Kudos to Samsung for turning lemons into lemonade. In the aftermath of the fiasco that was called the Galaxy Note 7, Samsung realized that had the model not had a propensity for exploding, it might have set sales records at the time. Everyone absolutely loved the Galaxy Note 7 design and many were reluctant to return it as Samsung demanded. I have a relative who owned the device and he refused to send it to Samsung even after the manufacturer turned it into a paperweight by remotely preventing the battery from charging.
Samsung capitalized on the love affair between the Galaxy Note 7 and consumers in South Korea by producing 400,000 Galaxy Note Fan Edition phones. The troublemaker on the Galaxy Note 7, the 3500mAh battery, was replaced with a 3200mAh cell. The application processor of the original phone was swapped out for the Snapdragon 821 and there were some minor cosmetic differences. For example, the Fan Edition model said “Fan Edition” right on the rear panel.
Since then, Samsung has added the FE initials to several devices, and on its website, the company explains exactly what it means. “FE stands for ‘Fan Edition’. Simply put, when you speak, we listen. For each generation of the flagship Galaxy S series, we take on your feedback and produce a device packed with all of your favorite features. You can enjoy the FE experience on premium Samsung devices, from the Galaxy Buds FE which offers high-quality sound, to the Galaxy Tab S9 FE – the tablet your family has been waiting for, the Samsung FE series has something for everyone.”
Amazon Italy leaks the listing for the Samsung Galaxy Watch FE
We’ve heard about the Galaxy Watch FE’s resemblance to the Galaxy Watch 4 and back in April leaker Max Jambor even said in a tweet that the timepiece would be called the Galaxy Watch 4 (2024). But that doesn’t seem to be the case as Amazon accidentally posted a listing on its Italian website for the Galaxy Watch FE. The mistake was spotted by YTechB (via GSMArena). The timepiece will be offered in three colors, Black, Silver, and Pink Gold, and will be priced at €199 (a little shy of $215 based on current forex rates). Most likely, we will see a $199 U.S. price tag. The watch will be available in one case size, 40mm.
Samsung might have to throw in some perks to Galaxy Watch FE buyers considering that the Galaxy Watch 6 is €189 and can be had for as low as $199.99 in the U.S. Specs leaked earlier indicate that the Galaxy Watch FE will feature a 1.2-inch Super AMOLED display with a 396 x 396 resolution. The timepiece is powered by the Dual Core Exynos W920 SoC with 1.5GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. Keeping the lights on is a 247mAh battery expected to run up to 30 hours between charges.
The device uses magnetic wireless charging and is water resistant up to 50 meters. The Galaxy Watch FE has been certified up to 5ATM and has an IP68 rating. Wear OS 4 is pre-installed as is One UI Watch 5.