Reports that Apple Watch is planning a high-spec model with Apple Intelligence and a camera, as well as a cheaper all-plastic model

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, a reporter well-versed in Apple-related leaks, has reported on plans for future updates to the Apple Watch.

Apple (AAPL) Explores Turning Watches Into Wearable AI Devices with Cameras - Bloomberg
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-03-23/apple-aapl-explores-turning-watches-into-wearable-ai-devices-with-cameras-m8ll6mvy

The Apple Watch may get cameras and Apple Intelligence | The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/news/634395/apple-watch-apple-intelligence-cameras

Design, cost issues stall plastic Apple Watch SE project
https://appleinsider.com/articles/25/03/23/apple-may-be-reconsidering-a-plastic-version-of-the-apple-watch-se

According to reports, Apple plans to release an AI-enabled Apple Watch within the next two years. Apple plans to equip the Apple Watch with a camera for this AI function. According to Garman, the standard Apple Watch Series will have a camera in the display, while the Apple Watch Ultra will have a camera on the side where the Digital Crown and side button are located.

By equipping the Apple Watch with a camera, it will be able to 'see the outside world and use AI to provide relevant information.' Garman noted that 'the same plan is in place for the camera-equipped AirPods.'

Apple is developing 'AirPods with camera sensor' and aims to mass-produce them by 2026 - GIGAZINE

The AI feature built into the Apple Watch is Apple Intelligence's ' Visual Intelligence ' feature. Visual Intelligence works with the iPhone camera to add event flyer details to your calendar and search for restaurant information, all on the Apple Watch.

According to Gurman, Apple plans to enhance visual intelligence with its own AI models by 2027, and has plans to release an 'Apple Watch with a camera' and 'AirPods with a camera' by then.

Gurman also reports that the next-generation Apple Watch SE is planned to use hard plastic instead of aluminum for the case, after previously reported that Apple was planning to release a cheaper Apple Watch.

Apple Watch SE may switch to all-plastic housing to cut costs - GIGAZINE

At the time of writing, the latest model of the Apple Watch SE is the second-generation Apple Watch SE, which was released in September 2022. The case is made of aluminum, but the back part is made of a nylon composite. Apple is reducing the use of materials that are considered 'bad for the environment' such as plastic as much as possible, so it continues to conduct research and development to replace plastic with alternative materials. Despite the extra time and money that this type of research and development requires, Apple has been treating this area as a top priority for many years.

According to Garman, the team developing the next-generation Apple Watch SE is stuck on two issues: cost and appearance, and one of the proposals is an all-plastic Apple Watch SE, which would cost just as much to manufacture as the current model, which is made of a metal and nylon composite.

The biggest reason for making the Apple Watch SE all out of plastic is to reduce costs. By further reducing costs from the current Apple Watch SE, Apple wants to release a cheaper model targeting parents who want to give their children an Apple Watch.

Ming-Chi Kuo, an industry analyst familiar with Apple-related insider information, predicts that the new version of the Apple Watch will ship by the end of 2025, along with the third-generation Apple Watch Ultra.