Update: Samsung Recalls Galaxy Note7 Due to Battery Fires, Initiates Exchange Program
by Brandon Chester on September 2, 2016 8:20 PM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Samsung
- Android
- Mobile
- Galaxy Note7
Update 09/02, 8:20pm ET: Moving quickly, Samsung has esbtablished a product exchange program for Note7 owners in the US. Samsung is giving owners the option of either replacing the Note7 with a fixed unit starting next week, replacing it with an S7 and refunding the difference. Under most circumstances, Samsung is also offering an additional $25 gift card or bill credit for the trouble.
- Exchange current Galaxy Note7 device with a new Galaxy Note7 (available next week)
- Exchange current Galaxy Note7 for a Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge and replacement of any Note7 specific accessories with a refund of the price difference between devices.
The carriers meanwhile have their own programs to augment this, including offering loaner phones until the fixed Note7s are ready, and of course handling full refunds.
Update 09/02, 4:30am ET: According to Bloomberg, Samsung has initiated a global recall of the Galaxy Note7. All users who already have Galaxy Note7s will receive a replacement device. According to CNN Money, Samsung is aware of 35 cases thus far.
Samsung has also released an official statement on their website.
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.
Samsung has reportedly stopped shipments of the newly launched Galaxy Note7 amid reports that some units have caught fire after being received by users. The news was originally reported by Reuters after a number of users posted photos and videos of charred Galaxy Note7 phones online. According to the report, news sources in South Korea are also reporting that Samsung plans to launch a recall of the defective units so their batteries can be replaced, although this has not been confirmed by Samsung at this time.
While Samsung declined to comment on the initial reports, they have since released the following statement:
"In response to questions on Galaxy Note7, we are conducting a thorough inspection. We will share the findings as soon as possible. Samsung is fully committed to providing the highest quality products to our consumers."
It's not yet clear how extensive the issue is, but even a small percentage of the total units sold would represent a substantial recall. It was originally reported that shipments had stopped in South Korea, and later reports from news outlets and users have stated that the shipment delays are in effect in several markets worldwide. Some sources are reporting that there may be a complete recall of the phones to ensure that all potentially defective units are taken off the market. Such a recall would be unprecedented in the mobile space, and it would be a significant blow to Samsung after launching the Galaxy Note7 just last month to favorable reviews from tech publications and users alike.
The news caused a decline in Samsung Electronics Co Ltd's stock value, with seven billion dollars being knocked off its market value as of last Thursday. Without knowing the extent of the problem, it's difficult to say where things will go from here for Samsung and the Galaxy Note7. With any luck there will be further communication in the coming days from Samsung about the issue and their plans to resolve it for affected users.
Source: Reuters
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HomeworldFound - Thursday, September 1, 2016 - link
Hopefully it'll just be something as simple as metal shavings in the battery, it happens.Deelron - Thursday, September 1, 2016 - link
Or second latest iPhones (the 6 series, not the 6s), in the interest of accuracy.solipsism - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
And it's an issue that took almost 2 years to be an issue for only a certain portion of devices. It sucks with component makers make mistakes, but it also sucks for the device vendor who gets a bad rap for the device, has to replace said devices, likely has to deal with lawsuits, and then has to go after the component vendor for selling them a flawed component.Chances are Samsung isn't directly to blame since it does them no good to knowingly ship a device that can catch fire and explode. They may have tried to cut corners on components or quality control, or maybe their design is inherently flawed; but each of those are increasingly less likely.
Samus - Saturday, September 3, 2016 - link
Working in IT and having an iPhone (don't laugh we exist) I see a lot of iPhones 6's, even my wife has a 6 Plus. I've never seen the touch disease that's reported, and considering over 100 million of these phones have been sold and only 100 or so confirmed reports world wide have ever come up, I'd say it is a pretty unusual issue.Samsung on the other hand has a serious issue if 35 reports have rolled in on a device that hasn't even been shipping a month and has sold only a few million units.
Lastly, there is a huge difference between touch disease and a battery catching fire. Apple has had a lot of design flaws they haven't acknowledged (antenna gate, sapphire camera lenses, Touch ID sensor issues and now touch disease) but many they have acknowledged (crack books, video card failures, faulty cables and chargers which may or may not have been counterfeits, multiple mostly water related Apple Watch issues, and of course, MacBook and iMac screen failures. They have had isolated recalls with iPads and iPhones over the last decade as well, usually down to batches or software bricking.
Again, the difference is rarely have any of these issues been safety related, and if they were, they weren't the fault of original equipment.
Samsung really f'd up selling a device that so quickly has come up with dozens of chaotic failures.
melgross - Saturday, September 3, 2016 - link
Except that this looks to be battery cells made by Samsung's battery division.damianrobertjones - Sunday, September 4, 2016 - link
Gotten????Read about the Samsung 7 Slate. Samsung have always been sloppy.
Devo2007 - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
No boom.... Today. Boom tomorrow; always a boom tomorrow.Devo2007 - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
Hopefully not, but I'm not going to lose sleep over this. AFAIK no Snapdragon units have explodedbigjezzarino - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
At least 76 fires in Australia due to certain Samsung Washing Machines. I'm wondering if they restructured recently and merged the mobile group with the home appliance group...zeeBomb - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
Someone call Benson Leung on the phone...I suspect it's the USB type C? If Samsung stuck with USB 3.0 this shit wouldn't be happening!