UPDATE: Samsung Electronics America has announced today that around half of all the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 units sold in the US have now been exchanged through its voluntary recall program. Of those customers, 90 percent have opted to receive replacement Note 7 units, while the rest presumably asked for a refund.
Samsung is still in the midst of the Galaxy Note 7 recall debacle, and there's been little word as to when it will resume actual sales of the flagship - and fire-prone - device.
Now, though, we're getting unofficial whispers that Samsung will restart Note 7 sales in the US on October 21. That's more than a month away.
A planning document obtained by the reliable Evan Blass of VentureBeat circles that date as when carriers will begin selling the Galaxy Note 7 again. This means customers can walk into a store looking for a new phone and walk out with a Note 7, not just replace their current Note 7 for a new one.
The information only pertains to the US - Samsung will kickstart sales in South Korea next week. Replacement Note 7s will be available on September 21 for those who already bought the device but wish to replace it.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a formal Galaxy Note 7 recall last week amid concerns over faulty batteries. The recall affects approximately 1 million Note 7s, and Samsung says it's already shipped 500,000 replacement devices. Samsung halted sales of the phone and issued a global recall once reports of combusting batteries began making the rounds.
Samsung also announced a software update roll out that will help users know if they have a new Note 7 with an unaffected battery. The update will display a green battery icon in the status bar on the top right-hand side of the phone's screen.
What's more, Samsung is pushing out a software update to all recalled Note 7s that will issue a safety notification prompting users to power down and exchange their device. You'll see the notice every time you power up or charge your Note 7 if you don't exchange it. Sounds annoying, but effective.
- Google will announce its new Pixel phones soon
