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iFixit teardown confirms Note 7 Fan Edition is just a Note 7 with a new, smaller battery

iFixit teardown confirms Note 7 Fan Edition is just a Note 7 with a new, smaller battery

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Photo: iFixit

Like a phoenix from the ashes, Samsung’s ill-fated Galaxy Note 7 has emerged from the fires of its battery woes reborn as the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Fan Edition, a refurbished Note 7 that, hopefully, won’t explode. Samsung announced that it’d be using some original Galaxy Note 7 parts in the Fan Edition back when it was first announced, but it was unclear what that balance would be between old and new parts.

Fortunately, iFixit has performed its traditional teardown of the resurrected phablet and confirmed that the answer to the question of “how much of Fan Edition is the same as an original Note 7?” is “Virtually all of it.” The biggest difference is perhaps the most crucial, though: the Fan Edition has a battery that’s roughly 9 percent smaller, offering 12.32 Wh of charge to the original Note 7’s 13.48 Wh battery. The new power cell is also slightly smaller physically. The size is pretty much the same, but the battery itself weights 2.3 grams less than the original version.

Left, the Note 7 Fan Edition battery. Right, the original Note 7 battery.
Left, the Note 7 Fan Edition battery. Right, the original Note 7 battery.
Photo: iFixit

The only other change on the hardware end of things that iFixit noticed was a revamped antenna pattern, which the company speculates is for compatibility with Korean networks. That makes sense, given that the refurbished phone is only available in Korea.