Samsung to sell refurbished Galaxy Note 7s

Samsung said that it plans to sell refurbished versions of the Galaxy Note 7 smartphones, the model pulled from markets last year due to fire-prone batteries, according to Reuters.

2017-03-28 11:26:31

Samsung′s Note 7s were permanently scrapped in October following a global recall, roughly two months from the launch of these devices, after some phones self-combusted. A subsequent probe found manufacturing problems in batteries supplied by two different companies - Samsung SDI Co Ltd and Amperex Technology Ltd.

Analysis from Samsung and independent researchers found no other problems in the Note 7 devices except the batteries, raising speculation that Samsung will recoup some of its losses by selling refurbished Note 7s.
Samsung′s announcement that revamped Note 7s will go back on sale, however, surprised some with the timing - just days before it launches its new S8 smartphone on Wednesday in the United States, its first new premium phone since the debacle last year.

The company estimated it took a 5.5 billion USD profit hit over three quarters from the Note 7′s troubles. It had sold more than three million Note 7s before taking the phones off the market.
The company also plans to recover and use or sell reusable components such as chips and camera modules and extract rare metals such as copper, gold, nickel and silver from Note 7 devices it opts not to sell as refurbished products.