The elements include "things like indium from touch screens, rare earths like neodymium in the magnets in the speaker and microphone. Cobalt in the battery from the Congo," Wiens added. In a sustainability report published this year, Samsung revealed 52 per cent of the environmental impact of its Galaxy S6 came in the pre-manufacturing stage – the sourcing of materials. Benjamin Sprecher, an expert in the field of recycling rare earth materials added: "Smartphones are not really recycled (the rare earth elements, anyway), so you'd lose almost all the interesting stuff in those smartphones." Effectively, regardless of the cost to Samsung and the damage to its reputation, the true cost has been to the environment and the wasted resources that went into building 2.5 million Note 7's destined for disposal. Will you trust Samsung smartphones in the future? Share your thoughts below. Watch The Refresh: The best tech gossip and reviews every week