Samsung looks to make good on Note 7 recycling promises

Samsung said it would do everything it could to minimize the effect of its massive Galaxy Note 7 recall, and in two stages it is doing just that.

The first is by releasing a so-called Galaxy Note Fan Edition, which reworks the Note 7 into a limited-release handset with a smaller 3300mAh battery running Nougat.

The second, and perhaps most admirable, is the effort the company is taking to recycle 157 tons of rare metals such as gold, silver, copper, and cobalt. It is also going to reuse camera modules and displays, along with some internal system chips.

Much of the Note 7 clean-up effort has happened quietly, behind the scenes, as the company has focused on implementing its new eight-point battery test suite and marketing the Galaxy S8, which has gone on to sell better than its predecessor.

With the Galaxy Note 8 on the horizon, and plenty of speculation about the safety measures the company has put in place to prevent another battery recall, it's good to see Samsung still working on minimizing the environmental impact of what turned out to be its biggest crisis in its history.

Daniel Bader

Daniel Bader was a former Android Central Editor-in-Chief and Executive Editor for iMore and Windows Central.