Two New Material Options For the Apple Watch: Titanium and Ceramic

Compared to Series 3, the case material offerings of the Series 4 seems lackluster: Aluminium and Stainless Steel. With Series 3 boasting a high-end model with the casing cast out of ceramic, it was a far better deal in terms of aesthetic and material for those with a wide pocket.

But that’s about to end. According to asset graphics leaked from the upcoming WatchOS 6 Beta, we might see the launch of a Titanium and Ceramic model by as early as next month.

Designed By Apple in California

The leaked assets were unearthed by iHelpBR. The assets were part of the initial setup screen when the user first started up their watch. The entire thing resembles the design at the back of the Apple Watch, with the model number and case size written on top, and the famous phrase: “Designed By Apple in California” written at the bottom. At the center, there’s - of course - the Apple logo surrounded by an intricate pattern that looks quite similar to a highly stylized electron cloud. Probably alluding to the new materials and/or chemical processes that went into making the new casings.

The assets didn’t beat around the bush, either: It clearly showed the new watches could have either a Titanium 44mm case and a Ceramic 44mm case. The agency behind the leak also found several assets that point toward a 40mm version.

Ming-chi Kuo - the highly respected Apple analyst - said all the way back in February that the company’s gearing up for a “new ceramic casing design.” If the new leaks were any indication, then he was absolutely right.

New 'Edition' Models?

Apple’s not new to the ‘exotic’ material game, with the ‘Edition’ model made out of ceramic that was launched all the way back to the Apple Watch Series 2. The Series 3 also has an ‘Edition’ version of its own. Of course, the ‘Edition’ model is more costly than others, having the price tag north of $1,299. When the new Series 4 came out … we didn’t have any.

The current line-up of Apple Watches does have a ceramic rear, but this new leak just suggests that we’re going to see a revisit to the all-ceramic or all-Titanium design.

Speaking of the Titanium model, the company looks like it is gravitating more and more considering the pretty successful launch of the physical Apple Card, which was made entirely out of Titanium. Quite possibly, this is favoritism at work, and we don't blame them for taking a liking to it: Titanium is a beautiful material, and more so to cast a watch out of.

Unanswered Questions

Although the existence of an Aluminium or a Ceramic Apple Watch cannot be disputed any longer, there are still several questions: Whether the Titanium option is just going to be a replacement for the Stainless Steel. Whether these new materials are exclusive only to the fifth generation of Apple Watches, or it’s also going to be additional options for the existing line-up.

But there’s a high probability that this is actually the Series 5 we’re looking at. Since Kuo has stated that Japan Display is the main supplier of OLED panels for Series 5, which has an expected launch date in the “second half of 2019,”. Aside from that little piece of information and this leak, we don’t know much about the new generation of Apple smartwatches.

September 10th is likely to be the time when an Apple Special Event took place for the company to unveil its new iPhones, so probably we might also witness the release of the Series 5 in the same event.