Next Apple Watch SE could be made from plastic

Apple could switch to plastic for its next affordable smartwatch, the Apple Watch SE 3.

According to journalist Mark Gurman (via MacRumors), it is increasingly likely that the next Apple Watch SE will use a hard plastic material for its body. Both prior generations of Apple Watch SE wearables have used aluminium in their frames.

This will obviously have the benefit of enabling Apple to drop the price of its smartwatch entry point. Anyone who remembers the iPhone 5c – Apple’s “unapologetically plastic” smartphone – will remember how Apple leaned into the aesthetic and offered the kind of bright colour options that aluminium phones simply can’t provide.

It would all seem to suggest that Apple is going to be targeting younger users with its next affordable smartwatch. The company has already tipped its hand in this regard with a new website that encourages parents to buy a cellular Apple Watch for their kids.

The ‘Apple Watch For Your Kids’ website points out the benefits of such an approach, giving kids a means to call and message their parents without the need for an expensive (and fragile) iPhone. It’s also advertised as a great way to keep a track of them through the Find My network, as well as a means to keep them active with the various in-built fitness tracking tools.

The Apple Watch SE 2 launched in late 2022, alongside the first generation Apple Watch Ultra, so we’re definitely due something new on the affordable smartwatch front.