Galaxy Watch FE Unveiled as Samsung’s New Budget-Friendly Smartwatch
Jun. 14, 2024Samsung’s Wear OS Galaxy Watches have made quite the name for themselves by offering a great Wear OS experience. With theGalaxy Watch 7series just weeks away from launch, Samsung has now announced the Galaxy Watch FE. It’s a budget Wear OS smartwatch and the first “FE” (Fan Edition) device in the Galaxy Watch lineup. Here’s everything you need to know.
Galaxy Watch FE: Specifications
The Galaxy Watch FE looks like a rebrandedGalaxy Watch 4. We say this because, the Watch FE comes in one size, i.e.,40mm, and features a1.2-inch Super AMOLED displaywith396 x 396 pixels resolution. The casing is aluminum and the watch will be available in four colors — Black, Gold, Silver, and Pink.
The watch is powered by theExynos W920, the SoC that powered the Galaxy Watch 4. The storage and RAM are also the same 1.5 GB and 16 GB, and the same goes for the battery (247 mAhwith WPC. No Qi charging still). Even the dimensions are almost identical, i.e., 39.4 x 40.4 x 9.8 mm.Image: Samsung
One of the changes on the front is the inclusion ofSapphire Crystal glasswhich was not present in the Galaxy Watch4. Like the Watch 4, the Galaxy Watch FE is IP68-rated for water and dust resistance.
In terms of connectivity, there’s LTE, Bluetooth 5.3, 2.4 and 5 GHz Wi-Fi, and NFC. The watch will run on Wear OS-basedOne UI 5 Watchout of the box. The watch will be available in both LTE and Bluetooth-only variants.
Besides, the Watch FE has Samsung’sBioActiove Sensorthat can track Optical Heart Rate, Electrical Heart, and Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis. Other sensors include Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyro, Geomagnetic, and Light sensors.
As for the price, the Galaxy Watch FE’s Bluetooth-only version will beavailable at $199 (INR 16,630 approx.) from June 24. TheLTE version is priced at $249.99(INR 20,890 approx.) and will arrive later this year (possibly in October).
Samsung is definitely aiming this at the budget-conscious audience, and it will be interesting to see if this stirs up thebudget Wear OS market, something that we do not have at the moment. The Wear OS smartwatch market should see many smartwatch launches in the coming months, including the Galaxy Watch 7 series and the Pixel Watch 3 and 3 XL. What are your thoughts on the Galaxy Watch FE? What should Samsung price it in India? Let us know in the comments below.
