The highly anticipated next-generation Apple Watch Series 10 is now expected to have a design that’s largely similar to the current Series 9, and the Ultra 3 will also be identical to the current Ultra 2 in terms of design. So what does that leave for the entry model Apple Watch SE?
According to this week’s edition of Mark Gurman’s Powered On newsletter, he now expects that the next-generation SE may come with an “unapologetically plastic” case to cut costs down. If Jony Ive were to run the Industrial Design team again, he would retroactively use those exact words to express a different design the SE could have.
Believe it or not, that won’t be the first time that Apple uses plastic on the exterior of its main products. Back in September 2013, Apple announced the iPhone 5C, which broke tradition with Apple’s iPhone announcement since that smartphone replaced the iPhone 5 that was introduced the year prior. However, although the internals of the 5C were identical to the 5, what set the 5C apart was its “unapologetically plastic” design, which was a significant departure from the metal casings that Apple has used for years. Additionally, the 5C came with multiple fun colors besides black or white for the first time on an iPhone. You got white, pink, yellow, green, and blue. Although Apple tried to market the 5C as the more budget-friendly gateway to the iPhone ecosystem, it ultimately failed because its hardware was largely identical to the 5, yet it had a design that did not feel premium compared to the 5S’ aluminum enclosure. Plus, the 5C was initially priced at what the prior 5 would be if Apple kept the 5 in the lineup and dropped the starting price of that phone once Apple introduced the 5S back then.
If we currently take a look at the current Apple Watch SE, it replaced the ceramic back with a new “nylon composite” material to further bring the price down from $279 to $249, and since the SE is Apple’s entry model, it’s no surprise that the company is looking for ways to make the SE more affordable for users if Apple wants to bring more customers into the Apple Watch and iPhone ecosystem. Therefore, adopting a polycarbonate enclosure would be an interesting design choice for Apple since Apple could offer several fun and vibrant colors for this upcoming SE model. We’ve seen Apple offering such colors on its entry-level products before such as the iPad (10th generation) and even on iPods in the past. If Apple were to offer the new SE in a white plastic case, let’s hope that that smartwatch won’t look too identical to the waymore expensive white ceramic Apple Watch Edition if you still remember that.
It’s been almost two years since Apple updated the Apple Watch SE back in September 2022, and that model is currently in its second generation. The original model was introduced in September 2020. So based on this history, it’s likely that Apple would introduce the next generation SE in Apple’s annual fall media event in September along with the Apple Watch Series 10, Ultra 3, and the entire iPhone 16 lineup.
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