Samsung may be preparing to apply its popular “Fan Edition” branding to wearable products for the first time. According to a recent leak, the company’s next affordable smartwatch will be released under the name “Galaxy Watch FE”. Details provided by the Android Headlines team. Evidence of the unannounced device’s existence hidden in Samsung’s firmware.
Specifically, they found three different model numbers, SM-R866F, SM-R866N, and SM-R866U, which closely align with Samsung’s typical regional designations for Global, South Korean, and US variants. The base model number “SM-R866” is very similar to the SM-R86x series used for the 40mm size of the 2022 Galaxy Watch4 series. The LTE model is numbered SM-R865 while the WiFi version is SM-R860. Therefore, everything indicates that the Galaxy Watch FE will be a refreshed and more affordable version of the Galaxy Watch4.
Assuming Samsung continues its usual strategy with FE devices, the Watch FE will likely retain most of the core features and Similar to the design of the regular Galaxy Watch4, you save some money by using less premium materials or skipping the extra sensors and health tracking features. This will allow Samsung to reduce costs enough to reach a more aggressive pricing point.
The standard Galaxy Watch4 starts at $249, so if Samsung continues to cut costs, the FE model could potentially drop below $200. This could put it in a highly competitive segment, especially if it retains decent features from its bigger siblings.
