Samsung already confirmed that a refurbished version of the Galaxy Note 7 will return to stores this year in certain markets, without specifying a firm release date or pricing for the handset. A new report from Korea indicates that the launch is now imminent, and the phone is expected to be priced about 50% cheaper than the original.
Citing a report in Chosun Ilbo, The Investor says the phone will be released in Korea as soon as this month.
Samsung recently gained approval from the FCC in the United States and plans to soon apply for safety certification with the local regulator, the National Radio Research Agency. The approval process takes up to a month which means the phone could be in stores in early June at the soonest.
In a comment, Samsung confirmed the Galaxy Note 7R — that’s the name for the safe Galaxy Note 7 version — will launch before the Galaxy Note 8 debuts. “We have not yet decided on the phone’s launch schedule,” a Samsung official said. “We plan to launch the phone before the Galaxy Note 8 that comes out later this year.”
Leaked information indicates the Galaxy Note 7R will sport a smaller 3,200 mAh battery and run Android 7.1.1 out of the box. Comparatively, the original handset had a 3,500 mAh battery pack and launched with Android 6.0.1 on board.
While Samsung seems ready to unleash the Galaxy Note 7R in its home market, it’s unknown at this time which other markets will receive the handset, or if it’s heading to the US or not. What we do know is that Samsung has around 3 million Galaxy Note 7 units in its warehouses that need to be disposed of one way or another.
