Samsung is holding an upgrade program that lets Galaxy Note 7 owners trade in their devices to get either a Galaxy S8 or Galaxy Note 8 at a discounted price, essentially confirming the arrival of the next generation in the Note series.
Currently, the deal is limited to customers in South Korea, and it's still unclear whether or not it will be launched in the United States or other markets across the globe. The company says the rollout hinges on the situation that a country is in, but it did not explain the details.
According to Reuters, consumers who participate in the program will have to fork over only 50 percent of the cost of the Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge when turning in their recalled Galaxy Note 7.
When the Galaxy S8 or Galaxy Note 8 becomes available, they will then be eligible to exchange the device they got for either one of the new flagships.
As mentioned earlier, this upgrade program more or less confirms that the Galaxy Note series isn't going to be scrapped anytime soon.
Interestingly enough, this could be considered as Samsung's plan to encourage Galaxy Note 7 customers to surrender their phablet, as many have been reported to still hold on to it despite the massive recall and risk of explosion.
As for the expected release dates of the company's new phones, the Galaxy S8 is said to launch in February or March, while the Galaxy Note 8 is believed to be released in August or September next year.
Samsung says (translated) the offer will last only until Nov. 30, and it will announce the specifics after it's done consulting with various carriers.
In the United States, the company is compensating Galaxy Note 7 owners with a $100 bill credit if they purchase another one of its smartphones and $25 for those who choose to get a handset from a different brand.
The features and specs of the upcoming flagships aren't clear yet, and that means users don't have much to go by in deciding whether or not upgrading to them and paying for them before they even go official is worth it.
However, rumors say that the Galaxy Note 8 will have a speaker in the S Pen and that the Galaxy S8 will have a 4K curved Super AMOLED display. More than that, Samsung is allegedly tapping LG to produce batteries for the Galaxy S8, which could also be placed under the Galaxy Note 8's hood.
Assuming that the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8 upgrade program will go live in the United States, will you be joining it? Drop by our comments section below and let us know.
