Samsung is expected to launch refurbished versions of its discontinued Galaxy Note 7 smartphone in its home country at some stage during this year and the latest reports suggest it will cost a lot less this time around. In fact, reports say it will be $250 cheaper in its second-coming. While Samsung had originally launched the Galaxy Note 7 with a price-tag of 988,900 won ($870) in Korea, the company is expected to now re-launch refurbished units at just 700,000 won (roughly $620) apiece. Another crucial piece of info for South Korean residents is that the device will also apparently launch on all major carriers in the country, including SKT, KT and LG.
Samsung was forced to withdraw its high-profile flagship phablet from the market last year following several reports of fires and explosions, but recently announced its intention to sell refurbished Galaxy Note 7 devices in select regions. Latest developments now seem to suggest that the re-launch of the company’s most-recent Note flagship may not be that far away. According to reports, the Wi-Fi Alliance (WFA) has recently certified what looks to be several new versions of the Galaxy Note 7, thereby paving the way for the device to be re-introduced commercially at some stage going forward. There are apparently seven different versions listed on the WFA website bearing what looks like variations of Samsung’s original Galaxy Note 7 model number: SM-N930. The newly listed models on the Wi-Fi Alliance website include the SM-N930FD, SM-N930X, SM-N930S, SM-N930L, SM-N930K, SM-N930F and SM-N935S.
While it’s not really known if all these models are meant for South Korea or if some of them will be available for purchase in other countries, the tech specs are likely to remain mostly unchanged from the original model, except for one important aspect. According to reports, Samsung is placing smaller, 3,200 mAh batteries inside the refurbished Galaxy Note 7 units, instead of the 3,500 mAh batteries that were understood to be the cause of the original problems. What’s also crucial is that the phablet will reportedly ship with Android 7.0 Nougat this time around, which would be an upgrade over the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow that the device had originally shipped with late last year.