Just when Samsung seemed to have put the fiasco of its fiery flagship behind it, the company dredged up all those uncomfortable memories in March when it confirmed its plans to sell refurbished models of the Galaxy Note7. Samsung had previously promised to "safely dispose of" every Note7 after it ended production of the device following two global recalls.
Earlier this week, Samsung said that the refurbished handsets would go on sale in a matter of days, with a new name: the Galaxy Note Fan Edition. Today, the Galaxy Note FE has officially gone on sale in Samsung"s home market of South Korea, where it"s priced at 699,600 won (around $610 USD) - roughly 30% less than the price of the original Galaxy Note7.
Samsung is initially planning to sell 400,000 units in South Korea, and said that it will "decide later" on whether to offer the device in other markets, although it has previously ruled out any plans to sell it in the United States and India.
The Galaxy Note FE has been refurbished with "unopened and unused" components designed for the Galaxy Note7, although the FE has a smaller battery (3200mAh) than the ill-fated Note7 (3500mAh). Issues with the handsets" original batteries were the root cause of the dozens of incidents in which the devices caught fire, and even exploded, before Samsung"s final recall.
The key specs of the Galaxy Note FE are otherwise identical to the original device:
- 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display with Quad HD (2560x1440px) resolution, Corning Gorilla Glass 5, and dual curved edges
- Octa-core Exynos 8890 processor
- 4GB RAM
- 64GB onboard storage (plus microSD card support up to 256GB)
- 12MP rear camera with phase detection autofocus, optical image stabilization, LED flash, auto HDR, and 4K video recording at 30fps
- 5MP front-facing camera
- Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
- Bluetooth 4.2
- NFC support
- USB 3.1 with Type-C connector
- Iris scanner
- Fingerprint sensor
- IP68-certified for dust-proof and water-resistant to 1.5m depth for up to 30 minutes
- "S Pen" stylus support
- Non-removable 3200mAh battery
Meanwhile, Samsung is preparing for the launch of an all-new Galaxy Note8, which is expected to be unveiled in September.
For now, you can see more images of the Galaxy Note Fan Edition in the gallery below.
Source: The Korea Herald via SamMobile