A troubled smartphone that was recalled due to catching fire returns at two-thirds of original asking price
The Galaxy Note 7 rises from the ashes as the Galaxy Note FE.
The troubled Galaxy Note 7 that caught fire, causing damage to people, property, and Samsung’s reputation, is returning to the market this week as the Galaxy Note Fan Edition.
Samsung says the Note FE has “perfect safety” with a new battery and will cost 700,000 South Korean Won (£470) – approximately two-thirds of the original asking price for the Note 7 – when it sells on home turf this Friday.
The Note FE will be made from salvaged parts and will be limited to just 400,000 units initially, with overseas sales plans to be determined later.
The original Note 7 was one of the biggest black eyes in Samsung’s history, damaging the reputation of the brand and forcing it to accelerate plans for its follow-up, the Galaxy S8. When the Note 7 was launched in August 2016, it was also one of the most expensive Samsung phones, starting at £700.
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Samsung Note7 customer shows charred remains of the phone after it caught fire
But after reports emerged that its batteries were prone to overheating and catching fire, Samsung was forced to recall the phone within a month of its launch, releasing a second version with different batteries. Despite the changes, the second batch also overheated, prompting Samsung to discontinue the Note 7 and disable any not returned with a software update.
The debacle dealt a blow to Samsung’s corporate image. Aviation authorities worldwide banned the phone on flights, and photos of scorched Note 7s circulated on social media. Samsung spent billions of pounds to recall the Note 7 and fix its damaged brand. In addition, the company released investigation results that blamed flaws in the design and production of batteries supplied by two battery makers.
After the recall of millions of Note 7 phones, environmental activists have pressured the South Korean tech giant to reuse the electronics parts to reduce waste. Samsung said the Note FE is part of its effort to minimize waste.
Similar to the previous Note series, the Note FE features a large 5.7 screen in the traditional 16:9 ratio, a stylus, and an iris scanner, after the latter, which was added to the recent Galaxy S8 to great success.
Samsung’s disastrous Note 7 smartphone episode took a new turn today when one of its new replacement handsets started to smolder during a flight in the US on Wednesday.
The South Korean company recalled 2.5m smartphones during September after several reports of the devices catching fire during or after charging, offering replacement units to customers. Last week claimed it had replaced 60% of handsets in South Korea and the US.
Samsung Note 7 owner Brian Green – whose phone had already been exchanged for a new one – claims that his handset started smoldering during a Southwest Airlines flight from Louisville, Kentucky, to Baltimore.
Green confirmed to The Verge that he had collected the phone from an AT&T store on 21 September. A photograph of the packaging reveals a black square symbol, indicating that it is a replacement model.
Samsung share price dives after Galaxy Note 7 phone recall
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The incident raises questions about the quality of the replacement handsets and the efficacy of Samsung’s recall program, which the company blamed on faulty batteries.
Customers who had bought the Galaxy Note 7 were entitled to trade it in for a new version of the smartphone that didn’t suffer from the same battery fault. However, if these phones are also vulnerable to the same problem, Samsung may have a much bigger problem on its hands.
In a statement, a Samsung spokeswoman said: “Until we can retrieve the device, we cannot confirm that this incident involves the new Note 7. We are working with the authorities and Southwest now to recover the device and confirm the cause. Once we have examined the device, we will have more information to share.”
Some analysts say the disaster could cost Samsung $5bn in revenues. The handset, which costs nearly $1,000, had initially been greeted with rave reviews when it launched in August 2016, but news of the recall wiped $11bn off the company value though the share price has since recovered.
Samsung Galaxy S8 palms-on: thrilling and almost cozy
Ahead of its April 28 launch, Alex Hern receives a develop have a look at Samsung’s hottest new smartphone
The S8’s Bixby digital assistant in movement.
In pix, the new Samsung Galaxy S8 doesn’t appear that unique from the Galaxy S7 Edge that preceded it. The chin and forehead of the tool had been radically foreshortened. Sure; however, the desirable issue of the device remains its wraparound display screen, which curves over the left and proper edges to provide a bezel-loose effect.
The Galaxy S8 is docked in DeX mode.
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The Galaxy S8 is docked in DeX mode. Photograph: Alex Hern for the
Another predominant new characteristic to see a international launch is Samsung DeX, quick for Desktop Experience, which lets users of the S8s dock their telephone and use it as a complete-blown computer computing environment, with keyboard and mouse control, and access to suites including Office and Autodesk thru a virtual laptop carrier.
Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ unveiled with ‘infinity display.’
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But within the hand, the cause for shaving off the one’s greater millimeters from the pinnacle and backside turns into clean. For the first time since telephone screens broke five inches, the Galaxy S8 is nearly secure to apply one-handed.