Apple last updated its affordable “SE” series smartwatch back in 2022. Priced at $250, the smartwatch offered a decent mix of wellness capabilities, clean design, and long battery life. But in time that has elapsed since, rivals like Samsung, OnePlus, and Mobvoi have offered fantastic value-centric models of their own.
Apple, on the other hand, hasn’t said a word on the next Watch SE trim. It seems the third-generation Apple Watch SE might take a while to arrive, and the delay may not be strategic. As per Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the affordable model might be in “serious jeopardy” due to hardware-related snags.
“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,” says the report. The outlet recently reported that Apple was experimenting with other materials in order to bring the manufacturing costs down.
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A big shift
So far, Apple has sold the Watch SE in a chassis made out of aluminum, while the pricier models have also experimented with stainless steel and titanium. For the next affordable Apple Watch, the company was reportedly experimenting with plastic-based material.
A plastic derivative is cheaper and easier to handle, compared to aluminum. Moreover, it would allow Apple to experiment with more color options, without worrying too much about the durability aspect or the weight factor.
Amazfit, for example, has used plastic-based material on its Bip series smartwatches for years. However, it doesn’t feel nearly as premium as metal, an aspect that has been a hallmark of Apple’s smartwatch aesthetics for years.
Assuming Apple isn’t content with the plastic material and ditches the idea, the only option left would be an aluminum shell. If Apple goes ahead with upgrading the internal hardware on the Watch SE 3, including the silicon and sensor stack, it might have to raise the asking price of the device.
If you’re looking for a precedent, stray no further than the iPhone SE family. It served a 5G tax not too long ago, and then asked for much higher price tag with the iPhone 16e makeover.
What to expect from Apple Watch SE 3?
We’ve heard rumors that Apple wanted to bring the cost of its next SE smartwatch further down to tackle the hot competition. With that in mind, it’s entirely plausible that the lower-cost models are made out of plastic, while the more upscale trims stick with an aluminum build.
On the other hand, given Apple’s environmental commitments and the slow phasing out of plastic-based materials in its products, shifting to an all-plastic look for the Watch SE 3 sounds a tad odd. Other rumors predict a size boost, going from 40mm to 41mm on the smaller version, while the bigger variant jumps from 44mm to 45mm.
A processor update is expected, but it is unclear whether Apple will also upgrade the sensor stack. More importantly, it is uncertain whether the ongoing conundrum will affect the launch timeline of the Apple Watch SE 3, but the fall season of 2025 seems ripe for a market arrival.