Samsung was right to launch the Galaxy Watch FE — here’s why

Samsung has a new wearable in town! No, it’s not the premium Galaxy Watch 7, Galaxy Watch Ultra, or Galaxy Ring, but the more modest Galaxy Watch FE. Built to offer the basics of Samsung Health at an affordable price, the Galaxy Watch FE may seem like a misnomer to many people, but to others, it will quickly become a fan-favorite.

The Galaxy Watch FE fills a role in Samsung’s product lineup when you consider the entire Galaxy ecosystem. There are devices for everyone at every price point, and like most phone makers, Samsung is eager for as many customers to experience its ecosystem as possible. The result is devices that may not make sense to tech enthusiasts but fit perfectly into the broader ecosystem strategy.

It’s easy to dismiss the Galaxy Watch FE as unnecessary, especially when Samsung’s current flagship wearable is often on sale and, at the time of writing, costs just $40 more. That doesn’t explain the whole picture, so here’s why Samsung was right to launch the Galaxy Watch FE.

The Galaxy Watch FE fills a current and future need

I’ve been using the Galaxy Watch 6 for much of the past year and am enjoying Samsung’s approach to health. It puts a huge priority on sleep, which has set it apart from the Apple Watch. Partnerships include the National Sleep Foundation, athletes, and medical professionals. Samsung’s efforts are headed by its Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Pak, who is passionate about the potential and trajectory of the company’s approach to health.

The Galaxy Ring is expected to launch later in the coming months. During my initial hands-on experience, it was clear that Samsung is focusing on ensuring a wide variety of hardware options are available. It is designed to offer as much value to many people as possible, which can be overwhelming when you just want the basics.

The Galaxy Watch FE fills this need. It offers the “basics” for $200 — $100 lower than the cheapest Galaxy Watch 6 variant before promotions — thanks to removing some of the non-essential features. The core Samsung Health features are still present, including heart-rate monitoring, ECG, and vast Sleep metrics. It does drop the temperature sensor and the blood oxygen and blood pressure monitoring features. The result is the cheapest current-generation Samsung wearable in the US, although Samsung does sell the Galaxy Fit 3 fitness band outside the US at around $80.

What about the Galaxy Watch 6?

The confusing part of the Galaxy Watch FE lies not in the hardware or software but in why it exists, especially when the Galaxy Watch 6 is regularly on sale at just $240. The Galaxy Watch 6 includes everything Samsung dropped, but I suspect there are a few reasons for the Watch FE’s launch, especially now, just weeks before Samsung’s upcoming launch next month.

The first Galaxy Watch FE follows the rest of the FE lineup by offering a cheaper entry point to the Samsung Health ecosystem. Samsung will likely include this in many of the best Galaxy deals, and it shares enough parts with the Galaxy Watch 6 that it’s easy to make at scale using existing tooling and supply chains.

The Galaxy Watch FE does raise the question of what will happen to the Galaxy Watch 6. With a new Galaxy Watch 7, the Galaxy Ring, and a Galaxy Watch Ultra on the way, there’s little reason to keep the Galaxy Watch 6. I suspect we’ll see the Galaxy Watch 6 quietly removed from sale when the new wearables launch.

It’s also clear that we’re getting three versions of wearables — and possibly other products — going forward: FE for the entry-level model, the number for the mass-market model, and Ultra to demonstrate the best of Samsung. The Galaxy Watch 6 doesn’t fit into this, but it’ll be interesting to see how Samsung differentiates between the FE and the upcoming Galaxy Watch 7 / Ultra.

The perfect gift for the health-conscious

I haven’t used the Galaxy Watch FE, but I have used all of Samsung’s other wearables over the past few years. The Galaxy Watch FE will likely be the best-selling of Samsung’s smartwatches: my non-technical family members use a Galaxy Watch 4 or 6, but only use the same core features found in the Galaxy Watch FE. Although it’s nice to have the other features, most people won’t take advantage of them, so why not just offer the features everyone uses at a lower price?

Looking ahead to the rest of the year, there are several opportunities where I suspect we’ll see the Galaxy Watch FE pushed heavily. Prime Day next month, Black Friday in November, and new starters at college towards the end of the summer all represent opportunities for Samsung to drop the price of the Watch FE to make it the perfect gift. At $200, it’s a good gift, but at $150 or lower, it’ll be a great gift for someone wanting to be healthy.

The Galaxy Watch FE will likely be the best-selling of Samsung’s smartwatches.

Beyond that, there’s also something pertinent about its impact on the less fortunate. The Galaxy Watch FE could be the perfect device for people with less disposable income or as a gift for elderly and vulnerable family members, especially once it’s available at a discount or second-hand. A choice of three finishes and several new bands ensure that while it looks like the Galaxy Watch 6, the Galaxy Watch FE has enough of an identity of its own. The Galaxy Watch FE is not the cheapest smartwatch with heart tracking and lacks the bells and whistles of its cousins, but it offers enough to be valuable to everyone at a price that is accessible to everyone.

Nirave is a creator, evangelist, and founder of House of Technology, which covers the best health and technology products. Following a heart attack at the age of 33, he’s been focused on the impact of technology in helping us live longer, more fruitful, and happier lives. He can also be found on Instagram and Twitter and publishes the Impact Newsletter at impact.hot.tech.