Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Made Official by Note 7 Trade-In Option

In the wake of Samsung’s worst month ever, the world’s top smartphone maker is offering an upgrade program to Galaxy Note 7 customers in South Korea. In an attempt to retain customers, Galaxy Note 7 owners who trade in their recalled device for a Galaxy S7 phone can trade up for a Galaxy S8 or Note 8 smartphone launching next year.

Not only is Samsung only getting creative to retain its customers, it also means they are not giving up on the Note line of phones altogether despite a miserable month of explosions, faulty replacements and flight bans caused by their flagship device.

Since Note 7 sales have been permanently halted, the company is offering refunds or exchanges for a Galaxy S7 smartphone and offered financial incentives to users in varying amounts, depending on the market.

South Korean users in the upgrade program will need to pay half the price of a Galaxy S7 device before exchanging to the S8 or the Note 8. Samsung said the availability of similar programs in other countries will depend on the situation in each market.

The Note 7’s collapse has cost Samsung $5.4 billion as well as ongoing legal troubles. Reuters reported that as many at 527 lawsuits have been filed against Samsung seeking compensation of 500,000 won ($442.61) per person.