Report claims Samsung will bring the Note 7 back to life as a refurbished device
When the Note 7 was officially discontinued, many were wondering what would be done with the millions of devices which were returned to Samsung. Disassembling the phones and reusing the components would be the quickest way for Samsung to recuperate some of the money it lost, but it looks like Samsung has a better idea – refurbishing the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 with smaller batteries and selling the phones in emerging markets.
A report out of Korea claims that Samsung has plans to swap out the faulty batteries which caused the Note 7 to explode with a smaller 3,000 – 3,200mAh batteries. To ensure the new batteries fit properly, Samsung would also be fitting the phones with a new case. The devices would then be sold in India, Vietnam and other emerging markets, presumably at a highly-discounted price. The refurbished Note 7 would likely be available starting in June of 2017.
It’s not clear is Samsung is planning to refurbish all of the 3 million Note 7 units which have been returned, but the company could easily recuperate half a billion dollars if it sold 2 million of the devices for $250 each.
If the price is right, would you buy a refurbished Samsung Galaxy Note 7?