Apple Watch SE With Colorful Plastic Design 'Remains in Development'

Remember the "unapologetically" plastic iPhone 5c from 2013? The next version of the lower-cost Apple Watch SE might look similar.

iPhone 5c Yellow
In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said a new Apple Watch SE with a plastic casing "remains in development" ahead of a potential release next year. Apple has apparently faced some "cost and quality challenges" with the shift from aluminum to plastic, but he believes the project is still moving forward.

An even more affordable Apple Watch SE with a colorful plastic design could be appealing to parents who are looking to purchase an Apple Watch for their children. In the U.S., the current Apple Watch SE from 2022 starts at $249.

The next Apple Watch SE is also likely to offer a new chip with faster performance.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch SE 3
Related Forum: Apple Watch

Popular Stories

airpods pro 3 purple

New, Higher End AirPods Pro Coming This Year

Tuesday January 20, 2026 9:05 am PST by
Apple is planning to debut a high-end secondary version of AirPods Pro 3 this year, sitting in the lineup alongside the current model, reports suggest. Back in September 2025, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to introduce a successor to the AirPods Pro 3 in 2026. This would be somewhat unusual since Apple normally waits around three years to make major...
smaller dynamic island iphone 18 pro Filip Vabrous%CC%8Cek

iPhone 18 Pro Leak: Smaller Dynamic Island, No Top-Left Camera Cutout

Tuesday January 20, 2026 2:34 am PST by
Over the last few months, rumors around the iPhone 18 Pro's front-panel design have been conflicted, with some supply-chain leaks pointing to under-display Face ID, reports suggesting a top-left hole-punch camera, and debate over whether the familiar Dynamic Island will shrink, shift, or disappear entirely. Today, Weibo-based leaker Instant Digital shared new details that appear to clarify the ...
Apple Logo Spotlight

Apple Expected to Unveil Five All-New Products This Year

Wednesday January 21, 2026 10:54 am PST by
In addition to updating many of its existing products, Apple is expected to unveil five all-new products this year, including a smart home hub, a Face ID doorbell, a MacBook with an A18 Pro chip, a foldable iPhone, and augmented reality glasses. Below, we have recapped rumored features for each product. Smart Home Hub Apple home hub (concept) Apple's long-rumored smart home hub should...
airtag prime day 2

Apple Developing AirTag-Sized AI Pin With Dual Cameras

Wednesday January 21, 2026 12:31 pm PST by
Apple is working on a small, wearable AI pin equipped with multiple cameras, a speaker, and microphones, reports The Information. If it actually launches, the AI pin will likely run the new Siri chatbot that Apple plans to unveil in iOS 27. The pin is said to be similar in size to an AirTag, with a thin, flat, circular disc shape. It has an aluminum and glass shell, and two cameras at the...
Liquid Glass App Store Feature

App Store and Apple TV Experiencing Outage

Tuesday January 20, 2026 4:36 pm PST by
Apple's App Store, iTunes Store, and Apple TV service are experiencing an outage at the current time, according to Apple's System Status page. Apple says that some users may be experiencing issues with the App Store and iTunes Store. Apple also says some users may be seeing intermittent issues with Apple TV. The Apple TV Channels feature is down too, and users may be unable to access some...

Top Rated Comments

swingerofbirch Avatar
18 months ago
How expensive can aluminum be? It's used in soda cans.

I know they say it's aerospace grade, but that means a bit less these days with planes disintegrating mid-flight.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WatermelonSugarHigh Avatar
18 months ago
What will mother nature think of plastics?
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WarmWinterHat Avatar
18 months ago

This reeks of Tim Cook cost cutting.

Can’t wait until he’s gone.
Until the future CEO comes in and wants to cut hardware development costs and double services revenue.

There is little reason to think the next CEO will be more Jobs and less Cook. Careful what you wish for..
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fwmireault Avatar
18 months ago
I guess Apple will unapologetically ask the same starting price despite cheapening out on materials
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
moabal Avatar
18 months ago
Bring back the Mini!
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Victor Mortimer Avatar
18 months ago

I don't think so.

An all-plastic iPhone that doesn't look like any mid-tier from the past isn't an iPhone anymore.

The buyer wants others to know they own an iPhone. That's a big selling point for many.

5c failed because of this. And would have failed even if it had great flagship specs as it doesn't look premium enough to be an iPhone and doesn't resemble any iPhone that was once a flagship or mid-tier.

All-plastic smartphone means "not an iPhone". Bad idea.
While I think it's ridiculous to "want others to know they own an iPhone", and I generally use cases that make it non-obvious what kind of phone is inside, saying that plastic is "not an iPhone" is also utterly ridiculous.

Plastic is simply a better material for a phone than aluminum or glass. And most of us know this, because we put them in plastic cases anyway.

Attachment Image
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)