With a whole bunch of returned Galaxy Note 7 components sitting in its warehouses after it had to issue a worldwide recall for the flagship, Samsung was faced with an environmental nightmare and a loss of capital. With this in mind, Samsung has launched the Galaxy Note FE (Fandom Edition), a handset that is basically a Galaxy Note 7 but with different branding, a smaller but safer battery, a slightly upgraded processor, and the addition of the Bixby virtual assistant. The Galaxy Note FE went on sale today in Korea with a price tag of ₩699.600 ($606).
Other than the addition of Bixby, the battery capacity being reduced from 3,500mAh to 3,200mAh, and the processor upgrade from the Snapdragon 820 to the Snapdragon 821, the phone doesn't really differ much from the Galaxy Note 7. With 4GB RAM, 64GB of internal storage plus MicroSD card support, a 5.7-inch dual edge Super AMOLED display with QHD resolution, and a 12MP rear camera, the Galaxy Note FE still has plenty to appeal to fans of the Galaxy Note series, if you can buy one.
Ignoring the change in branding, the design is pretty much the same. The dedicated Bixby button and Bixby Vision are missing, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing if you think about it. Other Bixby features such as Home and Reminder are still present, though.
Unfortunately for international fans of the Galaxy Note series, it seems that the Galaxy Note FE will only be sold in Samsung's native South Korea, with 400,000 units being sold via the country's three mobile carriers and whether Samsung will produce another batch of the smartphone is anyone's guess at the moment.
For what it's worth, you can import the Galaxy Note FE from eBay for around $770 plus shipping if you really want one desperately enough.
Source: Korea Herald
