The long and grueling saga of the exploding Galaxy Note 7 is nearly at its end in some markets, and sales of the phone, using the newer units with the safely-made batteries, are moving toward resuming soon. In the US, consumers on T-Mobile have been unable to get their hands on a new Galaxy Note 7 since the recall began, unless they were exchanging a defective unit. That will all be changing on October 5th, when T-Mobile will open up their stock of new units to the public and begin allowing fresh buyers a chance at their very own Galaxy Note 7 for the first time since the recall.
While the recall may have taken the wind out of Samsung’s sails, a speedy return to form may be enough to help the Galaxy Note 7 to compete against the juggernaut that is the iPhone 7, despite seemingly irreparable damage to Samsung’s reputation as a result of the controversy. Magenta customers can now find the Galaxy Note 7 ready to buy on the carrier’s website, and even on-hand in some stores, depending on how many units the store received and how many of those went to people exchanging out bad units. Certainly, more units will be available in due time, but for now, prospective Galaxy Note 7 buyers would do well to call ahead before venturing to their local T-Mobile store to get their hands on Samsung’s latest.
Those who still haven’t gotten around to exchanging their bum units do not need to worry; fresh sales do not mean that the exchange program has been cut. Those who have a Galaxy Note 7 with a bad battery can still head down to any T-Mobile store to trade the phone in for a replacement with a good battery. Some customers may find that their local store doesn’t happen to have a Note 7 on hand for them, and if this is the case, they will be given an unspecified loaner device until a new Note 7 is available. As always, any customer who decides to make the trip to a T-Mobile store to give back their bad Note 7 unit will find a $25 credit applied to their next billing cycle, even if they end up with a loaner device.