Return of the Note 7: Samsung to resell model after disastrous recall

Before announcing the release of the Galaxy S8, Samsung has revealed that it will be reselling the Galaxy Note 7. After serious battery troubles forced the tech giant to issue a worldwide recall of the device in 2016, it appears that the Note 7 will be making a comeback.

The Note 7 will be re-released into the market with new batteries that have gone through rigorous new safety measures. Additionally, Samsung has announced that they intend on recovering and selling or using reusable components from the Note 7 devices they opted not to resell as refurbished units. These components include camera modules, chips, and rare metals such as silver, copper, and gold.

This move seems to have been made to address the problem of self-combusting Note 7 batteries, as well as environmental concerns over initial plans to simply dispose of the phones. The company itself has gone on to provide an official report that confirmed the batteries to be cause of the phones’ exploding and igniting. Following the recall, Greenpeace and other environmental rights groups vocalized their desire to see the recovered Note 7s dealt with in an environmentally-sound manner.

“The objective of introducing refurbished devices is solely to reduce and minimize any environmental impact,” stated a spokesperson for the firm.

Currently, however, there appear to be no plans to sell the new Note 7 outside of its home country. “Regarding the Galaxy Note 7 devices as refurbished phones or rental phones, applicability is dependent upon consultations with regulatory authorities and carriers as well as due consideration of local demand.” Samsung has stated. “[We] will not be offering refurbished Galaxy Note 7 devices for rent or sale in the US.” Though it appears that the company is still ironing out all the details of the handset’s reintroduction to the public. Among these are talks with carriers as well as local authorities.

A source has claimed that the company plans on selling refurbished Note 7s by July or August of this year. The goal is to sell between 400,000 and 500,000 units.

Samsung estimated that the decision to recall three million units cost the company over $5.5 billion over three quarters. It’s been speculated that Samsung will recoup some of its loses through this move.

Note 7  fast facts

• The Galaxy Note 7 was first unveiled on August 2, 2016 at the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event in New York City. Simultaneous launch events took place in London and Rio de Janeiro.
• The Note 7 immediately followed the Galaxy Note 5. The company had this to say about their decision not to name it the Galaxy Note 6: “First, the Galaxy Note 7 will complement our Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, and unify our product portfolio. Second, the Galaxy Note 7 will minimize confusion about the latest mobile technology from Samsung, and provide full alignment with Galaxy S smartphone.”
• Around 200,000 units were pre-ordered within two days in South Korea.
• Reports about the Note 7 catching fire came flooding in less than two weeks after its release. In response to the growing number of complaints, the company distributed replacement devices to retail locations. However, even the replacement models were defective, as one that was turned off began emitting smoke on a Southwest Airlines plane.
• The Note 7 was permanently discontinued in October 2016, only two months after its release.

Sources:

TechCrunch.com 1

TechCrunch.com 2

News.Samsung.com 1

News.Samsung.com 2

Wired.co.uk

Reuters.com