All-glass Apple Watch rumored to ship long before all-glass iPhone

A known leaker believes that while Apple will be making an all-glass iPhone, the company may want to test the concept on the Apple Watch first.

In a Friday post to Weibo, serial leaker Setsuna Digital, also known as Instant Digital, has suggested that Apple will first debut an all-glass Apple Watch.

Rumors of an all-glass device have been around for more than a decade a this point. But there's a problem with that phrasing — what truly defines an all glass product versus a mostly glass product?

In 2016 — or perhaps even earlier — we heard rumors that there would be an "all-glass" iPhone 8. At that time, the phrase wasn't implying that Apple would entirely forsake metal in its design, but rather include an all-glass back.

Of course, the company had already sold an iPhone with an all-glass back: the iPhone 4.

And as far as the Apple Watch is concerned, the company currently uses high-quality Zirconia, prized for its durability, for the back. Swapping it for a weaker glass wouldn't make sense, considering customers' propensity for breaking the glass of their devices.

But, Instant Digital seems to imply that a future Apple Watch may feature a full glass enclosure with no metal — save for maybe the digital crown and side button. That would give Apple the chance to use the sides of the Apple Watch for extended screen real estate.

At any rate, Instant Digital doesn't list their source for the leak, and it's not certain if the post is speculation or comes from sources within Apple's supply chain.. However, we've seen the concept touched upon in existing patents. A set of patents that surfaced in early 2020 showed that Apple had been looking into creating an iPhone with a wraparound touchscreen.

And, just because Apple is researching something, it doesn't mean that the design will ever see the light of day. After all, we never got the "round iPhone" either.

That being said, it's also important to give credit where credit's due. Instant Digital has had some correct predictions in the past.

They were right about the iPhone 16's camera capture button, the frosted glass back of the iPhone 15, and well as the debut of the yellow iPhone 14.

But, like many leakers, they've had some misses as well. In 2024, they predicted Apple would refresh the iPad Air and iPad Pro in March, but the new devices did not debut until May.

The same account has recently suggested that Apple would be using an "amorphous alloy" or "metallic glass" as the hinge material for the yet-unannounced iPhone Fold.