Apple may drop the idea of offering a plastic Apple Watch SE later this year, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
Gurman’s comments came in this week’s Power On newsletter. He said the plastic Apple Watch SE is now in “jeopardy” for two reasons: design and cost issues.
“The design team doesn’t like the look, and the operations team is finding it difficult to make the casing materially cheaper than the current aluminum chassis,” he said.
In August 2024, Gurman made his first mention of a next-generation Apple Watch SE, boasting a chassis made from a hard plastic material.
Using plastic would keep costs down for the lowest-priced Apple Watch, and could also appeal to parents who are considering purchasing an Apple Watch SE for their children
Using plastic would also allow Apple to offer the Apple Watch SE in multiple bright colors, something that is not possible with aluminum. Apple used a plastic housing for its iPhone 5c, which was available in blue, yellow, pink, and green colors. The company could do something similar with the Apple Watch SE, making it more attractive to kids. Using a plastic chassis would also help differentiate the Apple Watch SE from the higher-price Apple Watch models.
The current Apple Watch SE was released in 2022 and sells for $249. Shifting to a plastic shell for the SE could allow Apple to offer the wearable at a lower price point to better compete with more reasonably priced smartwatches offered by other companies.
