Samsung Galaxy Watch FE assessment: Nice, with one caveat

Samsung’s finances gadgets do not typically obtain a lot fanfare, however for those who ask me, they’re often 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 reasonably priced A-series handsets. So it is shocking that it took Samsung until this past June to announce a Fan Version (learn: finances) model of its widespread Galaxy Watch smartwatch. Much more shocking is how straightforward the Galaxy Watch FE is to suggest.

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Samsung Galaxy Watch FE

Regardless of costing solely $200, the Samsung Galaxy Watch FE looks like the entire package deal. It provides almost every little thing somebody who needs to enhance their well being may have to get extra out of their exercises and sleep.

Execs

• Solely $200
• Sturdy health and sleep monitoring
• Vibrant AMOLED display screen
• NFC included

Cons

• Massive show bezel
• Battery life could possibly be higher
• Solely obtainable in 40mm measurement

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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 assessment, Samsung is simply promoting the Bluetooth model of the FE, which you should buy 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 measurement: 40mm. I examined the Bluetooth mannequin in Black.

What I favored concerning 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 completely 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 may see from the pair of screenshots under, the watch made a dramatic distinction. On the journey the place the watch warned me once I was pushing myself too onerous, I managed to manage my coronary heart charge for almost 80 p.c of the exercise.

Pocket-lint / Samsung

I used to be additionally impressed by how shortly the FE acknowledged once I was ready at a cease signal or crimson gentle. Inside seconds, it could pause the exercise to make sure it wasn’t gathering junk information. Equally spectacular are all of the supplementary well being options. Exterior of a lacking temperature sensor, the FE provides every little thing 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 nicely and are useful.

The FE shouldn’t be missing in trendy 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 that you may’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 for those who desire to make use of that platform as a substitute. Fortunately, you may freely drop Bixby for Google Assistant.

Aside from a smaller 1.2-inch display screen, the FE shares the identical design because the Galaxy Watch 7. I did not thoughts the chunky show bezel, partly as a result of the FE’s AMOLED panel appears nice. It is vibrant, shiny, and simple to learn, even in harsh daylight. With a watch face that includes a black background, the bezel can be straightforward to disregard, due to the deep blacks provided 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 reduce 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.

As I discussed above, Samsung is providing the FE in three completely 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 assessment unit made the FE comfy to put on all day, together with once I went to sleep.

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What I did not like concerning the Samsung Galaxy Watch FE

Battery life is a priority

Provided that the LTE variant solely prices $250, it is superb all of the options Samsung determined to pack into the Galaxy Watch FE. For essentially the most half, the corporate’s cutbacks really feel cheap.

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 sort of an eternity within the cell world, and the W920 is beginning to present its age in 2024.

From a efficiency standpoint, the Galaxy Watch FE is, at finest, serviceable. Navigating Put on OS does not really feel as snappy because it ought to, with animations which are sluggish to render. I additionally seen quite a lot of hiccups within the two weeks I had the FE. As an illustration, once I went to log my day by day water consumption, the watch would generally 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 machine, I feel one can find the efficiency to be high-quality. Like I stated, 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 won’t appear a lot smaller than a 300mAh one, however neither the Galaxy Watch 6 nor Galaxy Watch 7 are identified 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 take into account myself an lively particular person. My girlfriend and I stroll no less than 10,000 steps most days; within the spring, summer season, and fall, I journey my bike nearly day by day; and after a protracted, pandemic-enforced absence from the health club, I just lately acquired again to weightlifting. In case your days look one thing like mine, be ready to cost the Galaxy Watch FE day by day, particularly for those who plan to make the most of its sleep monitoring.

On days once I wore the FE to mattress after which used it to trace my morning bike journey, it had about 35% battery once I arrived residence at round 8am. Discovering time to cost the watch wasn’t a difficulty. Though the FE is restricted to charging at 5W, the battery could be almost full by the point I sat right down to work at 9, offered I took it off to cost shortly after strolling by way of the door.

That stated, 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 daily, there have been different capabilities I turned to much less typically. For instance, I did not measure my physique composition daily, 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 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, 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, however it does include almost every little thing else I feel most individuals may need from a health tracker. Battery life could possibly be a priority down the highway, however for those who’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