Outside of refurbished watches, I've never seen a Samsung watch as cheap as the Galaxy Watch FE for $126 (37% off) in my years covering Black Friday deals. Compared to other Wear OS watches in that range like the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra ($119), it's a better bargain because Samsung will support it with updates for years.
Still, if you can find the extra money, I'll gently steer you towards the Galaxy Watch 6 40mm for $149 (50% off); in exchange for an extra $23, you're technically getting an older watch, but also a much better one. That makes it a better deal in my book.
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 the 2024 Galaxy Watch FE's downgrades: 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.
With the Watch 6, you jump to a 1.3- or 1.5-inch display, 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.
Since the Watch FE only comes in one 1.2-inch size, you'll have to pay $159 (52% off) for the Watch 6 44mm to get the largest-possible 1.5-inch display. That's about $33 more, but again, that extra cost will give your watch better longevity and trade-in value for your next Galaxy Watch.
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.
