Samsung investigated the reports and concluded that the Galaxy Note 7 has a faulty battery causing the explosions while the devices are charging.
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We reported yesterday that two Galaxy Note 7 customers have witnessed their smartphones fail in spectacular fashion, as the units actually exploded while charging. Still, BGR said that sales of the Galaxy Note 7 on markets where it is already released, which includes the United States, will continue.
These hiccups come just a week before fierce rival Apple launches its new faster-running iPhone 7 and Apple Watch 2 on Wednesday 7 September. This affects only the Korean market for now, where Samsung sold more than 400,000 units since August 19th. There is some speculation that Samsung is running some deeper quality checks due to reports of Note 7 batteries exploding.
Images posted on the Internet show a Galaxy Note 7 severely damaged on the left side, black and burnt on the back and the front, in the aftermath of the explosion. Samsung SDI Co Ltd, one of the suppliers for the Note 7 battery, told Reuters that it had seen no evidence that its batteries were to blame. But the tech giant is halting shipments of its highly anticipated handset over quality control concerns, and there are unconfirmed reports that it is considering a recall.
Demand for the Galaxy Note 7 has been strong, said Samsung speaking to Fortune.
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Quality control problems, if confirmed, could deal a major blow to the world’s top smartphone maker, which was counting on the Galaxy Note 7 to help maintain sales momentum in the second half when competition is expected to intensify. Several outlets are reporting Samsung plans to recall the phones to replace the batteries rather than providing complainants with entirely new phones. The phone has a 5.7-inch screen and a stylus, as well as an iris scanner that lets users unlock their phones with a glance. Samsung has indeed traced the explosions to the battery of the device and is in talks with Verizon and other USA business partners to figure out how to deal with the issue.
