Months after
Samsung recalled all units of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphone, the company has
confirmed it does plan to offer refurbished versions of the device for sale or
rental. However, most of the specific details of those plans have yet to be
announced. Rumors about Galaxy Note 7’s return started popping up on the
internet in February.
In a brief press release, Samsung said it
will announce where it will offer the refurbished Galaxy Note 7 phones, along
with release dates, after it has discussed the matter with wireless carriers
and regulatory agencies in various markets, along with a look at the possible
demand for such a phone.
Samsung held a partial recall and replacement
program for the Galaxy Note 7 in
September 2016 after a number of the phones caught fire, due to its battery
overheating. However, the replacement program it set up still had too many of
the units catching fire, which forced the company to issue a full recall of the
smartphone in October 2016. The company conducted an investigation and in
January it announced that the cause of the of Note 7’s problems was related to
its batteries, and said it was creating a new eight-point check system to make
sure those problems would not happen again.
Samsung also announced today that some Galaxy
Note 7 units will have components, including semiconductors and camera modules,
removed and used for test sample production purposes. Other Note 7 units will
have materials like copper, nickel, gold and silver recycled by what the
company claims will be “eco-friendly companies specializing in such processes.”
Samsung also said it plans to join the European Union’s R&D and test efforts
to help develop new eco-friendly processing methods.
A move to bring back a recalled device is
something of a risky move for Samsung. The company moved quickly to issue its
recall of the Note 7 in the fall, and by all accounts it has tried its best to
assure consumers that it has taken steps so that its future phones are not at
risk of exploding. It will be interesting to see which markets will sell these
refurbished Note 7 phones, and how they will be marketed.
The news comes two days before Samsung plans to
officially announce its next flagship phone, the Galaxy S8, which will also be
the first phone from the company that will be under its new battery testing
program.
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