Samsung has confirmed that it is planning to refurbish the Galaxy Note 7 for sale. However, the company isn’t saying which countries will receive the device; and it looks like there are still talks going on with regulatory bodies.
The statement issued reads: “Regarding the Galaxy Note 7 devices as refurbished phones or rental phones, applicability is dependent upon consultations with regulatory authorities and carriers as well as due consideration of local demand. The markets and release dates will be determined accordingly.”
Not all of the remaining Galaxy Note 7s will be refurbished for sale it seems. As Samsung also outlined its plans to recycle components and precious metals where possible. It’s unknown which components are being deemed salvageable; but this will likely cover things like camera sensors, displays, microphones, speakers, and just about anything not permanently attached to the PCB.
Recycling of precious metals, on the other hand, is not anything particularly new. South Korean has legislation for the reclaiming of metals like copper, gold, nickel, and silver from electronics. Which doesn’t make it surprising that Samsung has included recycling as part of its Note 7 plans.
For now, it’s difficult to say where the refurbished Note 7 will end up. Earlier rumours of the device heading for India have been quashed by concerned authorities. However, Samsung may have simply not yet reached out to them at the time.
Setting the Galaxy Note 7 back up for sale isn’t a terrible idea. It would certainly be the environmentally friendly thing to do; because there is no way of safely and cheaply disposing of the remaining 2.5 million units said to still be in storage.
[Source: Samsung]
