Apple to Announce More Affordable ‘Apple Watch SE’ Next Week Claims Leaker

The Apple Watch 6 might not be the only new wearable coming next week.

An Apple Watch SE — or more affordable Apple Watch model — will be announced during the September 15 Time Flies event, according to an Apple tipster.

Leaker Jon Prosser has shared some tidbits of information about the purported device. According to a tweet posted today, this cheaper Apple Watch will feature a design similar to the Apple Watch Series 4, which is most similar to the current Apple Watch look. The Apple Watch Series 4 was introduced in 2018 with smaller bezels and a larger screen.

Apple Watch “SE?” (more affordable Apple Watch.)

Codename: N140S
GPS 40mm
Codename: N140B
Cellular 40mm

Codename: N142S
GPS 42mm
Codename: N142B
Cellular 42mm

– Series 4 design
– No always-on display
– No ECG
– M9 chip

Coming at the September 15th “Time Flies” Event.

— Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser) September 11, 2020

The leaker says the Apple Watch SE will come in 40mm and 44mm sizes and be stripped off some of the Apple Watch Series 5 and Apple Watch Series 4’s key features.

The new affordable Apple Watch will reportedly drop the always-on display feature, and it won’t have a built-in ECG feature, either. There will be an M9 chip inside, according to Prosser.

Prosser’s subsequent tweets say the new smartwatch is not actually listed as “Apple Watch SE,” but rather “Apple Watch” and “Apple Watch Pro.” Prosser adds, “Who knows if those are the final marketing names,” saying they seem “odd” to him. And, indeed, that would be quite the change from Apple’s typical marketing scheme for the smartwatch lineup.

It’s worth noting Prosser missed the mark when he claimed Apple would announce new Apple Watch models and an iPad Air this week, via press release. Instead, Apple announced a special event set for next Tuesday, with the tag line, “time flies”.

The arrival of a cheaper Apple Watch alongside the new flagship model makes a certain amount of sense. Normally, Apple would simply move an older flagship model to a new entry-level price but there are problems with that this year. Apple can’t keep Apple Watch Series 3 around any longer — it’s getting too old and too slow — and it can’t make Apple Watch Series 5 cheaper because its production costs are too high.