Galaxy Note 7 to be refurbished with smaller battery – report

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 may have been a dumpster fire of note, but it looks like it could be making a return of sorts.

According to South Korea’s Naver (Google Translate), Samsung will be releasing “refurbished” Galaxy Note 7 models that feature smaller batteries. It’s claimed that a “3000 to 3200 mAh battery will be installed”, instead of the 3500mAh pack in the original phone.

If officially confirmed, it would serve as further acknowledgement that Samsung failed at squeezing a large battery into the slim Note 7 design.

“It is a reflection of the fact that excessive battery capacity has been the cause of ignition,” the source told Naver.

Is it going to be third time lucky for Samsung and the Galaxy Note 7? Well, at least the battery is expected to be smaller

It’s believed that the refurbished phone could go on sale by June, with emerging markets such as Vietnam and India being targeted, the report adds.

The news comes almost a month after Samsung officially announced the result of several investigations into the Galaxy Note 7 fires.

The company revealed that the initial batch of Note 7 devices suffered different issues to the second batch of phones — although they were both related to the battery.

Investigations found that the battery in the first batch was too small for the phone, resulting in the battery’s “negative electrode” being “deflected”. Investigations found that the second batch of batteries saw the “positive tab and negative electrode” making contact, with some batteries even missing insulation tape.