Samsung has today announced that new Galaxy Note 7 sales will recommence from October 28, after battery safety problems scuppered the original launch date of September 2. The company says the new date is "subject to a full completion of the exchange program" — so all (or at least the overwhelming majority) of old, potentially dangerous Notes need to be returned before new sales can begin.
In a press release, Samsung also revealed that in Europe, 57% of Note 7 customers have exchanged their phone in the week since the exchange program began. Of those people exchanging, 90% chose a new Note 7 and 3% chose an alternative Samsung phone, the company says. (That leaves 7% taking the refund option.) Samsung predicts that the recall will be completed in Europe by early October, allowing a good buffer before the new street date.
The relatively high rate of returns in the first week isn't surprising, given that Samsung last week rolled out a software update with warning messages to owners of the old Note 7, while also capping the battery charge at 60 percent. Samsung today confirmed that "strong co-operation with retail partners, daily direct communications with customers and software updates" has had a positive impact on the number of Europeans returning their Notes, adding that every Note 7 owner had now received a "safety message," either as a "push notification, email, social media message or carrier communication."
New Note 7s, like the ones that'll go on sale from October 28, can be identified by their green battery icon.
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