Refurbished Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Smartphones Could Be Sold In India And Vietnam

We thought that we had heard the last of Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7, but it looks as though the story just won’t die. When we last visited the Galaxy Note 7, Samsung confirmed that the smartphone’s fiery temper was the result of irregularly-sized batteries and other manufacturing irregularities.

While the cause of the Galaxy Note 7 fires and subsequent global recall is now known, there are still millions of smartphones just sitting there in warehouses, adding absolutely nothing to Samsung’s bottom line. However, a new report suggests that Samsung might refurbish its quarantined smartphones that haven’t already burned to crisp. It is said that Samsung will outfit the Galaxy Note 7 smartphones with a smaller battery that could range from 3,000 to 3,200 mAh (the original had a capacity of 3,500 mAh).

Considering that it was only the battery that Samsung deemed defective, all of the other components that make up the Galaxy Note 7 are perfectly serviceable. So, it would be a shame to “waste” millions of smartphones if they could be salvaged for resale.

So where exactly would Samsung sell these smartphones? The Galaxy Note 7 name is pretty much toast in the United States and other high-profile markets across the globe, so Samsung is reportedly looking to dump the smartphones in emerging markets like Vietnam and India. There’s also a small possibility that Samsung may attempt to sell the refurbished smartphones in its home market of South Korea, but we’re not holding our breath on that possibility.

Samsung reportedly has 2.5 million Galaxy Note 7 smartphones on hand that were returned by customers. Hankyung, the publication that originally reported on the news, says that selling refurbished Galaxy Note 7s could also absolve Samsung from paying hefty fines and penalties by the South Korean Ministry of Environment if it were to dispose of the smartphones improperly.