The ill-fated Note 7
Ian MorrisSamsung's Note 7 incident cost the company a lot of money and some goodwill. But the financial burden isn't over yet because the firm promised to give Note 7 owners a price reduction on the Note 8. And the good news is, Samsung is honouring that agreement with a massive $425 off the price of the phone. But it's not a gift, you'll need to trade an existing handset in to take advantage.
What's not made clear on Samsung's redemption page is exactly what device you need to send them. An educated guess is that it's any smartphone that still works. The terms and conditions mention that Samsung will "determine the value" but honestly it would be really silly to punish people for sending in a less valuable phone.
The terms suggest it needs to be in reasonably good condition, which seems fair, the company also talks about taking various sums off the rebate if it doesn't feel your device is up-to-scratch.
If you had a Note 7 you'll also need to prove you did. Enter the email you used for returning the Note 7 when the recall happened and you'll be fine here I've no doubt. It's not clear what happens to those few people who kept their Note 7 and are still using it. My advice would be to take this trade in offer and send your Note 7 back. Please.
If you're going to trade in a phone Samsung gives you 15 days to get the old one back to them. This allows you time to move your data over - a problem some owners had with the recall on the Note 7, where they weren't allowed time to move data to a new phone. Samsung also requires you wipe your phone, but make sure there's no lock left on it when you post it. Samsung also pays postage on the return and will send a shipping label with your Note 8.
With the Note 8 starting about $960 you'll pay $535 for the device if you take advantage of this generous trade-in. By my reckoning, that means that Samsung will make no profit on these phones at all. That could add up, given the company sold 3 million devices.
The worst news of all though is that this is only available to US customers right now. I've spoken to Samsung and asked if UK and EU users will see the same discount, but have yet to receive and answer. I'll update this story if Samsung has a firm answer for me. I know UK users are currently very cross about their treatment in comparison to that of US users.
If you were a Note 7 owner, and live in the US, apply for your rebate offer on Samsung's website.
Now read:
The Note 8 has a secret and it's awesome.
Samsung Galaxy Note 8 hands-on
The Samsung Galaxy S8 is being discounted thanks to the Note 8's arrival.
