Why We’re OK With Samsung Selling Refurbished Note 7s

Many, including Samsung themselves, presumed that the Note 7 would stay dead for the rest of time. In fact, the only ones that seemed to have faith in the product were the few who ignored the recall.

Earlier this week, however, the South Korean company released a statement saying that they are now planning to sell refurbished Note 7s - the exact same model which was declared a fire-hazard by major airports worldwide.

The announcement came as a shock to many as Samsung had earlier said that they have no plans to ever re-release the phone.

But before you disqualify the return of the infamous flagship smartphone, consider this:

1) What else are you going to do with 4.3 million smartphones?

That's a LOT of phones to deal with, even for a company as big as Samsung. Even if a large number of those phones end up being recycled, refurbishing and reselling would be a much more efficient way of dealing with them all. Why destroy so many smartphones when you can give consumers the chance to own one of the best smartphones ever made?

2) It's actually better for the environment

After the recall, Samsung had a little trouble coming up with a suitable plan for all of those phones. They took their time and Greenpeace ended up getting really angry with their handling of the situation. Smartphones are extremely costly to make and dispose of in terms of environmental damage. So, you can imagine how much better this is going to be for the environment if Samsung plans to not dispose of them.

3) Better sold where approved than dumped wherever possible

At first, it was rumoured that Samsung would dump their stockpile of Note 7 phones in India and Vietnam. But instead of taking the easy way out, their new strategy involves looking for regulators who are OK with their refurbished product. This could mean just about any country could see and sell the refurbished units, including the US. This, in our opinion, is a much better outcome than just sending the units to some forgotten part of the world.

4) A smaller, more stable battery will be used

Samsung's analysis of what caused the Note 7 fires showed ONE root cause: the batteries. In essence, they were rushed through development. So if the only thing wrong with the Note 7 is the battery, then why not just give it a better battery and put it back on sale? And that's exactly what they're doing. According to reports, the brand new batteries have reportedly gone through Samsung's equally-new rigorous safety testing measures. And to ensure stability, it's going to have a lower capacity. No more pushing the envelope this time around.

5) It's actually the best phone Samsung has ever made

No, think about it. Samsung's best phones are from the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note series. What was the last phone to come out of those two product lines? The Note 7. That thing was a powerhouse, and reviewers found it to be near perfect. Except for when it would explode into flames, of course. It was first released in August of last year, so a re-release just a few months after with a lower price tag could still draw a lot of sales.

6) It'll help the company get back on its feet

It was Genghis Khan who said that there is no greater happiness in this life than watching your enemies suffer and fail. But, come on, one can only be so cruel. Samsung’s biggest mistake was being too ambitious with their battery capacity. They were trying to give their customers something more, which is the opposite of what Apple usually does, no disrespect to Apple fans. And for that, they suffered billions in cost.