Two weeks ago, Samsung announced a voluntary global recall of the Galaxy Note 7 in the 10 countries where the smartphone was available, citing reports of fires involving lithium-ion batteries in some of the devices.
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“All Galaxy Note 7 devices have a unique IMEI number so we can identify and advise if an IMEI number belongs to a new replacement Galaxy Note 7”, the company said.
The next step may be to issue an over-the-air (OTA) update that limits battery charging of the phone to just 60% in an attempt to keep phones from overheating and then catching fire. “This is a measure we are taking for our customers’ safety but we apologize for the inconvenience caused”.
The report doesn’t detail if regions outside of South Korea will get the charge-limiting software update.
We’ve reached out to Samsung for clarification on this update, and to find out if a similar update could be coming to the US. The update for users in South Korea will start September 20, and the company hasn’t said when it will be available in other countries.
Anyone who wishes to purchase a Samsung smartphone will now think twice and this is bound to lead to lower sales and overall revenues.
The problem with the Galaxy Note 7 stems from a faulty battery that has a tendency to overheat. “Customers who have Galaxy Note 7 devices can replace their current device with a new device based on local availability”, the company said.
The request follows the revelation that the smartphones – which were recalled on September 2 – have a unsafe battery defect that can set the device on fire. He and his co-workers have been handling complaints from Note 7 consumers.
South Korea’s markets were closed on Wednesday for a public holiday.
Samsung “has to contain the battery explosions but people are not returning the phones”, said Peter Yu, an analyst at BNP Paribas.
Samsung has acknowledged at least 35 incidents where the phone’s batteries have burst into flames. There haven’t been almost as many incidents regarding the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, but if these issues continue to crop up, then Samsung may have another huge debacle on its hands.
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Canada issued a recall notice on Monday.
