Apple Watch SE could get a 2022 refresh alongside all-new rugged model

Apple Watch Series 6 Apple Watch Se
Apple Watch Series 6 Apple Watch Se (Image credit: Daniel Bader / iMore)

What you need to know

  • Apple is said to be set to refresh the Apple Watch SE next year.
  • Alongside Apple Watch Series 8, a new rugged model is thought to also be in the works.

While it's expected that Apple Watch Series 7 will get a refresh with the launch of a new Series 8 next year, it now appears that Apple Watch SE could also get some love. What's more, the oft-rumored rugged Apple Watch is once again being spoken about.

According to Mark Gurman, via his Bloomberg Power On newsletter, Apple is ready to give the Apple Watch SE its first refresh since its introduction in 2020. It isn't immediately clear what that will entail, but it should help cement the product's label as perhaps the best Apple Watch for most people. A new Apple Watch Series 8 would likely be the best watch overall, but with a considerably higher asking price.

Apple is again rumored to have a rugged Apple Watch set for launch. We heard rumors of a rugged design earlier this year but nothing has shipped so far. It's possible that will happen next year, however.

Here's what Gurman said back in March:

If Apple goes ahead this time, the rugged version would be an additional model similar to how Apple offers a lower-cost option called the Apple Watch SE and special editions co-branded with Nike Inc. and Hermes International. Sometimes dubbed the "Explorer Edition" inside Apple, the product would have the same functionality as a standard Apple Watch but with extra impact-resistance and protection in the vein of Casio's G-Shock watches.

Apple has already improved the ruggedness of its Apple Watch Series 7, but it's nowhere near as protected as a specifically-designed wearable could be. The idea of an Apple Watch that looks like a G-Shock isn't the worst idea in the world and we might see such a thing launch at some point in 2022 if Gurman is on the money.

Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.