Credit: TheBetterDay via Foter.com / CC BY-ND
After all the buzz about exploding phones, would you still buy a Galaxy Note 7? Because Samsung is gearing up to start selling them. Again. I mean, again again.
Addressing concerns that plans to safely dispose of its fire-plagued Note 7 would amount to mass trashing of valuable resources, Samsung on Monday issued a statement indicating it plans to offer some Note 7s as refurbished devices or rental phones. The announcement came just two days ahead of the company’s planned launch of its next flagship device, the S8, in New York City on Wednesday.
According to the company, the move to offer revamped Note 7s comes as part of a three-pronged strategy to “ensure that (recalled) Galaxy Note 7 devices are recycled and processed in an environmentally-friendly manner.” While some devices will be offered as refurbs, the company said it will also break down others to rescue “salvageable components” like semiconductors and camera modules for reuse, and utilize processes such as metal extraction to glean even more recyclable resources (i.e., copper, nickel, gold, and silver) from the devices.
Samsung said it also plans to join the European Union’s R&D test efforts to “develop new eco-friendly processing methods.”
Availability of the devices as refurbished models will mark the third time Samsung has put the Note 7 on shelves, the first two attempts coming along with the phone’s original launch and a later relaunch following an initial recall of the exploding devices. Samsung said availability of refurbished Note 7 devices will be based on “consultations with regulatory authorities and carriers” as well as local demand. Info on markets and release dates will follow, the company said.
U.S. residents shouldn’t get their hopes up though. A Samsung spokesperson told TechCrunch on Monday the company won’t be offering the devices either for sale or rent stateside.
