Fire-prone Samsung Galaxy Note7 rises from the ashes as refurbished Galaxy Note Fan Edition

The disaster that was the Samsung Galaxy Note7 has been well-documented. After battery defects caused the handset to catch fire,  the phone was remotely crippled by Samsung and a recall issued. Now the South Korean company is ready to relaunch the device.

This is not to say that Galaxy Note7 lives on. Rather the smartphone is relaunching as the Galaxy Note Fan Edition (or Galaxy Note FE), using refurbished parts cannibalized from returned Note7s. Bixby is on board, and there have been some hardware changes to ensure history does not repeat itself.

A key change is the use of a smaller battery; a 3,200 mAh unit that has been "enhanced with multiple safety designs" in a bid to avoid overheating issues. Samsung has also brought its digital assistant, Bixby, to the handset, but the audience is going to be rather limited. At least to start with, there will be just 400,000 devices made, and they'll only be available in South Korea. This may change depending on demand, but this is the initial plan.

Samsung is trying to use the disastrous Note7 to its advantage. The launch of the Galaxy Note FE is billed as an "eco-friendly project" that reuses Note7 parts. Costing $600, the Note FE goes on sale on July 7, but it remains to be seen how many people have either lost interest in the device, or are holding out for the up-coming Galaxy Note 8.