Next Apple Watch SE Could Be Made From Plastic

The next-generation Apple Watch SE will feature a chassis made from a hard plastic material, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reiterated in this week's Power On newsletter.

According to Gurman, it is "sounding increasingly likely" that the next-generation Apple Watch SE models will use a rigid plastic material instead of aluminum. Plastic can keep costs down, and could appeal to parents who are looking for an Apple Watch for their children.

Apple in July launched a new website that encourages parents to purchase a cellular Apple Watch for their children. The "Apple Watch For Your Kids" campaign highlights the benefits of Apple Watch for younger wearers, such as location tracking, options for calling parents, and activity tracking. Adults can set up watches for their kids with their own iPhone, and there are features for keeping it from being used during school.

With plastic, Apple could also offer the Apple Watch SE in a range of fun colors that are not possible with aluminum. Apple used to sell a plastic iPhone 5c, for example, and it came in vibrant blue, yellow, pink, and green colors. Plastic would also better differentiate the Apple Watch SE from the standard Apple Watch models as the current Apple Watch SE is basically a modified version of the aluminum Apple Watch without the latest features.

The current Apple Watch SE models sell for $250, but shifting to plastic may allow Apple to offer the device at a lower price to better compete with companies that offer more affordably priced smart watches.

The Apple Watch SE could be refreshed as soon as this year.