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Samsung Plans To Sell Refurbished High-End Smartphones In 2017 (reuters.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd plans to launch a program to sell refurbished used versions of its premium smartphones as early as next year, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The world's top smartphone maker will refurbish high-end phones returned to the company by users who signed up for one-year upgrade programs in markets such as South Korea and the United States. Samsung would then re-sell these phones at a lower price, the person said, declining to be identified as the plan was not yet public. The person declined to say how big a discount the refurbished phones would be sold at, which markets the phones would be sold in or how many refurbished devices Samsung could sell. It was not clear to what extent the phones would be altered, but refurbished phones typically are fitted with parts such as a new casing or battery. Refurbished phones could help vendors such as Samsung boost their presence in emerging markets such as India, where high-end devices costing $800 or so are beyond most buyers. Samsung's refurbishment program, details of which the person said could be finalized as early as 2017, could help the firm generate revenue from dated high-end smartphones returned by users upgrading to newer versions.
How does the cell phone industry not already do this? Every other industry already does this except the sex toy industry.
. . . the success of this program will depend on the models sold, and the price. I already see refurbed Samsung S3's, S4's, and S5's for a reasonable price. If they stay competitive with the market, and I'm thinking Refurbed S6's at a ~$350. price point, this could be successful. But they're going to have to leverage some added value: say, a decent warranty and perhaps the latest build of Android to differentiate themselves from the existing refurbished markets. . .
They should sell refurbished products for cheaper elsewhere too. It's not like less wealthy people only exist in asia.
"where high-end devices costing $800 or so are beyond most buyers"
You could say this about most of eastern europe, including the states in the EU. The average salary in my country is around 7000 USD / year so not many people can afford even 400 phones.
Sounds ok if the price is right and they replace the batteries since the battery is both sealed and glued down tight inside the chassis. There is no hard case around the battery so if you try to wedge it up, it is very easy to snap it apart releasing the gel inside. They also have to disinfect the phone with UV light or something since people hold the phone close to their face coughing and spitting into the handset and taking it to the toilet with them.
Refurb Employee 1: "We need to cut costs.. but how?"
Refurb Employee 2: "Do we really need to replace the two-year-old battery in this one? Can't we just code some VW-hacks?"
Refurb Employee 1: "I like your thinking!"
You get a nice phone and all the personal identity information left behind by the previous owner that the refurbishment procedure missed. Bargain.
And there will no doubt be something available in the Android Market to delve into memory and configuration looking for any snippets of information left behind.
I thought only teh iSheep bought new phones everytime a new one came out and that Samsungs were the best and that they last forevah!!!!!
Is this going to entice people, who have been holding off not buying their phones, due to the bootloader lockdowns they've been enforcing in the last couple of years with AT&T/Verizon phones?
I would say NO....
I'm sure a corporation so huge that its gravitational field affects governmental policy will do right by this lower income demographic.
Back in the real world, it is very expensive to be poor.
Will Samsung 'update' the software in the refurbished phones so they can push ads to them, the way they did with their 'smart' TV's?
'The Economy' is a giant Ponzi scheme whose most pitiable suckers are the youngest among us and the yet-unborn.
First order citizens are the ones with the new smartphones, second order citizens are the ones with once refurbished phones, third order citizens are the ones with twice refurbished and so on. Smartphone voting and banking is only possible with the latest security updates installed, leaving the second order citizens and beyond increasingly without the rights and basic services. All Hail to the Glorious Nation of Smartphonya!
second hand cast offs for the poor, only in America.
VOTE TRUMP 2016
OR ELSE!
Guess they finally gave up on that second-rate, failed Android system.
But only if they'd start releasing OS updates for their older hardware. Given that Samsung drops support after just 18 months, I don't think I'd want to buy a refurb since it is going to get updates for, at most 6 more months. If I am going to get something with no updates, I'd want it for actual used market prices, which is to say really cheap.
It'll be another opportunity for Samsung to ignore the warranty they supposedly provide on refurbished products.
Invalid Checksum. Retrying.
Between how they treat their workers (https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/4yqjvt/samsung_witholding_what_chemicals_are_the_cause/) and their customers (look up the issue with their camera glass on the S7 and how they have responded), Samsung isn't worth trusting. I have an S3 now, no way in hell I'm buying another one of their phones.
To me, any non-replaceable battery, gives a device very finite life. For cell phones, it is usually about 18-24 months. If you think I'm going to buy a refurbished cell phone that that doesn't replaceable battery, you are bat shit crazy.
No good deed goes unpunished.
Most of the rest that came later were worse: sticking pens, no Micro SD, and now: soft screens.
https://www.youtube.com/c/BrendaEM
Samsung are in cooperation with the US government. Seen Barack Obama's new phone he is so proud of in the news lately? Samsung.
Samsung also have surveillance in the firmwares of some of their other devices eg. TV's.
So selling spyware re-equipped devices might sound like a bargain, but only ON FBI SLASHDOT.
Thays what you get anyway if you pay your carriers 6-10 bux a month for handset insurance. You get a refurbished model.
Why would I buy a shitty Samsung phone, that has extremely delayed updates (if ever) and is filled with samsung crapware for $800, when I can buy a phone from China that has stock android, takes OTA updates of stock Android, and has better specs than Samsung's flagships for less than 1/4 the price?
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