Three refurbished variants of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 that will likely be marketed as the Galaxy Note FE (Fandom Edition) have been certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance (WFA), as revealed by a set of testing documentation published by the standards agency earlier this week. The newly certified handsets bear the model numbers SM-N935L, SM-N935K, and the SM-N935F and were running Android 7.0 Nougat at the time of their testing, presumably enhanced with Samsung’s own mobile user interface. The smartphones are likely intended for the South Korean and select international markets, though the Seoul-based consumer electronics manufacturer has yet to officially confirm their model numbers.
According to previous reports, the Galaxy Note FE will sport a 3,200mAh battery instead of the 3,500mAh one that was powering its predecessor and had proven to be too compressed and volatile for everyday use, as evidenced by numerous reports of the original Galaxy Note 7 catching fire and exploding. The incidents involving the device led Samsung to discontinue its phablet in late 2016 after issuing two global recalls, with the South Korean original equipment manufacturer (OEM) facing harsh criticism from consumers and government agencies for the way in which it handled the ordeal. The company vowed to make amends for the debacle with the recently released Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus and is seemingly on the right track of doing so seeing how both phones are currently enjoying an overwhelmingly positive response from consumers and have reportedly sold more than five million units in less than a month since hitting the market in late April.
Regardless, Samsung is looking to recoup some losses and diminish the environmental impact of the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco by releasing a limited, refurbished series that will only be available in South Korea and possibly a number of developing countries. Recent reports indicate that the Galaxy Note FE will be priced at under $500 and Samsung already confirmed that the handset won’t launch in the United States. The company didn’t provide any details on the reasoning behind that decision but is presumably looking to avoid hurting the sales of the Galaxy S8 series and not remind American consumers about last year’s ordeal.