Samsung Galaxy Note 7R Release Date Is Near, Is The Refurbished Version Safe?
It seems that the Galaxy Note 7R, which stands for refurbished, is coming real soon. The modified version has recently passed through FCC certification, hinting its imminent relaunch in the market.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7R May Arrive Next Month
Refurbished Galaxy Note 7 to launch soon in Korea https://t.co/hy7YzVA6wF pic.twitter.com/xl4gVtRzed
— NerdsChalk (@TheAndroidSoul) May 5, 2017
Android Authority reports that the refurbished Galaxy Note 7 has been spotted in three variants with the codes: SM-N935S, SM-N935K, and SM-N935L. Samsung models that end with S, K, and L (pointing to the carriers SK Telecom, KT Freetel, and LG Uplus respectively) are sold in South Korea, which means that the Note 7R is headed to the company’s home country soon.
This is in line with what BGR has previously reported. The report shared that three carriers in South Korea will be offering the Note 7R in late June. The refurbished unit will be sold at around 700,000 won (~$620) – still expensive but still about $200 cheaper than its original price.
The question is – are there still people willing to buy the Note 7? Presumably, there are. Even when Samsung dropped the axe on the phablet last year and offered incentives for returning the device, many still refused to give up their Note 7.
Galaxy Note 7R Specs To Stay The Same
It could have been a great device if only the whole fiasco did not happen. Until now, The Galaxy Note 7 is considered to be one of the best smartphones ever with its high-performance specs and top-notch features.
Samsung’s 2016 phablet flagship was and is a beautiful device. It is still generating interest even months after its discontinuation, so there is no doubt that many will still buy it. Although it now includes a smaller battery at 3,200 mAh (previously 3,500 mAh), the Note 7R should be safer now.
Apart from the change in battery, which caused the disaster in the first place, the Galaxy Note 7R is said to be identical to the original one. To recall, the Galaxy Note 7 released in August 2016 had a 5.7-inch curved Super AMOLED display with 1440 x 2560 pixels resolution, per Phone Arena.
Under the hood, the phablet was fitted with the then-latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SoC with an Adreno 530 GPU and 4GB RAM. It introduced iris scanning as a way to unlock the device, which boosted its popularity. Unfortunately, it had to be discontinued.
Will It Affect Galaxy S8 And Note 8 Sales?
If Samsung is planning to release it, then it believes that it will not affect the sales of the recently launched Galaxy S8 and the upcoming Note 8. Relaunching a flagship from last year only months before the new one is bound to arrive may seem like a bad move, but the South Korean company has its reasons.
For one, it is probably trying to at least regain some of the dollars it lost due to the discontinuation of the Note 7. By asking for the units back, Samsung also has huge piles of the device just waiting to be disposed. Looking at their point of view, it is better to recycle it by fitting it with a safer battery then selling it back than to trash it completely.
Another reason that it will not disrupt the sales, and a very important one, is that the Galaxy Note 7R will most probably stay in South Korea. Samsung previously told The Verge that it will sell the refurbished devices “where applicable” and sadly, the U.S. is not getting it.
The company has specifically said that the refurbished Galaxy Note 7 will not be rented nor sold in the country, so if you were waiting for to get your hands on one, you better wait for the Galaxy Note 8 instead. But who knows, maybe if it was successful enough, Samsung will take another look at possibly launching it in America.
[Featured Image by Drew Angerer/Getty Images]
