Earlier this year, an investigation conducted by Samsung Electronics about the caused of some Galaxy Note 7 smartphones to catch fire concluded that the battery was the main reason. Samsung already confirmed the firm would be selling refurbished Galaxy Note 7 devices. According to reports, the recycled Note 7 will be available from three carriers in South Korea this June.
Branding, as well as pricing, are still being negotiated, as reported by The Verge. The upcoming recycled Galaxy Note 7 will go on sale as the Galaxy Note 7 R with a cost price of around 700,000 Korean won. In conversion, that is about $620, meaning $266 cheaper than the original price. Around 300,000 units of the total Galaxy Note 7 phones recalled in the region will reportedly go on sale.
The Galaxy Note 7 R is said to have a smaller battery compared to the original model that was released last year. The Note 7 units that are earlier processed ave 3,200 mAh instead of 3,500 mAh. However, this is not yet official since the Korean tech giant doesn't have any announcement yet. Also, don’t expect to see a refurbished Galaxy Note 7 phones on sale in the US either because the company might only allow it to be on sale on their hometown.
As what Samsung said last month, "The objective of introducing refurbished devices is solely to reduce and minimize any environmental impact." This means that the recycled Galaxy Note 7 R's name, technical specification, features and price range will be announced once the device is available. Nevertheless, as of today, "Availability has not been determined yet," a Samsung representative told CNET in an interview.
On the other hand, the refurbished smartphone may go on sale with three Korean carriers, starting in June. Samsung has said that the upcoming Galaxy Note 7 R phones would undergo company's new 8-point safety check. That means aside from having a smaller battery, it will also be severely quality checked.
