'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean?
ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing.
When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. Neither ZDNET nor the author are compensated for these independent reviews. Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers.
ZDNET's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form.
Samsung's new Galaxy Watch FE is a $199 smartwatch with flagship features
The Samsung Galaxy FE lineup has a new addition: the company today announced the Samsung Galaxy Watch FE. This marks the first time Samsung has offered an FE option for the Galaxy Watch.
The new Galaxy Watch FE features a 40 mm watch face and comes in three colors: black, pink gold, and silver. For greater personalization, Samsung also announced new watch bands with blue and orange stitching and new watch faces. Like the Galaxy Watch 6, the Watch FE features a Sapphire Crystal glass face.
Also: Your Apple Watch is getting an upgrade - here are the coolest features in WatchOS 11
The Samsung Fan Edition (FE) lineup is a series of devices designed to bring some of the best features and capabilities of Samsung's flagship devices to a wider audience at a lower price point. Samsung makes some compromises -- in materials and slightly reduced specs -- to balance premium features with affordability.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch FE has less RAM at 1.5GB, compared to the flagship's 2GB. It also has a slightly smaller display, at 1.2 inches, compared to the Watch 6's 1.3 inches. The Watch FE's processor is slightly less capable than the Watch 6, as it features an Exynos W920 Dual Core 1.18GHz, the same processor found in the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro.
Designed to be a companion for a Samsung Galaxy smartphone, the Galaxy Watch FE gives users access to an array of fitness and health insights thanks to its BioActive Sensor. This sensor captures wellness data, including heart rate, to deliver irregular heart rhythm notifications and ECG capabilities.
Also: June's Pixel feature drop packs handy upgrades for your Google phone, watch, and tablet
"At Samsung, we strive to bring health and fitness monitoring capabilities to as many people around the world as possible, helping them to make the changes needed to improve their wellness daily and help them reach their goals," Junho Park, Samsung's VP and Head of the Galaxy Ecosystem Product Planning Team, said in a statement. "We're excited to add the new Galaxy Watch FE to our wearables portfolio, offering more people access to personalized health insights that empower them to be motivated and stay healthier day and night."
The Samsung Galaxy FE, priced at $199.99 with BT and at $249.99 with LTE, is slated to be available starting on June 24.