To keep the price of the 'more affordable' Samsung Galaxy S10e down, Samsung had to cut back on some of the features found on the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+. For example, the ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner found on those two models won't be found on the Galaxy S10e. Instead, the biometric reader is found on the side of the phone. The lower priced model doesn't have a curved edge screen, and it sports 'only' a dual camera setup on back compared to the trio of cameras found on the other two models.

And according to SlashGear, the heart rate monitor found on the two pricier units was left out of the Galaxy S10e. A feature more associated with a fitness band or a smartwatch instead of a phone, the heart rate monitor was first found on the Samsung Galaxy S5. If your heart rate is higher than normal, it can be an indication of a serious illness that might need immediate attention. The good news is that there are third party apps that will work with the Galaxy S10e's camera to come up with a heart rate reading. With one of these apps installed, the user puts his finger on the Galaxy S10e's camera for a few seconds, and the heart rate number will appear on the screen. The Mayo Clinic says that a normal resting heart will beat 60 to 100 times a minute. If your heart rate is always above 100, you might want to speak with a doctor.

Some of the most highly rated third party heart rate apps found in the Google Play Store include:

  • Heart Rate Monitor-Reps
  • Accurate Heart Rate Monitor-Health & Fitness AI Lab
  • myWorkouts Heart Rate Monitor-wellcrafted
  • Runtastic Heart Rate Pro ($1.99)-Runtastic

These apps, similar to the native sensors on the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+, can compute your heart rate by having the phone's camera look for changes in the skin color of your fingertip. Of course, the fact that you can use a third-party app to measure your heart rate on the Galaxy S10e doesn't mean that you shouldn't consider a fitness tracker or a smartwatch (more on that later).

Keep in mind that none of these apps, or phones, will look for abnormal heart rhythms. That requires an electrocardiogram (ECG). While there are a slew of apps in the Play Store that interpret results from an ECG test taken in a hospital, if you want to make sure that your heart has a normal rhythm, you can buy an Apple Watch series 4 ($399 and up) or the KardiaMobile ECG monitor ($99). The latter is an FDA approved sensor that works with most smartphones and tablets. An abnormal heart rhythm could mean that you have atrial fibrillation (AFib), which leads to blood clots, strokes and heart disease.

How you can buy a Galaxy S10e and a fitness monitor, and pay over $100 less than the cost of the Galaxy S10

The Samsung Galaxy S10e features a 5.8-inch Super AMOLED display, 128GB of storage and carries a MSRP of $749.99. The Galaxy S10, with a 6.1-inch Super AMLED display and 128GB of storage has a MSRP of $899.99. The Galaxy S10+ is equipped with a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED screen, 128GB of storage and has a suggested price of $999.99. There are deals available for all three models from the major U.S. carriers and electronics retailers like Best Buy.

Here's a suggestion for those who don't want to spend as much as $899.99 on the Galaxy S10 just for the heart rate monitor, and don't want to use an app from the Play Store to check how fast their heart is beating. You can buy the Galaxy S10e for as much as $749.99 and pick up the Xiaomi Mi Band 3 fitness tracker from Amazon for less than $34. You'll get the Galaxy S10e and a fitness monitor that will track your heart rate and pay over $100 less than the price of the Galaxy S10.