Samsung officially kills its "exploding" phone, the Galaxy Note 7
[Photo credit: Reddit user Crushader]
It sounds like science fiction—but it's actually true: back in August, tech giant Samsung was getting reports of its most complex phone yet, the Galaxy Note 7, bursting into flames.
After issuing a recall in September, Samsung has now officially halted production of the device, asking all customers to “power it down and contact the carrier or retail outlet where you purchased your Galaxy Note 7,” according to Gizmodo.
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Here's a short timeline of what's happened.
On Aug. 31, the Washington Post reported that Samsung was delaying shipment of the high-end Galaxy Note 7 after two reports of the battery exploding as the phone charged.
Then, on Sept. 15, the Washington Post reported that the phone had officially been recalled by Samsung after it had “been known to burst into flames.” The problem seemed to be with the lithium-ion battery, which, as the Washington Post said, was having issues in other devices, such as hoverboards and laptops, as well.
At that time, U.S. officials released that 97 percent of those with a Note 7 in the United States had the fire-causing batteries. Samsung had received 97 reports of the battery overheating in the U.S, including 26 burn reports and 55 reports of property damage.
See the official recall from the Consumer Product Safety Commission here.
Since it appeared the issue was with the lithium-ion battery, Samsung began replacing customers' defective Note 7 phones with ones that had a new battery, created by a different manufacturer.
Well, turns out that didn't solve the issue.
The presumably “safe” Galaxy Note 7 phones started also exploding—in fact, three ignited in one week, as Gizmodo says.
Following reports that Samsung ended sales of the Note 7 worldwide, the New York Times added the company will also kill the phone's production. At this point, Samsung has “not disclosed what specifically caused the Note 7s to smoke and catch fire — or even whether it knows what the problem was,” the New York Times states.
With all of this said, if you have a Galaxy Note 7, power it down and return it to your carrier immediately. Samsung told Gizmodo:
“Since the affected devices can overheat and pose a safety risk, we are asking consumers with an original Galaxy Note7 or a replacement Galaxy Note7 to power it down and contact the carrier or retail outlet where you purchased your Galaxy Note7. If you bought your Galaxy Note7 from Samsung.com or have questions, you should contact us at 1-844-365-6197 and we can help you.
Galaxy Note7 Owners need to do one of the following:
1. Exchange your current Galaxy Note7 for a Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge and replacement of any Galaxy Note7 specific accessories with a refund of the price difference between devices; or
2. Contact your point of purchase to obtain a full refund.
Customers who exchange a Note7 device will also receive a $25 gift card, in-store credit, in-store accessory credit or bill credit from select carrier retail outlets.”
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7, and its nearly six inch screen, hit the market on Aug. 19 for $800, full price.
