Apple Reportedly Developing Apple Watch SE With Plastic Casing

Apple is developing a new version of the low-cost Apple Watch SE with a plastic casing, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today claimed.

apple watch se 2022
Writing in this weekend's "Power On" newsletter, Gurman mentioned Apple's work on an ‌Apple Watch SE‌ that features a rigid plastic casing in lieu of anodized aluminum. He postulated that this may be one technique Apple may be planning to use to bring the cost of the ‌Apple Watch SE‌ down. The current ‌Apple Watch SE‌ sells for $249, but Samsung's cheapest rival watch, the Galaxy Watch FE, sells for $199.

Apple famously released the iPhone 5C with an "unapologetically" plastic casing in 2013, which was effectively a rehoused version of the ‌iPhone‌ 5. The polycarbonate exterior was available in various vibrant color options. The device was somewhat controversial because critics argued that the plastic casing was a step down from the luxurious metal finishes of previous models and some consumers felt that the device's price point was still too high for what was perceived as an inferior product.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch SE
Related Forum: Apple Watch

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iphone 17 air dummy unbox therapy

iPhone 17 Air's Extreme Thinness Demoed in New Video

Tuesday April 22, 2025 10:22 am PDT by
Apple plans to release an all-new super thin iPhone this year, debuting it alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We've seen pictures of dummy models, cases, and renders with the design, but Lewis Hilsenteger of Unbox Therapy today showed off newer dummy models that give us a better idea of just how thin the "iPhone 17 Air" will be. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be ...
ipad air windows 11 arm

M2 iPad Air Runs Windows 11 ARM via Emulation, Thanks to EU Rules

Tuesday April 22, 2025 5:01 am PDT by
A developer has demonstrated Windows 11 ARM running on an M2 iPad Air using emulation, which has become much easier since the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulations came into effect. As spotted by Windows Latest, NTDev shared an instance of the emulation on social media and posted a video on YouTube (embedded below) demonstrating it in action. The achievement relies on new EU regulatory...
iOS 18

iOS 18.5 Includes Only a Few Changes So Far

Monday April 21, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
Apple seeded the third beta of iOS 18.5 to developers today, and so far the software update includes only a few minor changes. The changes are in the Mail and Settings apps. In the Mail app, you can now easily turn off contact photos directly within the app, by tapping on the circle with three dots in the top-right corner. In the Settings app, AppleCare+ coverage information is more...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
iphone 17 pro majin bu sky blue

iPhone 17 Pro Allegedly Coming in Sky Blue Color Used for MacBook Air

Tuesday April 22, 2025 4:08 am PDT by
Apple will unveil the iPhone 17 Pro in a new Sky Blue color, the same color that debuted on the latest M4 MacBook Air models Apple released in March. That's according to the leaker Majin Bu. Concept mockup from Majin Bu Writing on his website, Bu claims that "sources close to the supply chain confirm that several iPhone 17 Pro prototypes have been made in various colors, with Sky Blue...
maxresdefault

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Sunday April 13, 2025 7:52 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and ...

Top Rated Comments

Joshuaorange Avatar
10 months ago
The plastic casing was perfect at that price point and it was a great phone. Lots of kids had them. They were very tough and could be dropped without causing damage most of the time. Plastic is a far better choice than aluminum for things that bounce off the ground.
Score: 36 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Joshuaorange Avatar
10 months ago

Plastic cases are much better than metal ones for antenna reception. Besides being much lighter as well. And not getting so hot to the wrist touch…

And Apple should do other changes to the Watch as well to boost sales; unless for the Apple Watch Ultra: truly standalone (not requiring any other device to setup and use, albeit Mac dependency could be acceptable, but not iPhone or iPad dependency) and built-in camera, ideally telescopic rotating retractable camera inside the watch crown. Until that happens, the only alternative are Android watches. A shame for Apple!
A camera in a watch is even more useless than a camera in a tablet.
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WarmWinterHat Avatar
10 months ago
I'd be fine with that.
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mrkevinfinnerty Avatar
10 months ago
Unapologetically time to increase the price of the aluminium models
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
contacos Avatar
10 months ago

Really? You have insights into Apple pricing plans you’d like to share?
No need. Years of experience with Apple.

Latest example: Non-Leather Case being charged for the same price even though the new material is much cheaper and basically falls apart by just looking at it
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sunapple Avatar
10 months ago
Unapologetically… compromised?
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)