A new, cheaper Samsung Galaxy Watch could arrive earlier than expected

The rumours around what Samsung's planning for its wearable lineup continue to swirl, with the latest twist an interesting one.

It would seem that Samsung isn't working on a Samsung Galaxy Watch FE after all, something that had been quite heavily rumoured, and would have indicated that it's going after a lower price point than before.

The FE (which stands for Fan Edition) phones that Samsung makes are typically mid-range versions of its flagships, after all, so the logic was understandable.

Now, though, a reliable leaker and journalist has indicated that Samsung's going in another direction, at least where branding is concerned. Max Jambor took to Twitter with a pretty simple message: "Galaxy Watch 4 (2024)"

When asked by Android Authority's team whether he meant that the Samsung Galaxy Watch FE was no more, replaced by the Galaxy Watch 4, Jambor apparently told them that the Galaxy Watch 4 was basically going to tick all the same boxes.

So, it looks like Samsung might keep its next watch branded as a flagship, but will be cutting its price to make it more affordable (and presumably will have found ways to make it more affordable to manufacture as a consequence). 

For one thing, given that the latest Galaxy Watch model is the Galaxy Watch 6, it stands to reason that what could be on the way is basically a repurposed repeat of the older Watch 4, with perhaps a new lick of paint.

This would follow the method that Apple has used for its iPhone SE lineup, which is basically just an older iPhone with a newer processor inside it for better speed. This lets the existing supply chain be used to produce something that can be sold at a lower price. 

While the Galaxy Watch 4 was a great device when it was released, Samsung's updates to the physical design of its watches have been really great since then, so it'll be interesting to see what a new version actually looks like if this is all accurate.

Quite when we'll find that out, meanwhile, isn't exactly clear. Samsung doesn't have an event in the diary at this point, and for a watch that won't be flagship it's potentially more likely that it just throws out an announcement at some point - we'll have to wait and see.