Samsung is reportedly gearing to revive the Galaxy Note 7, its disastrous 2016 smartphone that was recalled after battery problems caused units to catch fire, with the limited release of a new model.
The company hinted a few months ago that it planned to make such a move, but now we have more details.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the Note 7 FE (that stands for ‘Fandom Edition’) will go on sale in Samsung’s native Korea as soon as July 7. Samsung will reportedly sell the phone, which will include a different battery and component set, for under 700,000 South Korean won ($616).
It doesn’t look like a full launch, however, more like a move to shore up its brand in Korea. That’s because the Journal claims Samsung is preparing to release just 400,000 units, and there’s no immediate plan to make any available overseas.
Previous leaks in March showed a device that looks identical to the Note 7 but with an R on the back of the phone.
Samsung recalled some three million devices from consumers before it killed off the product in October. That saga is thought to have cost over $10 billion. While the company didn’t give exact figures for the recall, its operating profit dropped by 30 percent in Q3 2016.
It was speculated that Samsung would revive the Note brand this year, and the FE addition could be a stepping stone towards that goal.
