Samsung is taking the major step of recalling its Galaxy Note 7 worldwide, after various users reported that the smartphone’s battery had exploded while charging.
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But it did not confirm the battery issue led to either explosions or fires, which has been reported elsewhere. Samsung said 35 cases had been reported to the company globally as of 01 September, and its own investigation found a “battery cell issue”.
Samsung has sold more than 1 million Note 7 smartphones since the product’s launch.
All the US carriers have now halted sales of the phone.
It will take at least two weeks to begin the process of replacing customers’ devices, and in the meantime the planned promotional activities in the United Kingdom and elsewhere, where the Galaxy Note 7 was due to be launched today, have been pulled.
Samsung has now chose to delay sales of Galaxy Note 7 in India, the Press Trust of India reported, citing a company spokesman.
“We will work closely with Samsung to ensure T-Mobile customers who have already purchased the device are well taken care of”, the company said in a statement.
The Galaxy Note 7 is a 5.7-inch screen device, which compares with the 5.1-inch screen for the Galaxy S7 smartphone, is navigated with a designated pen, is water resistant and has increased security features including iris scanning. And it went on sale in 10 countries on August 10 including India. Customers who have bought the unsafe devices can swap it for a new one with no extra charges according to Samsung.
Samsung said it has been informed of 35 cases of the handset catching fire and is working with suppliers to find as numerous affected batteries as possible.
Samsung had sold 2.5 million units of the premium devices before the sales stoppage.
The firm would extend refund periods for affected customers and offer exchanges for other Samsung phones, Koh confirmed.
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The company acknowledged the recall would be an “inconvenience” but said it was working to make sure it would be as “convenient and efficient a possible”.
