The Galaxy Note 7R, a refurbished variant of Samsung’s discontinued phablet, may be delayed due to certification issues, recent reports indicate. While the device was expected to be released in South Korea next month, the Seoul-based consumer electronics manufacturer could be forced to delay the launch in its home country as the company has yet to receive two crucial certificates from local regulatory agencies. The firm is free to sell refurbished models of the Galaxy Note 7 only after those units have been examined and certified by the Standards and the National Radio Research Agency and the Korean Agency for Technology, existing laws mandate. As things stand right now, Samsung has yet to submit the device for testing to either state agency, though it’s currently unclear what’s causing the delay.
The testing and certification procedures that the Galaxy Note 7R has yet to undergo may take weeks to be completed, which is why Samsung was already expected to file all of the necessary paperwork and submit the refurbished variant of its 2016 phablet for testing. Furthermore, industry watchers believe that the Galaxy Note 7R may take even longer to be examined and certified than the average handset due to the high-profile manner in which the original device was discontinued, following dozens of reports of fires all across the Far Eastern country. The smartphone itself is believed to be virtually identical to its predecessor, save for the fact that it will ship with a smaller, 3,200mAh battery as a precaution. The original handset was prone to catching fire and exploding due to the fact that the corner of its battery casing was too small which increased the likelihood of the negative electrode being bent and causing a short circuit, though decreasing the battery’s capacity by 300mAh likely eliminates that issue.
According to recent reports, the Galaxy Note 7R will be retailed for 700,000 won in South Korea, which translates to approximately $620. Furthermore, the handset is expected to only be offered in colors that are distinctly different to those of the original device. There’s still no word on how many units is Samsung planning to offer, though industry watchers estimate that “tens of thousands” of Galaxy Note 7Rs will hit the South Korean market by the end of the year.