Samsung Galaxy Watch FE vs. Galaxy Watch 6: Wear OS for less?

• 

  
  Samsung Galaxy Watch FE
  

  Samsung’s first “Fan Edition” watch

  $149 $200 Save
  $51

  The Galaxy Watch FE, Samsung’s first budget smartwatch, is a wallet-friendly option for those looking to step into the world of smartwatches. It packs a 1.2-inch AMOLED display, Exynos 920 processor, and a 247mAh battery.

  Pros

  • Beautiful display
  • Solid activity tracking
  • Same software experience as the Watch 6

  Cons

  • No skin temperature sensor
  • Slow charging

• 

  
  Samsung Galaxy Watch 6
  

  Last year’s Samsung flagship

  $170 $300 Save
  $130

  The Galaxy Watch 6 headlined Samsung’s 2023 smartwatch lineup alongside the Watch 6 Classic. It’s available in two sizes, featuring an Exynos 930 processor, up to 425mAh battery, and Wear OS 4.

  Pros

  • Solid performance
  • Available in two sizes
  • Good battery life

  Cons

  • Higher list price
  • Will likely get one less Wear OS update than the Watch FE

Samsung’s first “Fan Edition” smartwatch — the

Galaxy Watch FE
— is targeted at consumers who are shopping on a tighter budget and are happy to compromise in some aspects to save a bit of money. Available in a single size, the smartwatch is quite a bit similar to the

Galaxy Watch 6
, Samsung’s 2023 flagship. Both smartwatches have an aluminum casing, AMOLED displays with sapphire crystal, and

Wear OS 4
with One UI 5 Watch. However, which of the two is a better smartwatch for you? Let’s find out.

Price, availability, and specifications

The Galaxy Watch FE carries a price tag of $200 for the Wi-Fi only model and $250 for the LTE version. Both variants are widely available, and you can also order the LTE version from all three major carriers.

The Galaxy Watch 6, on the other hand, was introduced at $300 for the 40mm Wi-Fi only model and at $330 for the 44mm Wi-Fi only model. Its LTE models were $50 more expensive at launch. However, since the smartwatch is over a year old, it’s frequently on sale and can be found for as low as $170 for the 40mm Wi-Fi only model. Other models are similarly discounted. It’s also widely available.

Here’s a quick look at the raw specifications of the two smartwatches.

• 	Samsung Galaxy Watch FE	Samsung Galaxy Watch 6
  Case size	40mm	40mm and 44mm
  Case Material	Aluminum	Aluminum
  Display	1.2″ AMOLED	40mm: 1.3-inch 432 x 432 Super AMOLED, Always On Display 44mm: 1.5-inch 480 x 480 Super AMOLED, Always On Display
  Display resolution	396 x 396	432×432 (40mm) or 480×480 (44mm)
  CPU	Exynos W920 Dual Core 1.18GHz	Exynos W930 Dual-Core 1.4GHz
  RAM	1.5GB	2GB
  Storage	16GB	16GB
  Battery	247mAh	40mm: 300mAh 44mm:425mAh
  Cellular connectivity	LTE (LTE model only)	LTE (optional)
  Wi-Fi connectivity	Yes	Wi-Fi 6
  Connectivity	NFC, GPS/Glonass/Beidou/Galileo	LTE 6, Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi 2.4+5GHz, NFC
  Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.0	Bluetooth 5.3
  Software	Wear OS with One UI 5 Watch	Wear OS 4 / OneUI 5 Watch
  Health sensors	Optical heart rate, electrical heart, bioelectrical impedance analysis	Samsung BioActive Sensor, Temperature Sensor, Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Light Sensor
  Dimensions	40.4 x 39.3 x 9.8mm	38.4 x 40.4 x 9mm (40mm) or 42.8 x 44.4 x 9mm (44mm)
  Weight	25.9g	40mm: 28.7g 44mm: 33.3g
  IP Rating	IP68	IP68
  Strap size	20mm	Sport Band
  Colors	Black, pink gold, and silver	40mm: Graphite, Gold 44mm: Graphite, Silver
  Price	$200	40mm: $300 44m: $330

Design and display

Same design and build quality

The Galaxy Watch FE and the Watch 6 share almost identical design and build quality, with only minor differences. Both smartwatches feature a circular aluminum casing with a sapphire crystal glass top. You also get an

IP68
-rated build and 5ATM water resistance. Plus, there are two physical buttons on the right side of the frame for controlling the smartwatches. Unfortunately, you don’t get a physical but a digital bezel on both.

