To the unfamiliar, Samsung has a line called the Fan Edition (FE), which consists of devices that brings some of the best features of the outfit’s flagship models in a more affordable package. The Samsung Galaxy Watch FE is the latest to get that treatment.
Just like other Flagship Edition releases, the smartwatch gets many top-of-the-line features from the flagship model, which, in this case, is the Galaxy Watch 6. It doesn’t get everything, of course, with this fan-friendly model getting fewer sensors, slightly reduced specs, and less premium materials in order to achieve the more affordable price point.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch FE has a 40mm round case, not dissimilar in appearance to the outfit’s more expensive models, albeit at slightly bigger dimensions. The watch is offered in an aluminum case in any of three colors, namely black, pink gold, and silver, with new watch bands characterized by blue and orange stitching. There’s a full set of sensors onboard, including optical heart rate, electrical heart rate, bioelectrical impedance analyzer, accelerometer, barometer, gyro sensor, geomagnetic sensor, and light sensor. As such, it can perform many of the same fitness and wellness offerings as the outfit’s more expensive smartwatches, including heart-rate monitoring, ECG readings, and sleep monitoring, so it’s a very capable device for collecting training and sports performance data in conjunction with the onboard GPS/GLONASS radio.
However, it doesn’t include a temperature or an spO2 sensor, so you won’t be able to take temperature checks, get blood oxygen readings, or monitor blood pressure. According to Samsung, the device can be used to track performance in over 100 different workouts, while also being useful for a number of heart health stats, such as detecting irregular heart rhythm and recognizing abnormal heart rate levels, so you still get quite the powerful health and fitness tool.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch FE has a round 1.2-inch Super AMOLED panel with 396 x 396 pixels of resolution and a sapphire crystal lens cover. It has always-on display support, so you can have the watch face showing full time, much like a traditional timepiece, eliminating the need to wake the screen up each time out. Of course, it will also drain battery like crazy, but that’s always been the trade-off with smartwatches. Onboard battery, by the way, is 247mAh, which is notably smaller than the 425mAh array in the Galaxy Watch 6. Other core hardware specs include a 1.18GHz Exynos W920 system-on-a-chip, 1.5GB of RAM, and 16GB of onboard storage.
The watch has an IP68 waterproof rating that gives it a pretty solid 5ATM of water resistance, as well as MIL-STD-810H certification, so it should exhibit overall rugged durability for surviving bumps and drops. Connectivity details include Bluetooth 5.3, dual-band Wi-Fi, NFC, and even LTE for more expensive models. It runs Samsung’s customized version of Wear OS, which is skinned with their own One UI 5 Watch. It should be compatible with any Android smartphone running version 11.0 or higher, although some features, such as Camera Controller and Find My Phone, will only be available when used with other Samsung devices.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch FE comes out starting June 24th, priced starting at $199.99 for Wi-Fi model and $249.99 for the LTE variant.