With the all-new Galaxy Watch FE joining the Galaxy Watch 6, those in the market for a Samsung smartwatch have a tough decision to make.
The Galaxy Watch 7 may be just around the corner, but these two smartwatches will likely be the more affordable choices for Android users over the coming year.
To help you establish the best smartwatch for your needs, then, we’ve compared all the key details relating to the price, design, battery life, features, and more.
As we put the Galaxy Watch FE through testing as part of its full review, this guide will stick to what we know from the specs sheet.
However, stay tuned – we’ll update this comparison with our extended thoughts once we’ve had enough real-world experience with the new watch.
Price and versions
- Samsung Galaxy Watch FE begins at $200/£200
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 is receiving huge price cuts
The $200 Galaxy Watch FE – short for ‘Fan Edition’ – is the first truly budget smartwatch we’ve ever seen released by Samsung. Despite this new entry-level option, however, this hasn’t stopped Samsung from dealing huge price slashes to the Galaxy Watch 6 line.
Though the RRP has sat at $300/£289 since its release last year, it’s already available for much less ahead of the Galaxy Watch 7 announcement in July.
In some regions, like the UK/Europe, the more basic models are available for less than the FE, which is a vital bit of context when comparing the other aspects of these two devices.
It’s also worth remembering the different versions. While there’s just one 40mm version of the FE (and the $250/£250 LTE edition is not set to arrive until October), you have lots more choice with the Galaxy Watch 6.
You can bump that case size to 44mm if you desire and add LTE (and don’t mind the price jump), and there are also the more premium Galaxy Watch 6 Classic versions to consider. Again, these come in two case sizes – 43mm and 47mm – and with the option of LTE.
The top-of-the-range 47mm Classic model with LTE reaches closer to $400/£400 even with a discount, though – way more than the base Galaxy Watch 6 Bluetooth – so also keep in mind that the price range is pretty big here.
Design, display, and battery
- Bigger and sharper display on Galaxy Watch 6 models
- Comparable weight, storage, and overall look
- Galaxy Watch FE has a smaller battery
The Galaxy Watch FE follows the same rough design language as the Galaxy Watch 6 – these are basic-looking, circular-face smartwatches with flat edges and the same two-button/no-crown styles.
Look a little deeper, though, and the differences begin to emerge.
The most noticeable is the dead area around the display’s edge. The bezel is much thinner on the 40mm Galaxy Watch 6, with the display stretching 1.3 inches, but the same 40mm size of the Galaxy Watch FE sees a reduced 1.2-inch screen and a more noticeable buffer.
The specs sheet also shows the FE has a reduced pixel density, though we’ll have to compare side by side to tell if this is truly noticeable in day-to-day wear.
Either way, it’s a similar story with the battery capacity. It’s unclear how the FE performs in real-world testing – especially once LTE is added to the mix – but the 247mAh unit is much smaller than the 40mm Galaxy Watch 6’s 300mAh. Consider, too, that the Galaxy Watch 6 range also has three bigger case sizes (and, therefore, three bigger batteries) to pick if this is a priority area.
In other aspects, the devices are pretty similar. Both 40mm editions weigh just over 25g, while available storage space is around 7-7.5 GB (16GB total). Even the differing processors – the FE uses an Exynos W920, while the Galaxy Watch 6 houses an Exynos W930 – will likely be very similar in real-world use.
Again, you get more choices when it comes to bumping up things like storage, but this is also often at the cost of weight.
Features, tracking, and software support
- Both are capable of running One UI 6 Watch (Wear OS 5)
- Identical set of health, fitness, and sleep features
- Wrist temperature is the only difference
It’s important to know that you’re essentially getting the same on-watch experience whether you pick the FE or Galaxy Watch 6 – providing you download the upcoming One UI Watch 6 update, of course.
Both watches feature Samsung’s BioActive health sensor, which ensures advanced sleep insights, the 100+ workout modes, heart rate and rhythms, and body composition data via the BIA sensor are all presented the same.
The only feature you miss out on is temperature sensing; an exclusive to the Galaxy Watch 6. It may not be a major factor for some, but this is an essential tool for women tracking their cycle.
Again, with both running Samsung’s interpretation of the same Google software, you’ll also be able to enjoy all the best Wear OS apps – like Spotify, Strava, and WhatsApp – on either watch.
Just bear in mind the storage space we mentioned earlier – there aren’t tons of gigabytes available on the smaller models, and this may be a bug incentive to jump to a bigger watch.
Aside from that, the only other major consideration about software is the support.
Samsung typically offers a four-year window of update compatibility from release – and we know this is confirmed for the Galaxy Watch 6 – but it’s unclear whether the FE will enjoy the same. If it is, it’s a huge tick in the FE’s favor, since you’re effectively locking in for an extra year of support.
Verdict: Which is best?
We’ll reserve our full recommendations for after we’ve had the chance to test the Galaxy Watch FE over a few weeks, but we think this particular head-to-head is especially dependent on price.
The Galaxy Watch 6, at least on paper, is the better smartwatch and pick for most people at this stage. There are more design options, a bigger battery, a bigger screen, a newer chip, and a temperature sensor for women’s health tracking.
And while that would typically see you pay much more, the imminent arrival of the Galaxy Watch 7 means certain models are available for much less – and, in some cases, less than the FE.
We suspect this won’t be the case for long, with stock likely to run dry over the next few months. Once we reach that point, the FE will become the best budget Samsung watch.
For now, however, we would lean toward a Galaxy Watch 6.
