Samsung's $199.99 Galaxy Watch FE is a rare smartwatch running Google’s app-rich Wear OS platform to launch at a budget-friendly price. It only comes in one size, the screen has big bezels, and it’s missing Samsung's Galaxy AI holistic health insights, but it otherwise offers almost all the same excellent connectivity, lifestyle, and wellness features as the company’s $299.99 Galaxy Watch 7 and $649.99 Galaxy Watch Ultra. With body composition measurements, continuous blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) monitoring, detailed sleep and snore tracking, and heart rate alerts, it's a more robust health companion than most Wear OS-powered competitors from different brands. It’s an excellent wearable with a ton of useful features at an attractive price and it wins our Editors’ Choice as the best budget-minded smartwatch for Android phone users.
A Simple Look With Surprising Durability
Like the rest of Samsung’s current watch lineup, the Galaxy Watch FE is exclusive to use with Android phones (running Android 10 or newer with at least 2GB of RAM), with some features like snore detection only available to Samsung phones.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch FE features a simple design and comes in just one 40mm size in black, pink gold, or silver. For comparison, the Galaxy Watch 7 has 40mm and 44mm options, while the Galaxy Watch Ultra comes in a single 47mm size.
For this review, we tested the silver version of the Galaxy Watch FE, which comes with a light blue band. The $199.99 version is Bluetooth- and Wi-Fi-only, with GPS and NFC for contactless payments. An LTE version is available for $249.99.
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The watch has a 1.19-inch, 396-by-396 Super AMOLED display with 330 ppi and sapphire crystal glass. The screen is smaller than its 1.3-inch counterpart on the 40mm Galaxy Watch 7, with large, slightly distracting bezels, hearkening back to the Galaxy Watch 5.
The Watch FE measures 0.38 inches thick, matching both the 40mm and 44mm version of the Galaxy Watch 7. It's slightly lighter at 0.9 ounces, while the 40mm Watch 7 weighs 1.0 ounces and the 44mm version comes in at 1.2 ounces.
Considering the price, the Galaxy Watch FE is surprisingly durable. It has an IP68 weather-resistance rating, a 5ATM waterproof rating, and MIL-STD-810H certification. That means it’s impervious to dust and can survive at depths of up to 164 feet of calm fresh or salt water for 10 minutes. Samsung says the watch can function between -4 and 122 degrees Fahrenheit. These stats match those of the Galaxy Watch 7 and exceed Apple’s most affordable smartwatch, the $249.99 Apple Watch SE, which lacks dust resistance or a military-grade endurance certification.
Specs and Features: Well Equipped
The Galaxy Watch FE stacks up well with its more expensive siblings. Like the Galaxy Watch 7 and the Galaxy Ultra, the Galaxy Watch FE has an accelerometer, an ambient light sensor, a barometer, a blood oxygen monitor, a compass, a gyroscope, a pedometer, and Samsung’s BioActive Sensor for heart rate monitoring.
Overnight, it tracks your sleeping duration and stages, blood oxygen level, heart rate, respiratory rate, menstruation cycles, and even snoring. For snoring detection, you need to keep your Samsung phone nearby. Additionally, you can take an ECG with the watch, and it can even measure body composition metrics like body fat percentage and body mass index (BMI), similar to a smart scale.
Compared with the other Wear OS smartwatches from other companies, the Watch FE is a more robust health companion. The OnePlus Watch 2 ($299.99) lacks ECG, fall detection, and period tracking features. The Pixel Watch 2 ($349.99) doesn't allow for on-demand blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) measurements. Neither measures your body composition metrics or tracks snoring.
You'll make some compromises for its lower price, of course. The Watch FE lacks a few of the features of Samsung's current flagship smartwatches, including dual-frequency GPS, skin temperature sensors, sleep apnea detection, and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) index tracking that provides a detailed picture of your metabolism. It’s also missing Galaxy AI, which encapsulates all of the tracked fitness and sleep metrics from the flagship models into a holistic Energy Score on a scale from 0 to 100. Galaxy AI also provides useful wellness tips and personalized guidance on how to improve your score and feel better.
Having spent the last few weeks testing the Galaxy Watch 7 and the Galaxy Watch Ultra, I somewhat missed seeing my daily Energy Score and Wellness Tip when I switched to the Galaxy Watch FE. I liked having a single number representing my overall wellness, and the Galaxy AI guidance was usually precise and relevant to my lifestyle. However, if I hadn’t ever used those other watches, I would not have noticed anything missing from the Galaxy Watch FE.
Most of the features differentiating the Galaxy Watch 7 and the Galaxy Watch Ultra from the Galaxy Watch FE were added this generation, so the budget model largely matches the capabilities of last year’s Galaxy Watch 6 ($299.99). That applies to its operating system: It runs Google’s Wear OS 4 with Samsung’s One UI 5 like the Galaxy Watch 6, whereas the Galaxy Watch 7 and the Galaxy Watch Ultra run the upgraded Wear OS 5 and Samsung’s One UI 6. However, in terms of memory and processing power, the Galaxy Watch FE matches the older Galaxy Watch 5, running a 5nm 1.18GHZ Dual Core Exynos W920 with 1.5GB of memory and 16GB of RAM. The Watch 6 increases the memory capacity to 2GB, and the Watch 7 and the Ultra double the storage to 32GB.
