14 DAY TRIAL // The Galaxy Note 7 lived and died with dignity. The phone tops the global usage statistics for the smartphones launched in the second half of the year. None of the smartphones that have been released on the market during this time managed to achieve the same level of global usage as the Galaxy Note 7.
If Samsung hadn't been forced to recall the phone twice and eventually discontinue the smartphone, the Galaxy Note 7 would have been a great hit for the South Korean company.
Nevertheless, Samsung accepted that it made some mistakes in the development process and decided to save what little it could be saved from this unfortunate situation.
In order to keep most of the customers who purchased the Galaxy Note 7, the handset maker offered interesting incentives to those who switched to another Samsung smartphone like the Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge.
However, a high number of Galaxy Note 7 users have decided to keep their phones despite Samsung's numerous pleas to return the devices. The company even released a few software updates that limit the phone's functionality.
In fact, effective December 19, all unlocked Galaxy Note 7 units were rendered useless through a software update that prevents the battery from charging and the phone from connecting to any carrier network.
For some reason, Samsung did not take the same drastic measures in other countries like South Korea. That's probably why many Galaxy Note 7 units haven't been returned yet. And when we say many, we're saying more than 100,000 devices.
According to the Korean media, 15% of the Galaxy Note 7 phones sold in South Korea haven't been returned to Samsung.
Considering the fact that Samsung sold around 950,000 Galaxy Note 7 devices in this country alone, it means that there are still 140,000 phablets in use.
If there aren't any improvements in the retrieval of the Galaxy Note 7 units in South Korea, Samsung might start discussions with local carriers about how and when to end the recall program.
Suffice to say, Samsung has no plans to brick Galaxy Note 7 phones in South Korea for fear of causing “a strong backlash from owners.”