Key Takeaways
- The Samsung Galaxy Watch FE gives complete options for simply $200.
- The intense AMOLED display is nice for outside use.
- Battery life could possibly be a priority down the highway.
Samsung’s finances units do not usually obtain a lot fanfare, however when you ask me, they’re regularly the corporate’s most compelling choices. The Galaxy S24 Ultra is a powerful telephone, however let’s be trustworthy, exterior of Samsung diehards, most individuals are higher off shopping for the Galaxy S24 or one of many firm’s much more reasonably priced A-series handsets. So it is stunning that it took Samsung until this past June to announce a Fan Version (learn: finances) model of its widespread Galaxy Watch smartwatch. Much more stunning is how straightforward 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 entire bundle. It gives practically all the things somebody who desires to enhance their well being would possibly have to 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 accessible in 40mm dimension
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Value, specs, and availability
The Samsung Galaxy Watch FE is out there in three colours: Black, Silver, and Pink Gold. On the time of the writing of this assessment, 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 out there in a single dimension: 40mm. I examined the Bluetooth mannequin in Black.
What I favored concerning the Galaxy Watch FE
It would 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 example: 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 bicycle owner, I used to be in a position to configure the FE for zone two training. As you possibly can see from the pair of screenshots beneath, the watch made a dramatic distinction. On the experience the place the watch warned me after I was pushing myself too arduous, I managed to manage my coronary heart charge for practically 80 p.c of the exercise.
Pocket-lint / Samsung
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 could pause the exercise to make sure it wasn’t accumulating junk information. Equally spectacular are all of the supplementary well being options. Exterior of a lacking temperature sensor, the FE gives all the things I’d anticipate from a contemporary smartwatch, together with sleep monitoring and blood oxygen monitoring. It may possibly even take physique composition measurements, and throughout the board, all of those options work properly and are useful.
The FE isn’t missing in fashionable smartwatch options both. It comes with an NFC modem, enabling help for cell funds by way of Samsung Pay and Google Wallet. The one annoyance right here is which you could’t reassign the shortcut Samsung set to shortly launch Samsung Pay, forcing you to make use of one among your valuable few different shortcuts for Google Pockets when you want to make use of that platform as an alternative. Fortunately, you possibly can 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 seems to be nice. It is vibrant, shiny, and straightforward to learn, even in harsh daylight. With a watch face that incorporates a black background, the bezel can also be straightforward to disregard, due to the deep blacks supplied by OLED tech. Not like the Apple Watch SE, the FE’s AMOLED show even comes with an always-on function.
One other space Samsung didn’t minimize prices on was safety. Along with being IP68-certified towards water, Samsung hardened the show towards scratches with sapphire crystal glass. I did not attempt bumping the show, however I did take the look ahead to a swim in a cool Canadian lake, and it got here out simply superb.
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 potential to make use of bands relationship way back to these Samsung initially designed for the Galaxy Watch 4. I discovered the band that got here with my assessment 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 concerning the Samsung Galaxy Watch FE
Battery life is a priority
On condition that the LTE variant solely prices $250, it is wonderful all of the options Samsung determined to pack into the Galaxy Watch FE. For essentially 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 inner storage. The corporate announced the W920 in 2021. On the time, it was the business’s first 5nm chipset for wearable units. 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 wonderful 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 would not really feel as snappy because it ought to, with animations which are gradual to render. I additionally observed quite a lot of hiccups within the two weeks I had the FE. For example, after I went to log my each day water consumption, the watch would generally register my tapping however not add to my complete depend.
If the Galaxy Watch FE is your first entry into the world of smartwatches, otherwise you’re coming to it from an older system, I feel you’ll discover the efficiency to be superb. 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. After all, even reasonable use can dramatically have an effect on uptime. I contemplate myself an energetic particular person. My girlfriend and I stroll no less than 10,000 steps most days; within the spring, summer time, and fall, I experience my bike virtually each day; and after an extended, pandemic-enforced absence from the gymnasium, I lately bought again to weightlifting. In case your days look one thing like mine, be ready to cost the Galaxy Watch FE each day, particularly when you plan to reap the benefits of its sleep monitoring.
I fear how properly 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 experience, it had about 35% battery after I arrived dwelling at round 8am. Discovering time to cost the watch wasn’t a problem. Though the FE is restricted to charging at 5W, the battery can be practically full by the point I sat all the way down to work at 9, offered I took it off to cost shortly after strolling by way of the door.
That mentioned, I fear about how properly 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 on daily basis, there have been different capabilities I turned to much less usually. For instance, I did not measure my physique composition on daily basis, nor did I exploit the watch to hearken to music on my bike rides. I used to be additionally frugal with the show’s always-on function. For those who’re an influence consumer, you are most likely higher off contemplating one among Samsung’s different smartwatches or a competing option from Garmin.
Do you have to purchase the Samsung Galaxy Watch FE?
As I discussed above, essentially the most outstanding factor concerning the Galaxy Watch FE is how full it feels. Certain, it’s not the quickest smartwatch I’ve examined, nevertheless it does include practically all the things else I feel most individuals might need from a health tracker. Battery life could possibly be a priority down the highway, however when 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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