Everybody loves a deal. That’s the entire level of funds gadgets like Samsung’s Galaxy Watch FE: it could lack the flagship watch’s flashy options and premium {hardware}, however you save a superb chunk of money in change. It’s a good, wise tradeoff — however solely when corporations strike the precise stability between worth and options. And with the $199.99 Galaxy Watch FE, Samsung is means off the mark.
Here’s the factor. Design-wise, the Watch FE is quite a bit just like the brand-new Galaxy Watch 7, which sells for $299.99. They look practically equivalent! They share a lot of the similar software program options, like exercise monitoring, notifications, and superior well being options like EKGs and physique composition evaluation. Most of the issues you are able to do on the Watch 7, you are able to do on the Watch FE.
But beneath the hood, the Watch FE is actually only a rebadged Galaxy Watch 4, which launched in 2021. The FE is available in solely the smaller 40mm dimension, makes use of Samsung’s last-gen smartwatch processor, lacks a pores and skin temperature sensor, and sports activities a barely smaller battery. The solely improve over the Watch 4 is a extra sturdy sapphire crystal lens and the newer one-click strap mechanism.
Because it’s basically a Galaxy Watch 4, it performs like one, too. Swiping by way of screens is constantly laggy, which doesn’t instill confidence that the FE will easily deal with future variations of Wear OS. I would’ve written off a jittery, sluggish display screen if I have been shopping for a refurbished Watch 4. But that is marketed as a new watch, and paying $200 (or $250 if you would like LTE) for laggy efficiency feels mistaken.
Battery life isn’t fairly pretty much as good because the Watch 7, both. I bought it to final 24 hours, however that was with the always-on show disabled and ample use of the power-saving mode. You can in all probability get extra mileage if you happen to tweak settings, however with regular utilization (sans low-power mode), I bought round 18–20 hours. This is most undoubtedly a watch that requires each day charging. The 40mm Watch 7 isn’t that significantly better, however I can reliably get by way of the day with out considering too onerous about it. I discovered myself needing to regulate the FE and infrequently bought caught by low-battery notifications.
The Watch FE appears like Samsung getting its branding geese in a row to reflect Apple. If you take a look at the lineups now, there’s a one-to-one analog of Galaxy Watch to Apple Watch. The FE is much less egregious of a clone than the Galaxy Watch Ultra, however I simply don’t suppose Samsung nailed the correct mix of options, {hardware}, and worth. With the Apple Watch SE, you lose the always-on show and a few superior well being options like EKGs, whereas nonetheless getting good efficiency and a bigger $150 low cost. Apple wager on the identical efficiency and fewer options, whereas Samsung wager on extra options with worse efficiency. The former works. The latter doesn’t.
Samsung wouldn’t need to tweak a lot to get the combination proper. Knock the worth right down to $180, provide the identical battery because the Watch 7, and deal with primary well being and SOS options. I’m positive that model of the FE would promote like hotcakes. Call it wishful considering, however I’ve a intestine feeling that the FE is the sufferer of a messy transition yr the place Samsung scrambled to make large adjustments to its smartwatch lineup. Down the road, I’m hopeful that future variations of the FE will make extra sense.
As it stands, it’s merely a significantly better worth for cut price hunters to purchase final yr’s Galaxy Watch 6 on sale. Either means, you’d be saving cash whereas getting a more recent processor, a number of dimension choices, and a bigger battery. Again, an amazing funds gadget ought to make you’re feeling prefer it’s a steal. But proper now, the FE feels much less like a deal and extra like overpaying for a “new” Galaxy Watch 4.
