Key Takeaways
- The Samsung Galaxy Watch FE provides complete options for simply $200.
- The brilliant AMOLED display is nice for out of doors use.
- Battery life could possibly be a priority down the highway.
Samsung’s price range gadgets do not typically obtain a lot fanfare, however in the event you ask me, they’re regularly the corporate’s most compelling choices. The Galaxy S24 Ultra is a formidable cellphone, however let’s be trustworthy, outdoors of Samsung diehards, most individuals are higher off shopping for the Galaxy S24 or one of many firm’s much more inexpensive A-series handsets. So it is shocking that it took Samsung until this past June to announce a Fan Version (learn: price range) model of its in style Galaxy Watch smartwatch. Much more shocking is how simple the Galaxy Watch FE is to advocate.
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Samsung Galaxy Watch FE
Regardless of costing solely $200, the Samsung Galaxy Watch FE seems like the whole package deal. It provides almost the whole lot somebody who desires to enhance their well being would possibly must get extra out of their exercises and sleep.
- Solely $200
- Sturdy health and sleep monitoring
- Vivid AMOLED display
- NFC included
- Massive show bezel
- Battery life could possibly be higher
- Solely out there in 40mm dimension
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Value, specs, and availability
The Samsung Galaxy Watch FE is accessible in three colours: Black, Silver, and Pink Gold. On the time of the writing of this evaluate, Samsung is simply promoting the Bluetooth model of the FE, which you should purchase for $200. An LTE variant will arrive later this yr and price $250. As issues stand, the Galaxy Watch FE is accessible in a single dimension: 40mm. I examined the Bluetooth mannequin in Black.
What I appreciated in regards to the Galaxy Watch FE
It does not really feel compromised
After spending two weeks with the Galaxy Watch FE, the factor that stood out to me was how full it felt. From a function standpoint, there’s little that’s lacking right here. Take health monitoring, as an illustration: Like its costlier siblings, the FE can course of 100 totally different actions. With built-in GPS and coronary heart charge monitoring, the monitoring is as strong as what you will discover on Samsung’s costlier wearables.
As a bike owner, I used to be in a position to configure the FE for zone two training. As you may see from the pair of screenshots beneath, the watch made a dramatic distinction. On the journey the place the watch warned me after I was pushing myself too onerous, I managed to manage my coronary heart charge for almost 80 % of the exercise.
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I used to be additionally impressed by how shortly the FE acknowledged after I was ready at a cease signal or purple mild. Inside seconds, it might pause the exercise to make sure it wasn’t amassing junk knowledge. Equally spectacular are all of the supplementary well being options. Exterior of a lacking temperature sensor, the FE provides the whole lot I’d count on from a contemporary smartwatch, together with sleep monitoring and blood oxygen monitoring. It may even take physique composition measurements, and throughout the board, all of those options work nicely and are useful.
The FE just isn’t missing in fashionable smartwatch options both. It comes with an NFC modem, enabling help for cell funds via Samsung Pay and Google Wallet. The one annoyance right here is which you can’t reassign the shortcut Samsung set to shortly launch Samsung Pay, forcing you to make use of considered one of your treasured few different shortcuts for Google Pockets in the event you choose to make use of that platform as an alternative. Fortunately, you may freely drop Bixby for Google Assistant.
Apart from a smaller 1.2-inch display, the FE shares the identical design because the Galaxy Watch 7. I did not thoughts the chunky show bezel, partially as a result of the FE’s AMOLED panel appears to be like nice. It is vibrant, brilliant, and straightforward to learn, even in harsh daylight. With a watch face that incorporates a black background, the bezel can also be simple to disregard, due to the deep blacks provided by OLED tech. In contrast to the Apple Watch SE, the FE’s AMOLED show even comes with an always-on function.
One other space Samsung didn’t lower prices on was safety. Along with being IP68-certified towards water, Samsung hardened the show towards scratches with sapphire crystal glass. I did not strive bumping the show, however I did take the look ahead to a swim in a cool Canadian lake, and it got here out simply high-quality.
After spending two weeks with the Galaxy Watch FE, the factor that stood out to me was how full it felt.