The only significant differences between the Watch FE and Watch 6 are on the size and weight fronts. The lone 40mm variant of the Watch FE is lighter than both the 40mm and 44mm Watch 6 variants. However, because of its thicker bezels, it has a bigger footprint than the 40mm Watch 6, even though the latter has a slightly bigger 1.3-inch display instead of the 1.2-inch present on the Watch FE. Otherwise, you’ll be hard-pressed to notice a difference between either smartwatch.

Both smartwatches have a Super AMOLED panel, producing vibrant and lifelike visuals.

Performance and battery

Exynos power with different clock speeds

Things aren’t very different on the performance front between the Watch FE and the Watch 6. This is because the Watch FE is powered by the Exynos 920 chip, and the Watch 6 is powered by the Exynos 930. Both processors are pretty much the same, except that the 930 has a higher clock speed. So while you won’t notice much difference in the snappiness or responsiveness of the two smartwatches in day-to-day use, the higher clock speed of the 930 and the extra 0.5GB of RAM in the Watch 6 make it more future-proof and give it a slight edge in overall performance.

The Watch 6 also has an edge on the battery front as it has a bigger battery at 300mAh in the 40mm variant. The 44mm variant has an even bigger 425mAh battery. In comparison, the Watch FE is limited to 247mAh.

As a result, while the Watch FE can last all day on a single charge, you’ll be hard-pressed to eke out more from it unless you use it sparingly. However, the Watch 6 can consistently offer more than one full-day battery life, and with the 44mm model, you can go even longer.

The Watch 6 also charges faster at 10W, compared to the Watch FE’s 5W, which can impact your day-to-day usage of the smartwatch.

In other highlights, both smartwatches have NFC for contactless payments, 16GB of storage, dual-band Wi-Fi 5, and single-frequency GPS.

Software, health, and fitness

Wear OS with One UI all around

The Galaxy Watch FE and the Watch 6 run on Wear OS 4 with One UI 5 Watch. As a result, the software is exactly the same. As Samsung has been building smartwatches for quite some time now, the software experience is refined, and you’ll be pretty happy with it.

Both smartwatches will also get Wear OS updates for four years and security patches for five years. However, as the Watch 6 is already over a year old, it’ll likely get one less Wear OS update than the Watch FE.

In terms of activity and fitness tracking, both Samsung smartwatches are equally stacked with support for over 100 different exercises. The level of tracked information depends on the activity. While some only get basic metrics, others, such as cardio exercises, have more detailed information. You can also create custom workouts and get automatic workout detection for select activities.

Unlike fitness tracking, health monitoring features on the Watch FE aren’t identical to the Watch 6, as the former lacks a skin temperature sensor. So, the Watch FE won’t offer any data about your body temperature or use it to predict menstrual cycles. Besides that, the two smartwatches have heart rate and SpO2 sensors to track your heart rate and blood oxygen levels.

Other health and wellness-related features include sleep tracking with snoring detection, the ability to take ECG, and measuring body composition metrics.

Which should you buy?

The Galaxy Watch FE and the Watch 6 have a lot of similarities. In fact, you get the same software and activity-tracking features. However, the Watch 6 has an advantage over the Watch FE with its higher-clocked processor, more RAM, the presence of a skin temperature sensor, and faster charging. The Watch 6 also packs a bigger battery, allows you to choose from two sizes, and has a slimmer bezel. If you can find it at a decent discount, going for the Watch 6 makes more sense.

The Watch FE could be a good alternative to the Watch 6 if it’s significantly cheaper than the Watch 6 at the time you’re shopping. It’s also lighter than the Watch 6 and will likely get an extra Wear OS update. Moreover, it has the same software and activity-tracking options as the Watch 6, and you get excellent health tracking.