In the months following the disaster that was the Galaxy Note 7, many people wondered what exactly Samsung was planning to do with the roughly 4.3 million units it had gotten back under its recall program. The company initially said that it would dispose of the exploding smartphones.
However, something appears to have changed behind the scenes since Samsung has now announced that it is going to recycle the Galaxy Note 7 and sell it as a refurbished device. While this is good news for the environment, it does raise the question of who exactly is going to opt for one given its reputation for exploding.
The answer to this may lie in a statement Samsung gave to The Verge. The brand said that product details such as the name, technical specifications, and price range will be publicized when the device is available. It’s entirely possible the South Korean firm plans to rename the phone to scrub out any negative connotations.
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Samsung also asserted that it will not be vending refurbished Galaxy Note 7 units in the US. The manufacturer plans to determine countries and release dates after consulting with regulatory authorities and carriers, in addition to taking into account local demand.
A previous report from South Korea had alleged that Samsung was going to sell these refurbished phones in emerging markets like India and Vietnam. The smartphones will apparently be fitted with smaller batteries to prevent explosions from taking place all over again.