Samsung has finally settled the rumour spree by officially launching Galaxy Note Fan Edition, which replaces the discontinued Galaxy Note 7. But the new phone's availability is only reserved in South Korea, at least for the time being.
Galaxy Note Fan Edition (FE) is an important launch for Samsung, as the company tries hard to erase the bad memories of the Galaxy Note 7, which was recalled in millions due to exploding batteries. The company partly helped repair the damage with the launch of Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, but did not fill the void left open by Galaxy Note 7.
In an attempt to get things in order, Galaxy Note FE was launched with improved specs that won't cause explosions. In case you're wondering, here's everything that has been improved in Galaxy Note FE to make it safer than Galaxy Note 7.
Battery
The biggest difference in Galaxy Note FE is the battery, which has been reduced to 3,200mAh, which is compliant with Samsung's 8-point safety checks. Galaxy Note 7 had a 3,500mAh battery that caused smoke and sparks.
Processor
There's a step up in the way things work under Galaxy Note FE's hood, but it is not as good as the other flagships in the market right now. Galaxy Note FE is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 chipset, an upgrade from the Snapdragon 820 CPU which powered the faulty Galaxy Note 7. The upgrade is likely for better management and to stay up the trend so the new Note doesn't seem obsolete.
User Interface
Samsung Galaxy S8 series featured an all-new UI dubbed as Samsung Interface. Luckily, Galaxy Note FE gets the upgraded UI, giving users the feel of the latest smartphones. This should make the look and feel of the new phone a lot better than Galaxy Note 7.
Bixby
Along with new UI comes Samsung's personal assistant – Bixby – which many users are pretty excited about. In India, Samsung Galaxy S8 series came with half-baked Bixby, due to which were unable to test it against other AIs in the market, but users in South Korea can take advantage of the assistant in Galaxy Note FE. Unlike Galaxy S8 series, there won't be a dedicated hardware button for Bixby.
Unusual branding
Branding is important. Samsung Galaxy Note FE can be easily differentiated with "Galaxy Note Fan Edition" printed on the rear. But Samsung has decided to remove its logo from the front. You'll not find Samsung printed on top of the display, just below the earpiece.
