The eagerly anticipated first shipment of the new Samsung Galaxy Note 7 has been troubled by reports of the huge handset “exploding” due to a dodgy battery cell.
With 35 complaints received thus far worldwide, and images surfacing on social media of the devices that have apparently burnt out, Samsung has seen fit to release a statement on the issue, cancelling any further sales of the Note 7 and has begun a recall on those potentially dangerous devices already sold. We advise contacting Samsung, or your retailer, for specific information on how to get your phone replaced.
From the Samsung Newsroom (Friday 2nd September):
“Samsung is committed to producing the highest quality products and we take every incident report from our valued customers very seriously. In response to recently reported cases of the new Galaxy Note7, we conducted a thorough investigation and found a battery cell issue.
To date (as of September 1) there have been 35 cases that have been reported globally and we are currently conducting a thorough inspection with our suppliers to identify possible affected batteries in the market. However, because our customers’ safety is an absolute priority at Samsung, we have stopped sales of the Galaxy Note7.
For customers who already have Galaxy Note7 devices, we will voluntarily replace their current device with a new one over the coming weeks.
We acknowledge the inconvenience this may cause in the market but this is to ensure that Samsung continues to deliver the highest quality products to our customers. We are working closely with our partners to ensure the replacement experience is as convenient and efficient as possible.”
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 went on pre-sale on August 16th after a major “Unpacked” event to launch it. The event did well to put the new product over to would-be owners, showing it to be worthy of the £740 asking price. Part of the pitch was the lengthy usage time between charging, this credit to the handset’s non-removable 3500mAh battery cell which today is the cause of much concern.
With Apple preparing to launch its next iPhone in the coming weeks, this could not have come at a worse time for Samsung, it’s leading competitor in the smartphone market.
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