A model poses for photographs with a Galaxy Note 7 new smartphone during its launching ceremony in Seoul, South Korea, August 11, 2016.
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When it first offered on September 2 to replace the affected Note 7 phones, Samsung said it would swap them for models of its other phones, such as the Galaxy S7, until supplies of replacement Note 7 devices became available.
The problem doesn’t affect all Note 7 phones, because Samsung uses batteries from different suppliers.
The company said it had “an extraordinarily fast start toward achieving our goal of removing every single affected Note 7 from circulation”, but that only 25 percent of previous buyers in the United States had handed their phones back so far – figures that perhaps allow carriers to offer surplus CPSC-approved units for sale.
One US commentator says the next step will be Samsung “bricking” the phone or remotely disabling any Note 7s still in the market.
The number of Note 7 owners who have received replacements surpassed 100,000 as of Wednesday, the officials said.
Samsung Electronics launched only Blue Coral, Gold Platinum, and Silver Titanium models in South Korea when it launched Galaxy Note 7 in last month.
It would be recalled that Samsung has recalled over 2.5 million Galaxy Note 7 devices. Samsung and the U.S. CPSC urge everyone who bought a Note7 before September 15 to power down their device.
The company cited a battery manufacturing error that caused the lithium battery to overheat or burn. “It appears that consumers are not active in seeking an exchange or a refund”. The commission website said consumers can get a refund or a new replacement device and it did not say if there is a deadline for getting a refund.
By using a software update, Samsung has limited the current Note 7 battery to a maximum charge of 60 percent and offered financial incentives to Note 7 owners.
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