The Galaxy Note FE may launch globally later this month, industry sources said on Monday, shortly after the Seoul-based original equipment manufacturer (OEM) confirmed it has no plans of manufacturing more units of the device. Samsung initially said that 400,000 smartphones will be sold in its home country and that figure remains unchanged despite the massive popularity of the refurbished variant of the Galaxy Note 7 in South Korea. That particular model is powered by the company’s in-house Exynos 8890 system-on-chip (SoC), though the international version is expected to launch with the Snapdragon 821, thus being somewhat more powerful than the original Galaxy Note 7 that was equipped with the Snapdragon 820. Qualcomm’s most powerful 2016 silicon is also powering the likes of the Google Pixel, Pixel XL, HTC U Ultra, and the LG G6, and is still one of the highest-performing mobile chips on the market. Another difference between the Galaxy Note 7 and its revision is their battery capacity, with the new model shipping with a 3,200mAh cell as opposed to the 3,500mAh unit that proved to be too volatile for everyday use and led to a high-profile discontinuation of the original smartphone.
Since its Friday launch, the Galaxy Note FE prompted an increase in the number of new mobile subscribers in the Far Eastern country that currently stands at around 24,000 per day, compared to the previous average of 15,000 which was recorded earlier this summer. The Blue Coral and Blue Onyx colors are said to be particularly popular options among Korean consumers and are already out of stock in most shops. The impressive commercial performance of the Galaxy Note FE surprised some industry watchers that weren’t expecting the handset to record sales that are comparable to those of contemporary flagships seeing how it’s powered by last year’s hardware and ships with a price tag of almost $610 (699, 600 won), meaning it’s only around 20 percent cheaper than the Galaxy Note 7.
Samsung is currently also working on a true successor to its discontinued 2016 phablet, with most industry insiders expecting the Galaxy Note 8 to be unveiled in either late August or early September, presumably around the time IFA Berlin starts. An update on the company’s hardware efforts should hence follow in the coming weeks.