Samsung has officially placed the refurbished Galaxy Note 7 up for sale as the Galaxy Note Fan Edition, confirming various reports that the company was planning to reintroduce the failed smartphone to the market.
Rumors on refurbished Galaxy Note 7 smartphones being sold again first appeared earlier this year. The Galaxy Note FE is now a reality, and here are all the details regarding the device.
Why Launch A Refurbished Galaxy Note 7?
The first question that many customers would ask is why did Samsung decide to refurbish the Galaxy Note 7, when the smartphone turned out to be one of the company's biggest embarrassments in its history?
When Samsung recalled millions of Galaxy Note 7 smartphones last year, the company was left with the predicament of what it should do with all the returned devices. Samsung previously said that it will recycle and process the recalled smartphones in an environmentally friendly manner, and that it will consider releasing the Galaxy Note 7 as a refurbished unit.
Samsung apparently decided to push through with refurbishing the Galaxy Note 7, which is why we now have the Galaxy Note FE.
Samsung Galaxy Note FE Specifications, Features
The Galaxy Note FE, which uses the components of the recalled Galaxy Note 7, comes with mostly the same specs and features of the explosive smartphone.
The Galaxy Note FE has a 5.7-inch 1440p AMOLED display, a 12 MP camera, and 64 GB of storage. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 with 4 GB of RAM, and also comes with the S Pen stylus.
One of the major changes made to the Galaxy Note FE is of course in the battery, as it now packs a 3,200 mAh battery instead of the controversial 3,500 mAh battery found in the Galaxy Note 7. The new battery comes with several safety designs and underwent eight-point safety tests, which ensures that they will not catch fire.
Another significant change is that the Galaxy Note FE will have the same user interface as the Galaxy S8, enabling features such as the Always-On Display and Samsung Pass and adding Samsung's digital assistant, Bixby. As the Galaxy Note FE uses the same body as the Galaxy Note 7, there is no dedicated button for the digital assistant.
Samsung Galaxy Note FE Release Date, Price, And Availability
Samsung will release the Galaxy Note FE on July 7 with a price tag of 699,600 Korean won, which is equivalent to about $610.
Unfortunately, only 400,000 units of the Galaxy Note FE will be brought to the market in a limited release, with the devices to only be made available in South Korea. Samsung added that it will decide on the additional markets where the smartphone will be released at a later date.
Will Samsung fans in the United States be able to purchase the Galaxy Note FE? Apparently not, as Samsung previously said that the device will not be coming to the country. There is always the chance that the decision will be overturned, but Galaxy Note 7 users who had to return their smartphones may want to look ahead instead to the upcoming Galaxy Note 8.
