Galaxy Note Fan Edition selling rapidly

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Tue, October 24, 2017 | 05:52

Galaxy Note Fan Edition selling rapidly

Posted : 2017-07-10 17:07

Updated : 2017-07-10 17:44

By Lee Min-hyung

Galaxy Note Fan Edition

Samsung Electronics' repackaged Galaxy Note 7 smartphones are selling rapidly, as customer loyalty to the flagship device remains strong despite its disastrous recall last year, according to telecom industry officials, Monday.

The Galaxy Note Fan Edition (FE) is drawing enthusiastic responses, with some of its colors — such as black onyx and blue coral — selling out at major retail stores only two days after the device hit shelves last Friday.

Officials attributed its popularity to the Note's brand power as a large-screen smartphone. Samsung is set to sell only 400,000 Note FE devices here for 699,600 won ($606.34).

"We expect the limited Note FE to run out of stock as early as this month," a telecom industry official said. Its sales figure has so far been almost on par with Samsung's latest Galaxy S8 premium handset, he said.

"Note fans have driven the robust sales," said the official. "On top of that, its price is very attractive, compared with other flagship Android counterparts on the market."

However, the official did not say whether Samsung will also market the products overseas.

The Galaxy Note series has topped the list of Samsung's most expensive handset lineups every year, whose price hovers around one million won.

The Note 7, launched last year, was priced at 988,900 won. But with the device mired in a scandal over faulty batteries, Samsung scrapped production and sales for good.

In March, Samsung announced its plan to sell repackaged Note 7 phones equipped with a downsized battery and updated software. The move also came amid growing calls for the firm to deal with the ill-fated handsets in an environmentally-friendly way.

A source from the mobile industry said that the "limited edition marketing" has also played a key role to attract more customers. Samsung said no additional FE devices will be available when they go out of stock.

"The marketing strategy has worked well, encouraging a number of customers to buy the handset quickly," said the source who asked not to be named.

Samsung Electronics launched the Note FE by using unpackaged Note 7 stockpiles, as part of its efforts to be more environmentally responsible.

The company also plans to sell some recalled Note 7 parts for test materials. They include camera modules and chips. It also pledged to sell other recyclable components — such as copper, nickel, gold and silver — from the remaining Note 7 devices.

The Note FE comes with a string of updated functions including the artificial intelligence (AI) software, Bixby, which were not available at the Note 7. The device also uses the same user interface as the S8 and S8 Plus. The FE sells in four colors of gold platinum, silver titanium, blue coral and black onyx.

mhlee@ktimes.com