings

With Apple possibly switching to a plastic body, Apple will clearly save costs in production, but it remains to be seen whether Apple will pass those savings on to customers. Two different routes can be seen with the upcoming Apple Watch SE.

1. Option 1 : Apple keeps the price the same (starting at $249) but adds some features, such as the ability to test an ECG or Always-On Display
2. Option 2 : Apple lowers the price (could be $199 or $229) and keeps the feature set the same.

Of course, there's always the possibility that the Apple Watch SE will retain its current price of $249 without any major new features. However, it's likely that Apple will adopt this approach. The Apple Watch SE is in a strange spot right now, especially considering the frequent deals on older flagship Apple Watch models.

If the Apple Watch SE 3 focuses on affordability or more health features – preferably both, Apple could be a huge success this year.

Micah Soto

Update 05 August 2024