14 DAY TRIAL // Yesterday, we reported that Samsung might be planning to sell refurbished Galaxy Note 7 smartphones in at least two countries starting this summer. Since then, Samsung’s division in India has denied the rumors, according to Gadgets 360.
Samsung India officially stated that "The report on Samsung planning to sell refurbished Galaxy Note 7 smartphone[s] in India is incorrect." The division in Vietnam has yet to comment on the report, but we presume that it won’t be selling such smartphones either.
Yesterday’s report stated that Samsung might be planning to swap the battery inside Note 7 units for a 3,000mAh or 3,200mAh unit and sell the phones in emerging markets, like India and Vietnam.
The Galaxy Note 7 is dead
Samsung’s extensive investigation into Note 7 incidents concluded that the battery was to blame for the phone overheating and catching fire. It would have made sense for Samsung to change the battery inside the phones and sell them again, at least from a logistics and financial point of view.
The company would thus avoid paying fines for environmental damages, in case the remaining devices weren’t disposed of properly. In addition, Samsung would have minimized the losses generated by the Note 7’s recall and discontinuation.
This wasn’t the first rumor about Samsung selling refurbished Note 7 units. Last fall, there have been some reports saying that the company might make changes to the flagship phone and offer it in some countries. Markets like Europe or the US were out of the question, which isn’t surprising, considering that Samsung’s reputation in these two markets was severely damaged following the recall.
Whether or not Samsung will sell refurbished Galaxy Note 7 phones in the future is difficult to say. But the company would gain more in terms of brand image and consumer trust if it just moves on to the upcoming Galaxy S8 and Note 8 smartphones and leaves the whole Galaxy Note 7 debacle behind.