It’s difficult to say that Samsung Galaxy Note 7 isn’t a fantastic smartphone, but all of that battery-related ordeal definitely didn’t help it win over consumers’ hearts. While the South Korean consumer electronics manufacturer is yet to officially confirm this, it is now widely believed that the batteries prone to catching fire and exploding in the process of charging were manufactured by Samsung SDI, the company’s battery-making division. As the said manufacturer was responsible for 70% of Galaxy Note 7 shipments in the world, Samsung was forced to suspend the sales of its latest phablet and issue an almost worldwide recall which has just ended in most countries. Samsung’s home country of South Korea was among the affected markets and there has lately been a lot of speculation about potentially long-term brand damage that the company might suffer because of this entire ordeal.
As it turns out, things went better than expected for Samsung, at least as far as South Korea is confirmed. According to the latest study conducted by the brand research company Stock Brand, Samsung Galaxy is still the most valuable brand in the Far Eastern country. According to the research firm’s proprietary Brand Stock Top Index, Samsung is leading the latest brand value list with 912.2 points, closely followed by a retail store chain E-Mart which is boasting 908.5 points. However, it’s worth noting that this study was based on the entire third quarter of 2016, so Samsung still shouldn’t celebrate prematurely. In fact, due to the small difference between the Galaxy brand and E-Mart, it’s basically a given that the position of Samsung’s brand in the last quarter of the year will heavily depend on the way consumers perceived its recall measures.
Naturally, it’s still too early to predict how will the general public in Korea react to the way Samsung handled the Galaxy Note 7 recall process. On the other hand, we actually have a bit of insight into the way the Far Eastern country’s government perceived it. Namely, the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards has recently asked that Samsung extends its Galaxy Note 7 refund period, stating that the company didn’t do enough to inform consumers of their options. Samsung obliged the request within 24 hours and made no further comments on the matter, just like it didn’t comment on this latest brand value study. Speaking of which, you can see all of the most valuable South Korean brands according to Stock Brand in the image below.