Don’t be alarmed if you happen to see someone using a Galaxy Note7 over the summer. Ahead of this week’s Galaxy S8 unveiling, Samsung has announced a three-point programme for recycling of its failed phablets, and some of them will eventually make their way back into consumers’ hands.
The company hasn’t specified how many of the phones will be returned to the market, but Samsung confirms it will be using some returned devices as “refurbished phones or rental phones”. Samsung offers a leasing programme that lets you upgrade to a new device after a year of payments, but Samsung doesn’t say whether it would be selling refurbished Note7s to these customers.
It specifies that “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.” It’s unclear how this plan would affect the Note7’s US flight ban, which is still in effect despite airlines no longer being required to announce it to flyers.
In addition to the refurbished phones, Samsung will also be removing chips, camera models, and other components from recalled Note7s for re-use, as well as extracting “precious metals, such as copper, nickel, gold, and silver by utilising eco-friendly companies specialising in such processes”.
Since devices began catching fire and exploding following the Note7 launch last year, Samsung has been working with carriers to get as many phones returned as possible. After a round of recalls, major carriers sent out a software update earlier this year that disabled charging of the battery to effectively brick any remaining devices. And last week, the Korea Times reported that Samsung would be sending out its own update to disable charging. At last count, Samsung said more than 96% of all devices had been returned.
IDG News Service
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