As I discussed above, Samsung is providing the FE in three totally different colorways. Value noting right here is that every mannequin comes with a color-matched silicone band. Moreover, the FE makes use of the identical clasp mechanism as its costlier siblings, so it’s attainable to make use of bands courting way back to these Samsung initially designed for the Galaxy Watch 4. I discovered the band that got here with my evaluate unit made the FE comfy to put on all day, together with after I went to sleep.
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What I did not like in regards to the Samsung Galaxy Watch FE
Battery life is a priority
On condition that the LTE variant solely prices $250, it is superb all of the options Samsung determined to pack into the Galaxy Watch FE. For probably the most half, the corporate’s cutbacks really feel affordable.
Notably, the Galaxy Watch FE options an older Exynos W920 chipset, which Samsung has paired with 1.5GB of RAM and 16GB of inside storage. The corporate announced the W920 in 2021. On the time, it was the trade’s first 5nm chipset for wearable gadgets. However three years is almost an eternity within the cell world, and the W920 is beginning to present its age in 2024.
On condition that the LTE variant solely prices $250, it is superb all of the options Samsung determined to pack into the Galaxy Watch FE.
From a efficiency standpoint, the Galaxy Watch FE is, at greatest, serviceable. Navigating Put on OS does not really feel as snappy because it ought to, with animations which are gradual to render. I additionally seen various hiccups within the two weeks I had the FE. As an illustration, after I went to log my every day water consumption, the watch would typically register my tapping however not add to my complete rely.
If the Galaxy Watch FE is your first entry into the world of smartwatches, otherwise you’re coming to it from an older gadget, I feel you will see that the efficiency to be high-quality. Like I mentioned, it is serviceable. However what you’ll discover is the FE’s restricted battery life. That is as a result of, along with outfitting the watch with an older, much less environment friendly processor, Samsung gave the FE a 247mAh battery.
For context, the 40mm variants of the Galaxy Watch 6 and Galaxy Watch 7 function 300mAh batteries. In absolute phrases, a 247mAh battery may not appear a lot smaller than a 300mAh one, however neither the Galaxy Watch 6 nor Galaxy Watch 7 are recognized for his or her battery life.
On standby, the FE can go about 34 hours on a single cost. In fact, even reasonable use can dramatically have an effect on uptime. I think about myself an lively individual. My girlfriend and I stroll not less than 10,000 steps most days; within the spring, summer time, and fall, I journey my bike virtually every day; and after a protracted, pandemic-enforced absence from the health club, I lately acquired again to weightlifting. In case your days look one thing like mine, be ready to cost the Galaxy Watch FE every day, particularly in the event you plan to reap the benefits of its sleep monitoring.
I fear how nicely the FE’s battery will age and what the watch will likely be like to make use of a yr or two after somebody buys it.
On days after I wore the FE to mattress after which used it to trace my morning bike journey, it had about 35% battery after I arrived house at round 8am. Discovering time to cost the watch wasn’t a difficulty. Though the FE is proscribed to charging at 5W, the battery can be almost full by the point I sat right down to work at 9, supplied I took it off to cost shortly after strolling via the door.
That mentioned, I fear about how nicely the FE’s battery will age and what the watch will likely be like to make use of a yr or two after somebody buys it. Though I used the FE’s exercise monitoring function day-after-day, there have been different capabilities I turned to much less typically. For instance, I did not measure my physique composition day-after-day, nor did I take advantage of the watch to hearken to music on my bike rides. I used to be additionally frugal with the show’s always-on function. In case you’re an influence person, you are most likely higher off contemplating considered one of Samsung’s different smartwatches or a competing option from Garmin.
Do you have to purchase the Samsung Galaxy Watch FE?
As I discussed above, probably the most outstanding factor in regards to the Galaxy Watch FE is how full it feels. Certain, it’s not the quickest smartwatch I’ve examined, but it surely does include almost the whole lot else I feel most individuals might need from a health tracker. Battery life could possibly be a priority down the highway, however in the event you’re somebody who’s simply beginning out on their health journey, that is the Put on OS watch to purchase.
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Samsung Galaxy Watch FE
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