Apple Said to Consider 3D-Printed Aluminium Enclosures for Upcoming Apple Watch, iPhone Models

Apple launched a series of devices last week, from the refreshed MacBook Air lineup with the Apple Silicon M5 chip to the new low-cost MacBook Neo. The Cupertino-based tech giant also launched the new MacBook Pro (2026) with the M5 Max and M5 Pro processors. The latest addition to its laptop lineup, the MacBook Neo, reportedly leverages a new aluminium manufacturing process, which helps the company save on material costs. Now, Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman claims that Apple is planning to 3D print aluminium enclosures for its smartwatches and future iPhone models.

Apple Could Expand 3D-Printing Beyond the Apple Watch Ultra

According to the latest edition of Gurman's Power On newsletter, the Cupertino-based tech giant's manufacturing design team and operations department are working on ways to 3D print aluminium enclosures for future Apple Watch models. This will reportedly bring greater efficiency to the manufacturing process of the company's smartwatches. Apple is expected to equip its future iPhone models with the new 3D-printed aluminium enclosures, too.

However, the company has yet to confirm the development. The new MacBook Neo, which was launched in India and other global markets on March 4, reportedly leverages a new “aluminium manufacturing process”, allowing the company to use a relatively lower quantity of the metal, helping them save material and manufacturing cost.

This could be part of Apple's plans to expand 3D printing for components. Apple previously revealed that it had equipped its latest Apple Watch Ultra 3 with a 3D-printed titanium enclosure. To recap, the smartwatch was launched globally in September last year at a starting price of $799 (roughly Rs. 71,000). It is offered in two case options, dubbed Natural Titanium and Black Titanium.

Apple's flagship smartwatch, the Apple Watch Ultra 3, ships with support for satellite and 5G connectivity. It sports an always-on LTPO3 wide-angle OLED display that can refresh as low as 1Hz. The company claims that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 provides 42 hours of battery life in daily use. Meanwhile, in the Low Power mode, it is claimed to provide up to 72 hours of battery life. The flagship smartwatch also ships with Apple's new sleep score system and Hypertension notifications support.