Samsung may soon sell refurbished Galaxy Note 7 phones (mainly in emerging markets)

While a Galaxy Note 8 is seemingly in the making and should be released in the second half of this year, Samsung may not be completely done with the Galaxy Note 7 (which, as you probably know, was recalled and discontinued due to battery problems).

According to The Korea Economic Daily, Samsung wants to sell refurbished Note 7 handsets starting June. However, it may do it only in emerging markets like India and Vietnam.

Reportedly, the refurbished Galaxy Note 7 will feature 3000 mAh or 3200 mAh batteries - smaller than the 3500 mAh batteries of the original Note 7. The phone will also have a newly made case, but the rest of its internals should remain unchanged. 

Not long ago, both Samsung and independent sources concluded that batteries alone were the reason behind the Note 7's failures, the rest of the device being perfectly OK. Thus, new and smaller batteries should make the refurbished Note 7 safe.

Selling refurbished Galaxy Note 7 phones would certainly allow Samsung to minimize losses following the device's recall. This would also help the company partially solve an environmental issue, as it can be challenging to get rid of millions of phones in a safe and cost-effective way.

Most of the original ~3 million Galaxy Note 7s sold (or just shipped) around the world have been recalled. It remains to be seen how many units will be refurbished and ready to hit the market again.

source: The Korea Economic Daily (translated) via ZDNet