Samsung is working to ensure that its recalled Galaxy Note7 smartphones don’t go to waste. In a new statement, the company laid out its efforts to recycle the device’s various components.
The company explained that, for one thing, “salvageable components shall be detached for reuse.” And for another, “metals extraction” will be performed “using environmentally friendly methods.” But perhaps most remarkably, some of the devices will be “considered to be used as refurbished phones or rental phones”, depending on regional demand and negotiations with regulatory bodies.
While Samsung caught a lot of heat over reports of its Note7 devices catching fire, ultimately prompting the company to completely recall the smartphone, it was only a small number of devices that were affected by the issue. As such, its effort to salvage at least some of those for re-sale is understandable, though any such devices could face an extremely skeptical consumer market.
In any case, the company’s most important recycling effort is a conceptual one, with the Note7’s pioneering iris scanning system being carried over into Samsung’s next major flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S8. It could go well beyond that, too, finding its way into future Samsung devices, if it catches fire among consumers in the right way.
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