Samsung started this week with an official launch of its new addition to the Galaxy Watch lineup, the Galaxy Watch FE. According to the Korean tech company, the device is set to be an entry-level smartwatch much more affordable than its older siblings.
The watch has been described as a rebranded Galaxy Watch4 as it bears alot of similarities to it. However, the Samsung Galaxy Watch FE has a sapphire glass on top of its screen, which is an upgrade from the Gorilla Glass DX+ used in Watch4.
The Watch FE is also only available in one size – 40mm. There’s no 44mm model, although the Watch4 was launched in that size too.
The Galaxy Watch FE is packed in an aluminium chassis with a Super AMOLED 1.2-inch display running WearOS, powered by the Exynos W920 SoC chip. The watch has 1.5GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. All this is powered up by a 247mAh battery.
The smartwatch is rated at IP68 for water and dust resistance and 5ATM for diving. Other features include Bluetooth 5.3, WiFi, NFC, GPS/Glonass/Beidou/Galileo, the Samsung BioActive Sensor (optical heart rate, electrical heart + bioimpedance analysis), an accelerometer, a barometer, a gyro sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, and a light sensor.
Users can use the watch for more than 100 workout modes. Sleep tracking and personalised heart rate zones are also part of the device’s health monitoring features. The Irregular Heart Rhythm Notification monitors heart rhythms that are suggestive of atrial fibrillation, and you can also measure your blood pressure and ECG.
The Galaxy Watch FE is set to launch internationally at $199 (approximately KES 25,500). We will have to wait to hear from Samsung if the watch launches in the Kenyan market soon.
