According to report by Reuters Samsung is planning to launch a refurbished phone resale program sometime next year. The South Korean company is the world’s top smartphone manufacturer but, as they look to continue growing, refurbished products allow them to be competitive in emerging markets.
In China, for example, low cost smartphone alternatives have cut into Samsung’s market share. Lower price entry level feature packed smartphones, like the Honor 8, have even started to hit American stores.
Considering the popularity of Samsung’s newest phones, including the Galaxy series, the potential for refurbished products is massive. There will always be people looking for a cheaper alternative to the device they’ve been coveting, especially considering the nearly $800 price tag for a phone like the Galaxy S7 edge. Given how often premium smartphone users upgrade their phones a refurbished program could be a way for Samsung to encourage new phone sales while profiting off the returns.
Samsung’s official corporate policy is to not comment on speculation, so at the moment details are limited to just this report. We’ll keep you updated when more information becomes available.