While consumers in South Africa are still in the dark as far as the Galaxy Note 7 goes, those in the US have received some good news, knd of. Samsung has confirmed that the first batch of replacement devices will be available in the United States by 21 September. 

Having issued a global recall a little over a week ago, the South Korean manufacturer has been scrambling to keep the reputation of its productivity-focused phablet intact, ever since numerous reports claimed the batteries malfunctioning and exploding.   

It's unclear whether these new Galaxy Note 7's will sport redesigned batteries, but the South Korean manufacturer has opted to move away from producing its own variant for the phablet. Added to this, the company's rolling out a software update next week that would 'cap' the charging capability of the device at around 70%. This is viewed as a stop-gap measure, while they sorted out the replacement units.

More importantly, what does this mean for the local release of the device? The Note 7 was initially set to debut with South African retailers and carriers on 23 September, but no word has been given on how the recent recall has affected that release date. With the replacement devices being rolled out so quickly, Samsung Mobile South Africa may be ready to launch the Note 7 in October. 

The question is, will people still want to buy it given the battery concerns? Our guess, most probably yes.