A plastic Apple Watch SE could take smartwatches to the next level

We're mere weeks away from September and what that means – except for the end of summer – is that we'll very likely see some new Apple devices fighting for a spot amongst the best phones and best smartwatches of 2024.

Apple hasn't announced the date of its September event as yet, but it's usually sometime in the first two weeks and this year is not only the 10-year anniversary of the Apple Watch, but an SE year too. 

The Apple Watch SE was first introduced back in 2020, with a second generation having been announced in 2022. Based on that, the entry-level smartwatch runs on a two-year update cycle – so we can safely expect to see a new model soon.

When it first launched alongside the Watch Series 6, it offered many of the same features but it lacked the Always-On Display and the ability to take an ECG. 

For the 2022 model, the ceramic back switched to nylon composite – a posh description for plastic, and offered a processor bump, but it still left the Always-On Display and ECG functionality off its spec sheet. For the 2024 model, Mark Gurman of Bloomberg has previously suggested the Apple Watch SE could make a move to a rigid plastic build, swapping out the aluminium casing currently offered.

In Gurman's most recent Power On newsletter, picked up by 9to5Mac, Gurman has said the switch to a plastic build for the Watch SE (2024) is "increasingly likely", adding that it "could allow for a better array of colours", both of which could be great news for Apple's smartwatch.

It's not just the colours that are exciting though. With a bit of luck, we would hope that a plastic build could also make the Apple Watch SE 3 cheaper. It currently costs from £219 / $249 / A$399, but you could buy the Watch Series 3 for under £199 / $199 before it was discontinued in 2022 and it would be great to see the Watch SE slot into that price bracket.

That could then expand the market somewhat – offering a reasonably-priced entry point for those who haven't been tempted by a smartwatch (specifically Apple's) before.

The nylon composite back of the 2022 model doesn't feel cheap, so if the rest of the Watch SE 3's casing adopts similar, whilst delivering a cheaper price point for the Apple Watch, it could make it more accessible to people, including perhaps parents looking to buy one for their kids. 

It's also likely we will see a processor jump for the Watch SE 3, and we'd love to see the Always-On Display come to this device finally. We expect features like Double Tap that launched on the Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 will be reserved for the more expensive models in Apple's portfolio however, so don't expect everything.

For now, nothing is confirmed, but we expect the next Apple Watch SE to be revealed in September, alongside the iPhone 16 series.