After reports of the Galaxy Note 7 "exploding," Samsung halted shipments of the device in the company's home country.
Update 09/02/16 3:20 PM (Pacific): In response to concerns over defective batteries prone to explosion, Samsung has offered to exchange current Note 7 phones with a new Note 7 “as early as next week.” Current Note 7 owners can also immediately opt to exchange their phones for a Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge and pocket the price difference. Note 7 owners can also receive a $25 gift card or bill credit within the exchange program. Go here for more details on Note 7 exchanges.
Update 09/02/16 2:12 AM (Pacific): Samsung issued an official statement on Friday regarding the Galaxy Note 7. The company says it has halted sales of the phablet worldwide, and that previously sold devices will be replaced “in the coming weeks.” The company says that a battery cell issue resulted in 35 reported problems worldwide with the Galaxy Note 7. Samsung’s statement does not explain what those issues were—see the original story below for more details. Here is the official statement in full:
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 Note 7, 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 Note 7.
For customers who already have Galaxy Note 7 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.
Original story:
Samsung won’t be counting on the Galaxy Note 7 to boost its popularity anytime soon. The company confirmed on Thursday that it halted shipments of the Galaxy Note 7 to three South Korean carriers, according to Reuters. The news comes on the heels of a report by South Korean News agency Yonhap about five claims of the devices “exploding” during charging, from all around the globe.
Samsung didn’t want to say why it had decided to halt Galaxy Note 7 shipments in its home country. Nor did it say whether shipments in other countries have been similarly delayed. Samsung simply stated that it needs more time for additional quality control testing.So far there’s no word of a recall, or if this problem affects devices sold in the U.S. There’s also no news on why the devices exploded, though the battery is said to be the likeliest culprit. The Galaxy Note 7 started shipping in the U.S. on August 19.
The Note 7 is Samsung’s latest phablet, with several compelling features that make it a worthwhile purchase for power users. The device has a 5.7-inch display and a water-resistant design. (Even the Note 7’s S-Pen is water resistant.)
Winging it with the Chroma and Dragonfly drones
Samsung’s newest phablet can help you log into a Samsung Windows PC using the phone’s onboard fingerprint reader. The Note 7 also comes with an Iris scanner, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, and a USB Type-C port.
The impact on you at home: If you already own a Galaxy Note 7 you may want to talk to your carrier or retailer to see if any steps are being taken at this point. In the meantime, it’s probably best to never leave your Note 7 unattended while it’s charging until Samsung offers more information.