Samsung to sell refurbished Galaxy Note 7
Samsung Electronics will soon begin selling a refurbished version of its controversial Galaxy Note 7 smartphone, which cost the company millions in losses last year following repeated instances of handsets catching fire.
The refurbished Galaxy Note FE handset will go on sale on July 7 for around $US600 ($A788), sources close to the matter told Yonhap news agency.
However, a Samsung spokesperson said the handset's cost price is yet to be determined and they are waiting for their phone and information technology division to officially announce a launch date.
The South Korean tech giant is currently holding its bi-annual strategic forum in Seoul, during which it is expected to announce upcoming launch dates for products including the Galaxy Note 8, the Note 7's successor.
In a first for the company, Samsung had to suspend manufacturing and sales of the Galaxy Note 7 following reports of several of the handsets catching fire.
A subsequent probe found the explosions were caused by the handset's non-removable battery.
The fiasco over Samsung's flagship smartphone caused the firm operating losses of around $US5.2 billion).
The refurbished Note 7 will have completely updated software as well as a lower-capacity battery compared to the original model, after attempts to develop a long-lasting but small battery were found to be partly to blame for the phones catching fire.