Galaxy Note 7 Fan Edition Will Officially Start Selling in South Korea on July 7

If you were a big fan of Samsung‘s Galaxy Note 7, you might be happy to hear that 2016’s ill-fated exploding smartphone will soon be making a return. The manufacturer has announced that it will begin selling refurbished units, dubbed Galaxy Note 7 Fan Edition, in its home country of South Korea starting on July 7th. This comes after last year’s worldwide recall that saw every Note 7 returned due to a battery design that caused some phones to burst into flames. 

It’s still unclear what other countries the Note 7 FE will be launching in, but 400,000 units will be available in South Korea at a price of roughly $611, a markdown of approximately 30% from the phone’s price when it debuted last year. This time around, the Note 7 FE will be using a battery with a smaller capacity than the original model, and they’ll be assembled using unsealed, recalled devices paired with unused components. 



In addition to new batteries, Samsung has pledged that all of its phone going forward will put through a new 8-step safety inspection process that focuses on their batteries. The company has worked extra hard to restore the damage to its reputation caused by the Note 7 recall with the launch of this year’s Galaxy S8 smartphone, so you can be sure they’ve taken every precaution possible with the Fan Edition.

We’ll have to wait and see how well the Note 7 FE is received by consumers in South Korea. Samsung says it will decide what other markets to make the refurbished device available in at a later date, but confirms it will not be coming to the US or India.

The other interesting thing about the return of the Note 7 is the timing: Samsung is expected to announce the Galaxy Note 8 before the end of August, meaning those who want the latest and greatest devices should probably just wait a few extra weeks.

SOURCE Samsung

Samsung Now Building Solid-State Batteries For Mobile Phones That Won’t Explode

Samsung is taking steps to ensure another Galaxy Note 7 fiasco doesn’t happen: it is developing solid-state batteries for smartphones, something that could be available to consumers within the next handful of years. The tip comes from an unnamed Samsung executive who recently spoke to a Korean publication anonymously, saying that the technology is only one or two years away. 

The information comes from the Korea Herald, which says it got word from a Samsung executive who is staying anonymous. Per this alleged executive, the company’s ‘technological level to produce a solid-state battery for smartphones will be mature enough in one to two years.’ That’s great news, but the source goes on to say that it ‘depends on Samsung Electronics whether it will be used for phones.’ 


Samsung has a good reason for exploring solid-state batteries given the volatile nature of the batteries shipped with the original Galaxy Note 7 devices. Lithium-ion battery technology is notoriously unstable; overheating and explosion incidents have affected many, not the least of which is NASA .

Samsung isn’t the only company developing solid-state batteries; competitor LG is doing the same, a company that likewise views them as a ‘realistic’ alternative to presently used technologies. The development process is still relatively young, though, and it will be years before we see the technology become common place. Once they do, solid-state batteries may be commonly found in phones, electric cars, and more.

SOURCE: Korea Herald

OnePlus Insists Jelly Scrolling Effect On OnePlus 5 Is A Normal Thing And Not A Bug

No smartphone is ever perfect, at least not for everyone and in equal measures. For some, OnePlus’s phones are near perfect, but only if you resign yourself to accept some flaws here and there. Almost every OnePlus phone seems to have a screen problem, from bleeding to touch sensitivity. It seems that the OnePlus 5 is no exception and might, in fact, be one of the worst offenders with its “jelly” scrolling effect. And this time, OnePlus seems to be disagreeing with its users and saying that there is nothing wrong at all. 

To be clear, not all OnePlus 5 owners are complaining about this jelly effect. However, there does seem to be enough affected users, including popular YouTubers, to make a lot of noise about it. Noise that indeed reached OnePlus, but the company’s response is not something these users wanted to hear. 

This visual anomaly appears when users scroll content, be it vertically or even horizontally. The contents seem to wiggle and jiggle slightly, pretty much like jell-o, hence the name. It is disconcerting enough that users have expressed intentions to have their OnePlus 5’s turned in for repairs or replacement. They’d be very disappointed, however, if they tried to do that.

Contrary to theories put out to explain the phenomenon, OnePlus 5 insists there is no factory defect and definitely no subpar hardware. Users have theorized that the display panel may have been installed upside-down, which has been debunked by teardowns. XDA, on the other hand, believes it might be a side effect of having all the OnePlus 5’s components at the bottom of the phone to make more room for the new dual cameras.

Either way, OnePlus denies any QA failure or any defect at all. Which means it will not accept returns or replacement requests for this jelly effect. How it plans to explain what has visibly been reported and demonstrated by users, however, is something we’re waiting to see as well.

SOURCE: OnePlus Forums