New reports out of South Korea seem to suggest that Samsung may launch refurbished models of the Galaxy Note 7 in the country either by the end of May or early June. Recent reports published by some South Korean news sites also claim that the device will be launched as the Galaxy Note 7R, with the ‘R’ standing for ‘Refurbished’. The company is now expected to apply to the National Radio Research Agency in South Korea for a safety certification for the Galaxy Note 7 in its new avatar, paving the way for the second-coming of a device that was originally launched last year to predominantly positive reviews from the media and consumers alike, before reports of exploding batteries forced the company to withdraw the device from the market.
One thing to note here is that Samsung has already received the approval of the FCC for its refurbished Galaxy Note 7 devices, although, the company is unlikely to re-launch its ill-fated phablet in the U.S. if recent reports are to be believed. While Samsung is yet to officially give a timeframe for the re-launch, the company had earlier confirmed that it will, indeed, bring back the Galaxy Note 7 at some stage during this year. The company has also said that the launch will take place before the big Galaxy Note 8 unveil, which should happen later this year. While most of the hardware specs of the refurbished device are expected to remain unchanged, the one area that will reportedly see a significant modification is the battery department. While the phablet was originally shipped with a 3,500mAh battery last year, it is expected come with a smaller, 3,200mAh unit this time around.
Another thing to note here is that the refurbished Galaxy Note 7 units will be launched at a significant discount to the original pricing of the device, which stood at around 989,900 won ($875) in South Korea. The refurbished models are expected to be priced at just around 700,000 won ($620) this time around, which is a discount of over $250. Around 4.3 million Galaxy Note 7 units were manufactured last year, so it will be interesting to see how many of those will get back into circulation this time around.