In the latest update on Samsung's ongoing recall for the Galaxy Note 7, the South Korea-based company claimed that about half of the recalled smartphones in the United States have been exchanged.
The update comes just a few days after Samsung said that 25 percent of Galaxy Note 7 owners have availed of the exchange offer launched by Samsung. The information was revealed in the same day that Samsung made 500,000 Galaxy Note 7 replacement units available in retail stories and carrier outlets.
Samsung recalled 1 million Galaxy Note 7 smartphones in the United States, and with about 500,000 of these devices already exchanged, it will hopefully not be too long before all the faulty units have been taken out of circulation.
In addition to reaching the halfway mark for the Galaxy Note 7 recall in the United States, Samsung added that 90 percent of the customers who had their devices exchanged decided to get the replacement Galaxy Note 7, instead of switching to another phone or seeking a cash refund. The trend was likely pushed by the fact that replacement smartphones were already made available, as users no longer needed to wait to get them.
The decision of almost all Galaxy Note 7 owners to go with the replacement device can be considered a surprising one, as customers seemingly have not lost their trust in the company after the issues surrounding the smartphone.
Polls launched by CNET earlier in the month showed that only 30.5 percent of Galaxy Note 7 owners will be exchanging their devices for replacement units, while 48.5 percent said that they would instead switch to the iPhone 7 of rival Apple. It seems that the polls turned out to be inaccurate, with Galaxy Note 7 customers still deciding to stick with the smartphone.
The decision of customers to stick with the Galaxy Note 7 is understandable though, as aside from the exploding battery issues, the smartphone is a very powerful device with unique features such as the S Pen stylus. It was actually selling better at launch compared with its predecessor, the Galaxy Note 5, by 25 percent, with analysts believing that the device had a strong chance of achieving the high sales that Samsung raked in for the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge released in February.
According to Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure though, everybody will forget about the Galaxy Note 7 recall in six months, which is an optimistic view on the long-term impact of the issue on Samsung. With customers looking like they still trust the company, Claure's statement could very well turn out to be the truth.
