Samsung could start selling refurbished Galaxy Note 7 units this June, according to a recent report from The Korea Economic Daily. The refurbished variants of the phone will reportedly be fueled by either 3,000mAh or 3,200mAh batteries, i.e. batteries that have a smaller capacity than the 3,500mAh ones that were powering the original phones that were prone to catching fire, melting, and exploding. The device is also said to sport a new case, but its internal components should be the same as the ones featured in the original Galaxy Note 7 that hit the market in September. The South Korean tech giant may only sell refurbished Galaxy Note 7 units in emerging markets, The Korea Economic Daily reports, specifically naming India and Vietnam as two possible destinations of Samsung’s discontinued phablet.
Samsung and South Korean authorities have previously announced that batteries were the only reason causing Galaxy Note 7 fires, meaning a refurbished variant of the company’s flagship Android device sporting a smaller battery should be completely safe to use. Naturally, the device likely won’t boast a battery life that’s comparable to the one of the original Galaxy Note 7, but on a more positive note – it also won’t be a fire hazard. Seeing how the South Korean tech giant reportedly lost billions of dollars due to the Galaxy Note 7 debacle, selling refurbished units of the device may be an efficient way to recoup some of the losses incurred due to that ordeal. The majority of the Galaxy Note 7 units that were sold throughout the world have been successfully recalled, meaning Samsung is currently sitting at around three million devices. Naturally, it’s unlikely all of them will ever be refurbished, but the exact amount will probably depend on the number of markets in which Samsung is planning to sell the phablet.
In related news, the South Korean phone maker already confirmed that it’s not scrapping the Galaxy Note lineup due to the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco and promised that the Galaxy Note 8 will launch later this year. In the meantime, Samsung will also release the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus, both of which are expected to be unveiled in late March.