Last month, reports surfaced that Samsung was planning to release refurbished units of the controversial Galaxy Note 7 in June.
Right after Samsung said that it will be releasing a mandatory software update that would disable charging for the remaining Galaxy Note 7 smartphones in South Korea, the company has confirmed that it will be selling refurbished units of the device.
Why Will Samsung Sell Refurbished Galaxy Note 7 Units?
The Galaxy Note 7 had a very successful launch in August 2016, but before long, reports started coming in on units of the smartphone catching fire after their batteries exploded. Two global recalls later, Samsung finally pulled the plug on the Galaxy Note 7, permanently taking it off the market.
With such controversy surrounding the Galaxy Note 7, along with its potential to suddenly go up in flames, why is Samsung now considering to sell refurbished units of the smartphone?
According to a Samsung Newsroom post, the company will be selling refurbished Galaxy Note 7 smartphones as part of a commitment to recycling and processing the recalled devices in an environmentally friendly manner.
Samsung said that it will be considering releasing the Galaxy Note 7 as a refurbished unit or as a rental phone where applicable, depending on consultations that the company will seek with carriers and regulators. The countries where the refurbished Galaxy Note 7 units will be released, along with the dates on when the devices will be launched, will be determined by Samsung at a later time, as it would need to consider the local demand for the smartphones.
In its announcement, Samsung also said that, for units that will no longer be possible to be refurbished, it will be salvaging certain components that can find other uses elsewhere. These components include camera modules and semiconductors, which will be detached by companies that specialize in these services to use them for the production of testing samples.
Lastly, for components that will be left over, Samsung will be using processes to recycle them that are environmentally friendly. The company will be extracting precious metals from the returned Galaxy Note 7 units, including gold, silver, nickel, and copper, through processes that will be carried out by eco-friendly firms.
Is Selling Refurbished Galaxy Note 7 Units A Good Idea?
"The objective of introducing refurbished devices is solely to reduce and minimize any environmental impact," Samsung said. The company also hinted that the Galaxy Note 7 will bear a different name once its refurbished version is released, with other details such as technical specifications and prices to be announced once the devices are ready to be released into the market. It has been previously rumored that the refurbished Galaxy Note 7 will have a smaller battery to avoid the explosion issues that caused its downfall.
The announcement of the recycling plans of Samsung for the Galaxy Note 7 come after protestors from Greenpeace interrupted the company's keynote at the Mobile World Congress last month, as the group demanded to know what Samsung will do with the 4.3 million recalled Galaxy Note 7 units.
For fans of the recalled smartphone in the United States, however, this is not a new chance to once again own the Galaxy Note 7, as Samsung has said that it will not be offering the refurbished version of the smartphone in the country.
