Earlier in March, Samsung confirmed that it is planning to bring back its previous flagship phone — Galaxy Note 7 back to the market in a refurbished form. Yes, this is the same smartphone which continually went kaboom across the globe and the South Korean giant had to issue a worldwide recall to collect back the millions of devices (~2.5 million to be exact) purchased in a couple months.
We’ve been eagerly expecting this monster of a smartphone to return back to the market as Samsung didn’t provide details of where and when will it be made available. But, as we’ve come to expect, a fresh report from Korean publication ETNews suggest that Galaxy Note 7 in the refurbished form will initially go on sale in South Korea towards the end of June. It will be made available through three major carriers operating in the nation.
Further, the report goes to mention that Samsung is currently working on the re-branding of the refurbished device. It is expected to go on sale as the Galaxy Note 7 R (ooh, the name is suggestive of its refurbished nature) and around 300,000 pieces of the three-four odd million devices that had been recalled in the region earlier last year.
The Galaxy Note 7 R is now expected to be powered by a smaller 3,200 mAh battery as compared to the original 3,500 mAh battery. This is probably the most important and significant step towards making the device safe for use again because cramming the battery in a smaller compartment was the reason it exploded in the first place.
The owners had been provided several options, such as exchange at branded dealerships, support centers, carrier shops and even the airport. You could’ve even requested Samsung to deliver a fireproof box to your doorstep, so you can safely return the Galaxy Note 7.
The explosions resulted in a massive $3.1 billion loss in two-quarters but the chip and display business balanced it out for the Korean giant. It managed to recall around 96 percent of the devices it had sold, which is also a major feat. Rest of the devices were put to rest through software updates. And now they’re coming back with smaller battery packs and probably some new add-on features.
Samsung has also decided to refurbish and sell these devices because environmental groups had been creating a major fuss over the company’s decision to recycle the entire lot of returned Galaxy Note 7s. Though the Korean hardware giant assured everyone that its facilities were equipped to handle the recycling, no one wanted to take such a huge risk. So, it was finally decided to single out Galaxy Note 7s quirks and relaunch the device in the coming months.
As for the pricing of these refurbished devices, Samsung hasn’t reached a conclusive decision on that front as well. The rumor mill is expecting the resale price tag to be around 700,000 won (around $620 or ₹40,000), but it is not in stone as of yet. Samsung is now taking every precaution necessary to avoid another international-scale mishap. But, cutting the price of this beastly device by about a third makes it even more attractive.
So, are you willing to purchase a Galaxy Note 7 that could’ve surprisingly exploded one day? Comment your thoughts down below.
