As previously rumoured, Samsung has announced that they will be re-launching the Galaxy Note 7 as a re-furbished ‘Fan Edition’ this month.
The Note 7 is of course one of the most notorious phones in recent memory after it was twice recalled and ultimately scrapped in the wake of multiple instances of the phone catching on fire. 3.5 million Note 7 handsets were returned, and in a bid to minimise waste and be eco-friendly we get the Note 7 FE.
400,000 Galaxy Note FE handsets, which will be made of ‘unopened Galaxy Note 7 and unused parts’ will go on-sale in South Korea on July 7 for 699,000 KRW (around $795AUD) in Silver Titanium, Blue Coral, Gold Platinum, and Black Onyx colour options.
The handset has had some cosmetic, as well as engineering changes made to it. On the cosmetic side, the Samsung logo has been removed from the front of the phone, and the Note 7 branding has been replaced with ‘Galaxy Note Fan Edition’ branding.
Those engineering changes of course take into account the battery issues with the Note FE coming with a smaller 3,200mAh battery (the Note 7 had a 3,500mAh battery), which has been ‘enhanced with multiple safety designs’ and subjected to Samsung’s new rigorous 8 – point battery safety test.
There’s no mention of any other changes under the hood, so it’s likely the same specs. There will be the addition of Bixby functionality, at least in Korea, and they’re throwing in an S Pen Plus for anyone who purchases before September 30.
At this stage, the Galaxy Note Fan Edition will only go on-sale in Korea. Samsung has said ‘overseas sales will be decided later’ so we may see the phone in other markets if sales go well. We’ll certainly be asking Samsung Australia about the possibility of the Samsung Galaxy Note FE arriving here.
Would you purchase a Galaxy Note FE if it launched in Australia?
