The entry-level Galaxy Watch starts at $200 on 24 June
Following a frankly laughable amount of leaks, Samsung has officially confirmed the Galaxy Watch FE will arrive later this month.
The ‘Fan Edition’ represents the first proper entry-level smartwatch released by the company.
We were expecting a full reveal at next month’s rumored Galaxy Unpacked event – alongside the Galaxy Watch 7, Galaxy Watch Ultra, and Galaxy Ring – but the company has instead signaled that availability will begin on 24 June.
The FE is essentially an updated, more advanced version of the Galaxy Watch 4 released in 2021 – though, unlike that series, this one will only be available in a single 40mm case size.
There will still be two versions, however. A $200 Bluetooth model will be offered initially, and a $250 LTE edition will arrive in October. There are also a few different finishes to pick between – black, pink, or gold (as shown below).
As expected, the upcoming Wear OS smartwatch will also run on the current Samsung software – One UI 5 Watch – and will almost certainly be able to upgrade to the impending One UI 6 Watch (Wear OS 5).
If it does, it will be capable of plenty of catchy new Galaxy AI-powered health and fitness features. Which, speaking of…
What can the Galaxy Watch FE do (and not do)?
When looking through the specs sheet and list of features, there doesn’t appear to be too much different from the Galaxy Watch 6 series, which is great.
The FE features an IP68-rated case, with a 1.2-inch OLED display and a sapphire crystal glass covering also included. Inside, the last-gen Exynos W920 chip (not the newer W930) runs the show, while there’s also room for 1.5GB RAM and 16GB internal storage.
The array of sensors is also the same as the Galaxy Watch 6 line, bar the one that keeps an eye on your wrist temperature.
That means you also get all the associated skills with the more premium heart rate monitor and GPS setup, such as high/low heart rate notifications, ECGs, body composition analysis, irregular heart rhythm alerts, heart rate zones, and specialized running insights.
The basics, like sleep monitoring, workout logging, and daily activity tracking, are all there, too, and users will also have access to tons of third-party apps via the Google Play Store.
Our only major concern is the battery life from the quoted 247mAh unit – especially considering there’s no bigger size to upgrade to if that’s an important feature for you.
Wareable says:
The release of the Galaxy Watch FE is an exciting one – and appears to serve a couple of key purposes.
Chiefly, it provides Android phone users with a more affordable Wear OS watch to consider. Only really the Xiaomi Watch 2 and Galaxy Watch 4 could claim to fit this need previously, and, as we just outlined, there are actually very few differences (at present) between the FE and mid-market options.
The release not only plugs a hole in the wider Wear OS ecosystem but – along with the likely arrival of the premium Galaxy Watch Ultra – also brings Samsung’s watch lineup in line with its main competitor, Apple.
The Cupertino giant’s Apple Watch SE range has proved popular since debuting in 2020, and it’s only really a surprise it’s taken Samsung this long to offer something ‘current-gen’ (I.e. not discounted older models) to consumers at the $200 range.
We’re looking forward to testing this one out; it has the potential to be one of the standout wearables of the year if it performs well.
