Launched barely a year ago, the Galaxy Watch FE acted as the affordable entry point to Samsung’s Wear OS-powered smartwatch lineup. Now, it’s seemingly gone forever, and the fire sales have begun.
The Galaxy Watch FE was announced in June 2024. The budget-conscious smartwatch was little more than a redux of the Galaxy Watch 4, but it still presented solid value. At $199, it was an affordable entry for the Galaxy Watch lineup, and frequent trade-in deals on Samsung’s site would make it possible to get the watch for $99 with the trade-in of literally any other smartwatch. An LTE variant later launched in September 2024.
At this point, though, the Galaxy Watch FE is effectively dead.
Samsung’s website no longer lists the Galaxy Watch FE alongside the Galaxy Watch 8 lineup and the leftover Galaxy Watch 7. A direct link to the Galaxy Watch FE on Samsung’s site also redirects to the Galaxy Watch 8. Word of the Watch FE being discontinued started circulating back in August around the time it vanished from Samsung’s store. Digging through the Internet Archive, the last time we found it listed on Samsung’s site was July 10, but the redirecting of direct links is a much more recent change.
Support still remains for the smartwatch, though. Samsung released a software update for Watch FE not too long ago, and the release timeline suggests it will be eligible for One UI 8 Watch as well. That’s good news, as the fire sales have arrived.
Walmart is currently selling Galaxy Watch FE for a mere $99, half of its original price. There’s no trade-in or anything needed for that price.
This is easily the best price you’ll find on a brand-new Wear OS smartwatch, especially for one that’s still likely to get Wear OS 6 at some point. You can get a refurbished Galaxy Watch 6 in the same ballpark, or a discounted Galaxy Watch 7 for under $200 as well, but the Galaxy Watch FE at $99 is actually rather compelling.
More on Wear OS:
- Wear OS is ignoring iOS, so Tag Heuer made its own Android-based smartwatch OS
- What Google Wear OS apps have Material 3 Expressive redesigns: Home, Keep
- Review: Google’s Pixel Watch 4 puts the ‘smart’ in smartwatch
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