Apple Watch SE 40mm models face overheating issue in South Korea

The recently launched mid-range Apple Watch SE is overheating for some users in South Korea. Six concerned and rather upset owners took to the social media platform, Reddit to share that their smartwatches overheated on charging and while on the wrist.

The new Apple Watch SE features most of the latest features of Apple Watch Series 6 at a more affordable price range. Starting from $279, the Series SE of the smartwatch is powered by an S5 chip for fast performance, up to 5 meters of water resistance, offers a Retina display, advanced sensors to monitor users’ activity, fall detection, and vital features like EMergency SOS and much more. Thus, the news of performance issues only after a month of launch.

Overheating Apple Watch SE

As reported, the 40 mm Apple Watch SE (GPS, and cellular) in Space Gray, Silver, and Nike Edition models are affected. With a total of six confirmed cases in South Korea, it is assumed that this overheating issue might be with a particular manufacturing batch because of the majority of overheating spots appear on the same location on the display and burning the wrist in the same way.

1. Purchased on October 7, of the smartwatch burnt the owner’s wrist, the display has a yellow spot and the watch could not be turned off. No images were shared.
2. Purchased on October 8, another owner reports that while wearing the Apple Watch SE to bed, he/she woke up due to a burning sensation. On removing the watch, the owner found a circular red burn mark on the wrist, a heat smartwatch, and no power signals. 
3. Received on October 16, the owner set up the Nike Editon of the Apple Watch SE and charged it overnight. After an hour and 20 mins, the owner felt the smartwatch had gotten very hot and on taking it off, he/she discovered a burnt wrist. 
4. After using the smartwatch for three days, the owner found the yellow spot on the display while on charge. The issue was reported on October 15. 
5. Received on October 11, three days later, the 40mm cellular model of the smartwatch heated-up on all night charging.  
6. The owner received his/her Apple Watch SE 40mm GPS in Space Gray on October 17, and on the same day, the smartwatch overheated while wearing

The reasons for the overheating issue are not known and it is also to be seen if this is an isolated issue or experienced by owners across the globe. The post assumes that,

“We don’t know for sure how the Apple Watch SE is designed on the inside since there are no public teardowns from sites like iFixit, but considering that Apple has recycled the designs of the older Apple Watches, the overheating spot is above the display connectors, between the Taptic Engine and the digital crown.

Since the spot is far from the battery, it doesn’t look like a battery specific problem like Note 7, but no one knows for sure.”

Some owners have been refunded or given a new Apple Watch SE but the company has not released a public statement addressing the issue.

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