On the lifestyle front, the Watch FE offers the same app selection as its more expensive WearOS siblings, including a large library of third-party apps via the Google Play Store. Popular third-party options available for download include Alltrails, Audible, Calm, Komoot, MyFitness Pal, Spotify, Strava, and WhatsApp, just to name a few. Apple's watchOS still offers better variety, but you can likely find whatever popular third-party option you want on either platform. You can call and text directly from the watch, and it can deliver your phone’s notifications promptly to your wrist.
Easy Setup, Intuitive Controls
In the box, you get the watch itself with the band already attached, as well as a magnetic charging cable but no power brick. You can swap out the bands by pressing a button on the bottom of the band itself, similar to the system on the Galaxy Watch 7. I found it a little tricky to press the buttons deep enough to release the pins holding the watch with just my fingers, but it was easy enough to do with a paperclip.
To set up the Galaxy Watch FE, you need to download the Galaxy Wearable app on your Android phone. Hold the top button on the watch to turn it on, and you should see a pop-up on your Samsung phone prompting you to set up the watch. If you have a different brand of phone, or you just don't see the pop-up, you can start the process via your phone’s Bluetooth menu. At that point, you’ll use a number that pops up on the watch’s screen to confirm setup, and then you’ll sign into the Galaxy Wearable app and your Google account.
The Wearable app guides you through the rest of the setup process, including several more sets of terms and conditions, permissions for the watch to access notifications and data from your phone, and determining which apps you want to download. You’ll pick which wrist you’ll wear your watch on and the orientation of the buttons. The app then guides you through some tips and tricks, then the watch itself finally walks you through basic controls.
To navigate the Watch SE, swipe down from the top of the screen for a customizable control panel with access to settings, the flashlight, do not disturb mode, and more. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen for the app drawer. Swipe right for notifications. Swipe left for a customizable arrangement of tiles with options like Calendar, Fitness Stats, and Weather. Swipe around the touch bezel to scroll through any page quickly. As with the Galaxy Watch 7, controls on the Watch FE are intuitive and responsive.
Aside from the touch controls, the watch supports gestures like knocking your fist to launch an app of your choice or rotating your wrist to snap pictures or answer calls. You can also control your watch with the two buttons on the side. Pressing the top button brings you back to your main watch face from wherever you are. Double-tap it to go back to your last used app, hold it briefly to access Samsung’s digital assistant Bixby, or hold it for five seconds to call emergency services. The bottom button takes you back a screen.
The Galaxy Watch FE is missing the double-pinch gesture launched on the Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch Ultra that allows you to answer calls, dismiss alerts, play or pause music, or take a photo with the camera app open. This particular gesture matches the Double Tap gesture from recent Apple Watches.
Battery Life: About Average
The Galaxy Watch FE has a smaller battery than its flagship counterparts, with a 247mAh capacity compared with 300mAh for the 40mm Watch 7, 425mAh for the 44mm Watch 7, and 590mAh for the Galaxy Watch Ultra.
Given that battery life is one of the Galaxy Watch 7's main downsides, the lower capacity on the Galaxy Watch FE is concerning, but in testing, the Watch FE kept up with and even beat the Watch 7, likely due in part to its smaller screen.
With the always-on display active, the Watch FE lasted 27 hours on a rundown test with moderate usage but no GPS. The Galaxy Watch 7 lasted 28 hours under the same circumstances. The Galaxy Watch Ultra lasted longer than both at 46 hours with its always-on display active.
With the always-on display turned off, the Galaxy Watch FE lasted just over 40 hours with moderate use and GPS activation, well above the 27 hours of the Galaxy Watch 7 on this trial. It also beat the Apple Watch SE, which lasted 37 hours in this test (and doesn't have an always-on option).
You’ll need to charge the Watch FE every day or almost every day without the always-on display enabled, so battery life isn’t one of its strong suits. That said, with the exception of Pro and Ultra models, Samsung’s watches have largely all struggled with battery life, so you’re not missing out on anything on this front by saving money with the Watch FE. If you want a Wear OS watch with longer battery life, the OnePlus Watch 2 lasts 69 hours between charges with the always-on display active.
The Galaxy Watch FE recharged from 1% to 100% in 114 minutes, which is slower than the 88 minutes of the Galaxy Watch 7.
