The timing has been less than flawless for Samsung as its biggest rival, Apple, prepares to announce the next version of the iPhone tomorrow evening. “The global recall news is a godsend for Apple which is prepared to unveil another flagship device iPhone 7 on September 7″, Tarun Pathak, Senior Analyst, Mobile Devices and Ecosystems, Counterpoint Research in New Delhi, told IANS. Watch this Samsung galaxy Note 7 recall video. BGR said that Note 7 owners can opt to trade their devices with a different model, either a Samsung Galaxy S7 or Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.
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In a statement on Friday, Samsung Ireland said it would “voluntarily replace” any current Note 7 devices with a new one over the coming weeks.
In particular, consumers are now using 1.4 million to 1.5 million of 2.5 million units to be recalled and the 1 million to 1.1 million remaining units are still remaining unopened. According to estimates compiled by Bloomberg, this recall could cost Samsung as much as $1 billion, an amount Samsung said was “heartbreaking”…
Pathak and Kawoosa both said that it will be really hard for the brand to recreate the same image of the phone and assure consumers of its safety. “Maybe they are waiting for a replacement”, he said.
However, Samsung seems to be confident to make a speedy comeback.
” We are expecting more customers to come to us seeking a refund in the days to come”, said the official. The company has collected reports about 35 incidents of the Note 7 malfunctioning while charging.
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According to reports in The Wall Street Journal and Korea Herald, Samsung had dropped its in-house battery-maker, Samsung SDI, completely from future Note 7s, and opted for Chinese company ATL, which had already provided the battery for some Note 7s. The launch of the iPhone 7 Plus is expected to give stiff competition to the Galaxy Note 7. In the countries where the device is yet to made available, the availability dates are postponed.
