I don’t quote Admiral Ackbar lightly, but when our site’s Commerce Editor recommended a deal post on the Galaxy Watch FE for $126 (37% off), the words “It’s a trap!” flashed through my mind. Yes, I’m a nerd. But I’m also here to point you to a much better Black Friday smartwatch deal, so don’t laugh too hard.
I recommend you spend just $13 more and buy the Galaxy Watch 6 for $139 (53% off). It’s not because of the higher-percentage discount — the last-gen Watch 6 shouldn’t really cost $299 at full price anymore — but because it’s objectively a much better watch than the FE that’ll give you less buyer’s remorse.
As the person who reviewed the Galaxy Watch 6, I was tapped to write this guide on the Galaxy Watch FE vs. Watch 6, which lays out in excruciating detail all of the downgrades Samsung gave the Watch FE to make it cheap: It has the same last-gen Exynos W920 as the 2021 Galaxy Watch 4, only 1.5GB of RAM, a smaller and thicker-bordered display, an older Bluetooth standard, no skin temperature sensor, and a smaller 247mAh capacity.
The jump from 1.2- to 1.3-inch display — or 1.5 if you buy the 44mm Watch 6 for $159 — 1,000 to 2,000 nits of brightness, 53mAh extra battery capacity, 1.18GHz to 1.4GHz clock speed, and 0.5GB more RAM may not sound like much on paper, but they really add up in terms of better visibility, longer stretches between charges, and shorter lag waiting for apps to open.
If the lowest price possible is your concern, then rest assured that the Galaxy Watch FE is a good watch; it tops our list of the best cheap Android watches for a reason. But what made it a good compromise was that other Galaxy Watches cost $100 more; thanks to Black Friday, that’s no longer true! And its older CPU ensures it may not keep up with new Wear OS updates as ably as the Watch 6.
The Galaxy Watch 6 doesn’t need that “cheap” label to be relevant; it’s still one of the best Android watches available today, specifically our pick for the “best last-generation smartwatch” today. Although the Galaxy Watch 7 is also discounted for Black Friday — currently $97 off — the Watch 6 will save you an extra $63 and won’t feel as much like a downgrade as the Watch FE.