Galaxy Note 7 buyers should get a Note 8 discount
The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 will not be a cheap phone. But if you returned last year's recalled Galaxy Note 7, Samsung should cut you a deal.
Buyers shelled out over $800, £700 and AU$1,300 to purchase the Galaxy Note 7 when it arrived last August. Not only was it Samsung's most advanced handset for power users, it was also one of the most powerful, beautiful devices Samsung has ever made. But customers were either made to return it or switch to a different, less-expensive Samsung phone after fire-prone Note 7 units were pulled from the market not once, but twice.
When Samsung recalled the Note 7 in September 2016, users were strongly urged -- and even compelled -- to turn in their phones. Samsung worked with retailers to reclaim devices, set up return kiosks in airports, and in some regions cut service to Note holdouts who wouldn't turn in their phones. (In the end, better than 96 percent of Note owners did, according to Samsung.) You can catch up on the whole ordeal here.
The Galaxy Note 8 launch, which takes place August 23, represents Samsung's chance to finally put the Note 7 disaster behind it and rescue the Note's charred reputation. Samsung has already issued numerous apologies, conducted an inquest into what went wrong and created an updated battery test designed to catch potential problems before phones hit the market.
Offering a discount to all original Note 7 buyers would be Samsung's final step in wiping the slate clean.
What Samsung can do
Samsung already tends to offer bundles like a free Gear VR headset for anyone who buys a pricey phone. Samsung did this for a limited time at the Note 7's launch window, for example. But again, I think Note 7 buyers deserve something more exclusive, like:
$100, £75 or AU$125 rebate off the Galaxy Note 8 price (e.g. through a Samsung Pay credit that acts like cash)
A free wireless charger (in addition to the rebate)
Free enrollment in Samsung's Care premium warranty program (a free yearlong warranty is standard)
Samsung can afford the apology
Samsung wouldn't be the first major devicemaker to throw something more substantial than words behind an apology. Most famously, Apple handed out free phone cases (and eventually, $15 checks) after problems with 2010's iPhone 4, dubbed Antennagate by the internet.