Fitness and Sleep Data: Reasonably Accurate
The Galaxy Watch FE can track more than 100 different exercises, including plenty of gym machines suchs as ellipticals, rowing machine, and stair climbers. For some workouts, it only tracks basic information like duration and heart rate, but during cardio exercises like running, it captures a variety of useful metrics. In addition to cadence, duration, heart rate, and heart rate zones, it offers granular running form metrics like asymmetry, contact time, flight time, regularity, stiffness, and vertical oscillation. It tracks VO2 Max (maximal oxygen consumption) as well, a metric that can help you gauge your general physical fitness. Like the Galaxy Watch 7, you can set an ideal heart rate zone, and it will notify you when you go under or over it to prompt you to raise or lower your intensity.
To evaluate the accuracy of its heart rate sensor, I tracked a 30-minute run with the Galaxy Watch FE on one wrist and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 on the other. The Galaxy Watch FE's heart rate readings skewed slightly high, averaging two to four beats per minute (BPM) more than the Apple Watch Ultra 2, but they stayed consistent. During the run, I sprinted at intervals to test its performance for detecting a rapid heart rate change, and the Galaxy Watch FE at times adjusted even quicker than the Ultra 2. Even at high intensities, it always settled at two to four BPMs higher than the Ultra 2.
Variations in fitness data from one product to the next are expected, so it's a good idea to stick with one device to track your changes over time. Overall, the Galaxy Watch FE's heart rate readings are accurate and consistent enough to suit most people.
In my GPS testing, the Galaxy Watch FE displayed my route and distance more accurately than the Galaxy Watch 7. It matched the distance tracked by the Ultra 2 exactly, whereas the Galaxy Watch 7 overestimated how far I’d traveled and showed odd zigzags in my path where I had been running straight. The Watch FE matched my path traveled without any odd deviations, though it put my position slightly askew of the road on one segment. The Galaxy Watch Ultra is the most accurate of Samsung's current lineup on this front, showing my route exactly, including the small bumps in my route where I had to run around a walker.
During everyday use, the Galaxy Watch FE automatically tracked a variety of walks when I was out on the town. It picked up on this casual exercise more quickly than the Apple Watch Ultra 2, but Apple’s watch started automatically tracking my gym machine workouts more quickly.
I tested the Watch FE’s body composition metrics against the HumeHealth Body Pod smart scale. Like the Watch 7 and the Watch Ultra, the Watch FE showed an accurate reading for my BMI (a measure of your body weight in relation to your height) but skewed slightly high on my body fat percentage. To take a reading while wearing the watch, you first need to enter your weight, then put your ring and middle fingers of the opposite hand on the two buttons and hold your arms up. Since a smart scale measures your weight itself while calculating additional metrics, it's less prone to user error, but if you're honest about your weight, Galaxy Watch devices can offer at least a good idea of your body composition.
To evaluate its sleep data, I tested the Galaxy Watch FE against the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and a nearby Nest Hub for three nights. Like the Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch Ultra, the Watch FE skews slightly low when estimating total amount of sleep. For one night, it showed 6 hours and 37 minutes of sleep time compared with 6 hours, 59 minutes from the Ultra 2 and 7 hours, 5 minutes from the Nest Hub.
The Watch 7 and the Watch Ultra both showed strange gaps in their sleep stage charts during testing, a problem I did not experience with the Watch FE. Its sleep stage chart generally matched those from Apple and Nest. Like during workouts, the Watch FE's resting heart rate readings captured overnight were slightly high compared with the Ultra 2.
Unlike the Watch 7 and Watch Ultra, the Watch FE didn’t capture my respiratory rate during the night. If sleep apnea is a concern, one of the more expensive models may be a better fit.
In addition to the hard data, I appreciate that the Watch FE offers a holistic sleep score and data on factors like physical recovery, restfulness, and mental recovery.
To see all of these health metrics in detail, you need a second app on your phone called Samsung Health. You also need a third app called Samsung Health Monitor to track any ECGs that you take. I dislike the need for three different phone apps to make the most of the watch, but Apple has a similar count, with Fitness, Health, and Watch apps for its wearables. Meanwhile, the Pixel Watch 2 and other Fitbit devices gate some metrics behind a $9.99-per-month subscription fee, including sleep score details.
Verdict: A Top Value Pick
Outside of a smaller screen and bigger bezels, the Galaxy Watch FE's limitations compared with the more expensive Galaxy Watch 7 aren’t noticeable unless you know what to look for. Moreover, despite its budget-friendly price, the Galaxy Watch FE has better sleep- and health-tracking capabilities than several more expensive Wear OS smartwatches. While its battery life could be longer, the same is true of the Watch 7, and the Watch FE is just as durable and has the same selection of apps and most of the same sensors. The Watch 7 is still an excellent choice if you want AI-powered health insights, and the Watch Ultra adds extra durability and battery life, but if you’re shopping for a fully-featured Android-compatible smartwatch on a budget, the Samsung Galaxy Watch FE offers unbeatable bang for your buck and is our Editors’ Choice.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch FE offers almost all of the same lifestyle and wellness features as the company’s flagship wearables at a more affordable price, making it the best budget-friendly WearOS smartwatch.
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