Samsung to sell recycled Note 7 phone in South Korea, this time without fire

Samsung Electronics has refurbished its fire-prone Galaxy Note 7 phoneswithsalvaged unused parts, and plans to start selling themin South Korea later this week.

The Galaxy Note FE phone will go on sale on Friday at the equivalent of $791 Cdn, about three-quarters its original price, the company said late Sunday.

Samsung said the Note FE has "perfect safety" unlike the recalled versions that were found to be prone to overheatand catchfire.

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The supply will be limited to 400,000 units. Overseas sales plans will be determined later, the company said in a statement.

The original Note 7 was one of the biggest black eyes in Samsung's history. When it was launched in August 2016, the Note 7 was Samsung's answer to Apple's upcoming iPhone. It was also one of Samsung's most expensivephones.

Fixing a damaged brand

After reports emerged that its batteries were prone to overheat and catch fire, Samsung recalled the phone in less than a month of its launch and released another one with replaced batteries. The second batch also tended to overheat, prompting Samsung to discontinue the Note 7.

The debacle dealt a blow to Samsung's corporate image. Aviation authorities around the world banned the pricey phone on flights, andphotos of scorched Note 7 phones were circulatingon social media.

Samsung spent billions of dollars to recall the Note 7 and fix its damaged brand.

The company released investigation results that blamed flaws in design and production of batteries supplied by two battery makers.

After the recall of millions of Note 7 phones, environmental activists beganpressuringthe South Korean tech giant to reuse the electronics parts to reduce waste. Samsung said the Note FE is part of its effort to minimize waste.

Like the previous Note series, the Note FE, short for Fan Edition, features a jumbo screen measuring 5.7 inchesdiagonally and a stylus.