The plastic used to make the casing for the upcoming Apple Watch SE 3 will be taken from the ocean, making it environmentally friendly, according to a tipster.
The next-gen smartwatch will supposedly be more colorful so it’ll appeal more to an important demographic.
Apple Watch SE 3 turns plastic fantastic
This isn’t the first we’ve heard that Apple’s third-generation budget smartwatch will have a plastic casing — that came in August 2024. Still, it seems an odd move considering the Mac-maker is trying to reduce its use of plastic. But then Thursday brought a prediction from Jon Prosser that the material will be recycled.
“Apple Watch SE is indeed made of plastic,” said Prosser. “BUT☝️ it’s made of plastic removed from the ocean, something Apple is likely to tout as their first ‘carbon negative’ product.”
Prosser was once among the foremost sources of Apple insider information, accurately predicating designs and launch dates for a range of products. But it’s been years since he was the source of a headline-making leak. Perhaps he’s back.
And using recycled plastic for Apple Watch SE 3 is a reasonable idea, completely in line with the company’s many other environmental efforts.
Apple Watch SE 3 goes green… and maybe other colors, too
Rather than giving them a phone, many parents give their children an Apple Watch. The wearable lets the kid’s location be tracked, and it can also be used to exchange texts with their parents.
The first report from 2024 that Apple Watch SE 3 will forgo a metal casing in favor of a plastic one indicated that one of the goals was to make it “more kid-friendly.”
The latest aluminum model comes in just three color options: midnight (black), starlight (goldish) and silver. Not a wide selection. There’s been no word on possible additional options for the future version, though. Perhaps Apple will take a page from the iPhone 16 and add pink, teal and ultramarine.
Coming this year?
The last new version of Apple’s budget smartwatch hit the market in 2022, so an update seems due.
In his most recent Power On newsletter, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman predicted that Apple Watch SE 3 will launch in the second half of 2025.
